STEPHEN’S STAND FOR THE TRUTH

Feb 25

We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or be used for a sermon group discussion.

Sermon Title: STEPHEN’S STAND FOR THE TRUTH

Scripture References: ACTS 6:8-15; ACTS 7:1-60

Summary:

Now Luke breaks his reporting and writing structure from showing examples of Acts 2:42-47 and begins to introduce individual characters. Luke focuses on showing personal examples of the Spirit at work in people. The Full Life Bible Commentary titles this section The Acts of Six Spirit-Filled Leaders (6:8-12:24). We've read about Peter and John, part of the Twelve Disciples but what about their converts? Stephen is now the key figure and his story is brief but so is his life. Stephen takes a stand for the truth but pays with his life. This however was a noble death…Stephen became the first martyr of the Christian church. What can we learn and apply to our lives? Let’s dive in…

Notes:

Acts 6:8-15 NLT

V. 8 Stephen’s reputation so far is a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (v.5) and now a man full of God’s grace and power. Stephen was known for performing amazing miracles and signs. Luke does not give us specifics here.
V. 9 Synagogue of Freed Slaves or Freemen were Jews who were most likely prisoners of war set free by the Romans. They came from the four locations mentioned. The Sanhedrin is also in view here.
V. 10 It appears that Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, was outnumbered and standing strong against these men in the synagogue. They were unable to win their arguments in this battle of thought and theology. Full-Life Bible Commentary attributes the spiritual gift of wisdom to this encounter which makes complete sense.
V. 11-14 Due to their inability to stand against Stephen’s wisdom they resolve to use false witnesses to twist and make false testimony of Stephen’s words about the gospel. They were making him appear as though He was blaspheming the temple and the law of Moses, which they would attribute to blaspheming God as well.

“The dispute between Stephen and the Greek-speaking Jews focuses on his interpretation of the law of Moses and of God’s purpose for temple worship. As the bearer of the law, Moses represents God’s revelation given to the Jews at Mount Sanai. He symbolized all that was holy and valued in rabbinic religion; to deny Moses was to assault the divine authority and validity of the worship and practice of the Jews. Stephen is thus accused of changing the customs handed down by Moses…Secondly, Temple worship prescribed the divine order of worship for the people of Israel. To question temple order was seen as a violation of God’s power and majesty.” -FLBC, pages 566-567
What Stephen taught did align with the Old Testament prophecy that God does not dwell in temples made by hands (7:48-49). The eternal and spiritual substance of the Old Testament is preserved in the gospel, but Stephen sees the saving work of Christ as bringing to an end the temple order with its ceremonial and sacrificial worship. A new dimension of fellowship with God has been introduced through Jesus. Such fellowship with God far exceeds the temple and its worship. In other words, the old temple is being replaced by a new temple, the Christian Church…But the Greek-speaking Jews, zealous defenders of tradition, see his prophetic preaching as a threat to sacrificial worship and the ceremonial law.” -FLBC, pg. 567

We’ll read through Acts 7:1-60 NLT and I’ll teach as needed. But first…

What’s the overall defense Stephen gives in his history lesson?

1. History reveals how the Israelites repeatedly rejected God’s plan and the people He sent to serve as deliverers.
2. History reveals how the Israelites limited and tethered their worship of God to a physical temple.
Stephen shows them how God is transcendent. God worked outside of sacred land and buildings to accomplish His purposes for His people. God himself was the prize, but they made the temple their prized possession. When God walked among them in the flesh they once again rejected Him. The Jewish priests were troubled more by Jesus’ words about destroying the temple (even though Jesus was speaking of himself). God wanted them to love and admire Him, but they clung to the land, the law, and the temple.
FullLife Bible Commentary offers a similar summary: One, God has repeatedly sent people to serve as deliverers of his people, but God’s messengers have been rejected (v. 2-43). Secondly, the Jews mistakenly believe that God actually dwells in the temple (v.44-50), but God has been among them all along, even in foreign lands.

Acts 7:1-60 NLT

Acts 7:1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”

Stephen stands where Jesus once stood and was condemned to die. Spirit-filled Stephen must know that he will suffer the same fate as his Savior yet he still resolves to speak the truth with an incredibly historical and Bible response.

Let’s pick back up in verse 2.

V. 36-41 Stephen concludes his summary of their rejection of God and His prophets…

‘God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.’ “All the believing Jews applied it to Jesus. Stephen was saying that by not listening to Jesus the Sanhedrin was disobeying God and treating Moses with contempt.” -ACTS, page 151, Stanley Horton.
This Moses whom “they had rejected,” God himself had sent.
“Instead they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt”
They showed their rejection of Moses and God by asking Aaron to make gods to “go before” them – to lead and direct them.

V. 48-50 Stephen brings his speech to a climax regarding their view of the temple

“This verse brings Stephen’s speech to a climax. He has indicated again and again that God’s presence and power operated in many places and under many circumstances. They should realize that God is not limited to the temple. The fact that God does not live permanently in what is made by hands also implied that the temple would pass away just as the tabernacle did. (Now believers individually and as a body are temples of the Holy Spirit; see 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5.) Therefore, prophesying the destruction of the temple was not a betrayal of true Judaism nor was it apostasy (or worthy or stoning).” -ACTS, Stanley Horton, pg 154.
**The temple had become their idol. A replacement for God himself. But God does not live in a house made by human hands. These Jewish leaders were blinded by their traditions and customs and did not have hearts and ears to hear and receive.

V.51-53 Stephen’s strong rebuke

Stephen speaks a very strong rebuke here. To call a Jew uncircumcised in their hearts is like calling them heathen Gentiles. They were hearing, thinking, and planning in the way uncircumcised Gentiles did. They were actively resisting the Holy Spirit. Stephen wasn’t wrong, but they certainly didn’t take it to heart and repent.

V.54-60 Stephen is stoned

They're response is of pride and stubbornness much like God's people in the desert.

V.55-56 Only here in the New Testament is Jesus portrayed as standing and not sitting at God’s right hand. This has been explained as Jesus interceding for, advocating for, and acknowledging Stephen before His Father in heaven. Jesus promised this, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven” (Matt. 10:32).
Don’t bear false witness about others. It’s wrong. Stephen was unjustly stoned because there were false witnesses and testimony about him. However, Stephen was a true witness of God and this is why Jesus stood up for Him before God.
“The Son of Man.” This is the same way Jesus spoke of himself and the last time it is ever used in the New Testament.
The Sanhedrin did not have permission to impose the death penalty without the Roman Governor’s consent.
Rushing him outside the city to be stoned is consistent with the punishment prescribed for blasphemers in Lev. 24:14-16; Num. 15;32-36).
Stephen’s death reminds us of the passion of Jesus. Stephen commits his Spirit to Jesus and forgives those who are killing him while in the act.
Falling asleep is in contrast to the frenzy of violence. It is meant to mean that he died.
All the while, Saul watched and approved this whole encounter.

Takeaways:

Know the Truth so you can stand for the Truth

Stephen knew His Word. The Holy Spirit didn't give him All this knowledge supernaturally. Stephen was familiar with the scripture. The Holy Spirit most likely helped him piece it all together to drive home his two points: their ongoing rejection of God and their narrow view of God only in the temple.
We all would benefit from knowing the Word for ourselves so that we may be able to defend the truth with the help of the Holy Spirit, when needed.

Be open and remain receptive to the Truth

Stephen shows them that God was very generous in showing mercy to His people, again and again. But he also showed them that they had a propensity to reject God if He wanted something different from what they wanted. They did it with Moses, the judges, the kings, and with Jesus, the Messiah.
We need to ask ourselves if we do the same thing or if we truly want what God desires for us. We need to be careful and examine our hearts before they become hardened and reject the truth.
We also need to be careful that we don’t reject or deny the Holy Spirit’s working power, denying His demonstrations of power through spiritual gifts, resisting His conviction in our hearts, or ignoring his guidance and choosing our own.

Be willing to be rejected with the Truth

Not everyone will accept the truth and sometimes their reaction to it is hurtful. In Stephen's case, it was deadly.
Being a disciple of Jesus means taking up our cross. This means we must be willing to endure hardships that may arise!
Stephen probably didn’t think when he left the house that day that he was going to be stoned to death. But he must have been ready for that possibility because he never held back. Stephen knew that if anything happened to him, he would be with the Lord. We can have that same confidence!
“If you acknowledge me before men I will acknowledge you before my Father in heaven.”-Jesus

Be like Jesus if you suffer for the Truth

Stephen forgave like Jesus did. Stephen was being persecuted and treated unfairly but he didn’t retaliate, he loved. This made his message even more powerful and genuine.
If we stand with the truth, we’ll represent the truth properly in how we handle ourselves all the way until death.

Be a living sacrifice for the Truth

Romans 12:1 NIV Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

There is no immediate threat to our lives like there was for Stephen. But our lives can be a living sacrifice, a living, holy, and pleasing example of the truth!
We may not die for our beliefs but we should put to death our old self and live new life in Christ. A living sacrifice is one who follows Jesus. One who takes up their cross, be alive for Christ, and follows Christ. We no longer live for ourselves. We do not reject the Holy Spirit or His Word.
We are a living sacrifice, a walking tabernacle, a Holy temple for the Lord to dwell and draw those in the darkness to Him through our lives.

Be encouraged…Jesus stands with us when we take a stand for the Truth.

Discussion:

What did God use in this sermon to speak to your heart or situation?
What part of the scripture stuck out to you and why?
Recap what Stephen’s two overall points were from his history lesson. Why is that even vital for us to think about today?
Which takeaway stuck out to you and why?
Why is vital that if we suffer for the truth, for Jesus, that we suffer with grace and proper representation?
What does it mean to be a living sacrifice for the Lord?
What other notes did you highlight or write down that you would like to share?

The most important decision you will ever make!

If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!

We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.

Pray Together

We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!

Ryan Coon