Stephen, The First Martyr

And he is that great God, isn't he? Amen. He is a miracle worker. We believe that. that he is still has the power. We believe they did not stop in the book of Acts. They did not stop at the end of uh when the scripture was being written, but that he is still working today. And I'm thankful to know that God, aren't you? Amen. That God that has all power. Good to see everyone in the house of the Lord. Faithful saints, glad you're here. Some that haven't been able to be with us for the few weeks and have been out.

Glad that you are back. guest that are with us. We're glad to have you as well this morning and we're all just going to look to the word of the Lord and let God speak to our hearts today. I'm going to read from Acts chapter 6. Acts chapter 6. I'm going to begin with the first verse. Can turn there if you wish in a Bible or you can look at the screen. Verse one begins, "And in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecian against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration." Then the twel called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, "It's not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Steven a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. And Philip and Procarus and Nikoner and Timone and Harmonus and Nicholas a proelite of Antioch whom they set before the apostles. And when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

And the word of God increased, and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. And the great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. Steven full of faith and power did great wonders and miracles among the people. And there arose a certain of the synagogue which is called the synagogue synagogue of the libertines and the Serenians and Alexandrias and them of Sicilia and Asia disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. We're going to begin a new series of lessons today.

We've been in second Peter chapter 1 for quite a while now, going through in detail the different attributes and virtues that we are to add as Christians. So, as we did last year, I'm going to divert from a strictly expository format where we take a verse and tear it apart or look word for word or verse by verse and we're going to take a different format. And so, for the next few months, we're going to look at Bible from the book of Acts. Last summer, we looked at some of them from Genesis.

This year, we're going to look in Acts. As I said last year, I do that intentionally. I know summer is coming up. It's not here yet, as you can see outside, but it is coming. And we have vacation times and different things going on. And sometimes it's difficult to just take a long lengthy study of of a passage of scripture or a book of the Bible uh in that case because people are in and out and miss miss parts of that. So, Uh it's a little bit different with a biography because we can take a one lesson excursion that can stand alone.

We talk about somebody, but I don't just want to tell somebody's life story. Don't want to just just make it a like a Sunday school class for a 5-year-old where you're telling the story of an arc or something. But we want to see why this story is significant to the Bible narrative, what God's plan is, and also see what we can glean by studying what the scripture says about them. It needs to help us, right? We can know a lot about the Bible, but we need to know what will help us live for God.

So, anyone who's read through the book of Acts knows that the focus is on Peter in the first part of the book and then the last part of the book, probably the majority of the books focuses on Paul after that. So, in these lessons, what we're going to focus on are some of the other players, if you will. I know Peter and Paul get do get the most press and there are significant things to learn from these other men and women that the Bible talks about.

You know, it is true. Every great leader and every great person is only great. They're only a great leader if people are following them, right? So, they have to have followers, someone that works along and also people that work alongside them. Most great people have support, a great support team to help them achieve that greatness. The the lame man at the temple was healed as Peter and John encountered him. It wasn't Peter all by himself. It's interesting Paul never approached a missionary journey alone. He always chose someone to go with him.

Whether Barnabas or Silas, Luke, Timothy, others, always working alongside of him. It's apparent that John Mark accompanied both Peter and Paul for different seasons of their labors. And so, we want to look at some of these. And I hope that one thing that we learn from this series is that every one of us is important to the kingdom of God. Man, we are all important. Not all are going to be an outspoken leader like Peter. Not going to stand up on a crowd on a day and proclaim the gospel.

Neither will all be theologians and tireless missionary or evangelists like Paul was. And the same thing applies today. You know the short list for preaching general conference probably does not include any of us here. Uh also the call to travel to the globe, old great Holy Ghost rallies or whatever. Probably most of us won't do that. But here's the thing. All of us are called to do something in the work of God. I said all of us are called to do something in the work of God.

The thing we must remember is that all who labor in your local church are as important to God's work as those that we may look through as a great apostle or a great uh minister of the gospel. God needs all of us. Someone has said that nothing worth having comes easy and everything of value comes with a price. Well, God's work requires a price. Revival is no exception. There are times, yes, that God does pour out his blessing and things happen and we say, "Wow, where'd that come from?" But usually it is a result of prayer and fasting and seeking God and going and seeking after him.

And so people getting involved in the work of God and the ministry, God rewards those who seek him. a verse that we often quote. If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek by face, turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven. Can't just sit at home and say, "Well, God, when you pour out revival, I'm going to be there." No, you got to work at it. You got to pray and seek God. He said, "Then I will hear from heaven.

I'll heal their land. Forgive their sin. Heal their land." We often hear reports of great revival. You know, we had 300 people received the Holy Ghost, got saved, and we hear things like that happening, but we don't often hear about the price that was paid for that revival, right? You don't hear how many doors were knocked and people contacted say, "Come out. We're going to have the word of God. We're going to have a whatever, and how many Bible studies were taught, how many meals were fasted, how many hours were spent prayer." You don't hear those things.

And so, the book of Acts experienced great revival. And I believe the roles of these lesser characters, if you will, played that they played were the catalyst that brought it to pass. So today we're going to look at Stephen, the first martyr of the church. Stephen the first martyr. The first verses of our text provide the context for Steven's story. Now there is no biography as such. You don't hear about where he was born, what he did, how he was raised. Don't hear about his education.

You don't hear about uh different places that he went, things he was involved in. There is no narrative, if you will, of a story of of different things that he was doing. Just he is introduced as we will see he works for God. Doesn't really say in detail of what happened. It doesn't explain any of the miracles that he did or any of the things that he said. And then he is called before the council. He gives a testimony and he is martyed. So that that's that's his life.

in a nutshell that we have from the word of God. But there are some things that we can glean about him that comes from understanding a bit of the situation in Jerusalem at the time of his story. So maybe this will help us understand why they thought it necessary to stone him. Verse one keys us into several things about the times uh kind of in a reader digest condensed condensed form, right? It's one verse. And in those days, and this is a time shortly uh probably in the first year after the church had formed, in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

So there's a couple things that we must clarify that I think will help us understand that. First, this took place in Jerusalem. In fact, most scholars feel, as you said, it was probably the first year or so of the church's existence. And significantly, the church, and I think this is important for us to understand, at the day of Pentecost, when Holy Ghost was poured out, those begin to witness of Jesus, that church started as a sect, if you will, of Judaism. In other words, they were still Jews.

Most of them still practicing alongside other Jews. They didn't just immediately receive the Holy Ghost said now we're following Jesus and walk away from everything they've been taught. They continued to live the same way as they had before. They continued Acts chapter 3. What happens? Peter and John are going to the temple. Not because that was their church. It was because they were Jews and they felt it was their duty to go to the temple to pray there in Jerusalem. And so they were going at the right the time of the day that they were supposed to and they were heading there to seek God.

So the church started that way. Those at Pentecost in fact were all Jews. And remember what it said there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. So then there is a list of nations that's represented in Acts 2 9-11. There are Parthnians and Mes and Elummites and dwellers in Mesopotamia and Judea and Capidosia and Pontius and in Asia and Fergia and Pampia in Egypt, parts of Libya about Sirene and strangers of Rome and Jews and Procelites, Cites and Arabians. So, they're from all over, but they're still Jews that had come back to Jerusalem.

The gospel did not reach the Gentiles until Cornelius. So, who were these Jews? The King James uh of Acts chapter one that we just read translates the word Grecian said they were Grecian and a dispute between the Grecians and the Hebrews. The underlying Greek world word there for Grecians is the Helenistas or the the Helenists is the word that is is used translated often. These were Jews who were born in foreign lands and spoke Greek. So that would have been these people that were dwelling in Jerusalem at the time that book of acts talks about from Arabia from Sicilia from these all these different places from Asia from Rome.

And so they had come back to Jerusalem much like Jews around the world have returned to Israel in our day and and no doubt as a devout Jews they came back to be near the temple and to live in the promised land. They said this is the land pro God promised us. So we want to go back to Jerusalem. We want to be there near the temple. We want to live in the promised land. However, when they got there, many of the Hebrews or the native Jews who grew up in Israel or grew up in Jerusalem kind of looked at them as, well, you're a secondass citizen.

You know, you speak Greek, you don't understand Hebrew, you come here and you claim you're Jews, but we've been here in this country. we've been living for God at the temple and you've been spread all over the place and you've picked up Greek culture and Greek words and everything else and you don't really understand Hebrew and you don't understand this culture. So ultimately that's the reason many of the synagogues popped up around Jerusalem and other places. It was because these Greek people could go to the temple and they'd be talking in Aramaic or talking in Aramaic or talking in Hebrew and they couldn't understand what was going on.

So they said, "Well, let's just form a synagogue and we'll go there and we'll read the law in Greek and we'll we'll learn it in Greek. That way we will understand it." And so that's why these sprung up. And so these were the places the Greekeaking Jews could go and worship God. And as the church grew in Jerusalem, the Christians also there were many of those who were more orthodox Jews. They were the Hebrews and they felt that they had this more privileged role than the Hellenists.

And so the the problem comes to head in Acts chapter 6. Remember in Acts chapter 2 and verse 44, it tells us that all that believed, so all the the Christians that believed in Jesus were together. They had all things in common. They sold their possessions of good and they parted them to all men as every man had need. So this sit situation was set up in Acts chapter 2. But evidently the Hebrewspeaking Jews were getting a better deal than the Hellenists were. They felt like well we're privileged because we are the originals.

We've been here all this time and this is where the Holy Ghost was poured out and you all just kind of joined us from these other nations even though you're still Jews. We're just And so the Bible says, "There arose this murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews." This this wasn't really an argument. Wasn't really a discussion. It was murmuring. They began to talk about it. She got more than she did and talking about what was going on distributed. So, in spite, isn't it interesting? In spite of the miracles occurring in the early church, in spite of all the things that we'd read about in Acts chapter 3, the healing of the man of the temple in Acts chapter 4, how God miraculously worked through Peter and Acts chapter 5 and uh deal with Ananas and with those that came before God, God's spirit moving.

And we see all this stuff going on in book of acts. Miracles happening, people being saved, multitudes coming to Christianity. And in the middle of all that, murmuring, you know, miracles are are just natural with God. He works in a supernatural realm. Miracles are no problem for him. Unfortunately, murmuring is natural with people, isn't it? The carnal nature. And and here's the thing. The spirit's moving does not prohibit the spirit of carnal man from getting stirred up. In fact, it may cause it because this carnal man is, you know, there it's at war with the spiritual man.

So, it's unfortunate that in the midst of revival, the book of Acts says in the middle of all of it, God's adding to the church daily such as should be saved. Great things are happening. And now there's a murmuring. The Hellenists, the Greek speakaking Jews of the church begin to complain, "Hey, our widows aren't being properly cared for." And here's the thing. All the power of the Holy Ghost your early church believers enjoyed did not keep them from murmuring. All the miracles did not make them less human.

We've often heard it said, "If you find a perfect church, don't join it because you'll mess it up." Probably true. As much as we glamorize it, the book of Acts church was not perfect either. We want to be a Book of Acts church. Yes, we do. But it wasn't perfect. They faced issues they had to resolve. In fact, this issue had to go all the way up to headquarters. Get it straightened out. The apostles had to get involved. Got looking around. It finally came to their ears.

Hey, there's some murmuring going on. There's some problems going on here. We need to straighten this out. And so to solve the problem that surfaced in Acts chapter 6 and 1, the apostles added some ministries to the church. Apparently up to that time they had probably been overseeing the distribution to the necessity of the saints to the widows. But as the congregation got bigger and it was too time consuming and there murmurings going on and some people are so they called the multitude of the disciples and they said, "You know what?

It's not reason or it's not reasonable that we should stop and leave the word of God because they were preaching. They were reaching out to others. They were witnessing to what Jesus had done. It's he said it's not reasonable for us to leave that just to make sure that everybody's getting a fair shake. We don't have time to do both. And so he reached out to others. The point I think an important point needs to be made here. the 12, the apostles had been called by Jesus to be leaders of the church.

He said, "You're my disciples and I'm going to build my church. I'm going to use you." At the same time, that word ministration, these widows that were neglected in the ministration in verse one is a Greek word that elsewhere in the Bible is usually translated the ministry. The ministry. So, they saw this as a ministry. Here's the thing. The apostles saw their ministry as a ministry of the word. Our job is to preach the word. Our job is they were no doubt looking at scripture and and finding proof of what Jesus had done and they could look at all the prophecies of the Old Testament.

They were studying that and looking through they were ministering in the word of God so they would know how to answer people. But they also looked at the daily distribution as a ministry as well. So what does that mean to us? To reiterate what we said earlier, all who labor in your church are as important to God's work, however you labor. So to alleviate the situation, seven men, and sometimes the Bible calls them deacons, were chosen to take over what had been the apostles duty for this ministry to the widows.

So they said in verse three, "Wherefore, brethren, you get seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, and we will appoint them over this business. We'll let them take care of it." I think that underscores the importance of a willingness to serve in whatever capacity is needed in church. Be ready, be willing to step up and say, "God, if something needs done, I want to help you." Not everyone's going to be the pastor. In fact, only one's going to be the pastor, right?

Not everyone can have a leadership role. Ministries and helps are vital to the function of the healthy church. We've got to have all of us working together. Paul taught those in Corinth. He said it this and God hath set some in the church. He said apostles, secondarily, prophets, thirdly, teachers. After that, miracles, gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. That's 1 Corinthians 12:28. But notice what he said there. God hath set them there. Can I tell you, God has set you here. And every calling is different.

And if God has set you to be a teacher, be the best teacher you can be. If he set you to be a singer, do it to God's glory. If he set you to just be a helper somewhere that's not looking down on anything, be the best helper you can be. Just get involved in the work of God. And so when the church, the body of Christ is functioning properly and believers are added. When all this happens, what the result is? The Lord adds to the church.

Here's the thing. Really, if we're all working together, you don't have to worry about church growth. Yes, we can focus on it. We can look at it. But but ultimately when everybody's doing what is required and the body is healthy because we're not murmuring against each other because we're working together, God will pour out revival. And it was this event that introduces us to Stephen. In fact, he's the first one mentioned in the list of those appointed. said, "And the saying pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, man full of the faith and the Holy Ghost." It's interesting of the seven people that are listed there.

We read them when we read the text. It's only Stephen who actually gives some qualifications. He was full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. Now, I don't doubt the rest of them were as well because that was one of the requirements that they had to be full of the Holy Ghost. But it specifically points him out. Every work done, I think we need to understand this. Everything you do for the kingdom is a spiritual work. What's spiritual about cleaning out the building? What's spirits about this?

What's spiritual about that? Whether we're building the kingdom with bricks and mortar or with prayer and fasting, it takes all of it. And when it's done with the right motive, it's a spiritual work. We're doing something for God. You know, I've often looked at those qualifications the apostles put forth. Job description. We've got money to distri food to distribute and we need somebody to make sure it's done fairly. That's your job description. So, what do we need? Well, let's see. We need good organizational skills. Uh probably somebody that's an accountant.

Uh somebody with a lot of knowledge, maybe a couple degrees behind their name. Accounting skills. you know, go to LinkedIn and look at the list of qualifications to destroy. No, they said they got to be full of the Holy Ghost and they have to have wisdom. You know, if you feel unqualified for the work of God, I think that speaks volumes. He's not looking at your pedigree. He's not looking at all those. Now, they can all help us and they can help us do better at what we do.

There are many things that you can do to learn, to study, to do whatever. But ultimately, it starts with being full of the Holy Ghost. Starts with letting God work in your life and letting his wisdom touch our life. And so, as a result of the apostles having more time to focus on prayer and so now they're not having to worry about these other things, here's what happened. The word of God increased and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. And a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Why? Because everybody started doing their part. We said if you want revival, what do you have to have? A healthy church. Everyone involved. Pastor can't do it all by himself. Doesn't matter how good a preacher is. That's not what's going to build a It's going to be everyone doing their part, working together. You know, maybe some churches don't grow because their motives are wrong. Well, let's just get out. We want to build the biggest church we can and do whatever we can and try to bring Why don't you focus on doing what God wants us to be and being the church God wants us to be being the witnesses God wants us to be the prayer warriors he wants us to be the the helps that God wants us to be whatever it is and when his church the body is strong and growing revival will come verse eight reiterates Stephven's qualifications and then it tells us of the result results and Stephen full of faith and power did great wonders and miracles among among the people.

Now that's interesting. Verse five described he was described as full of faith and the Holy Ghost. In verse eight, he is full of faith and power. No doubt power of the Holy Ghost. But the result of that was he did great wonders and miracles among the people. Now notice this. Stephen's ministry was not to minister in the word. Stephen's ministry was not to become the pastor, an apostle. His ministry was to serve tables to divide the food. But the fruit of that ministry produced great wonders and miracles.

Now, that doesn't seem to make sense, but I think what it's saying is you get involved in the work of God in whatever capacity it is. When you do it, God will work through you things you never expected. Never underestimate what God will do when you approach his work full of the Holy Ghost and faith. Amen. Stephen's success was doing his part to yield to the spirit of the Lord and say, "You know what? Okay, I'll take the job of dividing up the food, making sure it's done fairly." You know, may maybe he's, you know, maybe in the back of his mind, he thought, you know, someday I want to be a great evangelist.

I want to preach like Peter does. I want to reach great multitudes. I want to do this. I Stephen, we got a job for you. Yeah. Help serve tables. No, I'm holding out for something bigger. Didn't say that. Sure, I'll do it. Full of the Holy Ghost and faith. Yes. God's got a place for me in his kingdom, and I'm going to take that. I'm going to go work in the kitchen. But his willingness to work was one of the keys to his working wonders. A lot of people want to be a wonder worker, but they don't want to work.

And it may not occur every day in our walk with God, but our work should. He requires faithfulness. He actually he's the wonderworker, not us. But he will work through you as you are faithful to him. Now, here's what we know. Anytime that God moves through us, the devil stirs up opposition. Verse nine, then there arose certain of the synagogue which is called the synagogue of the libertines and Sirenians and Alexandrias and the Sicil Cissia and of Asia disputing with Steven. If the first issue in the story was a murmuring of the Hellenist against the Hebrews, the second confrontation was against those Jewish Christians still attending the synagogues but likely forsaking the temple rights and other Jews who attended those synagogues but worshiped at the temple.

To Stephen, the temple sacrifices had become obsolete. He understood Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. We'll talk about that in a bit, but let's follow this narrative. And so these Jews began disputing or arguing with Stephen. Stephen, it seems like you're going off a little direction. They were not able, the Bible says, to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. He presented the word. He presented what he saw. The Holy Ghost was showing him. And when they could not resist his arguments and they were couldn't find anything to do, they did what a lot of people do.

Well, I can't find an answer. So, I'm going to go find some people that I can get to agree with me and go along and they can get become false witnesses. So the Bible says in verse 11, they suborned or they convinced or possibly even bribed men which said, "Oh yeah, Stephen, we heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and he spoke against God and they stirred up the people and they stirred up the elders and the scribes and they they came upon him and they caught Stephen and brought him to the council.

They set up false witnesses." This sounds familiar, doesn't it? This is what happened to Jesus. Let's find some people to go and witness against him. And so they found false witnesses. Bible says which said, "This man doesn't cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, against the law. For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth is going to destroy this place, and he's going to change the customs which Moses delivered to us." Notice they brought Stephen to the council. That's where they took Jesus.

The church as we said was still existing as this Jewish sect practicing Jews who believed that Jew Jesus was the Messiah. They still lived and followed Jewish customs. Fact that happened probably clear up till the destruction of Jerusalem. There was a church in Jerusalem that continued to worship at the temple and continued to follow very strict Judaism. And that is why Steven could be brought before that council and subjugated to Jewish law. And so the chapter ends with this statement in verse 15. And all that sat in the council, they looked steadfastly on him.

They saw his face as it had been the face of the angel. I'm not sure everything that was intended by that statement. But no doubt that was described by those that were there told Luke that as he wrote it down. Evidently, Steven was so full of the Holy Ghost that his countenance shone with the presence of God. Maybe that verse anticipated the memories of Moses that Stephen's going to bring to their attention the next chapter where he came down from the came to pass when Moses came down from the mountain with the two tables of the testimony, the the ten commandments in his hand.

When he came down from that mount, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked. Power of God was on him. What it I think what it tells is the power of God was resting on Stephen. Now, his story continues in chapter 7. Rather than being a discourse of his life or anything else, it's just simply a sermon, if you will. It was his defense that he talked to, preached to the council. In fact, it's interesting. It's the longest sermon in the book of Acts.

And we don't have time to take it apart, verse by verse, word by word. So, I want to point out three motifs in Steven's defense. Having been brought through the council, the glory of God shining on him, the high priest said, "Are these things so?" Is this really how it was? And so Stephen begins to recount a story of Israel's history. Now this is done several times in the Bible in the Old Testament. It's done in Psalms done in Amos as they go through and talk about what happened.

Stephven's retelling is done in a way to indict his incurers. And so beginning with Abraham, ending with Jesus, he makes three major points. The first is that God deals with man wherever they are. You have to go to a certain place, right? The second is that Israel consistently rejected God's plans. And the third is that God does not dwell in things that are man-made. So, let's look at these. And I realize the time is short, but let's look at them briefly. Why this angered the Jews?

Israel knew they had been chosen by God. The promise to Abraham that was God was going to work through him. He was going to raise up a people for his name. The Jews prided themselves on saying, "We're the children of Abraham." He chose Abraham. He gave him promised him a land. Stephen doesn't disagree with that. But listen how he frames it. He said, "Men and brethren and fathers, hearken." Listen up. The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia. The Hebrews in particular felt that God would only deal with those living in the promised land.

And no doubt that's why some of the reason they looked down on these Helenists. They didn't come from the heathen nations as the Helenist had. They saw themselves as pure and more worthy of the things of God. We're God's chosen people living in God's chosen land. And so Stephen's first point is to say, you know what, God God spit spoke to Abraham not in Israel. He was in Mesopotamia. He was somewhere else. God's glory appeared in a heathen nation to call our forefather. He went on to further reminded them that although God had promised Abraham a land, he said in Acts 7:5, he gave him none inheritance in it.

No, not so much as to set his foot on. So yeah, he was promised you're going to a land whose builder and maker is God. The city you're going to go there, walk through the land. And he never got any of it except one little that he bought to bury his wife to the Jews to whom Jerusalem was so special. Stephen reminding them, "Your progenitor never owned any of it." He makes the same point speaking to Moses. He reminds them that God called Moses when when he was in the wilderness, then fled Moses.

He was a stranger, Stephen says, in the land of Midian. And out there in the wilderness, not in Israel, there appeared to him in the wilderness of the mount an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire. And to really drive the point home, he says this in Acts 7:33. Then said the Lord, "Put off the shoes from thy feet from the place where you're standing is holy ground." Oh, that must be Jerusalem. No, it's out in the middle of the desert in another nation.

Holy ground over here. Yes, the ground was holy because God was there. Kind of reminds you of the woman of the well, doesn't it? Our fathers worshiped over here in this mountain in Samaria. You say to go to Jerusalem is the place. Which place is right? Jesus, look at you're all wrong altogether. Doesn't matter where you're at. Stephen was saying the same thing. You can worship God anywhere. To make the point one more time, he said in Acts 7:38, this is he. This is the Moses that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him with our fathers who received the order.

In other words, God was with them not in Israel but in the wilderness. So that was the first point. The second point was they consistently rejected God's plans. Said in Acts 7:9, the patriarchs were moved with envy and they sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him. Joseph, the one chosen by God, the one that God had given dreams to to say, "I'm going to make you a great leader over your brothers." And they rejected God's plan by rejecting Moses or rejecting Joseph. Then they rejected Moses.

Moses came out his first attempt to lead them out of bondage. He went down to see what was going on with, you know, the story. He smoked an Egyptian. Stephen said this, "For he supposeded his brethren would have understood how by God's hand he would deliver them. Surely you understand here's why I did this. God sent me to deliver you." You know what they said? Who made you a ruler and judge over us? So they rejected the plan and mo and Moses ends up fleeing for 40 years into the wilderness.

Of course, God meets with him again. We know that Moses goes back. He brings them out of Egypt. And in verse 39, Stephen said this, "He or Moses, our fathers would not obey." They still wouldn't listen to him. But they thrust him from them. And in their hearts, they turned back again into Egypt, saying, "We want to go back, saying unto me to Aaron, make us gods to go before us. For as this Moses, we don't know what's become of him. So make us the new gods." Rejected Moses.

They rejected God by worshiping idols. Verses 41. And they made a calf in those days. They offered sacrifice to the idols. They rejoiced in the works of their hands. And they worshiped the host of heavens. He said, "Oh ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices?" He said, "No, you took up Molech and Raphaim and other gods and you worshiped them. And then finally they rejected the prophets that God sent to them." Stephen said, "You stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears.

You resist the Holy Ghost just as your fathers did. Which of the prophets have your fathers not persecuted?" So, what he's pointing out is that every step of the way, every time God tried to move on you, Israel, you rejected it. Finally, of course, they rejected Jesus. You rejected the prophets and them that that talked about the just one whom ye have now been betrayers and murderers. You rejected Jesus, the very Messiah. And Stephen's final point was this, and this is probably what brought about his demise more than anything.

We read in verse 41, "And they made a calf in those days, and they offered sacrifices, and they rejoiced in the works of their hands." In other words, they built this calf with their hands, and then they worshiped it. In verses 48 and 50, Stephen says, "How be it, the Most High doesn't dwell in temples made with hands, say the prophet, heaven's my throne, earth is my foottool. So what house will you build me? What is a place of my rest?" You can't do it. And so by speaking of the temple as things made by hands, he was liking it to you've made it an idol.

You're worshiping the temple rather than the God of the temple. Stephen's point was there's nothing you can build with your hands and call it your God or worship there. Five charges brought against Stephen. He blasphemed Moses. They said he blasphemed God. He blasphemed this holy place or the temple. He blasphemed the law. and he sought to change customs of Moses. And so he ends his indictment with these words. You have received the law by the disposation of angels and you have not kept it. Stephen was saying, "You're the ones that rejected Moses.

You're rejecting the law because you wouldn't follow it. You're rejecting God because you didn't go along with his plan. You may keep the law of Moses now, but you do so in a legalistic way by venerating the temple and liboning God to your narrow interpretations. And as he began to say this, they were cut to their heart, begin to pick up stones, and they killed them. One ancient Christian writer said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." How well it applies to Steven.

Don't have time to cover it in detail. Two two significant events as a result of Stephen's death. Number one, Saul was there consenting to their death, to his death. And number two, they were scattered throughout the regions. Steven's understanding of God's mission exceeded even that of the apostles at that time. At the very early juncture, Steven understood the temple had lost its significance. and the writer of Hebrews both understood that later Paul said, "Know ye not that your temp bodies are the temple of the living God, not the place in Jerusalem." The writer of Hebrews said that Christ became our high priest by a greater and more perfect temple not made with hands.

That is to say, not of this building, this temple in Jerusalem. He echoes Steven's idol language saying not by things. Even Peter finally saw it. your livelih. The final point is the mart martyrdom of stem Stephen. Let the gospel be spread. Gospel be spread. Many different ministries are involved spreading the gospel. Diversity of gifts, diverse administrations, diversity of operations, but the same God works in God's work is comprised of many ministries, many people. Not everyone, as we said, is going to be the pastor evangelist. Paul even asked, "Are all prophets are all teachers?

All apostles?" No, but all are needed. I end with this. Just get involved in the kingdom of God. We'll see what God can do in your life. Let's stand. We want to be the church God wants us to be, don't we? And we don't want to we don't want to go down Steven's road. We don't want to end up being stoned for it. We do want to get involved and we do want to see great revival. If you feel that way, just lift a hand and ask God to help you.

Lord, in your name, I pray that you would tend to every one of our hearts that we would make a determination. Lord, I'm going to do your will. I'm going to work where I can. I'm going to do what I can for the furtherance of your kingdom. in your gospel. We're going to believe you Lord to give the increase in Jesus name. Jesus name. Take a few moments and we'll go into morning worship.