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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Acts. We're in Acts chapter 7. We've 
spent some time looking at Stephen's defense before the council. Basically, he was brought up 
on false charges. The charges were that he was 
anti-Moses, the law of Moses, and he was anti-temple of God. 
And he effectively answers those charges and turns the tables 
on his hearers. In verses 51 to 53, he essentially 
says that they are idolaters. They have abandoned the true 
and the living God. He's not engaged in name-calling 
when he says, you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart. These 
are particular terms pulled out of Israel's history in the Old 
Testament that are associated with idolatry in terms of their 
stiff necks And then in terms of their uncircumcision of heart 
and ears, that is a connection to heathenism. And the fact that 
they resist the Holy Spirit means they resisted the true and living 
God. So he turns the tables on them, and of course they respond 
not in humble faith, but rather in murderous rage. So I'll read 
beginning in Acts chapter 7 at verse 51. 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 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. Now Saul was 
consenting to his death. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father 
in heaven, again, we thank you for the written word. We acknowledge 
that it comes from you. We acknowledge that it's God-breathed. 
And we pray that even now it would be profitable for us in 
terms of instruction and reproof and correction. and all the doctrine 
that the Bible would have for us. God, do forgive us for our 
sins and transgression and the things that darken our understanding. Fill us with your Holy Spirit 
and cause us to reflect upon the glory of God as revealed 
in this particular passage. and give us the sort of courage 
manifested by Your servant Stephen. Give us that kind of wherewithal 
to stand fast in the midst of great persecution, in the midst 
of great opposition to the faith, and cause us to maintain fidelity 
to our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in His name that we 
pray. Amen. Well, as I said, he refutes their 
charges and shows that, in fact, they are false, and then he turns 
the tables on them. And I think we see even more 
of that displayed in the passage concerning his martyrdom. I want 
to look first at the blessedness of Stephen. I mean, the way he's 
described here, it really highlights the divine favor upon Stephen 
at this particular moment. So I think we have this idea 
that when we're in the midst of trial or hardship or affliction, 
we have to go it alone. That's never the case, brethren. 
The Lord God sustains us. The Lord God keeps us. The Lord 
God has promised that we will never walk alone. And you see 
that displayed in the life and ministry of Stephen. So we'll 
note first the blessedness of Stephen. Secondly, the murderous 
rage of the council. And then finally, the death of 
Stephen. But let's look first at the blessedness. 
To appreciate what he undergoes in terms of divine favor, we 
ought to see the response of the council in verse 54. Now, 
it says that when they heard these things, they were cut to 
the heart and they gnashed at him with their teeth. Probably 
these things includes the entirety of the sermon. As I often suggested 
as we moved our way through it, I think they understood what 
he was saying. I think they got the gist. I think they got the 
point in terms of his defense against these false charges, 
and I think they understood that he had, in fact, turned the tables 
on them. When he calls them uncircumcised, 
when he calls them stiff-necked, he is telling them that they're 
guilty of the sin, the crime of idolatry against the true 
and living God. but probably more particularly 
when they heard the things that he said in verses 51 to 53. They 
didn't respond favorably to be calling stiff neck. They didn't 
respond favorably to being called uncircumcised in heart and ears. They didn't respond favorably 
being told that they had always resisted the Holy Spirit. And 
so when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart. Now, 
we often pray that during preaching or sermons or when people come 
into contact with the scriptures, they would be caught to the heart. 
But there's a good being caught to the heart, and there's a bad 
being caught to the heart. Now, it's a different verb that's 
used in Acts chapter 2, but the concept is the same. On the day 
of Pentecost, the sinners there were cut to the heart. They were 
convicted and they cried out, men and brethren, what must we 
do? So Peter dutifully, happily, joyfully points them to the Lord 
Jesus Christ. He says, let every one of you 
repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the 
remission of sins. These men here are cut to the 
heart, but it's more akin to what you see in Acts 5 at verse 
33. There it is, the same word that's 
used, and you can turn there to sort of see it fleshed out. 
In Acts 5 at verse 33, after Peter again testifies concerning 
Jesus to this same council, verse 33 says, when they heard this, 
they were furious and plotted to kill them. That's what's in 
view here with reference to Stephen's words. They're furious. cut to 
the heart, they are upset, they express it through this gnashing 
of the teeth. And again, if you go back in 
the Old Testament, you'll see this is a sign, an exhibition, 
an expression of one's rage. It's used that way in the book 
of Job, it's used that way in the book of Psalms, and it's 
used that way in the book of Lamentations. So they're cut 
to the heart, but instead of crying out, men and brethren, 
what must we do? They express their rage, their fury, and their 
anger towards Stephen by gnashing at him with their teeth. They 
are very upset at what has happened with reference to this sermon. 
It has taken a turn of events that they simply do not approve 
of. They are the guilty ones, according to Stephen, and Stephen 
is the one that's right in terms of the interpretation of the 
Old Testament. Matthew Poole makes this observation in terms 
of gnashing of teeth. He says, gnashing of teeth is 
the curse of the damned. It is the curse of the damned, 
which men by their sins do prepare for. We read that in Scripture, 
that hell is a place where there'll be weeping and wailing and gnashing 
of teeth. And so what Poole says is that 
this is a mark of the damned, and they're preparing for it 
in their own life by their sins in their response to Stephen's 
sermon. So the idea here is that they're not happy. They disagree. 
They do not believe that what Stephen has said is true concerning 
them. They reject it with every fiber 
of their being. Now note the blessedness of Stephen. They're gnashing their teeth 
at him. They're expressing their rage toward him. They are showing 
their fury. But God comes to his aid. God 
comes to his rescue. God comes to comfort his servant 
at this time of great challenge. I mean, brethren, There's probably 
not going to be a day where you and I will stand before 71 people 
that are utterly opposed to Jesus Christ, be asked to give a defense 
over charges given about us falsely, and do so with the sort of acumen 
and ability that Stephen does here, only to have them result 
in this expression of anger and fury and gnashing of teeth. And 
yet the composure of Stephen, the stability of Stephen, the 
security of Stephen, the comfort of Stephen is afforded to him 
by our triune God. Sometimes people say, or they 
read Fox's Book of Martyrs, and they say, boy, I wonder if I 
would be able to stand in the midst of such persecution. If 
you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you would be, because God will 
give you the grace necessary. In a general overarching sense, 
Stephen was in fact filled with the Holy Spirit. We know that 
according to Acts chapter 6 and verse 5. But here the Spirit 
comes and fills him in such a way as to provide the stability necessary 
for him to undergo the trial. You can know this, brethren, 
that if God is going to call you to some exploit, God's going 
to give you the resources and the wherewithal to deal with 
it. God's never going to leave you. He's never going to forsake 
you. He's never going to abandon you. There will never be a time 
in your life where you say, oh, the Lord has left me. Not if 
you're a blood-bot, not if you're a child of God, not if you're 
a believer in Jesus. No, I'm not suggesting you're 
not going to have hardship. I'm not suggesting you're not 
going to have woe. I'm not suggesting you're not 
going to have difficulty. You will. But the glory is, is 
that Christ is with his people. Christ is there with his people. I've told you many times about 
Thomas Hawks. You can find him in Fox's Book 
of Martyrs. Thomas Hawks was going to be 
burned to death for his crime of heresy. And essentially, his 
heresy was the true religion. And so his buddies asked him, 
I don't think Fox calls them his buddies, but his buddies 
asked him, give us a sign when you're in the fire as to how 
long you can tolerate the pain. So the day comes, Hawks is put 
into the fire and nothing is happening. His buddies aren't 
hearing any communication from him while he's burning. Well, 
it says that while he was burning and melting, he raises his stumps 
and he bangs them together three times to show and demonstrate 
that Christ is Lord of the fire. I think that's a beautiful illustration 
of what we find in this particular account. Notice what the author 
says concerning Stephen. He first has a vision, and then 
he makes a declaration. In the first place, in verse 
55, we read that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Again, 
there's that idea. We may not be filled with the 
Holy Spirit in the way that Stephen was in this particular instance, 
and therefore may conclude that we couldn't do it. But if God 
calls you to this sort of thing, brethren, believe the reality 
that He will give you the grace necessary. We don't need grace 
for great exploits when we're engaged in little exploits. But 
if God calls us to great exploits, there'll be great grace for those 
exploits. He is filled with the Holy Spirit 
in a way that we've already been reminded in chapter 6 at verse 
5, but here we're seeing it, approving it, or understanding 
it in a way that ought to speak great comfort to our hearts. 
God doesn't leave him on his own. God is not vacating him. God's not saying, you're now 
on your own. Know the Holy Spirit. fills this 
man, he being full, filled with the Holy Spirit. Notice, he sees 
the glory of God. Now, some will say, well, how 
did he do this? Was it a physical thing? Did 
heaven open up just for him? It was a vision. And God peeled 
back heaven, as it were, to show Stephen the glory of God, but 
in a manner that was consistent with the capacity of Stephen. 
The sense where we could never behold the glory of God in our 
creatureliness. Remember when Moses asks to see 
the glory of God, God puts him in the cleft of a rock and passes 
by him so that Moses only sees the back parts? If we saw God 
as He is, we would dissolve. And this is what's happening. 
Stephen gets this view of the glory of God. He's filled with 
the Spirit. He looks up into heaven and he sees the glory 
of God, but it doesn't stop there. See, our God is triune. The true 
and living God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So the Spirit 
is filling him. He looks up and he sees the glory 
of God. And there he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of 
God. Now already in the apostolic 
preaching in the book of Acts, we see that Jesus is at the right 
hand of God. Peter refers to that in Acts 
chapter 2. Peter refers to that again in 
Acts chapter 5. But what is intriguing here is 
that Jesus is what? He's standing. There's theological 
emphasis laid upon the fact that Jesus sat down at the right hand 
of God in Hebrews chapter 10. The psalm itself, psalm 110.1, 
the Lord said to my Lord, Yahweh says to Adonai, sit at my right 
hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Hebrews 10, again, 
I think illustrates the finished work of Jesus Christ by the fact 
that he sat down at the right hand of the Father. Remember 
on the day of atonement, according to Leviticus 16, when the high 
priest went in there to make atonement for the sins of Israel, 
did he sit down? No. He did not sit down. He did not chill. He didn't get 
familiar. He got in, he got out. Probably 
three or four times, he went in there with blood to make atonement 
for the nation. He comes back out, he lays his 
hands upon that scapegoat. He confesses the sins of Israel. 
The scapegoat is driven out into the wilderness. You see the covering 
of sin by blood, and you see the removal or the expiation 
of sin in that goat. It's taken far outside the camp. But that high priest never sat 
down. In a book that is designed to 
show the supremacy and superiority of Jesus Christ, in Hebrews chapter 
10, we read that he sat down at the right hand of God Most 
High. He finished the work. It was once for all. So why is 
Jesus now standing at the right hand of God in Stephen's vision? There's actually a lot written 
about this. You'd be amazed at what guys pick up on and spend 
a lot of time writing about. I think Poole and Gill nail it. 
Comfort and encouragement for Stephen. There's Jesus standing 
at the right hand of the glory of God, waiting to receive his 
martyr. That's what we have in our future. 
That's what we look forward to in our future. You may have a 
miserable life right now. You may have the worst of lives 
right now, but Jesus receiving you into glory is in your future. I don't know, but that should 
make us all at this point just jump for joy, at least spiritually, 
right? Our hearts should be doing backflips 
in thankfulness to God that as bad as it may be in this lower 
world, there's a day coming wherein Jesus is going to receive us. 
Isn't this what Stephen does? I specifically neglected to read 
the part supplied by the new King James. He's calling upon 
God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. He's calling upon 
Jesus as God, saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. That's our 
future. Christ is there to receive the 
spirits of the just man made perfect, according to Hebrews 
chapter 12. Jesus, our victor, Jesus, our King. So he's there 
standing at the right hand of the majesty of God, and he's 
going to receive his servant, Stephen. But Gil adds the dimension 
that Christ is the presiding judge over this situation as 
well. Remember, the Sanhedrin, or this 
religious council, is the highest court in Israel at the time, 
both politically and ecclesiastically. They have Stephen on trial. Christ 
standing at the right hand of the Father shows us that the 
Sanhedrin is on trial. Stephen is not the one in the 
dock. They are. Stephen is the prosecuting 
attorney, even with his indictment concerning their guilt in verses 
51 to 53. So Christ is presiding over this 
to show his reception of Stephen, but to show his judgment over 
this kangaroo court. Now notice. He makes this declaration 
in verse 56. He said to them, look, I see 
the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right 
hand of God. Now, I don't think Stephen would 
do well in today's political climate. This would infuriate them, as 
the text shows us. This was calculated not to sort 
of calm things down. Okay, let's just take a step 
back. We're all getting ahead of ourselves. 
And that's not what he does. He says, look, I see the heavens 
open. I see the glory of God. I see Jesus standing at his right 
hand. He tells them this almost as 
it were adding insult to injury. And they respond in kind when 
they cry with a loud voice, when they stop their ears, when they 
drive him out of the city. But it's an amazing thing that 
he does with reference to this statement. He says, I see the 
heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand 
of God. Remember, Stephen doesn't live 30, 40, 80 years past Jesus. 
We're within a few years. The same council that Stephen 
is standing before is the same council that Jesus was standing 
before. And doesn't Jesus do something exactly parallel in 
Matthew 26, 64? Tell us that. We objure you. 
Are you the Christ? Are you the Messiah? What does 
Jesus say? It is as you said, nevertheless 
I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at 
the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. 
Stephen is the only other one besides Jesus to refer to Jesus 
as the Son of Man. Two instances in the book of 
Revelation, one like the Son of Man, but only Stephen outside 
of Jesus refers to him as the Son of Man. So Christ does this 
before the Sanhedrin. Now Stephen does this before 
the Sanhedrin. So if you ever wonder why they 
got so mad, because they understood what he was doing. They knew 
his point. He said to them all the things 
that he had maintained in his sermon. He is pressing this upon 
the consciences of these hearers. For them, the glory of God was 
not associated with Jesus of Nazareth. For them, the glory 
of God was not connected to this Jesus whom they crucified. Remember, 
they butchered him. They murdered him. They maybe 
not slammed the nails into his hands and his feet, but they 
went to Pilate. They instigated the crowd. They 
mocked him while he was on the cross. They saw him buried. They 
saw what their hands had done. And now Stephen has the gall 
to stand in their midst and say, I see the glory of God. And Jesus 
is right there with him. This Jesus whom you crucified 
is right there with the Father. They couldn't handle this. They 
couldn't take this. This is why they are full of 
rage. So he says this to rebuke his 
hearers. Calvin says, God meant not only 
privately to provide for his servant, but also to ring and 
torment his enemies. That's what he's doing. He's 
ringing and tormenting his enemies. And consider this, he's corroborating 
his defense. He's corroborating his defense. 
Now, whether he is doing this self-consciously or not, he is 
certainly doing this indirectly. What's been his point throughout? 
The glory of God is manifest apart from the temple. The glory 
of God is manifest apart from Jerusalem. The glory of God shows 
itself in verse 2 of this sermon, in Acts chapter 7, to Abraham 
in Mesopotamia. And now Stephen says, I see the 
glory of God, the heavens are open, and Jesus is associated 
with that glory of God. So when they respond as they 
do in verses 57 and following, there's a sense where we ought 
to be able to understand it. Because if Stephen's not right, 
he is highly offensive. But Stephen is right, and so 
the actions and the conduct and the attitude of these men is 
what is highly offensive. Now, notice the murderous rage 
of the council. They first seized Stephen, and 
then they stoned Stephen. Notice that they cry out with 
a loud voice. Again, this wasn't, sirs, what 
must we do to be saved? They cry out with a loud voice 
because they're filled with rage and fury and anger and animosity. I mean, these are the sorts of 
people that murder Lazarus so Lazarus can't say, Jesus raised 
me from the dead. Again, can you comport with that? 
There's a lot of bad things going on in the world right now, isn't 
there? There's a lot of horrific things that happen in our world 
today. And sometimes I think we're inclined to think, well, 
it's just never been this bad. Well, I don't know that we were 
in a time where a guy was raised from the dead and people wanted 
to murder him so that he couldn't testify that he was raised from 
the dead. It's a pretty bad day. Same council, same Sanhedrin, 
same people. They cry out, not in terms of 
humility before God and, Stephen, tell us about this Jesus, but 
they cry out in murderous rage. Notice as well, they stop their 
ears. Kids, you know what that means? Maybe you've mocked each 
other and you stop your ears because you don't want to hear 
what they have to say. I think the crying out and the stopping 
of the ears was their visible attempt to get rid of or to stop 
up the flow of blasphemy as they perceived it flowing from Stephen. 
In other words, they think Stephen is full of blasphemy. He's full 
of heresy. He's full of error. So they scream 
out, and they close their ears, and they don't want to hear what 
he has to say. And I would suggest that this 
is a very childish behavior. Sin doesn't make people mature 
and manly, it makes them cowardice, fully cowardice, and that's precisely 
what they do. They cry out with a loud voice, 
they stomp up their ears, and then notice they run at him with 
one accord. One accord, they're unified in this aggression, 71 
men. 71 men have agreed that they're going to terminate Stephen. 
They're going to liquidate Stephen. They're going to rid the world 
of Stephen, a man filled with the Holy Spirit, a man understanding 
the Old Testament Scriptures, a man pressing upon the consciences 
of his hearers the very things they need to hear so that God 
would convict them of their sin and they would cry out for forgiveness. 
These men are unified in their aggression. I don't think there's 
any substance to Gill making a statement that this is the 
crowd and not the Sanhedrin. There's no shift in the narrative. 
Stephen is before the Sanhedrin. Stephen is before these 71 men. 
And for us to think, well, that seems like undignified behavior 
on their part. How'd they treat Jesus in Matthew 
26? They spat on him, they slapped him, and they mocked him. If 
persons will do that to the very Messiah sent from God to redeem 
their nation of its sin, they'll do that to his servant as well. 
They spat on Christ, they slapped Christ, and they mocked him. 
I don't think there's any shift in terms of the audience or who 
stops up their ears, who gnashes at him with their teeth, who 
cries out with a loud voice, and who ultimately drives them 
out of the city. It's the Sanhedrin. It's the religious council. It's 
the men who should have known better. It's the men who are 
apostate before the true and living God. They're acting like 
babies. Bach says the remarks send the 
crowd into a frenzy. When Stephen declares that he 
sees the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, he 
is stoned for blasphemy, because in the view of these Jews, no 
one has the right to be at the side of God's heavenly presence. Do you understand how subversive 
that was? Again, go back to the life and 
ministry of the Lord Jesus. How did they treat him in John 
chapter 8, when he says, before Abraham was, I am? They mock 
him. They put him down. And then they 
pick up stones to throw at him. Why? Because he, being a man, 
made himself equal with God. See, these persons who do not 
have the Spirit, these persons that do not understand the Scripture, 
these persons that operate on a humanistic level, they think 
that those who believe the true religion, the one true and living 
God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are the blasphemers. Now, the 
tables are turned here. They're the blasphemers. They're 
the idolaters. Christ is presiding over it. 
But ultimately, in terms of this human court, they're going to 
carry out their wickedness. Notice, they stone Stephen. Look at what it says in verse 
58, they cast him out of the city and stoned him. Now, this 
is legit that they did this. Not in terms of stoning him and 
killing him, but the procedure is legit. According to the book 
of Leviticus 24, 14, the Old Testament, penalty for blasphemy, 
take outside the camp him who has cursed. Then let all who 
heard him lay their hands on his head and let all the congregation 
stone him. Get his filthy, blasphemous, 
idolatrous self out of our holy city. That's why they cast him 
out. That's why they drive him out. 
You see it in the case of Naboth. Remember early on in Stephen's 
defense, we looked at that situation as a bit of an Old Testament 
parallel. The death of Naboth in 1 Kings chapter 21, under 
the couple of the year, Ahab and Jezebel. What happens when 
they come to execute Naboth? They drive him out of the city. 
That's consistent with Levitical law. The fact that stoning was 
the right sanction or penalty for blasphemy. That's right too. Leviticus 20, 24, 16 says, Whoever 
blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. 
All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger, as well 
as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of 
the Lord, he shall be put to death." So in terms of their 
actual actions, it has a procedural obedience to it. They drive him 
out of the city, they stone him as the law prescribes. But it 
begs the larger question, did they have the authority to do 
this? Is this the end result of judicial process? Is this 
the end result of a good case? Is this the end result or is 
it something akin to lynching? Well, John 18, 31, they said 
they did not possess authority to crucify the Son of God, so 
they had to turn him over to Pilate. Again, we're not dealing 
with 30, 40, 80 years later, just a couple years later. They 
did not possess the authority with reference to Stephen, but 
with one accord, they drive him out of the city, they take up 
stones to stone him. Now kids, this means exactly 
what it sounds like. Taking up stones to stone someone 
means to take up rocks and throw them at that person until that 
person is dead. You knock the life out of them, 
literally, via stone. So in terms of driving them out 
of the city, there. In terms of actual stoning, there. 
But in terms of the lawfulness of this, they didn't possess 
the authority to engage in this particular sanction. Now, notice what it tells us. It's very descriptive, isn't 
it? It's very descriptive. Luke is just giving us a bird's 
eye view into this sort of kangaroo court. I think in many respects, 
Luke is saying, I want you to see your brother, brethren. When 
I say brethren, I mean brothers and sisters, just so everybody 
knows. If I say brethren, ladies, that means you too. Paul in 1 
Corinthians 16 actually tells women in the church at Corinth 
to act like men. So it's not a mean thing. It's not hyper chauvinistic. I mean, it probably is. In today's 
world, I should probably be in a jail cell. But when I say brethren, 
I mean men and women. It's almost like Luke is showing 
us what Paul will later say, all who desire to live godly 
in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. It's like Paul does if you take 
Pauline authorship of the book of Hebrews, showing us what the 
people of God have faced in Hebrews chapter 11. Is it all health, 
wealth, and prosperity? Is it all wives with big hair? 
Is it big cars, big summer homes? Is it name it and claim it? No, 
it's suffering. What's our Lord Jesus say in 
the upper room discourse in John chapter 16? In this world, you 
will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I've overcome 
the world. He's not lying to his people. Oh, you know, just 
believe on me and all your troubles will go out the door. Believe 
in me and you'll have no hardship. Luke is saying, I want you, brethren, 
to see a brother who suffered for the cause of Jesus Christ. 
Maybe you and I need to come to this passage more often when 
we think we're suffering. Boy, I've got it really tough. 
I looked at somebody today and they didn't smile at me. We're 
not staring down the face of angry men with stones that are 
going to murder us for our commitment to Jesus Christ. Are we? I doubt it. Luke tells us what's 
happening. So they run him out of the city, 
they stone him, and then it says, and the witnesses laid down their 
clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Again, this is 
consistent in terms of the Old Testament sanction. Deuteronomy 
17.7, the hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him 
to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. 
So you shall put away the evil from among you. But if asked, 
why would they take off their outer garments? Probably because 
they were restricted by the outer garments. You know, once in a 
while, you'll see somebody jogging down your street in jeans. And 
you go, that's odd. Jeans don't allow for a lot of 
unrestricted movement. Typically, you wear jogging pants 
or shorts or something. We dress for the occasion, don't 
we? I don't use this outfit when I'm in the backyard gardening. 
Not that I garden a lot, but I have once, at least. Last year, 
me and my wife did some stuff. But there's an appropriateness 
in terms of attire. They took their outer garments 
off because they were restricted in the amount of force they could 
apply in killing this man. They take those garments and 
they lay them down at the feet of a young man named Saul. Now, 
why are you telling us this, Luke? Because this young man 
named Saul is going to feature large in the story ahead. And 
he's introduced here. He's mentioned again in chapter 
8 at verse 1a. He's not young in terms of a 
teenager. Later on in Philemon, he speaks 
as an aged man, probably 60s. He's probably around 30 at this 
particular time, which is a young man. He's not an adolescent. 
He's not 11-year-old. He's not a 10-year-old. He's 
a young man. He's already a trained man. He's 
already sat under the feet of Gamaliel. He's a rabbi. He's educated. He's smart. But 
Luke tells us what's happening because Saul is going to feature 
large in the rest of the narrative. So they do this, and now we come 
to the death of Stephen, specifically at verse 59 and following. Verse 
59 reiterates that they stoned Stephen. I think that might have 
just been a sort of a recommencement. Give us a bit of Saul, tell us 
who they're laying down these garments at the feet of, and 
remind us once again that they're stoning Stephen. So what's happening 
when they're stoning Stephen? What do you think would be happening 
if they were stoning you? May I suggest what would happen 
if they were stoning me? I'd be saying, wow, this really 
hurts. I'd be saying, call my attorney. I'd be saying, I think 
you guys are rash in your judgment. I would say, you don't have the 
authority lawfully under the Roman Empire to execute criminal 
offenders. You can't do this. That's what 
I suspect I'd say. Perhaps you'd say something more 
noble, more holy, more pious. Good, good for you. But for me, 
I think I'd just be a big whining baby saying, you know, the bad 
things are happening to the wrong guy. That's not what Stephen 
is doing. When a man is filled with the 
Holy Spirit, when a man gazes up into heaven and he sees the 
glory of God, and he sees Jesus standing there at the right hand, 
he thinks like God. He thinks like the Savior. And 
Stephen is very similar to the Savior in his dying words. The 
first thing he says is, Lord, receive my spirit. Again, just 
imagine how that would have affected them. Just imagine what they 
would have thought if He's calling upon Jesus to receive His Spirit. What was the scripture reading 
at the outset of worship? It was Psalm 31, 1 to 5. It is that committing of our 
spirit into the hand of the Lord God of truth. Jesus does this 
on the cross in Luke 23. He says to the Father, into your 
hands, I commit my spirit. Well, now Stephen is committing 
his spirit into the hands of Jesus. Again, I think this would 
incense them. It would fill them with even 
further rage and fury. But as I'll argue in just a moment, 
it further corroborates his defense. Again, I don't think he's self-consciously 
doing it, but certainly indirectly he is doing it. So he calls upon 
Jesus and he says, receive my spirit. John Calvin says this, 
this is an inestimable comfort in that we know our souls do 
not wander up and down when they flit out of our bodies. but that 
Christ receiveth them, that he may keep them faithfully if we 
commend them into his hands. This hope ought to encourage 
us to suffer death patiently." Again, what's on the other end 
for us? Jesus receiving our spirits. 
Now notice, He calls upon Jesus to forgive his murderers. Verse 
59, they stoned Stephen as he was calling on 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. Think about that for just a moment. 
If, as I've accurately described my conduct being stoned, it would 
have been, get me a lawyer, you guys are rash, but it would have 
been feeble and weak. Because after being pelted with 
stones, I doubt I'd have a whole lot of strength to cry with a 
loud voice. Stephen does. He cries with a 
loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. Now here 
is wherein I would suggest that he further corroborates his testimony. What did the Jews associate the 
temple with? It was a house of prayer, according 
to Isaiah 57. Who's receiving prayer here? 
It's Jesus. What did the Jews associate the 
temple with? The forgiveness of sins. And 
here, Stephen is calling upon Jesus to exercise the forgiveness 
of sins. What else did the Jews see the 
temple as significant for? It provided access to God, didn't 
it? Here, it's Jesus who provides 
access to God. So even in his dying words, he 
is showing this Sanhedrin that the very function and the purpose 
and the rationale behind the temple is fulfilled in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Again, brethren, I think these 
people were probably out of their minds with rage. And then note the death itself. 
Well, back for just a moment. In terms of His prayer, Lord, 
do not charge them with this sin. This is commanded by Jesus 
in Matthew 5, verse 44. We're supposed to pray for our 
enemies. We're supposed to pray for our 
persecutors. But it's also displayed by Jesus 
on the cross in Luke 23. Doesn't He say the same thing? 
Lord, do not charge them with this sin. Stephen is exactly 
like his Savior when it comes to the death that he suffers 
on behalf of the Savior. And then in terms of the actual 
description of his death, notice it says, and when he had said 
this, he fell asleep. Now, this isn't soul sleep. This 
isn't the false or the heretical doctrine that we cease to be, 
at least for a time. No, Jesus is receiving his spirit. The body goes to sleep. And it's 
an intriguing choice of words. I think F.F. Bruce nails it when 
he says, with reference to this word, Stephen fell asleep, an 
unexpectedly peaceful description for so brutal a death, but one 
which fits the spirit in which Stephen accepted his martyrdom. 
Beautiful. And then Saul. They've already 
told us, or Luke's already told us, that they laid their garments 
down at the feet of a young man named Saul. What's Saul doing 
in 8-1-A? He's consenting to this, isn't 
he? The word consent there, it seems a bit vague. There's a heartfelt approval 
here on the part of Saul of Tarsus. He says as much in Acts 22.20 
when he rehearses the death of Stephen. He also uses this particular 
word in Romans chapter 1 and verse 32. I've often wondered 
if it was in his mind what he participated in with reference 
to the garment guarding on his part while Holy Stephen is being 
executed. You know, Romans chapter 1, they 
not only do those things, but they approve of, they consent 
to, they give a heartfelt amen to others who practice the same 
sorts of things. He's not some passive guy here. 
He's actively engaged in this. He is rooting for them against 
Stephen. Now, Matthew Henry preached this 
sermon before. This is a text I've quoted before, 
but it's absolutely positively beautiful. Matthew Henry said 
that Paul fed his eyes with this bloody spectacle in hopes that 
it would put a stop to the growth of Christianity. If you question 
that, you need to just continue on in the book of Acts. What 
does Saul of Tarsus do? Saul of Tarsus tries to eradicate 
the earth of Christianity. Saul of Tarsus is a man who breathes 
threats and murder and anger toward the people of God. Saul 
of Tarsus gets orders so that he can go and arrest men and 
women and drag them off to prison. Saul of Tarsus is about the liquidation 
of Christianity. And this is what Luke is telling 
us. This is our foray into meeting Saul of Tarsus. Henry goes on 
in that quote. He says, we have reason to think 
that Paul ordered Luke to insert this, which is not hard to think, 
because Paul and Luke were friends. Where do you think Luke got a 
lot of his information to write the gospel according to Luke? 
Where do you think Luke got a lot of his information to write the 
Acts of the Apostles? Why do you think in certain key 
sections in the Book of Acts we find we sections? That means 
Luke is with Paul. They were buddies. So Matthew 
Henry says we have reason to think that Paul ordered Luke 
to insert this. Why? For shame to himself and 
glory to free grace. Saul, as it were, tells Luke, 
or Paul rather, tells Luke, I want you to put that in. So that if 
anybody ever says, well, I don't think the grace of God is sufficient 
for me. I don't think the blood of Jesus 
is sufficient for me. You point them to that persecutor 
of the church who became the apostle to the Gentiles. It was 
for shame to himself and glory to free grace. Well, brethren, 
in terms of some concluding thoughts, in the first place, as mentioned, 
we ought never underestimate the wickedness of man. I realize 
that's not a popular theme, and I realize we don't like to hear 
this or think about it, but we need to hear it and we need to 
think about it. In fact, come back tonight, we're going to look at it in 
the book of Proverbs. this idea of the wickedness of men. Look 
at the vile expression with reference to the words of Stephen. In other words, he preaches this 
sermon based on their scriptures, applying things to them, and 
they get outraged. They're furious. But then in 
terms of his vision, they engage in murderous rage. That's what's 
happening here. They didn't have the lawful authority. 
This wasn't a due process. This wasn't the natural end or 
the yielding of the events or rather the results of due process. This is mob violence inflicted 
upon a godly man. We need to appreciate something 
about the martyr himself, Stephen. I think that in many ways, he 
exemplifies for us grace under pressure. In the first place, 
he demonstrates dependence on the triune God. He's not standing 
there eight foot tall and bulletproof in his own strength. Okay, bring 
it on. You know, I'm just macho. I'm a manly man. I do that. No, 
he doesn't do that. He's dependent upon the grace 
of God. As well, he expresses courage in the face of martyrdom. 
Everybody's so easily offended today, aren't they? Everybody's 
triggered. Everybody just goes nuts over 
the smallest little thing. This man is standing before 71 
people that are going to put him to death, and he's got courage. 
He doesn't run from there like a little girl. There's nothing 
wrong with being a little girl, little girls. There is when you're 
a 30-year-old man. Little girls, wonderful. 30-year-old 
men acting like little girls, not so wonderful. Stephen has 
courage. I love how Paul asks for prayer 
with reference to the Ephesians. He says, and pray that utterance 
would be given to me that I may speak the word of God boldly 
as I ought to speak. So I think if anything the church 
needs today, we need theologically savvy men. We need men that know 
their Bibles and they know their theology. But we need men. Men stand up, to not shrink back, 
but to declare the whole counsel of God, even in the face of 71 
murderous men who are going to dispatch them. As well, he evidences 
Christ's likeness in his trial and affliction. Again, isn't 
that intriguing? He's dying. He's being stoned 
to death. He initially prays, Lord Jesus, 
receive my spirit. And then he says, concerning 
the hearers, do not charge them with this sin. See, this you 
stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart and ears, you always 
resist the Holy Spirit. He wasn't saying that in the 
spirit of meanness. He wasn't saying that in the 
spirit of intolerance. He wasn't saying that in the 
spirit of bigotry or prejudice. He was saying it in love. Sometimes 
people need to hear that they're stiff-necked and they're uncircumcised 
of heart and ears. Sometimes they need to hear they've 
always resisted the Holy Spirit. And maybe, just maybe, under 
God, that'll be the thing that humbles them under the mighty 
hand of God, so they'll cry out for salvation. Stephen doesn't 
shrink back from Christlikeness, and he is comforted at the prospect 
of being with Jesus. See, whatever's going to happen 
in this next few moments, Stephen says, Lord Jesus, receive my 
spirit. See, bruised, broken, bloodied 
bodies ultimately give way to spirits received by Jesus and 
ultimately give way to the general resurrection from the dead when 
body and soul are reunited and we will be equipped and fit to 
stand in the presence of Almighty God, world without end, to bring 
glory and praise and honor to Him. Notice as well, thirdly, 
in terms of the major players with reference to this situation. 
We've got the murderers, we've got the martyr, but we need to 
appreciate the triune God. The triune God is conspicuous 
in this passage. You know, sometimes you'll meet 
people, oh, the Trinity, that's not a Bible concept. The Trinity 
is all in this, isn't it? The Spirit is filling Stephen, 
he's gazing at the glory of God, the Father, and he sees Jesus 
standing at the right hand. Notice that God is with his people 
in their time of trial. I probably have said that, I 
don't know how many times in the 21 and a half years that 
I've been here, probably a lot. Probably a lot, and yet I still 
find that we don't always believe it. I've said it, and I don't 
always believe it. I mean, I believe it, but in terms of doctrine 
and practice, there's some sort of a disconnect. Things start 
going difficult for us, or we find some trial or affliction, 
and we just sort of lose it. Oh no, God's just abandoned me. God's not with me. God is always 
with his people in their time of need. That's just a settled 
fact. That's an axiom. God is good 
to Israel, Asaph says in Psalm 73. That's axiomatic, God is 
good to Israel. That's just all, we have that. You don't need to even reinvent 
or revisit that proposition. As well, he gives strength to 
his people in their time of need. The fact that Stephen cries out 
with a loud voice, according to verse 60, shows us that God 
is strengthening him. I mean, brethren, be honest, 
brothers specifically, when you got a sickness, you got a cold 
or a flu and you're on the couch, do you adopt sick voice so that 
your wife will show pity and get you soup? Oh honey, I don't 
feel good right now. That kind of an attitude? He 
says it with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this 
sin. Who's strengthening him here? It's not that he's better 
than anybody else intrinsically or inherently, it's that God 
is with him in the trial. Notice that God gives peace to 
his people at their time of death. He falls asleep. I mean, this 
is a brutal scene. This is a horrific scene. This 
is a vile scene, and yet it's described as him falling asleep. 
As well, he receives his people when the spirit departs from 
the body. Again, soul sleep is wrong. The 
doctrine that once we die, our bodies and our souls go to sleep 
until the resurrection, that's just false. It's heretical. The 
body goes to the grave, the spirit departs and is with Jesus. And 
this is what Jesus does. And then he answers the prayers 
of his people, even when they are no longer on the earth. Never 
forget this. He answers the prayers of his 
people, even when his people are no longer on the earth. He 
prays this, doesn't he? Lord, do not charge them with 
this sin. Does God hear this prayer? Does God answer this 
prayer? He most certainly does. You'll see it in Acts chapter 
9. This Saul of Tarsus that was giving hearty approval to the 
murder of Stephen is saved by grace. His sins are not charged 
to him. His sins are forgiven him. His 
sins are blotted out. This Saul of Tarsus moves into 
the sphere of being Christ's chief apostle to the Gentiles. God answers the prayers of his 
people, even when his people no longer people the earth. That 
is our faithful God. And then finally, in terms of 
temple, Jesus is everything the temple pointed to. Jesus is the 
one who hears prayer. Jesus is the one who forgives 
sin. Jesus is the one that provides access to God. If you are not 
a believer in Jesus this morning, those are three things you miss 
out on. A prayer-hearing God, a forgiving 
God, a God who brings you into His presence. the means by which 
or the way by which this is appropriated or received is by faith in Christ. Look to Him, believe in Him, 
and receive all of the benefits wrought out by Him in His earthly 
life and ministry, in His death and resurrection. Namely, He 
hears your prayers. Namely, He forgives your sins. 
And namely, He communes with You. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for the Lord Jesus. We thank you for 
the grace and the strength that you give to this holy martyr, 
Stephen, in his final hours. And we know that you have promised 
to never leave us, nor to forsake us. May this account encourage 
our hearts, may you strengthen us, and may you cause us to be 
faithful witnesses to our Lord Jesus, the way that Stephen was 
here. And to that end, we do pray for 
the ministry, the presence, and the power of the Holy Spirit 
in our, excuse me, in our daily lives. And God, help us to conduct 
ourselves in a manner that is worthy of your gospel. And we 
would pray that you would go with us now, help us to bring 
glory to you in this day. And we pray through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. Well, why don't we close by singing 
the doxology in praise to God? It's in the new book at page 
446. If you do not know it, if you 
do know it, great. We'll stand and we'll sing together 
unto our triune God.