Stephen's final defense in Acts 7 reveals the persistent rejection of God's messengers by the Jewish council, culminating in his vision of God's glory and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. The sermon highlights Stephen's understanding of grace, contrasting it with the council's misunderstanding, and uses Joseph, Moses, and David as examples of God's faithfulness despite Israel's repeated unfaithfulness. Stephen's martyrdom, overseen by Saul, paradoxically led to the gospel's expansion as believers scattered and preached. The message concludes by emphasizing that Christ is the only sufficient foundation for life and death, urging listeners to consider their personal relationship with Him.
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We want to again turn to the book of Acts, the seventh chapter, Acts chapter seven, and we begin our reading at verse fifty-one. The seventh chapter of the Acts is the great defense of Stephen to the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, who had accused him in chapter six with false witnesses, of speaking evil against the law and against this place and that this place would have been the temple at Jerusalem. Now, it is from those words that Stephen addresses the multitude in chapter seven.
And beginning in verse fifty one, we have the conclusion thereof where we read, ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. Ye do always resist the Holy Spirit, as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them, which showed before the coming of the just one, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God and said, Behold, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord. and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and hailing men and women, committing them to prison.
Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere complaining. Oh, they that were therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. Now may the Lord bless the reading of his word. Let's pray together. Our Father, in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you As our brother told us this morning, there is a sufficiency in thy your son. And we thank you that of his fullness we have received and grace upon grace. And we thank you for it this morning.
And we pray that as we are together we may behold wondrous truths out of your law in order that to the praise of thy glory we may live and move and show forth the excellences that we have in him who loved us and gave himself for us. Now, help us, our God, as we study this portion, that we may glorify thee and speak to each heart for Jesus' sake. Amen. The Book of Acts, friends, is a great connecting link between the Gospels and the Epistles.
You cannot understand the epistles apart from the book of Acts. For the book of Acts gives us a historical setting for the doctrine that is developed in the epistles. So when you read concerning the problems at Corinth, when you read First Corinthians, from the Acts we learn where First Corinthians was, where in the itinerary of Paul he got there, and the historical setting. for the development of the doctrine that is there. The same is true of the Thessalonians and other places to which Paul wrote in his epistles. Now in the providence of God, Stephen, the man we're reading about in Acts chapter seven, he becomes the vital link between Peter and Paul.
Up to this time in the book of Acts it was Peter who was a spokesman for God. Now, in chapter nine, we're going to find that Paul becomes the main mover in the church, in Acts chapter nine, and in the gospel going to the world. Well, the connecting link between Peter and Paul is this man, Stephen. Now, Stephen's life becomes a very text for the Apostle Paul and for the doctrine which he develops. that Stephen is the Paul before Paul. I believe it is Stephen who is a man who understood the doctrine of grace.
For their misunderstanding of the doctrine of grace is what the false witnesses used to say that he spoke evil against the law. They couldn't understand the difference between law and grace. And it is amazing today there are still many who do not understand the difference between law and grace. Now, as we saw last Lord's Day morning, Stephen's message simply rehearsed the history of Israel to the council. He simply told them how they acted in the Old Testament and how God's grace was continuously manifested unto them, and that they always rejected their saviors at their first advent.
the first time they came to them. But they accepted the Savior the second time. That is really the message of Stephen's address. And he uses two great examples from the Old Testament, or really three. He uses Joseph in Egypt. Then he uses Moses and then he uses David. These three. And out of this, He draws his conclusion. Now we're going to examine the conclusion this morning. We examined the historical part. Excuse me. Last week.
Now notice first of all the rage of the council. There was probably some real interest when Stephen began his message. For if you understand the way in which they brought a message in the Old Testament. And by the way. In the Old Testament, what they've got their message about was, it was based on the history of God's dealings with His people. The hundred thirty-sixth Psalm. All give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever. And time and again, that word, His mercy endureth forever. And if you're reading one of the newer translations, it just uses the word loving-kindness.
You see. and it is repeated, but it is repeated after a new phase of Israel's history is introduced. God's mercy at the Red Sea, God's mercy in Egypt, God's mercy to David, etc. So his message and his method was familiar to his hearers, for the people who listened to Stephen were not ignorant of the Old Testament scriptures. Now you meet a Jew today, and the average Jew today is ignorant of his own scriptures. He doesn't know the Old Testament scriptures, and it's a shame.
He has rejected the new, and he doesn't even know the old. And when you speak with a Jew, and you use the Old Testament scriptures, and try to preach Christ from the Old Testament, he is amazed. when he sees what the Old Testament scriptures contain concerning the person of Christ. I know whereof I speak. I've seen Jews amazed as you talk to them concerning the person of Christ, but I've also seen them reject that message of the Old Testament scriptures just as they do here.
To the message of Stephen and just as they did to the message of Paul later on. Now, let me ask you a question. Have you received the message of the Old Testament Scriptures? The message of the Old Testament Scriptures is simply stated, there is no salvation apart from our Lord Jesus Christ. Have you received him? You know, we can say, isn't it awful that the Jews have rejected Christ, but have you received Him? It's not enough just to say, what a pity they've rejected Him, but have you received Him?
What does He mean to you? Does He direct your life? Is He the Lord of your life? Or are you running things? Now, when Stephen preached, the people were cut to the heart. You see, the Scripture here says they gnashed on him with their teeth. That must have been a horrible thing. They gnashed on him with their teeth. They were cut by the Word of God. They were cornered like an animal. So that's what the Word of God did. That's what the Word of God does. I'll never forget the night the two men came to my home. We lived in Pennsylvania. We had a two-and-a-half-story home.
My son was five years old. And as you go up the stairs to the second floor, it was built like this. And Paul would like to sit on the bottom section. And he was sitting there with his legs folded, a five-year-old boy. And this man, he wanted to sell me a cemetery plot. And I said, I'll certainly buy it. If you can prove to me, I'll need it. And you see, well, he thought he had a sale. And he was really going to town. But I just used that. to teach the doctrine of the coming of the Lord. And these two men, these two men, when I started talking to them about faith in Christ, they started folding up their things to leave.
And just when they put their hand on the door to go, to open the door to leave, I put the clinching argument to them. And Paul, a five-year-old boy, was sitting on the stairs. He said, he got your corner now. That's what he said to these men. The men looked at each other. The men looked at each other and he said, the little boy's right. He's right. My dear friends, the word of God corners you. You cannot evade it. And I turned to these men. I said, a five-year-old boy has more sense.
than you men who are adults. He sees the truth of the Word of God that you men are rejecting. And you may be rejecting it this morning. These men in the Council of Stephen rejected the Word. They nashed on him with their teeth. Now, I want you to notice that in this section we have what is known as the Lynch Law of Judaism. And the lynch law of Judaism, you'll find that the MC of the affair and the ceremony was a young man. His name was Saul of Tarsus. Now, according to the lynch law, they took the victim to the edge of a cliff.
That was more than twice the height of the man, and they threw him over the cliff. And there were those who were on the bottom of the cliff. And when they got in, when he landed at the bottom, they turned him face up. But fifteen feet before they got to the edge of the cliff, they stopped. And there they asked the man to confess or recant what he had said. And then they took him to within six feet of the edge of the cliff. At six feet of the edge of the cliff, the men removed their clothes. in order that they could throw the stones on the man.
The scriptures say they laid their clothes at the feet of a man named Saul of Tarsus. He was a ringleader. And then they took the man and they threw him over the wall. The victim was just thrown to the bottom, turned on his face up and they then dropped the stones on him. He could see them coming. But that leads us to the vision that Stephen had. He had a vision. And I want you to notice, first of all, what he didn't see. He didn't see men acting like beasts.
He never saw that. But I'll tell you what he did see. He saw the glory of God. And this showed us the grace that God has provided for his people. in a difficult time. He saw the glory of God. His statement to the council began with the God of glory, but his life finishes with the glory of God. And he said, I see the Son of Man standing. Now that expression, Son of Man, is most important to a Jewish person. It is the title our Lord used more than any other concerning himself.
and always it carried a threefold connotation. The expression Son of Man in the New Testament, it stands for our Lord's coming to earth. Second, it stands for his going to the cross and dying. And third, his coming again in power and great glory. Let me give you an illustration of each. In Luke chapter nineteen or chapter ten, it says, For the Son of Man has come. to seek and to save that which is lost. And it speaks of his coming to the earth from glory. And then our Lord, in John chapter three, he said, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
He's coming. He's going to the cross. Matthew chapter twenty-five, he says, It is written when the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him. Stephen is the only man in the New Testament who uses the title, Son of Man. I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. And that title, Son of Man, is an Old Testament title. If you have read Daniel chapter seven, the vision of the beasts in Revelation chapter seven. There is one who approaches the Ancient of Days, chapter seven, verse thirteen, I think it is.
And this one who approaches the Ancient of Days, God the Father, he receives from God the Father a kingdom and honor and glory that shall never end. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. and his dominion is forever and ever. And what Stephen sees is that which is known to a Jew who knows his Old Testament scriptures, that he sees that heavenly personage who is linked with man. And this is what the incarnation is all about. This is what we celebrate at this time of the year. God becoming man, great is the mystery of godliness.
God is manifest in the flesh. And here our Lord Jesus Christ is linked as that heavenly personage who receives a kingdom from God the Father whose kingdom is forever and ever. And John, or excuse me, Stephen sees him standing. Now in the book of Hebrews, four times we read that Christ is sitting. He's sitting at the right hand of the Father. You have it in Hebrews one, Hebrews eight, Hebrews ten, Hebrews twelve. But Stephen doesn't see him sitting. He sees him standing.
There are commentators who say that just simply means his position. But I don't think so. I think standing is standing. Of course, being seated according to the book of Hebrews means position too. And I think what this means is that our Lord stands. to welcome his people home. And what a privilege to behold the Son of Man in that momentous time when we are ushered into the presence of the Lord. And friends, there is a real sense in which Stephen is the last testimony to Israel as a nation concerning Christ as their rejected king.
And he becomes a first witness to the truth of the body of Christ. Oh, what a connecting link we have here between Peter and Paul. Now I'd like to say something concerning Stephen's statement concerning the glory of Christ. He said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And that word, Lord, Jehovah. He is a Jehovah of the Old Testament. He is the I am who met Moses at the burning bush. He is the one who met Joshua as a commander of the host of the Lord before the wall of Jericho.
He is Jehovah, but he's also Jesus. And as Jesus, he's the Savior of his people. Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And when we address our Lord, as of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are saying he is Jehovah. We are saying he is the Savior and Christ is the title. He is the anointed one of God. Lord Jesus, he said, receive my spirit. And this is a final public confession. that he makes concerning Jesus as Lord.
Can you think of any better? I can. Now, my friends, you and I are living in a day when we have many clubs, many lodges, many of this and many of that to live by. But not a one of them is good enough to die by. It doesn't matter if it's the Elks or the Masons. or the moose or the goose, it doesn't make any difference. There are many things that you can live by, but there isn't any that's worth anything when it comes to die by. I wonder, are you in Christ? To be in Him, He saw the glory of God.
You see, beloved, a child of God is one who has committed themselves into the hands of one who is called God over all, blessed forevermore. That's who he is. God over all, blessed forevermore. And the scripture says about Stephen, having seen the glory of God, he fell asleep. And that simply means his body. His body went to sleep. He, the spirit and the soul, the real man, was taken to glory. For the Scripture declares, To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
And later the Apostle Paul wrote, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is vain. So death, that which took place in the life of Stephen, ushered him into the presence of God. For to die is to be with Christ. To be with Christ is far better. than any place on planet Earth. Now the results of this, there's some great results that accrued the result as Stephen bore testimony. There's a great law in operation in the universe and that is the greater the heat, the greater the expansion.
Do you get that? The greater the heat, the greater the expansion. And we find in the first verse of chapter eight, at that time, at the time of Stephen's death, there was a great persecution against the church. The heat is on. And what do you expect? Expansion. And what happens? They go everywhere preaching the gospel. And this is a great law of God. Now, Saul of Tarsus, is very active in this persecution. And according to verse four, they went everywhere preaching the gospel.
They were like a volcano spewing out lava. But here it's the lava of the gospel. They went everywhere preaching the gospel. God and His divine providence is causing His people to obey His command in the Great Commission. There might have been that attitude. We want to stay at Jerusalem. This is a good place. We have a good thing going. But God commanded these people. Go into all worlds and preach the gospel to every creature. And this, all these happenings all take place within the providence of God. Nothing can happen apart from His sovereign will and apart from His permissive will.
There are a few things I want to say in closing. Number one, as to God's people, they bury Stephen in genuine hope of the resurrection. A dear sister died in Meben. I had a number of Bible classes in their home, and she was a sweet Christian. And for the last three or four years of her life, she didn't know anybody. She didn't know her husband. When she died, I went to her funeral. And at the cemetery, there was no covering it, it was pouring down rain. I had an umbrella with me, and I got out of my car, and Erica Gillen, the German lady, she came up, and she just hooked arms.
She said, I'm getting under your umbrella. And she said, we're both going to get wet, but that's all right. I said, you know why I'm here, Erica? She said, no. Why are you here? I said the scripture says, Devout men carried Stephen to his burial. And you see at the grave, the last opportunity we have to show that we're in the one body, the body of Christ. And I tell you, it was a real testimony that day to the faith of this dear sister. So we have, first of all, we have a genuine hope, friends.
And they bury Stephen in genuine hope of the resurrection of the body. Now, as the Saul of Tarsus, he just continues on in his merry way, making havoc of the church. But God's going to take care of him. The same as he's going to take care of everybody else. As to God. In his sweet providence, he continues building his church. They go everywhere. preaching the gospel. But as to you this morning, are you prepared to stand for God in the midst of persecution?
I believe in the United States of America there is persecution coming to the children of God. It hasn't come yet. It's real easy to be a Christian today. It may not be so five years from now. Are you prepared? Does Jesus Christ really mean that much to you? As you can say, as we sing often, I'll live for him who died for me. How happy then my life will be. Finally, Jim Elliot said, the man who was martyred by the Alka Indians, he is no fool.
Who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose? I have one question. Where do you stand in relation to Christ? Let's stand together for the benediction. Our Father, we thank you for faithful witnesses. We always are rejoicing in those who have gone forth to proclaim the message of the gospel. We rejoice in the singing that tells us it is well with our soul.
And, oh, Father, we thank you that when we see the life of Stephen, that it was well with his soul, and that the clothes he beheld, the glory of God. Oh, Father. We now commit ourselves to these and to the word which we heard. We know that there are a lot of clubs and lodges that people live by. They give a lot of attention to them, but not a one avails at the time of death. But here's a person of our Lord Jesus Christ who is available and he avails at the time of need.
Now we commit to thee this word, take it and bless it to every heart. And upon thine own that have believed in thee, we commend them to thee and to the word of thy grace, which is able to build us up and give us an inheritance among them that are sanctified through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.