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

Acts, Christianity, Expository, Homiletics,
Outlines, Persecution, Preaching,
Sermons, Stephan, Veterens Day

ACTS 5:41-42 - Continuing Daily

SERIES: #10
TOPIC: Persecution; honor, name (above all), perseverance, praise, suffering

TITLE: CONTINUING DAILY – The honor in dishonor for His Name’s sake!
TEXT: Acts 5:41-42 [21-42]

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

CONCISE OUTLINE
INQUIRY: How do we see Acts’ three themes in this persecution of the Apostles?

I. NOTICE THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST JESUS!
II. NOTICE THE PROMINENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!
III. NOTICE THE POWER OF THE AUTHENTIC CHURCH!

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Most people don’t think of persecution as they should. Most, if asked, would associate it with torture, often leading to death. But the truth is broader. Definition –

Per-se-cute (pûr¹sî-ky¡t´) verb, transitive; 1. To oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, sexual orientation, or beliefs. 2. To annoy persistently; bother.

Biblical persecution is any external hindering, harassing, or oppressing treatment on account of the Name of Christ … whether direct or indirect. In our text we see how the Authentic Church ought to respond to persecution.

This is the second of two persecutions by the religious leaders of the day:

1. 1st ended with prayer for power and boldness, while
2. 2nd ended with praises for power and boldness.

Perhaps if we encountered these men in our lives today they would be unimpressive; we might not see them as great men but their behavior tells us God did!

All too often powerful people are focused on themselves; the apostles learned from their teacher to focus on others [Philippians 2:3-4]; even to the point of rejoicing for suffering abuse for the Name and their neighbors, because they knew God had the final word.

Satan never rests but to find evil people in his kingdom willing and able to torment the righteous in God’s kingdom … this is the price and the fruit of sin.

INQUIRY: How do we see Acts’ three themes in this persecution of the Apostles?
EXPANDED OUTLINE

I. THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST!

"about daybreak" [21] ... indicates “teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” was an important activity for them, and they got busy at it!

"in this name" [28a] ... whose name?

"this man's blood" [28b] ... what man?

"raised up Jesus" ... "hanging Him on a cross" ... "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" [30-31] ... it truly is all about Jesus ... that name, that man!

"they ... ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus" [40] ... do you see, it is preeminent, this name above every name, this name by which all men must be saved it they are to see the Father.

"rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name" [41] ... they are honored to suffer dishonor for it.

"And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." [42]... I dare say, this is the task of the authentic church.

II. THE PROMINENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

We all agree the ability to teach the Good News is Holy Spirit given [21, 25, 28] ... here we have the Holy Spirit in evidence through their convicting teaching.

Christ had told them, when they suffered persecution from authorities, the Holy Spirit would give them utterance [Luke 21:14-15]. "We must obey God rather than men" [29] ... here is evidence of the Holy Spirit doing just that.

"we are witnesses ... and so is the Holy Spirit" [32] ... see 1 John 5:6-8 to see the Holy Spirit elsewhere mentioned as a "witness"

"they were cut to the quick" [33] ... see John 6:7-11 for the resume of the Holy Spirit –

"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, be-cause the ruler of this world has been judged."

"Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law" [34] ... see here the Holy Spirit move on an enemy of the Cross

"they kept right on" [42] ... under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit

III. THE POWER OF THE AUTHENTIC CHURCH!

"they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach" [21] ... indicates a fear of God and not man; power of faith does this

"they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this" [24] ... power of faith brings perplexity to the enemies of God.

"But someone came and reported to them, 'The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!'" [25] ... power of this kind of faith confounds the enemies of God.

"[they] intended to kill them" [30-32] ... here again is powerful unction to preach boldly the truth in the very face of death

"if it is of God, you will not be able" [39] ... this is power of the authentic kind!

"rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer ... every day ... they kept right on teaching and preaching" [41-42] ... end of the story.

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Their suffering stimulated them to greater and more courageous and evangelistic endeavors.

The disciples took advantage of every opportunity to preach about Jesus – dead, buried, raised up, exalted and the need for repentance and forgiveness.

It must be noted what happened here: God raised Jesus from the dead, exalted Him to the right hand of power on high, giving Him power to save, and gave the Holy Spirit for those whom He saved … becoming the Chief witness against accusing man.

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:10-12

“And turning His gaze on His disciples, He began to say, ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.’”

Luke 6:20-23

Notice how they responded to persecution:

1) Suffered with dignity

• honored
• joyful
• focused

2) Returned with diligence to teach and preach:

• Where? Publicly and privately!
• When? Daily!
• What? Lord Jesus Christ; and Him crucified and resurrected!

They were accused of doing just what they were commanded by Jesus to do … “fill Jerusalem with their teaching.”

Persecution only forced them out to Judea and Samaria, and then they filled the whole world with this teaching.

Perhaps that is what the contemporary Church needs today … persecution!

Acts, Christianity, Expository,
Homiletics, Outlines, Persecution,
Preaching, Sermons

1 PETER - Seed Archive

1 Peter 2:20-25

"when you do good and suffer, patiently enduring it, this finds favor before God"

TOPIC: Christ Jesus

TITLE: A Divine Response for Straying Sheep
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why have we been called to suffer when doing good?

I. Because Christ Experienced Suffering On Our Behalf! [21]
II. Because Christ Endured While Blameless! [22]
III. Because Christ Entrusted Himself To God Completely! [23]
IV. Because Christ Earned Our Salvation! [24]

"... for now we've returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls"

1 Peter 2:22-25

TOPIC: Jesus [Example (His); Discipleship]

TITLE: THE GUARDIAN OF MY SOUL!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How did Jesus set an example?

I. In His Nature - Sinless!

"WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH" [22]

II. In His Temperament - Blameless!

"while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously" [23]

III. In His Death - Vicarious!

"... He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." [24]

IV. In His Guardianship - Shepherd!

"For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." [25]

1 Peter, Homiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Sermons

2 PETER - Seed Archive

2 Peter 2:4

“God … cast them into hell.”

TOPIC: Hell

TITLE: A Message from Hell!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is the message of hell?

[FIRE & BRIMSTONE] I recall a story of a Scottish pastor mesmerized by the fire in a glass factory's furnace. Thinking he was alone, the preacher said aloud, "Oh, what the fires of hell must be like!"

The next Sunday a worker from the glass factory confronted the man about his statement. "Oh preacher." He said. "I have had no rest since I overheard you say that. Tell me what I must do to avoid the fires of hell?"

The problem of human destinies has pressed hard upon Christians who take Scripture seriously, for the Word affirms three things:
I. The reality of hell.

The reality of hell as a state of eternal destructive punishment in which God's judicial retribution for sin is directly experienced.

II. The certainty of hell.

The certainty of hell for all who choose it by rejecting Jesus Christ and his offer of eternal life.

III. The equity of hell.

The justice of hell as a fit divine infliction upon humanity for our lawless and cruel deeds.

[J. I. Packer] "It was, to be sure, hell-deserving sinners whom Jesus came to save, and all who put their trust in him may know themselves forgiven, justified, and accepted forever—and thus delivered from the wrath to come. But what of those who lack this living faith?” [“Good Pagans and God’s Kingdom,” Christianity Today, pp. 22-25]

2 Peter, Homiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Sermons