The Testimony Of Stephen

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

The Bible affirms God's sovereignty as His absolute rule over all creation, including salvation. Scripture consistently testifies to God's sovereignty, emphasizing that He reigns over all aspects of the universe, governing events according to His purpose. For instance, in Acts 7, Stephen recounts the history of God's dealings with Israel, illustrating that God's sovereign choice in electing Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not contingent on human works but is rooted in divine mercy and purpose. Romans 9:15-16 states, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion,' highlighting God's prerogative in bestowing grace. This essential truth undergirds our understanding of salvation, affirming that it is God who saves according to His will, independent of human effort or decision.

Q: How do we know the sovereignty of God is true?

We know God's sovereignty is true through the consistent teaching of Scripture and His fulfillment of promises. The truth of God's sovereignty is evident through a thorough examination of Scripture, which consistently presents God as the ultimate authority over creation and history. Stephen's sermon in Acts 7 provides a historical narrative that illustrates God's sovereign choices, such as His electing Abraham while he was an idolater. Additionally, Romans 8:28 assures us that God works all things for the good of those who love Him, reinforcing the concept that God's governance of the universe is purposeful and benevolent. The fulfilled prophecies and the testimony of believers throughout centuries are also powerful affirmations of the doctrine of God's sovereignty, showcasing His control over human affairs and ultimate salvation.

Q: Why is the doctrine of total depravity important for Christians?

The doctrine of total depravity is crucial as it emphasizes humanity's inability to save itself and the necessity of God's grace. Total depravity asserts that every aspect of humanity is affected by sin, rendering individuals incapable of achieving righteousness on their own. This doctrine is significant for Christians as it leads to an understanding of the need for divine intervention in salvation. Stephen’s testimony highlights this when he addresses Jewish leaders, reminding them of their rejection of God’s prophets and ultimately, of Christ Himself. Romans 3:10-12 states, 'There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.' Recognizing our total depravity compels believers to rely solely on God’s sovereign grace for salvation, as it is only through His mercy that we can be redeemed from the consequences of sin.

Q: What does Stephen's testimony reveal about the rejection of Christ?

Stephen's testimony reveals that rejecting Christ is often rooted in the hardness of the heart and a misunderstanding of God's sovereignty. In his address, Stephen outlines the history of Israel’s rejection of God's messengers, culminating in their rejection of Christ. This pattern demonstrates that the rejection of divine truth often stems from a hard heart that clings to tradition rather than Scripture. Stephen says in Acts 7:51, 'You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit.' His testimony serves as a warning against the complacency and self-righteousness that can blind individuals to the truth of the gospel. Moreover, it emphasizes the reality that the sovereign God has revealed Himself through Christ, and those who refuse to accept Him stand condemned. This calls believers to proclaim the essential gospel message boldly and urge others to recognize Christ's lordship.

Q: How should Christians respond to rejection for their faith?

Christians should respond to rejection with patience and a steadfast commitment to proclaiming the truth. When faced with rejection or hostility for their faith, Christians can draw from Stephen's example as they remain firm in their convictions. Stephen’s response to rejection showcases humility and dedication, as he ultimately prayed for his persecutors, saying, 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin' (Acts 7:60). Followers of Christ are called to respond with grace, love, and prayer, reflecting the character of Christ who forgave those who crucified Him. Additionally, believers should find comfort in the promise that God sees and knows their struggles, as He was present with Stephen even in his final moments. This assurance encourages Christians to stand firm in their faith, knowing that their testimony for Christ may also challenge and influence others.

May his beauty rest upon thee,
and thy feet the most to win. It's a fitting hymn, I believe,
don't you? Now turn over to John chapter
five. Keep your place there in Acts
seven. And look at John chapter 5 with
me, I think this will be a good introductory word for us from
Christ himself. John chapter 5, look at what
he says in verses 39 through 42. John five thirty nine search
scriptures and he let me remind you Christ was speaking to. A
Jewish crowd much like Stephen. Maybe maybe many of the same
man. Search the scriptures for in
them you think you have eternal life and they are they which
testify of me. And you will not come to me that
you might have life. I receive not honor from men,
but I know you that you have not the love of God in you."
Now, there are many who claim today
to love God, don't they? And do what they do in the name
of God, when it is not God that they love, but it is self. And
not God's honor that they're seeking, but self. praise. That's obvious. Read on. Christ said, I am come in my
Father's name, and you receive me not. If another shall come
in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe? Which receive honor one of another,
and seek not the honor that cometh from God, or concerneth God only. Do not think that I will accuse
you to the father. There is one that accuses you
even Moses in whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you
would have believed me for he wrote of me. But if you believe
not his writings, how shall you believe my word? Now turn over
in chapter seven. Look what he says here in chapter
seven. Concerning a man who stands up. To speak. Supposedly for
God. Here's the test. The acid test. John 7 verses 17 and 18 if any
man will do his way and the Jews prided themselves on doing the
will of commandment being God's people doing his way. That's
what children do. The will of the father if any
man will do his will. doing the will of God, following
God, you'll know of the doctrine. He'll know of the doctrine whether
it be of God or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of
himself seeketh his own glory, but he that seeketh God's glory,
his glory that sent him, the same is true and no unrighteousness
in him. Verse 24, he says, Judge not
according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
The true test of a true witness. His testimony. His testimony. Certainly somebody can be orthodox
now. Certainly somebody can be doctrinally
correct. And yet be ungodly. I know that's
so. And God still uses his word.
It doesn't depend upon the vessel he still uses his word but let
me say there's no man. I mean what I'm saying is no
men can be orthodox or be doctrinally correct and yet still be ungodly.
But no man is sent from God no matter how religious how pious
how moral how sweet and kind he may be who does not primarily
speak of God's glory and God's son and who is not True or orthodox. And I said this this morning,
really, no one will bother you or dislike you too much. If you are religious or moral. Or sweet and kind, nobody will
really bother you if you're sweet and kind and religious and moral. Most everybody is, aren't they?
No one will bother you too much anyway. And you can talk about
a Jesus all you will, and some do, and you can be obnoxious
with it, and some people are. And still you won't be in any
danger at the hands of men. But if you dare to come out for
the essential glory of God and call men what they are before
this God, If you dare to come out for the sovereign power,
sovereign mercy, sovereign, sovereign is a key word in it. People talk
about power, people talk about grace, people talk about God's
mercy, but we talk about his sovereign power, his sovereign
grace, his sovereign mercy. You dare to come out and speaking
of God's sovereignty, you dare to come out and talking about
man's utter depravity and inability and his condemnation before this
holy God. You dare to come out like that.
You dare to come out and and speak boldly and dogmatically
of Christ's absolute reign and rule over all, especially salvation. He sovereignly saves whom he
will, he giveth it to whomsoever he will and withholds it from
whoever without man's will or without man's help, you dare
to come out and speak in that fashion and everybody will hate
you. Everybody will hate you. No matter
how sweet and kind you may be. The scripture says who is he
that will harm you to be followers of that which is good. Nobody.
They won't bother you. If you're a humanitarian they
will not bother you. If you're a sweet kind moral
individual and even a so-called Christian They won't bother you.
They said that's even Christ, and they said for a good work,
we're not stoning you for good works. No, you can feed all the
people we wish you would. We wish you would feed everybody
and heal everybody and be our sugar daddy, so to speak. But
just don't say you're God. We're not going to have you rule
over us. He said we have our free will. We know some things. Just don't say that you have
to reveal the truth on. We can figure this thing out.
Just don't go calling Jesus Christ the sovereign God and man at
his complete disposal and you'll have a lot of rain. And don't dare question anybody's
salvation. Oh my judge not. And most everyone is a Christian
don't you know that. Everybody loves God. Don't you
know that how could you dare question anybody's Anybody's
related. Everybody loves Jesus. Everybody
loves Jesus. And in the words of our modern
teenagers, not. Wrong. Most people hate God Almighty. Most people hate the Almighty
God. Most people hate the Jesus Christ
of Scripture. Most people hate, especially
religious people. Especially religious people.
It was the religious people who killed Christ, wasn't it? And
it was the religious people who killed the prophets. It was the
religious people who killed the apostles. Religious people who
killed the martyrs. It's the religious people that
will hate you, too. Christ said, marvel not if they
hate you. They hated me. Most people don't love God. They
hate God. They love the God of their own
imagination, but they hate the God, the absolute, sovereign,
reigning, ruling God of Scripture. Most people love a Jesus of their
own making who they can manipulate, but not the Jesus, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the sovereign Lord who manipulates them. And if you
dare to come out to speak of him in that way, you'll be hated
too. You can count on it. Marvel not, Christ said. not as though some strange thing
should come up. Rejoice. Don't rejoice that they
don't believe, but just rejoice that you're that you're you're
partaking of the afflictions of the prophets before you and
the martyrs before you. And this is what happened to
Stephen. I got to get into 60 verses to handle. This is what happened to Stephen.
And here's a summary, a brief summary of what his testimony
was. And he wasn't testifying of God's love. He doesn't even
mention it. Not Jesus dying for them. He
didn't talk about Jesus dying for them. He wasn't testifying
how they must accept that. Won't you accept Jesus as their
person? He didn't say anything about
making him Lord, did he? He didn't say anything about
that. Stephen wasn't a very good soul winner, evidently. He'd
say, you're being facetious. I'm trying to be. He didn't say anything about
committing, consecrating, dedicating, rededicating, giving your heart.
He didn't say anything about it. All he did was rehearse to
their own condemnation God Almighty's sovereignty from the very beginning,
His sovereign providence, His word, His warnings, His Son,
as seen in the various types and prophecies. which man rejects. Turn over to Matthew 23 with
me. Men despise the sovereignty of
God. They despise, as Paul said in
Romans, the riches of his goodness and his forbearance and his long-suffering.
Don't they? They despise it. They despise
God's Word at the mouth of the prophets, and finally they despise
God's Son himself, whom God made Lord and King. Stephen says in
many words what it took our Lord to say a few in a short parable. Here in Matthew 21, our Lord
gives a parable, a very short parable that sums up in just
a few words, this is recorded three times, and he sums up in
a few words what Stephen preached in that message of his. Look at it, verse 33. Here another
parable. There was a certain householder
which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged
a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen,
and went into a far country. And when the time of the fruit
drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they
might receive the fruits of it. He was his, he's rightfully his,
and the husbandman took his servants and beat one and killed another
and stoned another. Well again he sent other servants
more than the first and they did unto them likewise. And last
of all he sent unto them his son saying they'll reverence
my son. But when the husbandman saw the
son they said among themselves this is the heir, let's kill
him and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him and cast
him out of the vineyard and slew him. And then our Lord asked
these Jews this question. When the Lord, therefore, of
the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? And here they condemned themselves. Their very mouths, the words
of their mouths condemned them. They answered Christ and said,
Well, he will miserably destroy those wicked men and let out
his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him his rights,
the fruits in their season, Jesus said unto them." Did you never
read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected,
the same has become the head of the corner? This is the Lord's
doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto
you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given
to a nation, Gentiles, bringing forth the fruits thereof. And
whosoever shall fall on this stone, or that is, cast themselves
for mercy, for grace, upon this stone, this chief cornerstone,
Christ. They shall be broken, they'll
be humbled, but they'll be healed. But on whomsoever this stone
shall fall, it will grind him to powder." It's all the same in it. And
it was the religious leaders that he said these things to.
It was the religious people that Christ said these things to.
The Scripture says, "...the publicans and sinners, the common people,
heard him gladly." heard him gladly, but the religious people
got angry at the Savior. But the religious people wouldn't
have this man, a man, that the common people received him, and
believed him, and heard him, bowed to him, came to him, or
were saved by him, while the self-righteous religionists hated
him and sought to silence him. And it was the same with his
disciples, the apostles, and the martyrs, and it's the same
today. And this is the reason so many
people hate this message of sovereign grace, and so few people believe
it. There aren't many sinners out there, left out there. We've
got Walter Gruber and Ken Wymer out in the highways and the hedges
and the bushes looking for them. They're hard to find. There certainly
aren't any in Franklin County. We'd have run into a few, wouldn't
we? Well, here's a brief summary,
and I hope to make it very brief. of Stephen's testimony. Obviously,
we could spend weeks upon this one chapter of God's Word, couldn't
we? If we could take each one of these types that Peter, that
Stephen spoke about, we could, and it
would be a blessing. And we've done it, we've already
done it in the course of preaching from the types of the Old Testament
and so forth, and we'll continue to do so. But for the sake of
seeing the picture, the overall picture, and hearing the message,
the overall message of what Stephen said and the people's indignation
against what he said and why they killed him, we're just going
to sum it all up, OK? And we're going to try to see
Christ in all of this, if the Lord will allow us. Verse 2 of
our text in Acts chapter 7, verse 2. Men, brethren, and fathers."
Now, he spoke kindly. He called them brethren, didn't
he? Like Paul said, I could wish myself a curse for my brethren,
my kinsmen according to the flesh. And Stephen was a man full of
the Holy Spirit, gentle, good, kind, meek, so forth. He was
full of the Holy Spirit, so he spoke kindly to them. Men, brethren. This may have been the tone. And fathers, spiritual leaders,
fathers, listen to me. I'm sure he said this with, you
know, beseeching them at first when he got through with this
thing. The zeal of the Lord's house
ate him up, and he said, you stiff-necked and hard-hearted. He started out well, but in consideration
of what they did to his Lord, Like David said, do not I hate
them that hate thee. Men, brethren, fathers, Jewish
people, in other words. Jewish, listen to me, the God
of glory appeared unto Abraham. Now, he started where we ought
to start, didn't he? He started his message with God. With God. Gave all the glory
where it belonged, even for Abraham. for Abraham's calling, Abraham
and whom they trusted. Now notice as we go through here,
we're going to see all of these things that Stephen mentions
that the Jews trusted in. They trusted in all of these
things. They prided themselves. They called themselves sons of
Abraham, Moses' followers, sons of Jacob, those who were about
the temple, priests, circumcised, all of these things. And Stephen
mentions all these things. Notice it. Now, he said, God
appeared to Abraham. Abraham wasn't looking for God.
God was looking for Abraham. Abraham appeared unto God. It
says that Abraham was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Charon. He
was an idolater. Abraham was an idolater, but
God-purposed, God-appeared, God called Abraham. God elected Abraham. All glory belongs to God. We're
talking about Abraham. Talk about God. It was God's
call. And he said unto him, verse 3,
Get out from your country. It was the effectual call of
God. Don't you like the effectual call? You Jews, you Jews, you
pride yourselves in the fact that you're God's people. And
people out there today brag about the Jews. They're going to defend
the Jews at all costs, not the so-called Christians. They're
going to defend the Jews no matter if they're murdering, raping,
marauding, no matter what they do. They're going to defend them
at all costs. Why? Because they're God's people.
Well, that sounds like election to me. Well, then why do they
despise election today? Nobody argues about election
concerning the angel. Nobody argues about election
concerning the Jews, but they'll sure argue it now. Same God who
elected one set of angels and elected the Jews over the Gentiles,
God who elects now. So it's God's call. Abraham's
just a bystander. I know you put stock in him,
verse 5, and he gave him no inheritance. not a foot of land to set his
foot on, but he promised him that he would give to him for
possession to his seed after him. Remember when Paul talked
about Abraham's seed, singular? There's a type of Christ, isn't
there? A type of Christ. And a son of
the promise. Verse 8, he talks about the covenant. Men, brethren, fathers, he gave
Abraham the covenant, a circumcision. This is a type of regeneration.
God said it in the beginning, didn't He? He said, circumcise
the foreskin of your hearts. God said that. Circumcision is
just an emblem of that. Like baptism today, it's just
an emblem, it's just a symbol. But men and people trust in baptism,
don't they? But that's just a confession
of the one you're confessing. It's just a symbol of what he
has done. And that's what circumcision is. You're not to trust in that.
And then he goes on. And he talks about Isaac. He
talks about Jacob and Abraham begat Isaac. There's election. Not Ishmael. No, they weren't
arguing about Ishmael. The Muslims will. They'll argue
because Ishmael is their father, their spiritual father. But the
Jews won't. Isaac, and he's circumcised on
the eighth day, and Isaac begat Jacob." Oh, that blessed name,
Jacob. We're sons of Jacob, whom God
named Israel, prince of God. Well, you know, Stephen could
have dwelt a long time on Jacob, couldn't he? Now, you talk about
being sons of Jacob. God called him a worm. Are you
all worms? Jacob was a cheat and a supplanter. God shouldn't have loved Jacob,
but he did. He could have talked a long, and we could talk a long
time about Jacob. So he talked, but he did, he
mentioned Jacob, whom they trusted, and verse 9, and the patriarchs,
oh my, Simeon, Levi, and so forth, Benjamin, all the patriarchs,
twelve tribes of Israel, oh what sanctified ground you're stepping
on here, the patriarchs. And I'm not making fun of that,
I'm just, I'm making, I'm telling you the way the Jews thought
about this. sanctimonious things here. And the patriarchs, Jacob's
sons, twelve sons, the patriarchs, they were rotten to the core. That's what he said. They were
rotten to the core. They moved with envy, it says,
and so Joseph, Joseph was the only one of the bunch that had
any trueness about him. And Joseph, oh, a picture of
Christ. He mentioned Joseph here. Joseph
may be, folks, the greatest type of Christ in all of the Bible.
Him and David. Joseph. And it says your father,
Joseph's brethren, they hated Joseph. And it says they moved
with envy and sold Joseph into Egypt. That's sure a type of
Christ, isn't it? Who sold for 30 pieces of silver.
But God was with Joseph. God was in Christ, wasn't he? God was in Christ. All right,
verse 10. And he talks about Joseph's lordship. Verse 10. God delivered Joseph
out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom in
the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. That's God's full acceptance
and approval of Christ, isn't it? Giving all things into his
hands. In that picture of Christ there? And he made him Pharaoh,
king of Egypt, and he made him governor. Isaiah 9, 6 says his
name shall be called governor. The government shall be on his
shoulder over Egypt and over all of his house. God made him
Lord over all things. Christ. So Stephen was alluding
to Joseph as a type of Christ here. Verse 12. And he said this, And when Jacob
the father, and most of all, I'm taking it for granted you
know these stories. It'd take a while to go through, but at
any rate, I hope you follow on that. Jacob, the father, and
his twelve sons were in, over in Israel, and they, there was
a famine. There was a famine, and Joseph
at this time was in Egypt. Joseph was in bondage for a while,
but out of Pharaoh Pharaoh made him Lord over the house and and
ruler over everything and in God's sovereign purpose. And
after the famine was sore for a while Jacob the father of Joseph
said to the other brethren you're going to have to go to Egypt
and get us some corn there's corn I hear there's corn in Egypt
what a story that is I'd love to tear out into that right.
There's corn in Egypt, and lo and behold, you know who was
in charge of it all? Who was in charge of all the
storehouses, all the provision, whom they were going to have
to go to, whom they wouldn't even know, but they were going
to have to go get it from him, from his hand? Look at verse 13, or
verse 12, that Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent
out our fathers first, and at the second time, Joseph was made
known to his brethren." They found that Joseph, their brother,
was Lord over all. Their brother. And it says, Joseph's
kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. First and second, once, yea,
twice hath God spoken. Paul said in Hebrews, He spoke
unto the fathers by the prophets, and then in these last days has
spoken unto us by his son, his brethren, spoken unto us by his
son. And Joseph was made known to the brethren. Christ makes
himself known. Christ is heard and known by
his sheep. He said, I'm known of mine. I'll make myself known
to mine. And it says, Joseph's kindred, his kindred was made
known to Pharaoh. Christ makes us known to the
Father. That is, he presents us to the
Father. All mine are thine, and thou
art mine, Father. Here they are, all the children
you've given me. That's a beautiful picture of Christ, isn't it? Right now, Stephen gets on Moses. Verse nineteen. Now the same
when they talk about Joseph dying and according the course of time
another king other than that first pharaoh arising. And he
forgot all about the promise of Pharaoh to Moses or to Joseph
and his other king dealt subtly with our kindred with the Jews
the Jews were were. of spreading throughout all of
Egypt, and these evil kings said, we've got to do something about
these Jews. They're going to take over the land. And so this
evil Pharaoh, who did not love the Jews, Joseph's people, they
subtly dealt with our kindred evilly and treated our fathers
so that they cast out their young children to the end that they
might not live. They killed the firstborn. Remember
that? Everybody remembers that story, don't they? how the firstborn
of the children of Israel were killed, but the Passover, the
Passover, or the firstborn of the children of Israel, but then
the firstborn of the children of Egypt were killed. And in
which time Moses, at this time it says in verse 20, Moses, now
he mentions, oh my, And this got their attention,
didn't it? These Jews. They may have been sleeping a
little bit through the first part of his sermon, but when
he said, And then Moses. Let's see what he says about
Moses. And then Moses was born and was exceeding fair. You may
have heard a few amen. Amen. Moses was born exceeding
fair and nourished up in his father's house. And three months,
and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up and nourished
him for her own son. Moses is a type of Christ here,
isn't he? Moses is a type of Christ who
was hunted by Herod, to be killed by Herod. He was born of a woman
who took him up as her very own son, but indeed he was the son
of God. A woman who took him up and nourished him, nourished
him as her own son. He wasn't her son. A son is given. She had a baby, but she didn't
have son of God. He was God's son. Verse 22 and
23, And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. In Christ is he had all the treasures
and wisdom and knowledge, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
He is the mighty word. Christ is. And indeed, it works. Verse 23, And when he was full
forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren,
the children of Israel. In the fullness of time God was
made of a woman made under the law to redeem them, his brethren,
which were under the law. What a type of Christ that is,
isn't it? Christ came to his brethren, full of grace and truth. And you know, as we read this,
remember, all of history, everything, like Paul said over in 2 Corinthians
3, even to this day there's a veil over their minds, their eyes,
in the reading of the Old Testament. The religious world, they just
dabble in the Old Testament. Blessed are your eyes. Oh, your
eyes are so blessed. This is the most blessed book.
It does not take a back seat to the New Testament. Not at
all. It's glorious pictures of Christ.
The reason, the very reason for the writing of the Old Testament,
every single story that's recorded in the Old Testament, just like
Christ said, we read it over there in chapter 5 of John and
chapter 7 of John, they are they which testify of me. Moses wrote
of me. And the only reason people don't picture, be a type of Christ,
a picture of Christ, a prefigurement of Christ. Every single story
that's recorded by God in the Old Testament, God did it so
that you might see Christ in it. And if not that, if he didn't
do it to lift up his son, to exalt his son, like to show off
his son, like a photo album of his son, if that wasn't the purpose
for the particular story or the particular event that was happening
to people in the Old Testament, it was to show that they were
sinners. If it wasn't to prefigure Christ, it was to show they were
sinners. This is what my wife was talking to me about, or Deborah,
was teaching their children in the class about Abraham denying
his wife Sarah. Why was that recorded in the
Scripture? And my wife asked Hannah that today as they were
coming home. She was talking about her lesson, Deborah's lesson.
Hannah, why is that written? Why does God write that about
Abraham in the Old Testament? She answered a good answer. Because
Abraham was a sinner. And that's the reason. God's
going to show these men to be just men. All right? So it's one of those two reasons.
It's to prefigure his son or it's to show men that they're
sinners. in the hands of this angry God. And so Moses was a
type of Christ. And look at verse twenty-four.
And Moses, it says, when he came, he saw one of them suffer wrong,
and he defended him. Our maker, defender, redeemer,
and friend. And that, the song says, song
number one, O worship the King, all glorious above. and gratefully
seeing his power, his love, our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and
Friend who came down to defend us, to redeem us." Moses was
a type of Christ, and he supposed, verse 25, that they would have
understood that God sent him. They should have if they had
been reading their Bibles. They'd be listening to God, seeking
the God, seeking God whom they claim to seek. But he came to
his own, and his own received him not. I see why Stephen was saying
all these things, don't you? This was adding to their condemnation.
Adding to their condemnation. I don't know, but there might
have been a young man over there named Saul listening to all these
things. Now, it was becoming the savor
of death unto death to those dead men. But I don't know what
the seed wasn't being planted in this old boy's heart, this
young boy. I've never seen that before. And some of those Pharisees
said, Don't listen to him, son. He's a liar. Don't listen to
that Sovereign Grace stuff. You stick with this. Now, I read
verses 24 and 25. Well, I read that. He supposed
his brethren would have known him, but they understood not.
And Christ came to his own. His own received him not. Jump
down now to verse 35 and 6. I've got to hurry. This Moses,
whom they refused, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge?
That Moses now did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by
the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush." Who do you
think that angel is in the bush? That's Christ, isn't it? That's
Christ. This Christ, this Jesus of Nazareth,
like Moses, God has made him Lord over all, ruler and deliverer. In verse 36, in this Moses, he
brought him out. He brought them out after he
had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the
Red Sea and in the wilderness forty years or thirty-three years. And this Christ, he brought them
out, didn't he? He brought his people out of
bondage, by himself purged their sins after he had shown signs
and miracles and wonders in the midst of them. And he obtained
eternal redemption for his people. Now, this is that Moses which
said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your
God raise up unto you, like unto me. Very similar, but without
sin. Born similar, in a similar way. Raised similarly. called similarly, called to be
a Savior, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you
like unto me, him shall ye hear." Moses wrote of Christ. And Moses
said it himself. He came right out and said it.
Verse 38, and it says, And this is he, this is Moses, Stephen
said, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel
which spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers who
received the lively oracles to give unto us." If you've taken
notes, jot down the scripture that is given in reference to
that. It's Isaiah 63. Read, starting in verse 1, just
go and read the whole chapter. What a beautiful picture of Christ
that Isaiah 63 is, the angel of the Lord Christ. whom the
fathers would not obey. Read that in your own. I don't
have time to read it with you now. Verse 39, Stephen continues,
and he says, This Moses, to whom our fathers would not obey, but
thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again
into Egypt. Idolatry. Idols, saying under air, and
make us gods. Brother, this Moses, we don't
know anything about him. We don't trust him. Give us Barabbas. Verse 41, They made a calf in
those days, offered sacrifice unto the idols, and rejoiced
in the work of their own hands. Isn't that an indictment against
those fellows in religion today? Rejoicing in the works of their
own hand and rejecting the sovereign Christ of Scripture? turning
to their own works and so forth, to idols. That's certainly a
picture, isn't it? Verse 42, it says, God turned
them over, gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is
written in the book of the prophets, you house of Israel, you've offered
to me slaying beasts and sacrifice. You've been real religious all
these years, but yet you've gone to your idols, your idolaters. And I'm going to carry you away,
verse 43, away beyond Babylon. You're going to be in bondage.
You're going to be deceived by evil men and seducers. Because
you didn't receive the love of the truth, I'm going to send
you strong delusions you believe a lie. And evil men and seducers
are going to watch worse and worse, and you're going to follow
them tooth and nail. That's what's happening. And
that's what Stephen will say unto them. Well, what advantage
hath the Jew? Well, Stephen said it, verse
44, Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness.
Had they but studied, don't you? They must have studied the tabernacle,
really? Mustn't they? We've gone through
that together, and that's one of the most glorious studies
I've ever been a part of, isn't it? Of the Christ. John they
made they they studied and they didn't see Christ and they are
they to clearly say that this Jesus and that's him is no doubt
about it. The tabernacle speaks of Abraham
spoke of Moses Jacob the page Joseph Moses the tabernacle speak
of this got to be him. It's got to be a reprobate well. What advantage has religion today?
Much. The Bible. Is that an advantage
or what? The Bible? Preaching? By the
time you turn the radio on, it's bad preaching, but there is some
good preaching out there. It's hard to find, but it's there
somewhere. Tapes and so forth. Tracts. Good
literature. It's there. There's advantages
in religion. There's disadvantages, but there
is And then he talks about the tabernacle. He says the tabernacle,
our fathers had the tabernacle in the wilderness and spoke unto
God exact appointments concerning the tabernacle. And our fathers,
verse forty-five, came after with Joshua into the possession
of the Gentiles, or that is the possession of the land of Canaan,
fair Canaan that flowed with milk and honey, just like God
promised And they brought in the tabernacle with them. Oh,
they should have been faithful, shouldn't they? God was faithful, who promised.
And God drove out their enemies before them under the days of
David. Oh, my, their ears perked up now, didn't they? David. Now
he's preaching on David. What's he going to say about
David? David found favor before God. It says David, verse 46,
desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. David said,
I'll build a temple. That's a worthy thing. It's a
good thing. But David didn't build it. Solomon
did, verse 47. Solomon built him a house, and
it was a good thing as a picture of Christ. Nothing else. Not to worship the temple. Not
to be caught up in your traditions and the ceremonies, and this
and that and the other, and the ordinances. Not be caught up
with those things and miss the Christ. But it was a good thing,
the temple, as it prefigured Christ. David, Solomon. Solomon
finally built it. The temple, he's talking about
the temple now. Solomon built it. And he could have said a
greater than Solomon was in the temple. I'm sure he said that with a
gleam in his eye. I loved that passage my pastor
read over Malachi 3 when he talked about the Lord shall suddenly
come to his temple, and the latter glory of the temple is much greater
than the first. The one who the temple was typical
of came into it. That place was mighty pretty
to look at and all that, but oh, him who came into it. They
tried to impress the Lord with the temple. And he said, do you see these
stones? That's all they are, stone. You must not see the stone,
the chief cornerstone of the temple, the temple itself, our
tabernacle. our hiding place. Read on, verses
48 through 50. Howbeit the most high dwelleth
not in temples made with hands, as sayeth the prophets. You have read the prophets, haven't
you, Pharisee? Hey, you scribes, you have read
the prophets, haven't you? Oh, by this time, read it, we
can quote it. This is what the prophets say.
God doesn't dwell in a building made with hands. Don't you understand
that? Why are you worshiping these
places, these forms and ceremonies and a building and so forth?
God said it. Heaven's my throne, earth is
my footstool. What house will you build me, saith the Lord?
What is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these
things?" You know, glory in the things,
you glory in the hand that made them. Christ in his kingdom,
and this is what's going on today with the so-called fundamentalists
and primalists and all that dispensation. They're worshiping, they're talking
about Christ in an earthly sense. Christ in his kingdom is not
of this earth. He dwells not in our church buildings,
and he's not going to sit on some literal throne of David
over in Israel someday, in Jerusalem. He is seated right now on his
throne, the throne of David. He is right now reigning and
ruling. He's not going to someday be Lord. He is Lord over all. He saith right now, and he omnipresently
dwells in the hearts of his people. He dwells everywhere. He is Lord
over all. And so here is Stephen's indictment
in closing. Now, there's no way to say yes,
but with There's no kind way to call anybody
stiff-necked, is there? People talk about, you ought
not to love, you ought not to judge, you ought to love. True. But when the zeal of God's house
The zeal of God's glory, the zeal of God's Son, the zeal of
the gospel. Each of us, like our Lord Himself,
who was love personified when He came into His temple and saw
how they were the ones blaspheming. Remember that they had accused
Stephen at the very outset of being blaspheming, and finally
he said, I'm the only one here giving God any glory, and you're
a bunch of stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always
resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did. That's what you
do. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?
And they have slain them which showed before the coming of the
Just One, whom you have now been the betrayers and the murderers."
who received the law by the dispensation, the very word of God, by the
dispensation of angels, by the very God of glory himself, and
had not kept it." In other words, Stephen is saying, you hate God,
you hate his word, you hate his prophets, you hate and killed
his son. And it says, when they heard
these things, They were cut to the heart. And this Sunday, go
to meet and crowd became a lynch mob. A stoning party, they were
cut to the heart and gnashed on it. This is quite different
than Pentecost when those people, something happened to their hearts.
And something happened to your heart. You were pricked in the
heart. There's a difference between
being cut to the heart and being pricked in the heart. Quite different. They were cut
to the heart and it says that they gnashed on him with their
teeth. You ever had anybody gnash on
you with their teeth? Have you? I have. That means
they bite the enamel off their teeth while you're talking to
them. You see the veins going up in
their neck. And these jaw muscles tighten
up. Some people's ears move. They were gnashed on him, and then
it grabbed him, sweet Stephen, a man who just stood up and just
proclaiming the glory of God, the goodness, the glory, the
mercy, the kindness, the love, the grace of God Almighty, the
types of Christ in all their beauty and glory. And they didn't like it one bit
because they didn't like his Christ. And they took him, and
it says they took him and ashed on him. But he being full of
the Holy Ghost, and I'm going to deal with this more next week,
looked up steadfastly into heaven, saw the glory of God. If you
see the glory of God, you'll see Jesus Christ standing on
the right hand of God, won't you? And no man knoweth the Father
but the Son. And he to whom the Son will reveal
it, and said, Stephen said, Behold, I see, oh, this made him mad. Behold, I see the heavens open,
and the Son of Man, this Jesus of Nazareth, is standing right
beside God Almighty. Oh, and they cried out, Stop
this! Oh, stop this! And they ran upon
him with one accord. They were all in agreement about
this, weren't they? And cast him out of the city and stoned
him. And people, this was no pleasant
thing here. They didn't pick up pebbles.
They picked up the biggest rocks they could find and bashed this
man's brains out. His brain, his very head was
bashed into the ground laying there in a pool of blood. This
was not pleasant at all. Not at all. Horrible thing here. And this is a religious crowd. And they stoned him and witnesses
laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was And
a stone, Stephen, he called upon God, saying, Lord Jesus, what
a spirit here, what a testimony, what a character, the character
of Christ this man possessed. Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried
with a loud voice, Lord. It sounds just like the words of
the Lord himself, doesn't it? Lay not this sin to their charge."
Whose charge? Saul of Tarsus, who held the
coats. And it says he fell asleep. He
giveth his beloved sleep. It doesn't say he died. It doesn't
say he writhed in agony and pain, and that he died a horrible,
terrible, torturous, agonizing death, as it says,
he fell asleep. And I told you last week, when
he saw the Lord standing, that's when the Lord was looking over
the banisters of heaven. Then and then only, he was looking
over the banisters of heaven at one of his dear children and
saying, It's going to be all right. It's going to be all right.
I'm here for you. I'm what? I'm observing all of
this." And he looked right into his face. They were looking eye
to eye. Like Abraham spoke to, or Moses spoke to God as a friend.
God, Christ was looking at him, and Stephen was looking at Christ. And Christ was saying, it's okay.
And Stephen was saying, receive my spirit. I'm ready. And don't,
and lay not this sin to their charge. And the Lord said, well,
I know of at least one here I'm not going to lay in his charge,
but I'm going to deal with the others. All right, would to God, would
to God he give me this. In a summary of all this, the
moral of the story, I believe, is that we have the same Lord
Stephen has. same gospel, a more sure word
of prophecy than Stephen had. And we don't be ashamed of the
gospel. I say this to myself and of you. And may God give us all the courage
to stand up on behalf of our Lord who loved us, who lived
for us, died for us, loved us, washed us from our sins in his
own blood. You're not ashamed of the gospel,
nor of me," Paul said to young Timothy. All right. We'll stand,
and I'll dismiss this in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank
You for this blessed story, and we thank You not just for this
story, but the story within a story. We thank You for the gospel. pictures of the gospel of Christ
within this story, how beautiful they are. Does not our heart
burn within us when you open unto us these beautiful and clear
pictures of Christ in your Word? How we thank you. And Lord, we
thank you for the testimony of Stephen, and once again we ask
you that we might bear the same testimony. before kings and rulers
and all that you would have us stand before. Give us words to
say and courage to say them. For the glory of Christ, he is
worthy. He is worthy. For his glory and honor, we pray
and ask thee, saying, that met together this day. Amen.

The Testimony Of Stephen

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know the sovereignty of God is true?

Why is the doctrine of total depravity important for Christians?

What does Stephen's testimony reveal about the rejection of Christ?

How should Christians respond to rejection for their faith?

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The Testimony Of Stephen

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know the sovereignty of God is true?

Why is the doctrine of total depravity important for Christians?

What does Stephen's testimony reveal about the rejection of Christ?

How should Christians respond to rejection for their faith?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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