Week 11, Acts 7:54 8:3 Hook

Transcription

1 Week 11, Acts 7:54 8:3 Hook Main point: God s people find life in Christ, even through persecution and death. Historic Event: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. What do you think of when you hear this phrase? Although these famous words are connected to the United States Postal Service, this is not its motto. In fact, the USPS does not have an official motto. This phrase became forever connected to US postal carriers when it was inscribed on the General Post Office Building (now known as the James A. Farley Post Office Building) in The architect for this impressive building, which happens to sit in Manhattan across from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, was a fan of classic literature. One work that caught his attention was The Persian Wars, a translation of a piece written by Greek historian and geographer Herodotus somewhere around 425 BC. 1 Herodotus was taken with the efficiency of the postal system employed by the Persians during the Greek and Persian War; the motto that we attribute to the United States Postal Service actually describes Persian mail 1 1

2 carriers from the 5 th century BC. 2 How applicable is this phrase to the United States Postal Service? Describe an instance when you had to push through highly unfavorable circumstances to complete a task? Transition: Today s story will highlight the spread of the Gospel throughout the world in the midst of horrible conditions

3 Week 11, Acts 7:54 8:3 Book Main point: God s people find life in Christ, even through persecution and death. Text Summary: Acts 7:54 8:3 In this section of Acts, Luke draws our attention to what the early church faced for proclaiming the Gospel: persecution and death. In reading about the end of Stephen s story and the scattering of the Church, we see that God is faithful to provide life even in circumstances that seem to accomplish the opposite. Acts 7:54 60 [Read] Sub-Point: Believers can courageously face earthly death because God provides eternal life. Verse 54 Stephen has just finished his famous speech before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:1 53), indicting the Jews for their unbelief. Their hearts have been hardened by the idolatry of their land, law and temple above true worship. Luke recounts the Jews response to Stephen s speech. We note that Stephen passionately tries to tear down their idols to clear the way for them to receive Christ, and the Jews do not respond well. They are enraged to the point of grinding their teeth (v. 54). From their perspective, Stephen is too liberal, pompous and audacious in his claims, like the Greek-speaking Jews. He is also relentless in preaching that Jesus is the only way to be counted as the people of Yahweh, even though for centuries the Jews have based their identity as Yahweh s people on their territory, the Torah and temple. 3 They think they are already the people of God, even though John the Baptist has already tried to warn them (Luke 3:7 9). Stephen s prophetic tone angers them and they reject the conviction that his Spirit-inspired words are meant to bring. The response to Stephen s preaching continues to parallel the response to Jesus preaching: rejection, anger and violence. Q: When have you fought to reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning your sin? Q: How has God used someone else to identify the idols in your own life that you couldn t see? Verse 55 Though the Jews seem out of control in their response to Stephen, he is not worried. Instead, full of the Holy Spirit, his attention is fixed elsewhere as he gazes awestruck into heaven (v. 55). He sees the glory of the heavenly throne room and Jesus, standing at the right hand of God. Martyrdom is a precious thing to the Lord (Psalm 116:15) and Christ stands next 3 Longenecker, EBC,

4 to God bearing witness to Stephen s innocent death. Though Stephen is condemned by an earthly court (a court supposedly comprised of God s chosen people), he is eternally vindicated by a heavenly court whose sovereign advocate is Jesus (cf. 1 John 2:1). In a breathtaking moment, the Spirit empowers Stephen to see the fulfillment of a promise. Where he has confessed Jesus before men, Jesus is now confessing him before the Father (Luke 12:8). 4 Q: What did the Lord s presence do for Stephen? How has the Lord helped you to remain faithful in difficult or threatening situations? Verse 56 Stephen speaks aloud about what he sees. This time, he refers to Jesus as the Son of Man, the only time in the New Testament that this title is used for Jesus by anyone other than himself. Stephen then reiterates that he sees the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, a clear reference to Daniel 7:13 14 where the Son of Man stands before the Ancient of Days in the divine role of judge. Jesus has risen from His seat to stand as a witness and advocate in the heavenly courtroom while his servant Stephen is unjustly punished by a corrupt human court. This stance of Jesus is a promise that He will render judgment upon Stephen s accusers. 5 Q: How does God s promise to vindicate His faithful people bring you hope? Verses Here we see the conclusion to Stephen s trial. When Stephen asserts that the Son of Man is present and watching in heaven, the Jews know exactly what he means. Given that the Son of Man is a divine judge-figure in the Old Testament, the Jews know that they stand condemned before the heavenly court. This is their last chance to repent, but instead, they cried out in a loud voice and stopped their ears (v. 57), the common response of the hardhearted before a holy, watching God. In the brutal death scene, verses tell us that they leave the city, choosing to perform their unholy deed outside the bounds of the holy city. They attack Stephen in a mob-like frenzy with all their might and stone him to death. To make throwing stones less cumbersome, they strip their robes and lay them on the ground. Verses Stephen utters his last words and becomes the Church s first martyr. We note that even up until his last breath, he mirrors Jesus. Like Jesus, Stephen is unjustly killed and on his lips is the same two-fold prayer that Jesus prayed at the end of his life. The first is an innocent petition for the Lord to receive his spirit, a bedtime prayer rooted in Psalm 31:5 that 4 Longenecker, EBC, Polhill, NAC,

5 Jewish children were taught (v. 59). This prayer was prayed by Jesus on the Cross in Luke 23:46. The second is an appeal for God not to hold the murderous sin of the Jews against them, which Jesus also prayed regarding those who crucified Him (v. 60; cf. Luke 23:34). After these prayers, Stephen falls asleep, a Christian word-picture used in place of death to illustrate hope in the Resurrection. Even in a slow and painful death, Stephen is Christlike, trusting the Father, loving his enemies, and keeping his gaze fixed on the eternal life that he is promised. 6 Q: How would you respond to someone who reads of Stephen s brutal murder and questions God s goodness? Q: How does the promise of being with God in eternity provide you with comfort and hope? Acts 8:1 3 [Read] Sub-Point: Believers can face earthly persecution because God promises heavenly results. Acts 8:1 3 serves as a transitional section that concludes Stephen s story with his death and introduces the explosive spread of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem and into Samaria, according to the instructions Jesus gave in Acts 1:8. Verse 1a Luke revisits the person of Saul, whom we last saw in 7:58. As we recall in the stoning of Stephen, Saul is an approving accomplice. He revels in the stoning because at this point in his life, Saul is murderously zealous for Judaism, and wants to destroy anything that could threaten Jewish customs and beliefs. In his pedigree, he descends from Israel s best tribe; in religious training, he is a law-abiding and hypercritical Pharisee; in social status, he is elite among all the Hebrews; and as for zeal, he is a self-proclaimed destroyer of Christians (Philippians 3:5 6). He is the personification of Jewish persecution against Christians the Church s worst nightmare. 7 Q: Describe Paul s dramatic transformation. Who in your life has experienced a radical change through the power of the Holy Spirit? Verse 1b Luke shows us that the stoning of Stephen opens a floodgate of hatred against the early church, and on the very day of Stephen s death, a great wave of persecution begins. Stephen s so-called blasphemy is seen as an attack on all the Jewish strongholds that try to compete with Christ as the ultimate way to God, revealing that this growing Christian movement is not just about good deeds such as healing people. This movement, according to the persecutors, must be stopped. 6 Polhill, NAC, Polhill, NAC,

6 Running for their lives, the Jerusalem-based Christians now scatter throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, taking the Gospel with them (v. 1b). The Good News is still spreading exactly where Jesus commanded that it go. It s remarkable that the Gospel is traveling on the wings of persecution faster than it did through the disciples ministry. Q: How has God used a difficult time in your life to effectively spread the Gospel to others? Verse 2 Luke wraps up Stephen s story, recording that he is buried by godly men, just as Jesus was. Jewish law banned funerals for condemned criminals, which means this seemingly normal act was actually a courageous and risky thing to do given the widespread persecution that had broken out. Here we see the early church, even in its infancy, match the courage Stephen displayed in death by risking their lives to bury him properly. The powerful display of obedience that Jesus modeled on the Cross continues to catch fire among those who used to be known more for their timidity and doubt. Q: How have you seen God build Christlike character in you through times of great difficulty? Q: How have you seen your church community grow stronger by obeying God together? Verse 3 At the end of this excerpt, Luke returns to Saul, the third reference to him within six verses. The word ravage here is the same Greek word used to describe the behavior of wild beasts like lions, leopards, and bears as they tear at raw flesh. Luke is not holding back concerning the apostle Paul s former life as a persecutor of the church. Even though the book of Acts will soon recount Paul s repentance and great faithfulness to the Gospel, Luke does not censor this part of his history. He describes in detail what he means by ravaging: breaking into homes, likely while Christians are gathering to worship as housechurches, and dragging both women and men to prison. Saul s zeal for Judaism will stop at nothing. 8 In any culture, at any day or time, we must be prepared to face similar opposition. We may not have experienced it yet ourselves, but many unwelcomed missionaries and persecuted Christians are already facing the cost of their lives because of their faithfulness to speak about Jesus. Despite the relentless attack of sinful people, God causes His Church to multiply all over the globe. The very fact that we are meeting to study this passage means that God sent us the message of the Gospel through people who believed its eternal truth to be far more valuable than their earthly lives. 8 This paragraph as well as the prior paragraph are jointly informed by Polhill, NAC,

7 Q: Do you know Christians who have faced the kind of persecution recorded in this passage? 7

8 Week 11, Acts 7:54 8:3 Took Main point: God s people find life in Christ, even through persecution and death. Current Event: Although USPS mail carriers are certainly dedicated, they are not required to deliver mail in dangerous weather conditions. According to the United States Postal Service website: Carriers are not required to deliver to locations where safety issues such as icy steps, snow-packed paths or icy overhangs create perilous conditions. Although the phrase printed on the General Post Office Building is catchy and embodies the fortitude of postal workers, it does not accurately describe their policies. How does the Bible advise Christians to respond to persecution? Why is it that the Gospel spreads despite sometimes unfavorable conditions? How can you support those who are encountering persecution throughout the globe? Lesson Conclusion: This chapter encourages us that whenever the Church faces persecution or death, we can bravely face it as the early church did because of the unshakable hope we have in God. Stephen s story teaches us that spreading the Gospel is worth our very life. He was willing to die for the sake of the Gospel s advancement, and so can we, because the end of this life simply means the beginning of eternity with Jesus. The scattering of Christians in this text teaches us that persecution can be the very means God uses to spread His saving message to new places. We must view any hardship that we undergo because of our faith as a new opportunity to share the Good News, trusting that God s global plan for eternal salvation is still in effect. As Saul, renamed Paul, will write later in his letter to the Philippians, For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. We can have the faith to honor Christ in all circumstances, for the life He offers us far surpasses any persecution or threat of death we might encounter in this world. Challenges: Mirror Christ Stephen s death shows us an incredible picture of Christlikeness even in the darkest of hours. How do you respond to the dark hours of your own life? In what ways do you mirror Christ in these seasons? Is there anything about your response to hardship that does not look like Jesus? What changes can you make in order to mirror Christ? Clear the way for Christ In Stephen s example, we see that he took down the idols of the Jews (the land, the law and the temple). He wanted the Jews to see the insufficiency of these 8

9 pillars and clear the way for the message of the Gospel so they could access God the right way. Think of your close relationships with lost friends and identify their major idols. In what ways can you clear the way for Christ? How can you help them see the insufficiencies of what they are trusting in and point them to God as the true answer? Pray for the persecuted As we read about the stoning of Stephen and the persecution of the early church at the hands of Saul, we can easily assume that this kind of brutality is ancient history. However, the Church abroad at present faces persecution just like this, if not worse. Take time to pray for the persecuted Church, which at this very moment faces imprisonment, death and dispersion for its witness to Jesus. Ask God to give these believers strength, faith, and boldness to be like Christ in their suffering and relentlessly preach the Gospel wherever they go. 9