How to Run the Race Until the End

Back in 1956, Jim Elliot was 28 years old and on fire for the Lord. He and several other believers had been doing some initial work with a group of people in Ecuador called the Huaorani Indians who lived in a very remote village in the jungle. Elliot felt called to reach these people the minute that he heard about them at the age of 22. After dropping off some gifts from a plane, Elliot and several other missionaries decided it was time to make contact from the ground. After successfully communicating with a small group of the native Indians and even taking one of them up in the airplane, the missionaries thought that things were going well! Little did they know what was coming. The Huaorani had very little trust for outsiders and one of their leaders recommended that they kill these missionaries, even though they had been friendly to several tribe members. On January 8th, 2 days after making initial contact, a large group of the Huaorani appeared and began to spear the missionaries one by one. They threw their bodies into the nearby river and on January 13th 4 of the 5 bodies had been recovered and identified.

To the world this seems like a failure at this point in the story. In fact, 60 years ago it was described as a tragic nightmare. But if you know what happens next, you know that the only plausible explanation is found in the providence of God as family members of these missionaries came back to the Huaorani and shared the Gospel with them. Fast forward 30-40 years and many of the men who threw spears into the hearts of the original 5 missionaries came to accept Christ as Lord and Savior due to the continued efforts of their loved ones and the worldwide purpose of our God.

Jim Elliot once shared this, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Why would a person like Jim Elliot who had a family risk his life to share the good news of Jesus with a dangerous group of people that would in time kill him? Why do this - why “waste” away your life as some in our world have stated? Because this world is not our home. This life is not ultimately about us. We can’t keep what we have. Therefore, whenever we realize this, we can live with the mindset of a Jim Elliot and strive to gain what we cannot lose and freely give that which doesn’t belong to us in the first place.

Jim Elliot was someone who understood Hebrews 12:28

Hebrews 12:28 CSB

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,

He understood that our world is shaking and confused, but as Christians, we are secured completely in Christ! As Christians we know that we are running a race. The race is long, difficult at times, hot at times, confusing often, and it can leave us feeling discouraged more often than not. Yet, we see throughout Scripture numerous encouragements to us as we run our race. We know that we are not running alone - our Savior is with us every step of the way. So, how can we run in this race as members of Christ’s unshakeable Kingdom?

So far in Stephen’s sermon, we’ve seen many examples of how the Jews failed to listen to God’s servants and how his audience had failed to listen to Jesus. In order to faithfully run as followers of God, we have to respond correctly to Christ’s message. We have to repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus. We have to live for Him as a new creation - this is a daily decision to die to self and follow Christ. As we do this, as we listen to His Spirit, we focus not on our comforts and conveniences but instead we focus on the cross and our calling to be like Christ regardless of what comes our way. If that means we suffer like a Jim Elliot or a Stephen, so be it! We must run our race until the end.

Let’s look at how Stephen ran his leg faithfully.

Acts 7:51–8:3 CSB

51 “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also. 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. 53 You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.” 54 When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he fell asleep. 1 Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3 Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.

Speak the Truth (51-53)

Have you ever been in a situation where you are asked to give your opinion about something that you know is likely to not be the same as people around you? This can be a bit of an awkward position to be in. On the one hand, you can be honest and tell the truth even though it might upset others or possibly put you on an island of sorts. On the other hand, you can water down the truth in order to fit in a little better and go with the common consensus. Whenever you fail to tell the truth, it can lead you down a slippery slope and become nearly impossible to determine where the lies begin and end!

Even though telling a lie or watering down the truth might seem like a good option, it leads to more problems than solutions.

Stephen has been sharing the truth of the Gospel with his audience for 50 verses and he’s not quite done. He’s been stepping on the toes of his listeners and now, in verse 51, he goes for the knock out punch. He shares with them the truth: They are stiff-necked and have resisted the Holy Spirit just like their ancestors have done! Further, he says that they are betrayers and murderers just like their ancestors before them who persecuted God’s prophets. This is a serious charge. Stephen wasn’t interested in making friends above all else. He wasn’t about watering down the truth because the truth of the Gospel is too important to even consider watering down. He spoke the truth - his audience was guilty of killing Jesus Christ and resisting the Holy Spirit of the Living God. They had Jesus in front of them and they killed Him. They are no better than their ancestors who killed the prophets.

Stephen has made his decision to speak the truth and his decision will have ramifications that will reverberate throughout the coming generations as we will see. Did you know that whenever someone dares to speak the truth, especially the truth of the Gospel, in a hostile crowd, that decision has ramifications?

In Nazi Germany there were many Christians who were left with a choice before them. Either bend the knee to Hitler and adopt a much different version of Christianity that looks nothing like historical Christianity, or risk losing your job and possibly being executed. The great Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood firm on the exclusivity of the Gospel and salvation being found only through Jesus Christ. He shared this quote, “Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.” Bonhoeffer told the truth to those who would listen in a very immoral and evil nation. His efforts would eventually cost him his life but he was willing to speak the truth nonetheless because the truth of the Gospel was worth any cost - something that Stephen and Jim Elliot would certainly both agree with!

Do you agree with this? Do you agree that it is always worth it to speak the truth about the Gospel to others around you? What about when it costs you a friend or a relationship? Is it worth it to be honest to Jesus? Is it worth it to speak the truth in love if it means that you get ridiculed in the court of public opinion for believing in the Bible? Our response should simply be: yes!

Stephen’s answer is yes and he goes off and shares that his audience is without excuse because they have rejected the truth. They know the Old Testament and they received its law under the direction of angels. They received God’s truth through His prophets, yet they did not keep either and they killed God’s prophets. They were God’s chosen people, yet they continued to resist God’s plan. The twist from Stephen is that it’s not only their ancestors who are guilty - they are the guiltiest of all because of what Hebrews 1:1-2 shares

Hebrews 1:1–2 CSB

1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.

They rejected and disobeyed not an angel or a prophet… They rejected and disobeyed God’s own Son.

May we not be such a stiff-necked people. May we be people who dive into God’s Word in order to see what it says about salvation and grace and who it calls us to be as followers of Christ! May we be people who speak the truth in love as Ephesians 4:15 commands of us.

Stand on the Truth (54-58)

As we speak the truth, there will be people who oppose us and in such moments, it is important that we stand firmly on the truth. What is the truth? 2 weeks ago we began going through the BFM 2000 on Sunday nights and we studied what we believe as Southern Baptists about Scripture. We believe that the Bible is truth. We believe what Hebrews 6:19 shares

Hebrews 6:19 CSB

19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.

God’s promises serve as an anchor for our soul. God’s Word is the solid rock that doesn’t falter when the rain comes and the flood waters rise. We must stand firm on His Word or else we will be shaken and fall for false teachings and false fruits.

As Stephen shared the truth, the result in verse 54 is that the crowd was enraged and they began to gnash their teeth at him. Have you ever said something to someone that upset them a little bit? I’ve had this happen a time or two but I’ve never had someone gnash their teeth at me - this would’ve been a frightening position to be in! Normally whenever we upset someone, accidentally or intentionally, we just get an eye roll or back handed comment thrown our direction. Stephen, though, has something much worse happen. In fact, do we know another person in the New Testament who speaks the truth before a large crowd and instead of his audience wanting to have a discussion, they just want Him dead? We do! Jesus Christ spoke the truth about who He was and it angered those around Him. As we looked at several weeks ago, Jesus was Stephen’s role model. Stephen didn’t set out to be killed like Jesus or to be a martyr, that wasn’t His goal in life per say - he simply set out to live like Jesus. Sometimes, being like Jesus will lead to dying like Jesus. We see this with many heroes of the faith who died for believing in Christ.

Yet, Stephen isn’t alone as he stands up for the truth. How is Stephen not alone? 2 reasons

He is full of the Holy Spirit

He saw Jesus Christ

Whenever we talk of the Holy Spirit we often fail to give Him the respect and spotlight that we do God the Father and God the Son. The Spirit is with us wherever we go as Christians. He is the One who convicts us. He encourages us. He also gives us boldness and courage! Stephen is not alone because the Spirit is with him.

Second, Stephen is not alone because he looks up and has this vision of heaven being opened and he see’s Jesus Christ at the right hand of God. In Hebrews 10 we are reminded that Christ’s work of atonement is done and that He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Stephen says that Jesus is standing at the right hand of God - who is right, who is wrong? One commentator had an interesting idea. “Jesus is acknowledging Stephen before the Father in heaven, just as Stephen acknowledged Jesus before men on earth. Jesus is advocating for Stephen and this vision empowers Stephen and enrages the wolves even more.” We know Jesus shares a difficult truth in Matthew 7 regarding those who stand before Him on judgment day

Matthew 7:22–23 NASB95

22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

This is not the case for Stephen. He is about to be welcomed home. His vision is similar to that of Daniel 7:13-14 as Daniel saw Christ given dominion and acting at judge.

Daniel 7:13–14 CSB

13 I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

As Stephen see’s the Son of Man in glory, after everything he has shared with his audience in this chapter and knowing full and well what Daniel saw in Daniel 7, we know that the Judge was not there to render Stephen guilty, as the mob had done. Rather, his vision is evidence that Stephen is innocent and his accusers are guilty. Further, it is one last reminder that the Son of Man has dominion over every nation and people - therefore, God’s message must be shared to all the world and this will soon happen in the coming chapters.

The Jews don’t understand and they aren’t willing to listen to the truth. We see that they yell and drag him out of the city - again, just like the crowd did with Jesus. Once they get outside the city, they take off their outer cloaks and give them to a young man named Saul. Why would they remove their cloaks? Have you ever played baseball or at least thrown a baseball? Have you ever tried to throw a baseball with a jacket on? It’s not as easy to get speed on the ball whenever you are a little more restricted. They remove their outer cloaks in order to be able to throw their stones at Stephen’s head with maximum speed and intensity. They are so set on vengeance that there is a temptation to miss what Stephen does at the end.

He prays for his killers. Stephen has spoken the truth. He has stood on the truth. Look where it got him? It’s about to get him killed. Yet, he doesn’t pray for the pain to be taken away or for the people killing him to be judged and killed. He prays that God would not hold this sin against them. Who also prayed this prayer before He died? Jesus.

Luke 23:34 CSB

34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided his clothes and cast lots.

Forgive them. Do not hold this sin against them. Hurt people hurt people but forgiven people forgive people! Is there someone in your life whom you need to pray for and forgive? Is there someone whom you need to ask forgiveness of today? If so, pursue that end because that’s our calling as Christians: To forgive as we’ve been forgiven.

Does God answer these types of prayers?

See that the Truth Changes Lives (7:59-8:3)

Our God not only answers prayers but He changes lives. The cloaks worn by these Jews were given to a young man named Saul. We read in the beginning of Acts 8 that Saul was not a good guy by any stretch of the imagination towards Christians. He brought about severe persecution against Christians and went house to house in order to throw Christians into jail. This is the same strategy employed by Roman emperors and soldiers in the 1st and 2nd centuries as well! They would knock on doors and if you had a Bible or if your name was given to them by a neighbor and you were said to be having church in your home, you were not only but in prison but you were often thrown into the Gladiator arena or tortured. It didn’t matter your age or gender - the Church has always been persecuted from its infancy!

So far the worst persecution has been is the apostles spending a night in jail and being put on trial before the authorities in Jerusalem. Now, though, there had been a martyr and the Jewish leaders were rounding Christians up and throwing them in jail. Stephen wasn’t the last, he was just the first. Yet, God is still in control. In Acts 1:8 we saw a template for the entire book of Acts.

Acts 1:8 CSB

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

First the Gospel went to Jerusalem. The scope of the book thus far has been Jerusalem. Now, though, it’s about to spread because we see that many of the Christians flee to other areas. Now they will be witnesses where? In Judea and Samaria. This is what we will see in the coming chapters in Acts and eventually, through missionary efforts by a man we were introduced to today, we will see the Gospel being taken throughout the Roman Empire.

Church, God is in control today. God used this angry mob and this time of persecution to grow His Church. God uses awful things to bring about good results! We see this with Joseph and we see it with Stephen. We see it in our lives today! God is sovereign and He has a plan. Don’t lose sight of that reality even in difficult times.

As we understand that God is in control, let’s look at how God answers prayer. Stephen prays that God would not hold this sin against these people. There is a young person in attendance for this stoning who would go on to persecute many Christians. His name is Saul. We’ll look in chapters to come at this man who is better known as Paul and no, he didn’t have a name change contrary to what some might’ve told you. How does God answer Stephen’s prayer? Look at Saul’s life. Saul is an enemy of the cross. He is killing Christians. He is guilty of many things, so many, in fact, that he calls himself the worst of sinners

1 Timothy 1:15 CSB

15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them.

Yet, Jesus saves wicked people from their sin. As the song shares, “Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner’s clean.” Do you believe this truth today? Do you believe that Jesus still changes lives? Do you believe that there is no sin too great that it cannot be forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary? If you do, you do not understand the radical, life transforming grace of Jesus Christ!

His grace turns a terrorist into a an evangelist. His grace turns sinners into saints. His grace turns enemies into friends. His truth changes lives and it’s been doing this for 2000 years!

Conclusion

Suffering will sometimes be inevitable as we follow Jesus throughout lives… But His mission is unstoppable. Just as Jim Elliot and the other 4 missionaries lost their lives while trying to reach the lost with the Gospel, we see that Stephen loses his life preaching the Gospel to a bunch of stiff-necked people. Throughout the history of the church we’ve seen numerous people lose their lives while trying to share the good news with others. This is what God calls His people to do - to be His witnesses. This doesn’t mean that things always work out well for us or that the results go according to plan, in fact with Elliot and Stephen the harvest didn’t come until after their deaths… But in both instances, God was at work. God uses the faithfulness of His servants to bring about a harvest and to change the lives of millions of people.

What we see in our text this morning is that God is building His church one brick/servant at a time. Stephen, as God’s faithful servant, wasn’t in it for the glory, fame, or money. He was in it for the truth. He was all in for King Jesus and he left the results up to the Lord. We read that Stephen fell asleep. Did you know that the hope you have as a Christian is that death is not the end? We know this truth from 1 Corinthians 15 as Paul shares that death has been swallowed up in victory and that death has lost its sting! We all will wake up again from this sleep and whenever we do, if you belong to Jesus, you will wake up before your heavenly Father and hear “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”

What must we do between now and then?

Speak the Truth. Stand for the Truth. Suffer for the Truth. Serve the King as He builds His Kingdom.

As Tony Merida puts it, “Jesus is building His church, and neither bullets nor rocks can prevail against it.” How can you do your part in building this Kingdom? What is the Lord asking you to do today? Whatever that is, say yes.

If you’ve never accepted Christ as Lord please understand that faith in Jesus doesn’t mean that your life will get easier or better. Jesus doesn’t promise this and I don’t want to make a false promise that He doesn’t make. Following Jesus will probably make your life a whole lot harder as it did for Stephen, Paul, and Jim Elliot. But faith in Jesus gives you a lasting hope and an eternal peace that nothing else in this world can offer. Trust in Him and live for Him until He calls you home.

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