The Stoning of Stephen part 1

Rev. Andrew Hunt, III

Walking through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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The Stoning of Stephen

, [1] And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” [2] And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, [3] and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ [4] Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. [5] Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. [6] And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. [7] ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ [8] And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. [9] “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him [10] and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. [11] Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. [12] But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. [13] And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. [14] And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. [15] And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, [16] and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.”

[1] And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” [2] And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, [3] and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ [4] Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. [5] Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. [6] And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. [7] ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ [8] And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. [9] “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him [10] and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. [11] Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. [12] But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. [13] And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. [14] And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. [15] And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, [16] and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.”

The remedy for discouragement is the Word of God. When you feed your heart and mind with its truth, you regain your perspective and find renewed strength.

Stephen was the right man, at the right time, doing the right time, for the only true and Right God and was operating right in the center of God’s will.

This is the longest address in the Book of Acts and one of the most important. In it Stephen reviewed the history of Israel and the contributions made by their revered leaders: Abraham (vv.2-8), Joseph (vv. 9-17), Moses (vv. 18-44), Joshua (v. 45), and David and Solomon (vv.46-50). But this address was more than a recitation of familiar facts: it was also a refutation of their indictments against Stephen and a revelation of their own national sins. "When it seems as if God is far away, remind yourself that He is near. Nearness is not a matter of geography. God is everywhere. Nearness is likeness. The more we become like the Lord, the nearer He is to us."

Stephen proved from there their own Scriptures that the Jewish nation was guilty of worse sins than those they had accused him of committing. What were these sins? Well this morning as we start this series on the Stoning of Stephen we will examine to of those sins. (1) Their sin of misunderstand their spiritual roots and (2) Their rejection of God’s prophets and the rule.

Stephen lays out a detail case of both sins and confronts them with the truth in love but they are convicted by that true. Yet, their replied is not conviction but one of cowardice.

Thomas Fuller, once said, “Despair gives courage to the cowards.” And “ We too could become cowards if we had enough courage.”

Let us pray…

They stoned Stephen… because they misunderstood their own spiritual roots.

, [1] And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” [2] And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, [3] and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ [4] Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. [5] Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. [6] And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. [7] ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ [8] And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.” Stephen addresses the most serious crime first- the accusation of blasphemy against God. He establishes that he believes fully in the God of Israel, and that the Old Covenant is not abrogated but fulfilled in Christianity—and this is God’s will. Jesus has already taught back in, , [17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. [19] Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The “Law” or “Torah” refers to the first five books of the OT, while the “Prophets” includes the rest of the OT, all of which was held to have been written by prophets, which cites ; on “Law [and the] Prophets,” Jesus “fulfills” all of the OT in that it all points to him, not only in its specific predictions of a Messiah but also in its sacrificial system, which looked forward to his great sacrifice of himself, in many events in the history of Israel which foreshadowed his life as God’s true Son, in the laws which only he perfectly obeyed, and in the Wisdom Literature, which sets forth a behavioral pattern that his life exemplified. Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom does not replace the OT but rather fulfills it as Jesus’ life and ministry, coupled with his interpretation, complete and clarify God’s intent and meaning in the entire OT. , speaks to the fact until heaven and earth pass away. Jesus is confirming the full authority of the OT as Scripture for all time,

,” All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Jesus drills down even down to the smallest components of the written text: the iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet (or the yod of the Hb. alphabet) and the dot likely refers to a tiny stroke or a part of a letter used to differentiate between Hebrew letters. Jesus teaches here that The OT remains an authoritative compendium of divine testimony and teaching, within which some elements (such as sacrifices and other ceremonial laws) predicted or foreshadowed events that would be accomplished in Jesus’ ministry and so are not now models for Christian behavior. The words “until all is accomplished” points to Jesus’ fulfillment of specific OT hopes, partly through his earthly life, death, and resurrection, and then more fully after his second coming. These commandments refers to all the commands in the OT (although many will be applied differently once their purpose has been “fulfilled” in Christ; v. 17).

When Jesus speaks of someone relaxing one of these least of these commandments. Jesus is demanding a commitment to both the least and the greatest commandments yet condemn those who confuse the two (cf. 23:23–24).

The entire OT is the expression of God’s will but is now to be taught according to Jesus’ interpretation of its intent and meaning. Jesus calls his disciples to a different kind and quality of righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees. They took pride in outward conformity to many extrabiblical regulations but still had impure hearts. But kingdom righteousness works from the inside out because it first produces changed hearts and new motivations.

, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” so that the actual conduct of Jesus’ followers does in fact “[exceed] the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.”

The text shares with us that the high priest, who was probably Caiaphas, who was in office until A. D. 36, began the proceedings by asking Stephen. Are these things so? He was asking, “How do you plead to the charges against you” Guilty or not guilty?” Stephen’s reply does not appear at first glance to be a direct answer to that question. The defense of Stephen before the Sanhedrin is hardly a defense in the sense of an explanation or even an apology that was calculated to win an acquittal. Rather, it is a proclamation of the Christian message in terms o the popular Judaism of the day and an indictment of the Jewish leaders for their failure to recognize Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah or to appreciate the salvation provided in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Look how Stephen uses this lengthy historical summation to make his primal fisca case. Stephen challenges them to remember their spiritual roots in the Old Testament. Stephen calls them to “… Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.” Stephen reminds them of ,,, his purpose was to show that Christ and the Christian faith, which he preached were the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament. He traces the line of God’s sovereign will from Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David to our Lord—the Righteous One.”

Stephen began his historically derived response by appealing to the as brethren, fellows in the same ship, this was to appeal to their solidarity with Him. He also wanted to acknowledged them as fathers, showing his respect for them as leaders of the Jewish people. First Stephen appeals to the Uncommon and all wise God of glory which that all would have in common as he speaks of His appearance to Abraham.

God spoke to Abraham as God spoke in

, “The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.”

This is the God of glory, the one who orchestrates all of redemptive history. This title for God appears in and here in . It is most rich, complete description of the almighty, holy, sovereign God, since His glory in the composite of all His attributes.

, “Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” After opening with the sovereign source of the whole plan, he turns to our father of faith Abraham as he establishes his belief in the God of Israel. He was testifying that he was neither a blasphemer or God nor a traitor to his people, this was in fact his “not guilty” plea. Stephen them affirmed his resolute belief in the sovereign control of Israel’s destiny. He began by describing the call of Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. God commanded Abraham, depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you. In obedience to that call Abraham departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and settled in Haran. Haran, located about 500 miles northwest of Ur, was noted for its moon worship. Abraham remained there until his father died. God then removed him into this country ( Israel) in which hey were now living. Abraham’s obedience under God’s sovereignty accomplished God’s purpose for his life. As Paul was later to do, Stephen focuses on Abraham as a man of faith. Completely by faith he obeyed God’s sovereign call and left his homeland, not knowing exactly where he was going, even when he arrived in his new country. God gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground. The only land Abraham possessed was his burial plot. All he received—and that when he has no child—was God’s promise and pledge that He would give the land to him as a possession, and to his offspring after him,

, “The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” The closest Abraham came to seeing such was a grand promise fulfilled was the birth of Isaac.

When if comes to faith, Abraham truly went for faith to faith to faith. First in his initial call: then in the calling of the birth of Isaac, and then in the calling to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham’s faith was further tested by God’s revelation that his offspring would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. The exact length of Israel’s stay in Egypt was 430 years. Abraham believers God’s promise that whatever nation to which they shall be in bondage “I Myself will judge.” God further promised that after their time in bondage, they would come out and serve Him in this place, the land of Israel. Following the flow of salvation history; Stephen moved into the patriarchal period. God’s sovereign control of Israel’s destiny continued with the succeeding generations, as He reaffirmed the covenant to Abraham’s descendants. The sign of God’s covenant with Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eight day in obedience to that covenant. Circumcision was a mark of their covenant with God. Circumcision is the surgical removal of the prepuce, or foreskin, of a male. The word “circumcise” literally means “to cut around.” As a religious rite, circumcision was required of all of Abraham’s descendants as a sign of the covenant God made with him (; ). The Mosaic Law repeated the requirement (), and Jews throughout the centuries have continued to practice circumcision. Paul had a missionary helper, Timothy, circumcised. Timothy was half-Jewish, and Paul circumcised him so that he would not be a hindrance as they sought to reach out to unsaved Jews. Although the Bible did not require Timothy to be circumcised, it was something he did willingly for the sake of reaching the Jews. However, as Paul states unequivocally in Galatians, circumcision does not aid either salvation or sanctification in Christ. The idea of “circumcision of the heart” is found in . It refers to having a pure heart, separated unto God. Paul writes, “A Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” “For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”

So Stephen continues to teach and tells us that Isaac then became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs, the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Stephen now was beginning to lay the groundwork for the blistering condemnation he would deliver later in verses 51-53.

There is a great difference in knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God you always have the energy to serve Him. The boldness to serve Him and the strength to trust in Him. When you really know God then you will really know yourself and the root that supplies your grace.

Listen to what Charles Spurgeon once said, “ If you wish to know God you must know His word. If you wish to perceive His power you must know how He works by His Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.

Stephen continued to give them a great history lesson in their spiritual roots, but they we too blind to recognize who they were in God.

They stoned Stephen…because they rejected the sacred prophets and their rule.

, “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.”

The twelve patriarchs, among the most revered men in Israel’s history became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. By so doing, Joseph’s brothers rejected the very one God had set apart for special blessing. , “Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”

Despite his brothers’ rejection, God was with Joseph, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt: and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household. Stephen makes it inescapably clear that the twelve patriarchs were guilty of opposing God and His purpose. They threw Joseph into an empty cistern, but God rescued him, they plotted to kill Joseph, but God rescued him, they sold Joseph, into slavery but God rescued him, they sent Joseph into Egypt, but God rescued him. God gave Joseph favor in Potiphar’s eyes and Potiphar made him the master over his whole household. Potiphar wife, said to Joseph lie with me and Joseph said, “ behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. “… He has kept back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? She still accused him and he when to jail but God rescued him.

Although Stephen waits until the very conclusion of his sermon to openly declare that Jesus is the Messiah, Stephen gives glimpses of Christ. Joseph’s life in many ways is analogous to Christ. Both were from the nation of Israel, Both were delivered up out of envy, both were condemned to death by the testimony of a false witnesses. God freed Jesus from the prison of death and exalted Him. God freed Joseph from prison and exalted to high office. A Joseph was able to deliver his sinful brothers from physical death, so Jesus deliver His brother from spiritual death.

After Joseph’s rejection by his brothers, Stephen reminds them of when a famine came over Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it; and our father could find no food. Similarly, Israel’s rejection of Jesus plunged them into a spiritual famine—a famine that will last until that say, “when all Israel will be saved.”

Because of the severity of the famine, when Jacob heard that there was gain in Egypt, he sent the fathers there the first time. It was not until their second visit, however, that Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. It is only just before Christ’s second coming that Israel will recognize Him for who He is, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves;”

After revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. They all went down to Egypt, when Jacob went down to Egypt, he passed away along with all the father. After their deaths, they were remove to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham has purchased from a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

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