Stand Firm

Acts: The Church on the Move
Acts 7:54–8:3

Context

Stephen gave a speech answering the charge of him “never ceasing to speak words against this holy place and the law” (Acts 6:13). He responds by walking them through much of redemptive history that points to the presence of God in the lives of the faithful and to the coming Messiah. He then ends his speech with the following words:

Acts 7:51–53
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

Now we see how the religious leaders respond in our text for today:

Read

Acts 7:54–8:3
“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”

Explain the Text

It is interesting how this all unfolds. According to the Mishnah, written about 150–170 years after these events, there were rules governing how leaders were to conduct court and perform a stoning for blasphemy.

Main Idea: God sovereignly allows the suffering of faithful witnesses for gospel advancement and the glory of Christ.

I. Stand firm when hearts of stone rage against the truth of the gospel.

You have undoubtedly heard the saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” You’ve also likely heard Ecclesiastes 1:9 quoted: “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

The language here comes from Ezekiel — a prophet who called out Israel for the hardness of their hearts and warned them of the coming fall of the temple.

Ezekiel 11:19–20
“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

Like their fathers before them, the religious leaders had hearts of stone and missed the warnings of God. Instead of falling prostrate and worshipping Him, they opposed Him to the point of killing His messenger.

Acts 7:54
“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.”

Acts 7:57–58
“But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.”

A. The opposition that God’s prophets faced didn’t begin or end on this day.

B. Stephen reminded them they were guilty of the same things their fathers were guilty of when they killed God’s prophets.

C. Consider what happened to Zechariah and Uriah:

• Jeremiah 26:20–23 (Uriah)
“He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah… the king sought to put him to death… they took Uriah from Egypt… struck him down with the sword and dumped his dead body into the burial place of the common people.”

• 2 Chronicles 24:20–21 (Zechariah)
“Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah… ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord…?’ But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.”

D. This continued in the early church—yet it has never gone away.

Main Idea: God sovereignly allows the suffering of faithful witnesses for gospel advancement and the glory of Christ.

II. Stand firm, for the presence of Christ gives strength to His witnesses.

(Story: being with your big brother around people who picked on you.)

Acts 7:55–56
“But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God…”

Acts 7:59–60
“And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ … ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’”

A. There is nothing in Scripture to indicate Stephen was uniquely strong — but he was faithful, and God was with him.

B. Paul later wrote of his own weakness:

2 Corinthians 12:8–10
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…”

C. God’s strength often shows most clearly in our weakness.

D. Stephen’s vision of Jesus strengthened him when he needed it most.

Two common explanations for why Jesus is standing:

1. Standing in readiness to bring judgment.

2. Standing to receive Stephen into His care.

E. Two important details:

1. Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit.

2. He fixed his eyes on Christ.

F. Stephen’s words reflect Jesus’ words:

• Luke 23:34 — “Father, forgive them…”
• Luke 23:46 — “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit…”

G. The more time you spend with someone, the more you begin to sound like them.

III. Stand firm and remember the Church often advances the most when persecution is at its worst.

Tertullian famously said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” More literally: “The more you mow us down, the more we grow. The blood of Christians is seed.”

Acts 8:1–3
“And Saul approved of his execution… there arose on that day a great persecution… they were all scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…”

A. This is the beginning of the fulfillment of Acts 1:8:

Acts 1:8
“You will receive power… you will be my witnesses… in Judea and Samaria…”

B. Would they have scattered without persecution?

C. God used Stephen’s faithfulness to spread the gospel into Judea and Samaria.

D. Saul thought he was extinguishing the church — but instead, persecution spread it further.

E. Jesus promised blessing to the persecuted:

Matthew 5:10–12
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…”

F. What are you willing to endure for the Kingdom of God?

Have you reduced God to a cosmic genie, or do you recognize Him as your Sovereign King?

Conclusion

Lectio Divina — Matthew 5:1–16
Read – Reflect – Respond in Prayer – Rest in the Word.

While you contemplate His Word, remember:
His presence is with His people in both life and in death.