Forgiving Others Saves You-Acts 7

Acts of the Apostles, Sermons

Martyrdom and Legacy (Acts 7). Video Recording, 12/11/2022. Link: Bible Study Questions.

  • Can you give a history of the O.T.?
  • Why were the rulers so angry?
  • How do you respond when you are wronged?
  • What legacy did Stephen leave behind?
  • What legacy are you leaving behind?

Stephen‘s incredible address to the Sanhedrin is one of the greatest speeches in Scripture. It is a clear call to repentance and conversion to Christ. This brilliant summary of OT history is an evangelistic tract proving that Christ is the only way to God, NOT the law [obedience], or the Temple [local church], or any religious rite [religious expectations].

4 men + Peter. Stephen‘s speech (Acts 7) closes the 1st section of Acts. The church will no longer be a Jewish sect restricted to Jerusalem but a worldwide movement. It launched the universal mission the Spirit had intended (Ac 1:8) and thrust his people out into the wider world. Paul [Luke’s hero] is God’s chosen instrument (Ac 9:15). But 1st, the Gentile mission began with 2 men [Stephen the martyr (Acts 7) and Philip the evangelist (Acts 8)], followed by 2 conversions [Saul the Pharisee (Acts 9) and Cornelius the centurion (Acts 10–11)]. These 4 men + Peter who led to Cornelius conversion, indespensably contributed to the global expansion of the church.

  1. Steven the martyr came 1st (6:8-8:3). His preaching emphasized the freedom of the living God to go where he pleases, but it aroused violent Jewish opposition. Though he was stoned to death, his martyrdom profoundly influenced Saul, and led to the scattering of the disciples throughout Judea and Samaria.
  2. Philip the evangelist (8:4-40) was the 1st to share the good news with the despised Samaritans, which broke the Jewish-Samaritan barrier. He then led the 1st African to Christ, the Ethiopian eunuch, and baptized him.
  3. Saul the Pharisee’s conversion and commisioning (9:1-31) were indispensable to the Gentile mission, as he was pre-eminently called to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
  4. Cornelius the centurion (10:1-11:18) was the 1st Gentile convert and welcomed into the church. The gift of the Spirit to him authenticated his inclusion in the Messianic community on the same terms as Jews, which overcame the narrow Jewish prejudice of Peter.

The trial, testimony and termination of Stephen. His speech (7:2-53) is the longest in a book full of speeches, indicating its importance. It ends a series of 3 trials before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4-7, with escalating results: warning, flogging and death, which became a critical turning point.

  1. For the 1st time “the people” (Ac 6:12) and not just the authorities became antagonistic toward the Christ followers.
  2. It causes fellow Christians to flee Jerusalem and persecution (Ac 8:1), which leads to the evangelizing of other places.
  3. The focus of the story shifts away from Jerusalem after Ac 8:1, showing the church moving in the east-to-west direction.

Not defense but offense; not anti–Law but pro–Messiah.  Stephen’s speech is his “defense,” but in reality he goes on the offensive against the thinking of the Jewish leaders. His speech is not anti-law but pro-Messiah. The law is given the place God always intended when the Messiah arrived, as preparatory to his coming. The message is not “Do away with the law,” but “The temple and the law must be secondary since the Messiah is here,” as all of history is summed up and fulfilled in Christ. Interestingly, the name of Christ is never mentioned, yet he is in the forefront throughout. Stephen isn’t defending himself so much as proclaiming the gospel.

The primary theme(s):

  1. The presence of God is not limited to any land [promised land] or building [the temple] but is universal, covering all of God’s creation.
  2. Throughout their history to the current moment, they repeatedly reject those God sent to them (Ac 5:52) and disobeyed them (Ac 7:53). Stephen recites Jewish history from Abraham to Solomon and the temple, showing that God’s chosen people have always tended to fall into sin and reject his chosen leaders, going their own way. The point then is that the current generation also fits that profile (Ac 7:51-53). They are a fallen people, and their only hope is Christ.

“Are these charges true?” (Ac 6:1) asks the high priest, presumably Caiaphas, regarding the charges against him by the “false witnesses” (Ac 6:13-14). This is clearly a trial complete with formal witnesses and testimony. Equally clearly is that in his response (7:2-53), Stephen does not answer the charges, or at least does not do so directly [similar to Jesus at his trial]. The charges were 1) You spoke against Moses and God (Ac 6:11). 2) You spoke against the Temple [“this holy place” (Ac 6:13a)]. 3) You spoke “against the law” (Ac 6:13b). Instead of answering these charges directly, Stephen went through the entire history of Israel focusing on their 3 main pillars: Abraham, Moses and David. His point was that they were just like their ancestors who disobeyed and rejected God’s chosen servants (Ac 7:51-53).

Stephen’s speech is framed with glory. “The God of glory” appearing to Abraham (Ac 6:2) and concluding with a glorious apocalyptic vision of “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” in heaven (Ac 7:56). This places Stephen in the line of other devout Jews who had dynamic encounters with God and whom God chose as leaders , including Abraham (Ac 7:2), Joseph (Ac 7:9), Moses (Ac 7:20), the prophets, Jesus, Peter, and now Stephen. His speech asserts the improtance of this sense of continuity in that the early Jewish Christians are the logical heirs and successors of the stream of earlier faithful and righteous Jews.

“Men, brothers and fathers” (Ac 7:2). The initial address indicates the proper rhetorical approach of trying to establish rapport and contact with his audience. Stephen did not distinguish himself from his audience until after the speech becomes overtly polemical at the end (Ac 7:51-53). He left the most objectionable part of his speech until the end hoping that his ethos would be established by then.

  1. Stephen Speaks about the Patriarchal Period (7:1-16).
    • The high priest’s question (Ac 7:1).
    • Abraham (7:2-8) shows that God’s people do not depend on the land but on promise, for Abraham the promise of a future inheritance. Life with God centers on trust in him, and the patriarchs were the covenant children promised to Abraham as part of his reward for his faith in God. For us we are to wait on God to fulfill his promises in his time, not in the time we wish.
    • Joseph and the Egyptian exile (7:9-16) shows that the fulfillment of God’s promise often comes via harship and sacrifice, as he had to overcome being sold into slavery by his own brothers and then improsoned by his Egyptian benefactors. For us the lesson is that God watches over us like he did Joseph (Gen 39:2, 21), who was not only rescued but rewarded, ending up a 2nd ruler over Egypt and the rescuer of his very own family who had earlier betrayed him. God who is in control turned the beleaguered Joseph into the redeemer of his people.
  2. Stephen Speaks about Moses and the wilderness wanderings (7:17-43).
    • The Hebrews in Egypt (7:17-19).
    • Moses’ childhood (7:20-22).
    • Rejection and fleeing to Midian (7:23-29). One primary theme of Stephen’s speech is the unfaithfulness of God’s own people to him and his chosen messengers.
    • Commissioning at the burning bush (7:30-34) shows Moses as a type of Christ, commissioned as God’s agent to save his people and sent to suffer as a result. He will become the rejected deliverer (Ac 7:35-38).
    • Failure in the wilderness (7:35-43). The people of Moses’ time–like the people of Stephen’s day–refuse to obey God’s messenger and prefer to go their own way as in the golden calf incident (Ac 7:39-43). Stephen’s story is a warning to the Sanhedrin of the implications of what it was doing in putting Stephen on trial.
  3. Stephen Speaks about the Tabernacle and the Temple (7:44-50) were temporary homes of God, for his true dwelling place is heaven rather than any earthly building. The Sanhedrin must realize that while the temple contained God, he could not be restricted to it (Ac 7:48), for God is everywhere. [David, Solomon and the establishment of the monarchy.]
  4. Stephen Concludes by Indicting Israel (7:51-53). While he is on tril for his life, he turned his “defense speech” into a judicial indictment of Israel and of the Sanhedrin for refusing to obey God and for rejecting his chosen agents, 1st Moses and now Jesus. The Sanhedrin is guilty of the very same thing for which they have Stephen on trial: blasphemy and rejection of the true God.
  5. Stephen is Killed (7:54-8:1a). Like their ancestors, they turned against God as well as his own prophet (Stephen).
  6. The Church is Persecuted and the Mission Begins (8:1b-3). This terrible time is used by the Spirit to force Christians to flee Jerusalem and scatter throughout Palestine and even further. Many Hellenistic believers would have returned to their original homes in Gentile lands. So the universal mission is launced by the persecution.

The book of Hebrews was written to Hebrews to stop being Hebrews. The old covenant is replaced with the new covenant. The temple which cannot confine God in a box is replaced by Christ who resides with his people through the Holy Spirit.

The stark striking contrast between Stephen and the Sanhedrin:

  1. Stephen was full of Spirit and the Sanhedrin was full of anger (Ac 7:54-55; ps 35;16; 37:12).
  2. A Spirit-filled man dying vs. a hate-filled crowd killing him.
  3. An angelic man vs. the demonic crowd–like wild beasts.
  4. A calm, serene, peaceful, forgiving, loving soul of Stephen vs. the angry, hostile, hateful and murderous crowd.
  5. A man under complete control vs. a crowd that’s completely out of control.
  6. The victor who was welcomed into heaven is the one vanquished, and the victims and the losers are the killers who damn themselves.
  7. The difference between heaven and hell.
  8. Though indicted by the Sanhedrin, Stephen turns the tables and indicts them; they charged him with blasphemy and the turned around and charged them with blasphemy. If you can’t overcome a man’s argument, you attack the man [ad hominem].

References:

  1. Wright, N.T. Acts for Everyone, Part 1. Chapters 1-12. 2008.
  2. Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles. A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. 1998. Portents and Persecutions (5:17-42).
  3. Stott, John. The Message of Acts. 1990. Through the Bible through the year, Daily reflections from Genesis to Revelation. 2006.
  4. Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar NT commentary. 2009. Conflict with the Authorities Again (5:17-42).
  5. Osborne, Grant. Acts. Verse by Verse. 2019.
  6. Marshall, I. Howard. Acts. Tyndale NT commentaries (TNTC). 1980.
  7. Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. The Daily Study Bible Series. 1976.
  8. Fernando, Ajith. The Message of Jesus in Action. 2010.

6:1-9:31. The Church begins to Expand.

  • 6:1-7. The Seven Servants. Seven are Appointed. Seven are Chosen and Commissioned. Problems of Family Living.
  • 6:8-8:3. The Trial, Testimony and Termination of Stephen.
  • 8:4-40. Phillip on the Fringes of Judaism. Samaria and the Ethiopian Eunuch,
    • 8:4-25. Surprise in Samaria. Philip ministers in Samaria.
      • Evangelistic ministry among the Samaritans (8:4-11).
      • The conversion of many Samaritans (8:12-13).
      • Peter and John sent to Samaria (8:14-24).
        • Receiving the Holy Spirit (8:14-17).
        • The confrontation of Simon (8:18-24).
      • Summary: ministry in Samaria (8:25).
    • 8:26-40. Philip encounters a Unique Ethiopian Eunuch.
      • The setting: an official on the road (8:26-28).
      • Encounter with Philip (8:29-31).
      • The gospel from Isaiah 53 (8:32-35).
      • The baptism of the eunuch (8:36-38).
      • The continued travels of the two (8:39-40).
  • 9:1-31. Saul as the Salient [main, principal, major, chief, important] Jewish Convert.
    • 9:1-19a. The Assaulting of Paul.
    • 9:19b-31. Saul’s Early Efforts.
  • 9:32-11:18. The Petrine Passages.
  • 11:19-15:35. The Antioch Chronicles.
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