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You can turn in your Bibles to 
Acts chapter 6. Acts chapter 6 for our meditation, 
our sermon this morning. We're going to break up the reading 
a little bit. We're going to start reading in Acts chapter 
6. We're going to read to 7 to B. Skip a portion and then pick 
up at Acts 7 and verse 44. I'll give a brief explanation 
once we break up at seven, too, as to why we do that. But let's 
begin reading in Acts, chapter six, at verse eight, and Stephen, 
full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among 
the people. Then there arose some from what 
is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, Cyrenians, Alexandrians 
and those from Cilicia in Asia, disputing with Stephen, and they 
were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. 
Then they secretly induced men to say, we have heard him speak 
blasphemous words against Moses and God. And they stirred up 
the people, the elders and the scribes. And they came upon him, 
seized him and brought him to the council. They also set up 
false witnesses who said this man does not cease to speak blasphemous 
words against the holy place and the law, for we have heard 
him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change 
the customs which Moses delivered to us. And all who sat in the 
council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face 
of an angel. Then the high priest said, Are 
these things so? And he said, Brethren and fathers, 
listen." Now, what Stephen goes on to do in the following verses 
is he goes to set forth an apologetic presentation of Jesus Christ 
as the fulfillment of Old Covenant religion. The Pharisees, all 
these unbelieving Jews gathered before Stephen, bringing these 
charges against him, were charging him for blasphemy, of blasphemy, 
charging him for opposing Old Covenant religion and the truth 
of it. And Stephen goes on to show that 
he does not disrespect and oppose what God had revealed in Old 
Covenant religion. But rather, the Christ whom he 
preaches, the Christ that he is all about, is the one to whom 
all of those articles of Old Covenant religion point to. He 
goes on to argue, or he is arguing, that the true tabernacle, the 
true temple of God, is fulfilled and manifested in Christ Jesus, 
the Savior. And so we'll pick up reading 
in verse 44. But again, Stephen is plotting the history of Old 
Covenant religion and its fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ. verse 
44 of chapter 7. Our fathers had the tabernacle 
of witness in the wilderness as he appointed, instructing 
Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 
which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with 
Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove 
out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, who 
found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God 
of Jacob. But Solomon built him a house. 
However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands. 
As the prophet says, heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. What house will you build for 
me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Has my 
hand not made all these things? You stiff-necked and 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 foretold 
the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the 
betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the 
direction of angels and have not kept it. When they heard 
these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at 
Him with their teeth. But He, being full of the Holy 
Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus 
standing at the right hand of God, and said, Look, I see the 
heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand 
of God. Then they cried out with a loud 
voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord. And 
they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses 
laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 
And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he knelt down and cried 
out with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this 
sin. And when he had said this, he 
fell asleep." Amen. Well, let's go to the Lord again 
in prayer. Righteous Father, we bless your name again that 
we can read from your scriptures and engage in this act of worship, 
the preaching of your word. And we just pray, Lord God, now 
that you would bless this activity to the praise of your name, Lord 
God, that you would cause us all to have ears and hearts open, 
that we might receive with gladness your word. And we pray, Lord 
God, that when we leave, we would exalt and exalt the Lord Jesus 
upon our praises and our actions, and that we would sing his praises, 
that we would rejoice in all things that you reveal to us, 
and that we'd seek to live our lives in a manner worthy of your 
calling by grace. So just be with us now, Lord 
God, and cause us to engage in right and proper religion to 
the praise of your glorious grace. And it's in Christ's name that 
we again pray. Amen. Well, we're going to engage this 
morning in a study of anthropology, and hopefully I won't scare anybody 
off by using that term. We won't be examining skulls, 
and we won't be looking at bones. But we will be engaging in biblical 
anthropology, a study of man. Kids, that's what anthropology 
means, a study of man. And when it concerns biblical 
anthropology, a study of man involves man as it pertains to 
creation, as it pertains to his standing before God, as it pertains 
to sin, salvation, etc. And from this narrative in the 
book of Acts, the trial and the death of Stephen, we're going 
to look at anthropology under three headings or a study of 
the characters and individuals involved under three headings. 
First, the murderers. Second, the martyr. And thirdly, 
the messiah. So the murderers, the martyr 
and the messiah. Now, the Book of Acts up to this 
point is a record of what the ruling and reigning Christ is 
doing in time and in history concerning his church, concerning 
the advance of the gospel. Jesus, at the outset of the Book 
of Acts, said to his disciples, you will be witnesses to me first 
in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, and then to the uttermost 
parts of the earth. And as we follow the narrative 
in the Book of Acts up to this point, the first part of that 
table of contents, if you will, is going on. His disciples, his 
chosen heralds are being witnesses in Jerusalem. And this narrative 
concerning the trial of Stephen is right at the verge of the 
gospel going beyond the borders of Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. In fact, the very stoning of 
Stephen is the impetus whereby the gospel goes out beyond the 
borders of Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and then the uttermost 
parts of the earth. Stephen was one of those seven 
men chosen, if we can use the term, as a deacon in the church 
at Jerusalem. Just backing up to verse 5, after 
the church had chosen, chapter 6, verse 5, after the church 
had chosen the men, we read, and the saying pleased the whole 
multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy 
Spirit, and then names the other ones also. So Stephen is one 
of these men full of faith and power, full of faith and the 
Holy Spirit. chosen to be ministers to the church there in Jerusalem. 
And now we pick up the narrative concerning the trial, the defense 
and the death of Stephen. And we're going to notice first 
off, we're going to look at the murderers. The murderers, first off, will 
notice their identity. We don't need to spend too much 
time on this. Generally speaking, they are 
unbelieving Jews. Specifically, we read here in 
verse nine, then there arose some from what is called the 
synagogue of the freedmen, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from 
Cilicia and Asia. Now, there is some debate, which, 
again, we don't need to spend time on, as to who these actually 
were. And is that the Synagogue of 
the Freedmen comprised of Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from 
Cilicia and Asia? Or is it the Synagogue of the 
Freedmen and then also Cyrenians, Alexandrians, et cetera? I would 
take it as one of the options is that it's the Synagogue of 
the Freedmen comprised of Cyrenians and Alexandrians and those from 
Cilicia and Asia. So two different groups of unbelieving 
Jews here coming to bring the heat upon Stephen, this ungodly 
heat that they'll bring upon this one who is to become a martyr. 
So we have the Synagogue of the Freedmen, and most likely they 
were Jews released from Roman slavery. under the rule of a 
particular emperor. But moving on also, they are 
also before the Jewish council. Verse one, then the high priest 
said, are these things so? So generally speaking, and to 
summarize this, gathered before Stephen are unbelieving Jews, 
those who opposed Christ and those who oppose his people. 
Secondly, their ungodly wisdom. Notice their ungodly wisdom, 
first off, and that they are disputing an authorized herald 
of the triune God. Verse nine. Then there were some 
from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, Cyrenians, Alexandrians 
and those from Cilicia and Asia disputing with Stephen. They're 
disputing with one who is full of faith and power and who did 
great wonders and signs among the people. Their ungodly wisdom 
is first off manifest in the fact that they are opposing an 
authorized herald of the living and true God. We'll notice this 
in a few moments, but they are doing they are following in the 
tradition of their fathers. And Stephen indicts them for 
this later. They are doing exactly what their fathers did throughout 
the age of the church, throughout the age of the Old Testament 
and into the new. They are opposing the authorized 
and God blessed representatives of the triune God. And they do 
that to their shame. And it is it is obviously a mark 
of an ungodly wisdom. But notice maybe more specifically, 
they do this, of course, not with biblical wisdom. We'll see 
that Stephen, when we get to looking at the martyrs, Stephen 
employs biblical wisdom. He goes to the scriptures. He 
argues from the word of God. He argues from God's revelation. 
But these murderers, they argue based upon lies. They argue based 
upon the violation of their pride. They argue based upon a sinful 
response to truth. And we'll get to that now as 
we look at their ungodly opposition. Notice verses 11, 12, and 13. What they engage in with this 
man Stephen. They don't engage in a legal 
response. They don't engage in something 
comprised of legitimate and valid evidence, but rather they are 
conniving. Verse 11, Then they secretly 
induced men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against 
Moses and God. You can see the activity of the 
ungodly when they do not like the godly. The activity of sinners, 
unsaved, unpricked, and unempowered by the grace of God. Those who 
reside in their wickedness, they react to truth in such an ungodly 
way. Then they secretly induced men 
to say, verse 12, and they stirred up the people, the elders and 
the scribes, and they came upon him, seized him, and brought 
him to the council. Another activity of those who 
are opposing godliness and truth, those who are opposing the living 
and true God and the Christ that he testifies to, they stir up 
the people. They cause problems. They go 
to people. They have maybe a rally meeting 
to stir them up onto greater and a more heated opposition 
against Christ and his people. We see this throughout the book 
of Acts when Paul and Silas or when Paul and Barnabas or whoever 
are the representatives being narrated in the book of Acts 
come to preach the gospel. Whenever there is an ungodly 
response to it, and it's normally by the Jews, I don't mean to 
be anti-Semitic, but in the pages of Acts, it's Gentiles respond 
to the gospel more often than not, and the unbelieving Jews, 
according to the prophet's words, seeing they will not see, hearing 
they will not understand, do not respond rightly. But what 
I'm trying to say is that every time Christ is preached, even 
when we hear the Lord adding to the church, we see that enjoined 
response, the Jews stir up the people to oppose the apostles 
and their preaching of Christ and Him crucified. That's always 
the response of the ungodly when they're given sway is to stir 
up people in opposition to those who bring the message of Christ. 
And also, verse 13, another activity of the ungodly. They also set 
up false witnesses who said, this man does not cease to speak. blasphemous words against this 
holy place and the law. Not only do they go to men secretly, 
not only do they stir up the people to respond with venom 
against God's people, but they also incite people to bear false 
witness, to lie. It's a threefold evil, a threefold 
wickedness that these murderers engage in. Again, they don't 
engage in justice, they don't engage in law, they don't engage 
in due course and due diligence. but rather they engage in what 
God abominates, in what God hates. You can turn to Proverbs for 
a moment, and we'll see as we read these very quickly, you'll 
see these murderers that we just have read about clearly defined 
and clearly characterized here in the Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 
6, beginning at verse 16. It's not just one of these things 
that these murderous Jews engage in, but many of them. These six 
things the Lord hates, Proverbs 6.16. Yes, seven are an abomination 
to Him. A proud look, a lying tongue, 
hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, 
feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who 
speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. I would 
I would argue that these murderers are the three dimensional manifestations 
of the Proverbs 6 16 and following man. They engage in all of these 
things that the Lord God abominates and they do so again to their 
shame and to their condemnation. Notice also there under their 
ungodly opposition they were indicted by the truth. They were 
indicted by the truth. First off, the very fact that 
they're secretly inducing men to say that they're stirring 
up and that they're setting up false witnesses. That's a response 
to the fact that they were indicted by the truth. Of course, they 
did not respond rightly, but they're indicted by the truth 
and they respond in that ungodly way of opposing the people of 
God, opposing Stephen in this case, and by extension, the reigning 
Christ. But notice again, they were indicted 
by the truth. And we see that also in verse 
15. We see something of the legitimacy 
of Stephen as a herald, but also the fact that they were indicted 
by the truth. And all who sat in the council looked steadfastly 
at him, saw his face, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face 
as the face of an angel. I'm not sure if you've ever had 
it sometimes, but I remember as a child and children, maybe 
you get this sometimes. Whenever we engage in a lie or 
whenever we engage in sin and we look at someone who indicts 
us, we should and we can feel that that conscience and that 
guiltiness. And we look at them and we can 
see them not as not as the face of an angel, but we can see them 
as a righteous judge in front of us. Yes, my mother and my 
father is right. I am lying to them. Yes, I did 
do X. I did do Y. I did do Z. And the 
person standing in front of me is... Sometimes that sinful response 
stirs up. Pride comes in and you get angry 
at them. You get mad at them. You know 
they're right. And you get very angry. That's the response of 
these murderers, the unbelieving Jews, the synagogue of the freedmen, 
et cetera, the high priest and the council. They're very angry, 
not because of righteousness, not because of wholesome severity 
and righteous indignation, but because Stephen is right. Christ 
is right. And Christianity is right. And 
they hate it and they seek to suppress that truth in unrighteousness. And what a horrible way to suppress 
the truth in unrighteousness as we have read the discourse 
and as we'll continue to work through it. But notice also they 
were indicted by the truth. If you fast forward a bit to 
Act 754. Acts 7, 54. Notice this response. And we're 
going to make a comparison to a different response in Acts 
chapter 2. But look at Acts 7, verse 54. After Stephen had indicted them 
for murdering the Lord Jesus Christ, betraying him, they respond 
this way. Or the discourse, or the narrative 
rather, reads, verse 54, when they heard these things, they 
were cut to the heart. When they heard these things, 
they were cut to the heart. They were indicted by the truth. But look at the response. And 
they gnashed at him with their teeth. Back up for a moment to 
Acts 2.37. A little Bible flipping going 
on, but it's useful to compare this passage with something quite 
similar, both in text and in occasion. Acts chapter two. This is Peter on the day of Pentecost, 
bringing the message of Christ crucified, resurrected, ascended 
and now reigning king. And notice that verse 36. Well, 
we'll notice verse 37 primarily, but backing up to verse 36. Therefore, 
let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this 
Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now, when they 
heard this, they were cut to the heart. They were indicted 
by the truth. They were pricked in their conscience. 
They were hit in the heart, if you will, by the message preached 
by Peter. Now, when they heard this, they 
were cut to the heart. But notice and said to Peter 
and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall 
we do? Quite a contrast here. We have 
the people before Peter, again, unbelieving Jews from all nation 
under heaven, as chapter 2 says it. They had all gathered together, 
devout Jews had gathered together from every nation under heaven 
to hear, not to hear originally, but they did hear Peter preaching 
Christ to them. And in Acts chapter 2 and in 
Acts chapter 7, we have Christ preached. But what's the response 
in Acts 7? When they heard these things, 
they were cut to the heart. and they gnashed at him with 
their teeth. They were indicted by the truth, 
but they were indicted by the truth and they opposed him in 
an ungodly manner. Notice fourthly, they're keeping 
the family tradition. their keeping of the family tradition. Verse 51, you stiff-necked and 
uncircumcised. This is verse 51 of Act 7. You 
stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You always 
resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. This would be quite a leveling 
and a heavy indictment against them because the Jews were very 
proud of their pedigree. The Jews were very proud of their 
heritage. They built monuments and glorious 
articles of architecture for their fathers. And here Stephen 
comes along and he says, adding to this, verse 52, which of the 
prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those 
who foretold the coming of the just one. Stephen indicts their 
fathers, and then he says, you're just like them. Jesus did something 
similar in his life and ministry. He says, you are witnesses against 
yourselves to the Pharisees and to the Sadducees. You are witnesses 
against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered 
the prophets. Stephen is very Christ-like here 
in his response, bringing this indictment, but again, They are 
just like their fathers, the fathers throughout Jews, unbelieving 
Jews throughout the history of the church, throughout the history 
of Christ's people. When the prophets would bring 
the right message, a message, yes, that they might not want 
to hear when they would bring that message, they would always 
oppose it. They would always oppose the living and true God 
in all his declarations of grace and mercy, kindness, calls to 
obedience, calls to genuine heart religion. And they would murder 
the messengers. And here, Stephen is no different 
as the recipient of that opposition. And they, the murderers, are 
no different in that opposition. And then lastly, under the murderers, 
their murderous rage. Notice Acts 7, beginning at verse 
57. Then they cried out with a loud 
voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord. And 
they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses 
laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he 
was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 
Now, we need to see the gravity of what's going on here. These unbelieving Jews are the 
recipients of the oracles of God. We're talking about God's 
old covenant people. In Romans chapter 9, Paul is 
brought to tears, continual tears and grief. because he wants the 
nation, the nation of whom he is a brother and a member, to 
be saved. He wants them to believe in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. And it's not just because this 
Jesus Christ is something new now announced to them, but it 
is the case that throughout Old Covenant religion, he was announced. They had Genesis 3.15. They had 
Deuteronomy 18, which, mind you, Stephen quotes in his apologetics. They had Isaiah 53. They had 
Psalm 22. They had Psalm 16. They had Micah 
5 too. They had the knowledge that there 
would be one coming who would come to bring salvation to his 
people. And yet in the life and ministry 
of that one who was to come, they murder him. They nail him 
with Roman nails upon Calvary's tree and they cry out for his 
blood to be spilled. And now Stephen comes and he 
preaches the fact that all of those articles of old covenant 
religion that they love so much pointed to and were fulfilled 
in Christ Jesus, the Redeemer. And yet they hate him and oppose 
him for that. He comes and in the face of all 
this adversity and trial and opposition and hatred, he says 
in verse 56, Stephen does, Look, I see the heaven opened and the 
Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. They should have 
at that time, if we had our druthers, if we had our way, we would have 
wanted them to bend a knee right there and say, yes, Jesus Christ, 
my Lord and my King. The One that was promised to 
them, He came. And He came to them and He preached 
righteousness, the Kingdom of God, salvation. They put Him 
to death. He sent a herald. The risen Christ 
sends Stephen to come and to preach Jesus Christ, the kingdom 
of God, and salvation. And they're about to murder him. 
Stephen tells them that this one who you murder is now ascended 
to the right hand of the majesty on high. And yet, how do they 
respond? They cry out with a loud voice. 
They stomp up their ears. And they ran at him with one 
accord. Why do they do this? a number 
of reasons why, generally speaking, they're mad because they're unregenerate 
sinners. But what Stephen is saying here 
is Stephen is saying that this one who was crucified four years 
ago, let's say, within a handful of years, this one who you put 
to death, who you murdered in venomous rage a handful of years 
ago, is now the one who is exalted at the right hand of the majesty 
on high, just like he told you. Remember, he was before the high 
priest. The high priest asked him, tell us this. Are you the 
Christ? He says, yes, I am. To paraphrase. Nevertheless, I say to you, very 
soon or soon after, you will see the Son of Man standing or 
sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds 
of heaven. That's when they rent their garments, when the high 
priest ripped his garment and they beat Jesus Christ. But what 
we see here is the fact that they crucified the Lord of Glory. And now this one is saying is 
that he is saying that he's seated at the right hand of God. Madness. Madness. It's madness to them 
and it's a front to them. It's a stumbling block to them 
because they could not endure a crucified Messiah, let alone 
a crucified Messiah now exalted to the right hand of God. Let 
it never be in their mad theology, in their mad religion. But I 
think also there is that element of truthfulness, that element 
that they have already seen. This man's face is the face of 
an angel. They had already had to oppose 
truth by lies, by false witnesses. by ungodly opposition. And what 
do sinners do when there is the truth exposed to them in the 
face of truth? They suppress it in unrighteousness. And so they run at him, they 
cry out, they cover their ears and they stone Stephen to the 
dead. Moving on then to the martyr. A more edifying examination in 
anthropology is an examination of Stephen, Stephen the martyr. And before we do this, it's always 
good to remember and to issue a qualification. Whenever we 
focus on and examine a saint of God, a hero of the faith, 
we do need to examine him, to look at him. But we do not engage 
in idolatry with Stephen the martyr. We're not Roman Catholic. 
We don't pray to Stephen. And we don't put him on a necklace. 
We can acknowledge his heroic activity, his steadfastness in 
Christ Jesus. But very quickly, we move from 
Stephen Or as we look at Stephen, we look to the Christ of Stephen. 
We examine the Christ who empowered him. We examine the Christ who 
sent him. We examine the Christ of his profession. And Stephen 
points us there anyway. He says, don't look at me. Look, 
I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right 
hand of God. An examination of a saint is 
an examination of a trophy of God's grace. And we look at the 
victor. rather than that trophy. But looking at Stephen, we're 
going to notice first his legitimacy, the strength given to him from 
on high. Verse 8, if you go back to chapter 
6, and Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders 
and signs among the people. Stephen is full of faith and 
power. He is an authorized representative 
of the living and true God. He is one who is a herald of 
Christ sent to bear witness to him. In Christ's earthly ministry, 
he said before this council, he said before the very same 
people who are here stoning Stephen, he said, Behold, I send to you 
wise men, prophets and scribes. Some of them you will kill and 
crucify. Some you will persecute from city to city. And so this 
is the fulfillment of that prophecy to be sure. One of the fulfillments 
of that prophecy. Stephen comes as an authorized 
representative of the sending reigning Christ. And he comes 
to bring the message of Christ. His message came with divine 
authorization. Verse 10, And they were not able 
to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. Now, yes, they stoned him to 
death. But with regards to the legitimacy, 
the purity, the accuracy and the veracity of the message that 
Stephen brought, there was no resisting. There was no opposing 
because it was God's truth. Stephen comes and he brings as 
a herald of God's as a herald of Christ, the truth. concerning 
all of redemptive religion. Remember, Stephen is coming, 
and he's not just saying, although it would be fine to say and a 
great thing to say, he's not just saying, believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ and be saved. That in itself is a true and 
accurate statement and one that ought to be trumpeted all the 
time, frequently. But he comes to Jews, he comes 
to God's old covenant people, and he brings out the fact that 
all of redemptive religion was fulfilled in Christ from Genesis, 
from Genesis to Malachi. They didn't have the New Testament 
yet, but from all of the old covenant is now fulfilled in 
this Jesus. And he brings that message. And 
it's a message. It's a message of truth. And it's a message 
that they were to hear and that they were to believe. So his legitimacy, he's an authorized 
representative, and he comes with that divine authorization. Secondly, notice his composure. Chapter seven, verse one. Then 
the high priest said, Are these things so? Verse two. And he 
said, Stephen, and he said, Brethren and fathers, listen, we pointed 
this out before. I believe both both Pastor Butler 
and I. It's amazing in the light of 
what just happened. secretly inducing men to say, 
stirring up the people, and engaging or setting up false witnesses 
that Stephen responds, brethren and fathers, listen. Stephen 
is very composed. You think of how some of us might 
respond when people are lying about us, when our own countrymen 
are lying about us, when people are brought in secretly and they're 
stirred up against us. If you've ever been If you've 
been in the life of this church long enough, you've noticed that 
when people are stirred up and when people have their pride 
cracked a little bit, crazy things can happen. Stephen was composed. Stephen was not going to revile 
in return when he was reviled, just like his Savior. When Christ 
was reviled, he did not revile in return. Stephen, the same 
thing, all these charges of blasphemy and hating and hating the holy 
place in the law and all of these things are brought against him. 
And yet calmly and with composure, he says, brethren and fathers, 
listen, very composed. And this is how we ought to be 
when we are opposed with ungodly wisdom and ungodly opposition. 
We should respond initially and with the character of composure. 
Listen to me. This is what's true. This is 
what's false. And Stephen engages in that composure 
and he manifests that composure. He didn't blow up. He didn't 
attack. He didn't cry. It's another thing. 
You know, some of us, and we think because we've never been 
in that situation and we can't necessarily, well, we can maybe 
imagine the situation, but we've never been in a situation like 
that where we have a whole council, a bunch of countrymen and the 
high priest gathered together before us. lying and in complete 
opposition to us. And Stephen knew what was going 
to go down. Stephen, I think, knew that, 
OK, this can't end well. Now, he knew it would end well 
in the sense of God's providence, God's gospel going beyond the 
borders of Jerusalem. But he knew that he may need 
his end. But he, of course, had, as the discourse ends, the peace 
of Christ at the end of his life. But nevertheless, he probably 
knew what was going to happen. Us in that situation, some of 
us may probably break out in tears. You know, we're about 
to be stoned to death. We're not. We're about to have 
large rocks hurled on our head. Now, God would give us the strength. 
I'm sure Christians are given that strength and that peace 
in the hour of need. I don't doubt that. But we can 
think about it now that this is an amazing response by a godly 
man. He's about to die. But he says, 
Brethren and fathers, listen. Thirdly, his Christ-centeredness. His Christ-centeredness. He did 
not seek after self-vindication, but rather Christ-exaltation. It's very important and wonderful 
to note here. Stephen didn't say, brethren 
and fathers, listen, I'm innocent. He didn't say, brethren and fathers, 
listen, you got it all wrong. Brethren and fathers, listen, 
just let me go. He said, Brethren and fathers, 
listen. And then he gets into the glory 
of God, the history of Old Covenant revelation and religion fulfilled 
and consummated in Christ Jesus. His response was Christ-centered. You know, we can think of how 
we respond to things. And is our response Christ-exalting 
and Christ-honoring? When our pride is When people 
rub against us the wrong way, when we're charged with things, 
rightly or wrongly, what is our response? Is it Christ glorifying 
or is it self-vindication? I'm going to get them. I'm going 
to vindicate my name. In the household, husbands and 
wives, if your wife or your husband calls you out on something, you 
don't have to vindicate yourself. Is your response Christ-honoring? 
Sometimes we have to sacrifice our pride. We have to push aside 
our pride, even when we're right, because that's Christ-exalting 
and that's Christ-glorifying. How do we respond? Stephen responds 
again with that wonderful Christ-centeredness. He goes into, not a defense of 
himself, but a defense of Christ and Christianity. Fourthly, his 
foundation. What is Stephen's foundation 
in this whole discourse, in this whole narrative? Stephen's foundation 
is redemptive history and revelation. In other words, the scriptures. 
Stephen doesn't argue based upon human psychology. He doesn't 
argue based upon anything save for the scriptures of the living 
and true God. In fact, his whole and it's amazing 
here, his whole that he said all of this before the council 
is amazing. I mean, the reason that I didn't 
read all of it, I mean, I could have read all of it. It's Bible, 
but it's a long narrative. It's a long discourse. Stephen, 
I imagine, without scrolls and without anything in front of 
him, gives them the entire history, in a sense, of redemptive religion 
fulfilled and consummated in Christ Jesus. It's an amazing 
thing that Stephen can, after all these charges, say, brethren 
and fathers, listen and then lay out the Old Testament completed 
in Christ. It's an amazing thing. And in 
fact, back up to the Luke for a moment, the book of Luke, the 
passage that we read this morning. Luke, chapter 12, look at verse 
11. This is prophecy fulfilled. It directly relates to what we're 
looking at right now. Verse 11 of Luke 12. Now, when 
they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, 
do not worry about how or what you should answer or what you 
should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach 
you in that very hour what you ought to say. You see how that 
relates there? He's brought before a synagogue 
and magistrates and authorities. He's composed. He doesn't worry. 
No doubt this was passed on. This oral tradition and all of 
those things before the completion of the canon, you would have 
heard about Christ's words. Don't worry about what you should 
say. Don't worry about how you should answer or what you should 
say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what 
you ought to say. And how does the Holy Spirit 
teach? He teaches according to the Scriptures. Sanctify them 
by thy truth. Thy word is truth. Jesus Christ 
pray. And so Stephen here, empowered 
by the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit, working by 
and with the word, brings from that foundation of the scriptures 
a perfect argument concerning Christ Jesus and salvation by 
him. His foundation, Stephen's foundation, 
is the scriptures. Now, notice also his wholesome 
severity. That means he was angry. He was 
furious. He was strong, though in that 
he was righteous and self-control. If that makes sense. You've heard 
the term righteous indignation. There is an ungodly anger that 
people can manifest. Yet there is a righteous anger, 
a righteous indignation or a wholesome severity. This is not contrasting 
or inconsistent with the fact that he was composed. Brethren 
and fathers, listen. but rather it is perfectly in 
accord with it, verse 51 and following. You stiff-necked and 
uncircumcised in heart and ears. He's charging them with what 
the fathers were charged with, what unbelieving Jews were charged 
with by God through Moses and by God through the prophets in 
the Old Testament. They were stiff-necked and uncircumcised 
in heart and ears. That stiff neck envisions an 
oxen or an animal that needs to be held and controlled by 
a yoke. They're fighting against it. They're kicking against the 
goats. It's the language that Jesus uses with Paul a couple 
of chapters over. But you stiff necked and uncircumcised 
in heart and ears. He's bringing a charge against 
them that you are unregenerate. Just as your fathers who wouldn't 
hear, just as your fathers who didn't understand, who wouldn't 
see, you are doing likewise, and you're doing it to your shame 
and condemnation. 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 foretold 
the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the 
betrayers and murderers. What an indictment. Wholesome 
severity by Stephen, but righteous, true, and to the point. He knew that this would elicit 
a response that would end in his death, but nevertheless, 
he brings it to them. He brings to bear the truth of 
Christ the truth of their sin, their gross transgression. And 
he brings it to bear with wholesome severity. Yes, he was composed. 
Yes, he was respectful. But also in that, he didn't cower. He didn't hold back. He brought 
forth the truth with wholesome severity. A couple more points 
under Stephen. His resolve. His resolve. He was settled upon the fact 
of his near end and he didn't shake. He wasn't moved. He was 
steadfast in Christ Jesus. Notice verse 54 and following 
here. When they heard these things, 
they were cut to the heart and they gnashed at Him with their 
teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven 
and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand 
of God, and said, Look, I see the heavens open and the Son 
of Man standing at the right hand of God." I love this response 
by Stephen. He doesn't care about his persecutors. Again, he doesn't engage in, 
oh, wait a minute. You know, they're cut to the 
heart. They gnash at him with their teeth. They're simply angry 
at him after he was righteously angry with them. And he doesn't 
say, oh, you know, wait a minute. He doesn't, again, he doesn't 
fight for himself. He doesn't fight for his life. 
He doesn't fight for health or for anything else. But rather, 
he couldn't care less about his persecutors. He has his eyes 
on Jesus Christ. And we may never be brought before 
a council to be stoned, but ought that not always to be our response? We are not to be concerned with 
those who cannot kill the soul, who can only harm the body, who 
can only shout words at us or hurt us, hurt us in our body, 
but rather we were to be concerned with what Stephen was concerned 
with, the glory of God and Jesus Christ standing at the right 
hand of God. instructive lessons by Stephen, we cast our eyes 
away from earthly cares and earthly enemies. And we cast our eyes 
of faith in our case upon Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who 
takes away the sins of the world. Lastly, under Stephen, his Christ 
likeness, the comparison between Stephen and Christ is glaring. And I don't want to make some 
ungodly comparison. Christ is Christ and Stephen 
is Stephen. Christ is perfect in all things. 
Stephen is a sinner saved by amazing grace. But we do see 
that Stephen was Christ like. In fact, all God's people are 
to be so. But in many cases that we will 
never be, Stephen was like Christ. First off, he was falsely accused 
before a council, before a high priest, just like Jesus. False 
witnesses were brought in against Christ. False witnesses were 
brought in against Stephen. Men were secretly induced to 
say against Christ. Same with Stephen. The people 
were induced or stirred up against Christ. Crucify him. Crucify 
him. Same with Stephen. Also, when 
he was reviled, he did not revile in return. Men and brethren, 
listen. Jesus didn't engage in reviling His opponents. He didn't 
spit back. He didn't beat back. He didn't 
mouth off. He didn't insult. But rather, 
when he was silent, he was silent. Or when he needed to be silent, 
he was. And when he needed to speak, he did. And did so with 
wholesome severity and with grace on his tongue. Stephen did likewise. His entire response was about 
the fulfillment of his mission. Again, Stephen's response here, 
in responding the way he did, he completed his mission as a 
herald of Christ. Again, didn't argue. for himself, 
didn't engage in self-indication. Christ didn't do that either. 
What did Christ do? Completed the mission. Stephen here completes 
the mission to the end. He preaches Christ to them, Christ's 
fulfillment of old covenant religion, and then he finishes his mission 
and goes into peace, goes into sleep peacefully in Christ Jesus. He completed his mission just 
like his savior. verses, chapter 7, verses 51 
to 53, he was not afraid to bring the heat. He was not afraid to 
bring wholesome severity and indict and charge those who were 
grossly in transgression and sin. Again, we already looked 
at that, verses 51 to 53. What did Jesus do in his life 
and ministry? Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, brood 
of vipers. Jesus was strong with his wholesome 
vindication. I don't know. I've never been 
in a case where I've called anybody a brood of vipers. I guess I 
probably could if occasion called for it. And I would be and I 
would be it would be legitimate for me to do so. But Jesus, the 
point is, Jesus was strong. Never, never. He was always perfect 
in his response. Never too harsh, never too light. He was always perfect in his 
responses. And when he needed to, like Stephen, Jesus brought 
the heat. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. 
Woe to you. He pronounces seven woes. He 
pronounces words of imprecation. That means calling down the wrath 
of God upon his audience. He does that in Matthew 23 and 
elsewhere. And then lastly, under his Christ 
likeness, he spoke like his savior in the face of death. Notice 
beginning at verse 57, and they cried out with a loud voice. 
stopped their ears and ran at him with one accord. And they 
cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses 
laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 
And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Just like Christ, father, into 
your arms, I commit my spirit into your hands. I commit my 
spirit. Stephen follows his master and 
his savior. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 
And you may see the italicized God inserted in your text there. Stephen is actually saying here 
the text should read and they stone Stephen as he was calling 
on and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. He's calling upon 
the Lord Jesus Christ. He's praying. to Jesus Christ 
to now receive His Spirit into paradise. And then also, verse 
60, that He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, Lord, 
do not charge them with this sin. And when He had said this, 
He fell asleep. Remember Jesus from the cross. 
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Stephen, 
if he was to choose any words, why not the words of his Savior? 
Not stealing away any glory, not taking anything from Christ's 
crucifixion, but rather employing by good example the words of 
the Savior. Lord, do not charge them with 
this sin. And when he had said this, he 
fell asleep. Isn't that a wonderful ending 
to Stephen? When he had said this, he fell 
asleep. You know, I never want to belittle 
or or, you know, cast cast or take away from the death of loved 
ones. When our loved ones who are Christian 
go and they die, they go in peace. I remember there's a there's 
a I wish I had brought it now that I'm thinking of it, but 
in a sermon on Stephen, one one pastor had noted a theologian 
who had died. And he was in the ministry, I 
think, about 50 years, something like that, very long in the ministry. 
And on his deathbed, those who were witnessing wrote about it. 
They said there was so much peace in this man. They could see it. 
They could see in the face of death that Christians know that 
there is no sting of death. The sting of death has been taken 
away. There is no victory for death in Hades over the Christian. But it made a comment, or the 
fellow who was on his deathbed said, that I have learned more 
in these past 10 days of my God than I have learned in 50 years 
previous. It's quite a statement. In those days leading up to death, 
he learned more about grace, about the love of God, about 
the faithfulness of God. about those things that are important 
than he did in 50 years prior. All of his book learning, he 
said, all the books in the library, though they're good things, though 
they're good tools, though they're great, all he needed at that 
point was his God and his Christ. Because on the deathbed of a 
Christian, there is much peace and there is much solace for 
them. And and Stephen is certainly 
a case in point there. Well, moving on. And lastly, 
as we close here shortly to the Messiah, we've looked at the 
murderers. We've looked at the martyr Stephen, his legitimacy, 
his composure, his Christ centeredness, his foundation, his wholesome 
severity, his resolve and his Christ likeness. Now, Jesus Christ 
here. And we'll spend more time on 
this this evening as we're going to look at the theology of this 
narrative. The theology that comes out from 
this, but notice notice under the Messiah, under Jesus Christ, 
his primacy. It is because of and for Jesus 
Christ that all of this takes place. Remember, Stephen's response 
is all of Christ. Stephen's response is about Jesus. It's very interesting, though, 
because he doesn't speak about Christ anywhere in his response 
until he gets to the indictment of the people, which is very 
interesting. Now, Christ is in there to be 
sure when he cites Deuteronomy 18, 18 to 20, when he cites various 
portions of Scripture, but Suffice it to say, Christ is absent in 
a sense of being named from that response. Nevertheless, it is 
all about Jesus Christ. And again, his primacy, Christ's 
primacy is clear in that Stephen's apologetic is all about Christ. He was alive for Christ. He answered 
for Christ and he died for Christ. And throughout the book, the 
narrative of the book of Acts, it's all about Jesus Christ. 
The Pentecostals and the Charismatics like to say it's all about the 
Holy Spirit. It's about the Holy Spirit testifying 
to the glories and the excellencies of Jesus Christ. The book of 
Acts is a book that exalts Christ Jesus. It shows his victory. And now seated at the right hand 
of the majesty on high, he's ruling and reigning and growing 
his church, empowering his church to go, therefore, and disciple 
the nations. Christ's primacy is clear. in 
this narrative and in this discourse. Secondly, his innocence. Where 
do we see Christ's innocence stated here? I love this term 
for Jesus in Acts chapter seven at verse fifty two. Which of 
the prophets did your fathers not persecute and they killed 
those who foretold the coming of the just one? of whom you 
now have become the betrayers and murderers. Wonderful term 
for the Lord Jesus Christ. It has in view His innocence 
and His harmlessness. His innocence and His harmlessness. 
Yes, He was righteously indignant. Yes, He did bring the heat. But 
He was harmless in the sense that He was not violent. When 
He was reviled, He did not revile in return. He was not a zealot. 
He was not a trouble-causer. He was innocent and He was harmless. Also, it has in view, I believe, 
his justice as God manifested in the flesh. Jesus Christ is 
marked by perfect ethical lawfulness. In other words, when he deals 
with people, he deals with equity. He's not unfair. He's always 
perfectly fair. Like God, the just judge, God, 
the father, as a just judge, Christ is anointed and his appointed 
judge is perfectly righteous and fair in all his adjudications. And it has in view, thirdly, 
his ethical holiness and purity in that he always did the will 
of his father. He was perfectly righteous from 
beginning to end. That righteousness which is ours 
by imputation in the glorious gospel of the blessed God. And then two quick ones as we 
close here. Thirdly, His divine justice. His divine justice. I love this 
quote from John Gill. And it's speaking concerning 
this. Look, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing. at the right hand of God. John 
Gil, Jesus being risen from the dead and ascended on high, was 
set at the right hand of God in human nature. And so was visible 
to the corporeal eye of Stephen, whose visual faculty was so extraordinarily 
enlarged and assisted as to reach the body of Christ in the third 
heavens, where he was seen by him standing to denote his readiness 
to assist him and his indignation at his enemies. Isn't that a 
wonderful statement? The Westminster Shorter Catechism 
answers the question, how does Christ execute the office of 
a king this way? Christ executed the office of 
a king in subduing us to himself in ruling and defending us and 
in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. You know, we read more often 
of Jesus Christ seated, sitting at the right hand of the majesty 
on high. Here, Stephen sees him standing 
at the right hand of the majesty on high. It's a glorious thing. 
Yes, for us, he rules, he subdues us, he conquers our hearts and 
calls us to himself. He rules and he reigns over us 
with equity, mercy, and love, but for his and our enemies, 
He judges them with indignation. And that is one of the reasons 
why he is standing here. He is standing in judgment over 
these that think they are the judges in this case. But no, 
Christ Jesus rules and reigns. And they might not see judgment 
then, but surely about 35 years later, when the Romans came under 
divine empowerment, sacked the city, destroyed the temple, destroyed 
the city, and put an end to all of those articles of old covenant 
religion in that manner, surely they knew then that that righteous 
judge did stand over us in indignation. And lastly, divine comfort, again, 
John Gill, he was standing to denote his readiness to assist 
him. Isn't that wonderful? He'll later 
cry out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Jesus Christ, he already 
saw standing, the right hand of the majesty on high, ready 
to receive him, ready to truly and most certainly answer that 
prayer. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Well, in closing, our 
response to truth, to sin and its finding out. Let none of 
us ever be like this council, like these unbelieving Jews. 
If we're found out in sin, if we're found out wrong, we ought 
never to respond like these and gnash our teeth. We ought to 
take it like men, take it like women, take it like Christian 
believers, and embrace it, forsake it, move on, repent, and find 
mercy in Christ. These people responded in an 
ungodly manner to their consciences being pricked, to them being 
found out in sin, and we ought never to do so. Let us always 
be wholesomely tainted by grace and marked by repentance and 
seeking after the forgiveness of Christ. our response to those 
who oppose? Are we seeking to be Christ-like 
before our opponents, before our opposers? Again, do we respond 
in a way that exalts Christ, or do we respond in a way that 
seeks to exalt ourselves, that seeks to defend ourselves to 
the death? Let us always keep in mind, as 
Stephen manifests and sets forth, that our first and foremost direction 
is Christward in our responses, or it's Christ-focused and Christ-centered 
in our responses. Let us always respond as Christ 
responded when we are reviled. We do not revile in return. And 
also, as Stephen responded, and then our response to Christ as 
Christians, true Christians, our response to Christ in this 
discourse ought always to be worship. It ought always to be 
as to that one who is glorious, exalted to the right hand of 
the majesty on high, ruling and reigning for our good and for 
the doom of his enemies. We see Christ here, as Stephen 
does, though through eyes of faith, standing at the right 
hand of the majesty on high. Again, for our comfort and for 
indignation towards those who hate us, and by virtue of that, 
him. But also, if you're here today 
and you don't know this Jesus, It's always the preacher's response. 
And trust me, it is not a mechanical one. Okay, at the end, we have 
to make a plea for unbelievers to believe on this blessed Christ. 
No, it's always something that the preacher enjoys to do. Yes, 
it is an obligation, but it is a joyful obligation. Yes, it 
is repetition, but blessed repetition. The plea from the pulpit to believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Because if you do not believe 
now, you may not be like those murderous Jews. You may not be 
gnashing your teeth. You may not be going out to stone 
anyone. But nevertheless, you are just 
as vile as they are. And on that final day, you'll 
stand before the judgment of the heavenly tribunal and you 
will be cast into the lake of fire with the devil and his angels. 
That ought to scare you. That should frighten you. And 
if that does, we pray with the grace of God in the back of our 
minds, resting upon his mercy and his eternal loving kindness, 
that you would flee in the right direction. that you would not 
call upon the rocks and the trees to hide you from the wrath of 
the Lamb in that great day, but that you would call out to Christ 
as your blessed Savior, and that on your deathbed, like Stephen, 
you can say, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. We plead with you 
as the only answer to your sin, the only answer to your deadness 
and trespasses and sins and your opposition to the living Christ. 
Believe on Him and you shall be saved. Well, let's pray. Heavenly 
Father, we thank you for this time in worship this morning. 
We thank you, Lord God, that we can sing, that we can read 
from the Scriptures, that we can engage in biblical worship. And we just pray, Lord God, that 
it would not be a weariness to any one of us, young or old, 
but that we would always enjoy and seek and look forward to 
coming into the house of the Lord to engage in worship. We 
pray for us here, who are your people, that you would bless 
us, cause us to walk in a manner worthy of everlasting life, Lord, 
that we would walk in the way everlasting, steadfast in Christ 
Jesus, seeking daily to put sin to death and to live unto righteousness. 
And we pray, Lord God, for those who do not know you here, that 
by the power of your Spirit, by amazing and victorious grace, 
they would know our Christ, they would know our King, they would 
know our Redeemer, and that they would believe. Just be with us 
now, Father, help us to go into this week to seek to exalt Christ 
Jesus, to seek to live to your glory and to conduct ourselves 
in a manner worthy of your glorious gospel. And it's in Christ's 
name that we pray. Amen.