Tuesday, December 11, 2007

ACTS 7:58-60 - They Cast Stones

Series #14: Acts of the Apostles - Witnesses to Jerusalem
TOPIC: Consecration; Heritage, Matyrdom, Persecution, Sacrifice

TITLE: THEY CAST STONES - He Cast Eyes On Heaven!
TEXT: Acts 7:58-60 (54-60]
When they’d driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.
[HERITAGE] This passage reminded me of a dear friend B. T. Austin (95) and he reminds me of Veterans Day; this is Veterans Day in the US.

B. T. was of the Texas Austins, the thirteenth of sixteen kids; he wrote an Austin family history and let me read it, he mentions Armistice Day; aka Veterans Day. Prior to 1954 we celebrated Armistice Day instead of Veterans Day …

Being reminded of this caused me to consider how easy it is to forget our heritage … the armistice ending WWI was signed in 1918. He said they had a saying to remind them: “the 11th month, the 11th day, and the 11th hour.” He remembered it well … he was eleven.

He and his mother were sleeping on blankets in the town square in Portales, NM; people ran into the street firing guns and setting off fire crackers. They hung an effigy of Kaiser Wilhelm in the square and shot it up while it burned.

Veterans Day is to remind us of those who served in the American armed forces in wartime (now peace time too). We’ve another day to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice … Memorial Day.
Luke, the author of Acts, records Stephen’s martyrdom as an example of giving our lives for the cause of Christ … and, on lesser scale, how to die with dignity and grace.

Let’s move to our text …
(54) “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.”
Anger wells up in the heart of those who live by the flesh … righteousness wells up in the heart of the one who lives by the Spirit ...
(55) “But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; (56) and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’”
Stephen’s eyes turned upward, on the things of God; their eyes turned outward, looking for rocks ...
(57) “But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears, and they rushed upon him with one impulse. (58) And when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him, and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
Those who gave testimony were required by law to cast the first stones at the condemned.
“The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”
Deuteronomy 17:7
The first was to hit him in the chest with a small boulder to knock him to his “loins”; the second was to hit him on the head ...
(59) “And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’”
If he survived the first two …the other witnesses were to follow; then, if still alive, the congregation would follow ...
(60) “And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ And having said this, he fell asleep.”
The Law kills, but the Spirit gives life.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What great teachings of our faith may be gleaned from our text?
I. CONFIRMATION OF CHRIST'S READINESS TO INTERCEDE!
(56) “... he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’”
Irony: Stephen stood condemned, without justice or mercy … yet he’ll soon intercede with heaven for them ... while Christ stood before the Judge Most High, in Court of courts, interceding for him.

And He is ready to intercede for us …
“Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
Romans 8:34
[Albert Barnes] “... seeing that there was no safety in the Great Council of the nation, and no prospect of justice at their hands, he cast his eyes to heaven and sought protection there. When dangers threaten us, our hope of safety lies in heaven. When people threaten our persons, reputation, or lives, it becomes us to fix our eyes on the heavenly world; and we shall not look in vain.”
II. CONFIRMATION OF CHRIST'S DEITY!
(59) “And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’”
The word “God” (i.e., theos) is not in the record to support its inclusion here; thus we can say a godly man, in his dying moments, would turn to his god … Stephen turned to his “Lord Jesus”.

Only God forgives sin, only God is prayed to; Jesus the Christ is God, Stephen addressed Him as God!
III. CONFIRMATION OF ETERNALITY & IMMATERIALITY OF SPIRIT!
Again verse 59 ...

If we accept Stephen is a man “full of the Spirit and wisdom,” yet facing certain death then we must accept such a man would not err in his theology or offer up his spirit to God in the event he didn’t believe in its immaterial and eternal nature.

So, we must accept Stephen believed in the immateriality and eternality of his spirit; and as Christ gave His spirit to God the Father, Stephen gave his spirit to God the Son.
IV. CONFIRMATION OF SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST'S VICTORY OVER DEATH!
Again verse 59 ...
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
Romans 8:2
For the same reasons as our last point Stephen’s actions and words confirm this reality.
V. CONFIRMATION OF NEED TO SETTLE ACCOUNTS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE!
(60) “And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ And having said this, he fell asleep.”
We must not continue our debt of forgiveness of others at the moment of our death.

Stephen follows Christ’s example; we ought to follow the examples of both.

Though there is no remission of sin in the forgiveness of others by fallen men, there is settling of accounts and cleansing of sorts.
APPLICATION: If man honors the sacrifice of others how much more should the church remember those who’ve sacrificed for her?

Stephen’s example reminds us of what others have done to preserve that freedom; as in the days after Joshua’s judging Israel, people arise in every era who know not Joshua.

Where there’s no sense of investment, there’s no motivation for preservation.

Our Lord and His martyrs are His legacy and that legacy is in His church; that legacy is wrapped up in His deity, the sufficiency of His victory over sin and death, and the immateriality and eternality of man’s spirit. Ain’t that great?

CHALLENGE:
"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:10-12

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