Stephen Part 2—His Death

Sermon text: Acts 7:51-60
Stephen reveals to us in a special way the nature and character of Christ, being presented to us as a Christ follower and an ideal type of a Christian.
– came to serve and not be served
– used his gift for preaching and teaching whenever he could
– engaged in debates with authorities
– was full of grace (just like Jesus in John 1:14)
– did signs and wonders in Jesus name
– was falsely accused by the same court that judged Jesus falsely
– his death was a landmark in the spread of the gospel
– modeled his dying words ‘Lord receive my spirit,’ and ‘Do not hold this sin against them’ after Jesus’ dying words.

Stephen’s sermon teaches us how we ought to read our Old Testament, essentially as we read our New Testament, as pointing to Jesus. A short life does not indicate insignificance of ministry. Some people lay many stones, bringing in much to the kingdom of God. Others may bring one stone. But that stone is absolutely vital in God’s providential purposes in establishing His kingdom.

VERDICT OF STEPHEN (Vs 51-53) He pointed to Jesus but also wanted his audience to hear how guilty they were, the weight of their sin. He would have done this in order to give them the good news of forgiveness in Christ, but he did not get the opportunity to get to the good news. It is crucial that the ailment is explained before the cure is announced, for the cure to be appreciated (which is the format in Acts 2:36-38, 3:13-19, 4:10-11.) However, Stephen alludes to the good news about forgiveness in Christ, in His final prayer just before he died.

VISION OF STEPHEN (Vs 55-56)
It was common for the location of Jesus to be mentioned, being at the right hand of God, as we see in Ps110:1, which is quoted five times in the New Testament. It is the place of honour and power. ‘Right hand’, ‘being seated’, and ‘power’ are connected. But in Stephen’s vision, Jesus is standing. Why is He standing? Probably to welcome Stephen, the first Christian martyr. This vision is not unique to him; every single Christian will be welcomed into the presence of the Lord.

VIRTUE OF STEPHEN (Vs 57-60)
We see Stephen’s virtue when we see the vision of Jesus that he saw in the scriptures and the vision he saw in the moments of his death. He was so Christlike and loving, a model for us to imitate.
Contrast 1: While the Jewish leaders were losing control of themselves, to the point of killing Stephen, which was illegal, Stephen was calm and composed, asking the Lord to receive his spirit. He could shape his words after the Saviour’s own submissive words to His Father.
Contrast 2: While the Jewish leaders were trying to kill him, he was trying to save them, as we can see in his second prayer, lovingly asking the Lord to forgive his stoners, the false witnesses who knowing that he was blameless took off their outer garments, laying them at Paul’s feet, proceeding to stone him. It is not anger we should have against our persecutors. They are preparing us for eternity and increasing our heavenly reward and making us more Christlike. So anger is not the appropriate response, but rather love and pity as they are sending themselves to hell. So we look for that one more opportunity to present the gospel, like Stephen did.