Title: Our Shepherd

Text: Acts 6:8-15

FCF: We often struggle enduring in obedience.

Prop: Because God shepherds us through His purposes, we must faithfully obey the Lord.

Scripture Intro: LSB

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 6. In a moment I’ll read from the LSB starting in verse 8. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1236 or in whatever version you prefer.

Last week, we saw how the church faced an internal problem that could have shattered it in its infancy. Instead, the Lord called and equipped leaders to wisely delegate responsibility in order to serve the body in multiple capacities. Luke shows that God is continuing to provide for and guide His church through the many perils it will face. And we saw that God continues to do that for us as well.

Today, we’ll only just start to see another showdown that the early church will have with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. We’ve seen Peter and John and the rest of the apostles stand before the Sanhedrin to preach the gospel. So far, the Jewish leaders were in the minority for viewing the church as a danger to the rest of Judaism. The church viewed itself as the next step in the Redemptive plan of God for His people. And the people of Jerusalem looked on the church with favor.

But today, the tide will begin to turn. In this, we will see our God continue to guide and shepherd His church.

Please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God.

Transition:

[Slide 2]

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

forever. [1]

Why did I just read Psalm 23? Today, we will see the Lord be this Shepherd to a man named Stephen. He will do all He promised in this psalm. And He will do the same for His church. Let’s look.

I.) God equips His people to do what He has called them to do, so we must faithfully obey the Lord. (8-10)

a. [Slide 3] 8 – And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

i. Chronology in the book of Acts is a difficult thing to nail down at times.

ii. We know that Jesus was probably crucified around AD 29-30. 40 days later he ascended and 10 days after that was the celebration of Pentecost in which the apostles were filled with the Spirit.

iii. Since that event, we haven’t had any real chronological markers.

iv. We assume that things are happening in fairly quick succession.

v. But the nearest marker we have is that we know the persecutions of Saul probably occurred somewhere between AD 33 and AD 35. That means that from the ascension of Christ to Acts chapter 8, it spans around 5 years.

vi. It is difficult to know where to insert a large portion of time like this in what we’ve seen thus far, given the fact that every narrative chunk seems to flow from the previous.

vii. To me, it seems like we could have a significant amount of time between verse 6 and verse 8.

viii. In verse 7, the church grows again. This is not necessarily an indicator of time elapsing nor is many priests coming to Christ.

ix. But when we arrive in verse 8 we see Stephen, who was appointed as a Deacon, now inheriting gifts that were formerly only associated with the apostles.

x. Up to this point in the book of Acts, the only people who have done signs and wonders have been the apostles. It would be natural for us to assume or conclude that Stephen is no longer solely caring for the daily provision of food for widows. His role has expanded or even, perhaps, changed altogether.

xi. Not that he has become an apostle. No where do we see him referred to as such, nor do we see much evidence in the book of Acts for an expansion or succession of the apostolic office. But perhaps he has moved on to a prophetic or Elder office in the church.

xii. This leads us to conclude that some time has elapsed since the appointment of the first Deacons and this narrative concerning Stephen.

xiii. Notice also the source of Stephen’s doing great signs and wonders. Grace and power filled him.

xiv. Grace especially is not something that can be earned, bought, achieved or won. Grace must be given by God specifically. Power too is something that must be gifted. Indeed, all things are gifts from God. We have nothing that He has not given us.

xv. Stephen is not performing these signs and wonders because he can in and of himself. He is doing so by the power and grace of God.

b. [Slide 4] 9 – But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen,

i. So, let’s pause and ask… what is the Synagogue of the Freedmen?

ii. Synagogues are places of teaching and worship that continued to be used even after the temple was rebuilt and later refurbished by Herod. They allowed Jews dispersed around the world to continue to learn and worship God and practice their Jewish faith.

iii. Freedmen, would have been former slaves who had either earned or been granted their freedom.

iv. Given the specialization here of a synagogue of Freedmen, it probably denotes a group of people who ither were not welcomed at other synagogues around Jerusalem.

v. What follows gives us a clue as why these folks might not be welcome in other Synagogues around Jerusalem.

c. [Slide 5] including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and were arguing with Stephen.

i. Cyrene and Alexandria are areas in Northern Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean. Cilicia is located in Modern Turkey on the coast of the Mediterranean just North East of the island of Cyprus. Asia in the scriptures always refers to the Roman province of Asia, which comprises the western third of modern-day Turkey.

ii. But how many people groups were represented in this Synagogue? The argument could be made that all four are part of this synagogue of the freedmen, or none of them are, or some combination. The LSB favors the Cyrenians and Alexandrians being part of the Synagogue of the Freedmen, but the other two are simply other people groups that join the argument against Stephen. I personally see all these groups as part of this Synagogue.

iii. But , no matter what we conclude the irony is inescapable.

iv. These men who argue with Stephen, are either Hellenized Jews, or Jewish proselytes.

v. Why is that ironic?

vi. Stephen, himself, was a Hellenized Jew. He was a man who had lost his Hebrew heritage and could not speak Aramaic or Hebrew. He only spoke Greek.

vii. The unity of the church between Hebraic and Hellenistic Jews is now superseding even the unity among matching racial factions. Stephen has greater unity and acceptance among Hebraic Jewish Christians than he does with Hellenistic Jews.

viii. But what led to the altercation between them? There are no doubt two factors here that we can point to.

1. Jews who were dispersed from Israel, born in a foreign land, Hellenized, but have chosen to return to Jerusalem to live, would have been Jews particularly zealous for the law.

a. They no doubt would have been quite motivated to return to their roots.

b. Perhaps they were trying to learn Hebrew and Aramaic. Perhaps they were attempting to un Hellenize themselves.

c. This certainly would have caused a rift to form between Stephen and these Jews, since Stephen remains a Hellenized Jew and a part of the Nazarian sect too.

2. Second, because Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew, he would go to these kinds of synagogues to teach and expound the scriptures to these folks. This would explain how this altercation came about and it would explain the ferocious extent of their attempt to destroy Stephen, more on that as we go along.

ix. At first, these men merely attempt to refute Stephen’s beliefs…

d. [Slide 6] 10 - But they were unable to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

i. Once again, the power and wisdom of Stephen is not what is on display here.

ii. God is at work in this entire situation.

iii. Jesus said, “Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:11-12 and in Luke 21:15 He said, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.”

iv. Here we see Stephen, a man full of faith and the Spirit, a man full of wisdom, a man full of grace and power, a man supernaturally prepared…

v. He is able to leave them absolutely speechless.

vi. They couldn’t refute his teaching. No matter how devoted to the law and the teachings of the scribes they were… his explanation of the scriptures was without flaw.

e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: God always supernaturally equips and prepares His people to do what He has called them to do. Here we see a man, who was already full of faith, with a strong testimony of the Spirit’s indwelling, and filled with godly wisdom, expend himself in the operation of the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem. While the apostles continued their work in the temple, Stephen goes forward with compassion and mercy to share the gospel to those who were not Hebraic Jews. But as well as Stephen does to stand firm in the truth, Luke makes it abundantly clear that God is the one who had equipped Him for this work. God always does this for His people. We can trust that no matter what God is calling us to do for Him… He will supply what we need to do what He has commissioned us to do.

Transition:

[Slide 8(blank)] So, if God has equipped Stephen to take the gospel to these people and refute their arguments, that must mean that we are about to see another Pentecost experience, right?

II.) God will vindicate His people but not necessarily in this life, so we must faithfully obey the Lord. (11-15)

a. [Slide 9] 11 – Then they secretly induced men to say,

i. What do you do when you can’t beat your opponent?

ii. Cheat.

iii. They began to induce, instigate, or persuade men… but not openly. Not overtly.

iv. Through whispers and back alley deals they gathered men who would oppose Stephen.

v. What might they convince these thugs to say that would defeat Stephen?

b. [Slide 10] “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

i. It is important for us to note the progression in the story here.

ii. There are really only two crimes of which these men have been persuaded to accuse Stephen.

iii. And they are summarized in this brief statement. But as we go forward, we will see them testify before the Sanhedrin. What we must understand is that these are not additional charges but rather further expressions of these same crimes mentioned right here in verse 11.

iv. Blasphemy against Moses or against the law of Moses would be treated as blasphemy. To attack what God had given as His law would be to blaspheme God indirectly.

v. But they also accuse Stephen of blaspheming God directly too. We’ll see how specifically in a few moments.

vi. Blasphemy is a crime punishable by stoning. It is a very serious crime if proven true.

vii. In other words, these men were persuaded secretly to spread a lie that could see the man they were to lie about… put to death.

viii. Knowing that these men were particularly zealous to return to the Jewish roots, their hatred for Stephen and the Nazarian sect was no doubt a development of and a response to the Sanhedrin’s dealings with the apostles. This group wants to appear to the Sanhedrin, that although they are Hellenized, they desire not to be.

ix. But this was not all they did. It wasn’t enough to have men lie about him, saying he was blaspheming.

c. [Slide 11] 12 – And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,

i. They also incited a mob.

ii. No doubt using the testimony of these men persuaded secretly, they encouraged the people, the elders, and the experts in the law, to come out against Stephen.

iii. This is another reason that this narrative portion seems later in time than what we have covered thus far. The people seemed to be generally in favor of the apostles and the teaching of the Nazarian sect up to this point. All of a sudden, things are beginning to change.

iv. There are a lot of layers to this that Luke does not provide for us. So, we must pay close attention to the details he has provided. They are the key.

v. Remember, Jewish priests were beginning to convert to this new sect.

vi. Hellenized Jews and Hebraic Jews are allowing their differences to coexist while they love each other.

vii. We might see these people’s actions as extreme, and indeed they are, but when we realize that the perception of this Jesus movement is shifting, we recognize that even the people are starting to believe that this Nazarian sect may not be a sect at all… but rather… a schism.

viii. That instead of this being another party or denomination of Judaism – this may actually be a dangerous and false teaching.

ix. It would be the difference between comparing a Baptist Church to a Wesleyan church and comparing a Baptist Church to the Mormon Church. In the first comparison, we see a Wesleyan church as generally our brothers but not agreeing on enough points to be part of the same local body. But in the second comparison, Mormons teach a heretical doctrine and do not conform to the foundational creeds of the Christian church. Therefore, they are not even Christians.

x. Up to this point the Jews in Jerusalem and even the Jewish Christians themselves saw this Jesus movement to be like the Baptist/Wesleyan comparison. But the tide is turning. Perception is changing.

xi. My friends, the lies these Hellenistic Jews drew up about Stephen, were hitting a little too close to home. It played upon the growing fears of the Jews in Jerusalem.

xii. The growing sentiment in Jerusalem was that the Sanhedrin was right. This WAS a dangerous teaching. And the name of Jesus WAS something quite different than Judaism.

xiii. Even though the church enjoyed the relative favor of the people for a time… Luke shows us that such favor was never guaranteed to continue.

d. [Slide 12] And they came up to him, dragged him away, and brought him to the Sanhedrin.

i. Since these were serious fears and serious charges, the only place they could take him would be to the Sanhedrin.

ii. They could not take him to the Roman authorities, for they would care very little about the crime of blasphemy.

iii. But since this is a trial before a Jewish court, there must be 2 or three witnesses to accuse someone of a crime that would result in the death penalty.

iv. Not to worry, our very zealous Hellenistic Jews are at it again.

e. [Slide 13] 13-14 – And they put forward false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases speaking words against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.”

i. We must pay particular attention to the nature of their charges against Stephen. They will help us to understand Stephen’s response next week.

ii. The governing accusation they submitted was blasphemy against Moses and God.

iii. Specifically, he would not stop speaking against the holy place and the law. So, the blasphemy against God is against His dwelling place, ie the temple. Blasphemy against Moses is against the law of Moses.

iv. But this narrows still further.

1. Blasphemy against God – speaking against the temple – is attributed to Stephen saying that Jesus would destroy the temple.

2. Blasphemy against Moses – speaking against the law – is attributed to altering customs which were handed down from Moses.

v. Already we are starting to see that calling this blasphemy is a bit of a stretch. It is the final two accusations to which Stephen will reply.

vi. But isn’t there a kernel of truth in what they said?

vii. It is difficult to know why exactly these witnesses were “false.”

viii. Jesus Himself said, tear this temple down and in three days I will rebuild it. Of course, He did not say that HE would tear it down, and he was talking about His body and His resurrection.

ix. And Jesus had also prophesied about the future destruction of the temple in AD 70. An event still future even to Luke as he penned this book.

x. And we know that Christians did eventually begin to alter the customs handed down from Moses, especially for gentile believers.

xi. We see Gentiles and Jews not being obligated to maintain dietary laws. And gentiles are not obligated to bear the sign of the Abrahamic covenant.

xii. We know that Jesus Himself said that He had come to fulfill the law.

xiii. Jesus also told the Samaritan woman that there would come a day where people would worship God not on their mountain or in Jerusalem but in Spirit and truth. They will worship God through His Messiah. Him.

xiv. Meaning that even the temple would lose its significance as the center of the worship of Yahweh.

xv. All this, of course, does not mean that the law was null and void or that the temple should be burned. Rather it meant that Jesus perfectly obeyed the whole law and became a new representative for His people. Giving them His righteousness. And in that, the sacrifices, which never truly took away sin, and which only pictured the final sacrifice of Christ, would eventually become unnecessary.

xvi. So, we see that what these men testified about what Stephen had said, could have some truth to it.

xvii. If so, why would Luke call them false witnesses?

xviii. Most likely because they are misrepresenting the meaning of what Stephen said. As we already mentioned, Jesus never said HE would destroy the temple, but merely that it would be destroyed or if it was destroyed, He would raise it again. Jesus does not alter the law of Moses, but He does fulfill it, rendering portions of it complete and therefore expired.

xix. So as an act of Jewish zealousness these men persuaded people to accuse Stephen of blasphemy, gathered a mob to drag him to a trial, and found false witnesses to twist his words to paint him in the worst light – all to charge him with a crime that requires his execution.

xx. Wow. That is some cold-hearted hatred there.

xxi. It appears that the Jews whom Isaiah prophesied about in Isaiah 59, are still the same. There he said “Their feet run to evil, and they are quick to shed innocent blood;” Indeed, two sins the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:17 is a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood. Here, these Jews have both.

f. [Slide 14] 15 – And fixing their gaze on him, all who were seated in the Sanhedrin saw his face like the face of an angel.

i. It is difficult to know what to make of this comment by Luke.

ii. What we struggle to understand is why they were gazing at him and what it means that he had the face of an angel.

iii. If his face shown like an angelic being then we might know why they were gazing at him. However, it seems that they were gazing at him first.

iv. Perhaps they were looking for some body language or facial feedback from him as the testimony against him mounted?

v. As for the face of an angel, it seems best to understand this in the mystical way.

vi. Some have tried to say that his face was innocent looking or that he was young or handsome or powerful… but it seems best to conclude that his face was glowing – much like Moses’ face.

vii. Such a tie to Moses could subtly suggest that rather than blaspheming the law of Moses, he was the only faithful interpreter of the law in the room that day.

viii. It is God’s testimony in the case against Stephen, that he was innocent and his judges were guilty.

g. [Slide 15] Summary of the Point: As a contrasting point to our previous point, although God does equip His dear children to face all that He has called them to do on this earth, that does not mean that men will favor us. No, the second truth we see is that God will ultimately vindicate His children, even if or when they are criminalized, ostracized, villainized, or demonized by men. God will clothe the bride of His Son with white robes which are their righteous deeds. One day all the world will know the righteousness of His people. Not a righteousness they have of their own, but one that has been gifted to them by the merits of Christ. Though men call us guilty – For the sake of Christ, God has declared us innocent. Though men shame us – For the sake of Christ, God has exalted us. Though men strip us of power – For the sake of Christ, God will glorify us to reign with His Son.

Transition:

Conclusion:

So, CBC, what have we learned today and how shall we live? What doctrinal takeaway can we arrive at today?

Doctrinal Takeaway:

[Slide 16] God is a shepherd who looks after His people. He walks with them to still water. He guides them with His staff. He sets out a table before their enemies. God is a God who leads His children through the valley of the shadow of death. No matter what God has called us to do, no matter what command He has given, and no matter what danger He leads us into, He is there with us for every single step. Even when everyone else abandons us. Even when others hate us. God will deliver us safely into His Kingdom where we will be honored and rewarded for our obedience. What does this mean for us? It means, Christian, that we have no excuse for not obeying our Lord, wherever He may lead us. We must faithfully obey the Lord in all that He has commanded, and follow Him wherever He may lead.

But let us improve on this point with more specific applications for our daily life.

1.) [Slide 17] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” I actually have two of these this week. First, we must deny that Stephen was some sort of special super-Christian naturally capable of this task.

a. In this text we see Stephen performing signs and wonders. We see his teachings of Christ holding up against the strictest scrutiny. We see him accused of blasphemy, dragged to court, and falsely accused.

b. In all of this we might be tempted to look at Stephen with deep admiration. We might be tempted to see Stephen as a special person in the history of the church. A super-Christian worthy of our applause.

c. But my friends, Luke bends over backward here to make sure we don’t do such things.

d. I’d like to think that Stephen, if we were able to talk to him today, would rebuke us for thinking such things.

e. My friends, Stephen was filled with grace and power. He was indwelled by the Spirit. He was full of faith. He was full of wisdom. And He was given an angelic face.

f. What is the common thread of all of these traits?

g. Is it not that God had gifted them to Him?

h. My friends, the hero of this story is not Stephen. Stephen is just a man. A follower of Christ. Just like you and I.

i. He was a man called to bear witness to Christ. Like you and I.

j. He was a man called to have an answer for the faith in Him. Just like you and I.

k. Stephen isn’t special. Stephen isn’t significant.

l. Stephen’s Savior… is.

2.) [Slide 18] Refutation: Secondly, we must deny that God giving us grace and power means that we will be spared from deep pain and tribulation on this earth.

a. Although God gave Stephen grace and power, and although God transfigured Stephen’s face to shine like Moses’ face.

b. God did not spare Stephen the hardship of being falsely accused, dragged to court, and slandered before many witnesses.

c. If we truly confess that God is sovereign, even over the wills of men, then we must also believe that Stephen being treated unjustly was part of God’s plan for his life.

d. To the extent that when we read that Stephen was full of grace and power, one of the reasons he was filled with these was to ensure that he could hold up under this injustice.

e. God’s favor on us does not mean that we will never experience heartache, mistreatment, abuse, misfortune, or deep anguish. My friends, some of the most graced and faith filled people through the church age, have suffered deeper wounds than any of us will ever face.

f. God’s favor oftentimes is not to spare us pain… but rather to see us through it.

3.) [Slide 19] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must give an answer for the hope we have in us.

a. Stephen goes to those whom he has much in common.

b. He goes to those who are Hellenized Jews, and speaks to the truth of Jesus the Messiah of God.

c. He teaches them about Jesus’ death and resurrection. He teaches them about the fulfillment of the law of Moses in the life and death of Christ. He teaches them about the sacrifices never taking away sin but how Christ did with His sacrifice.

d. And he stood strong against their rebuttals. He knew the scriptures well and left them without an answer.

e. We too must do this.

f. We too must go to those to whom we are closest. Our neighbors, co-workers, friends, family, those who do not know the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must do so to the best of our ability, giving an answer to those who might dispute the truth of the gospel.

g. Some of you may be squirming here. How am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to be ready to give an answer to those who try to refute the gospel?

h. That brings us to our next application.

4.) [Slide 20] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop worrying about what we will say or do when we face resistance or rejection.

a. There are certainly things we can do to prepare ourselves. We can study and know the gospel well. We can know God’s Word well.

b. We can use others in the church as iron to sharpen us.

c. But going back to our first point – we must first and primarily ask the Lord for grace and help in these times.

d. We have a responsibility to be ready – but God also will equip us for this work too.

e. God equips His people to do mighty works. Stephen is just another in a long line before and after him who were equipped by God by grace and power to do mighty deeds for His glory.

f. The author of Hebrews invites us to boldly approach God’s throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for help in a time of need.

g. James tells us that if we lack wisdom we should ask.

h. Jesus tells us that if we have faith as big as a mustard seed, we can command mountains.

i. My friends, the common thread is that we as God’s people live and die, succeed and fail, on the provision of our great and mighty God.

j. Nothing Stephen did is beyond what you and I are able to do in the grace and power of God.

k. Indeed, we may soon be called to do exactly as Stephen did.

l. And we may not feel equipped for such a task now… but those who trust the Lord, and seek Him for wisdom and grace… will be equipped for all He calls us to do for His name.

m. And that includes answering those who dispute the gospel message.

5.) [Slide 21] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will deliver us safely to His Kingdom where we will be made to be like His Son… forever.

a. Although we may have great difficulty in this life, and face much opposition… we know that this life is not the end.

b. This world is not our home.

c. One day we will open our eyes and behold the beauty and majesty of our Loving Lord.

d. One day we will stand before His throne declared a good and faithful servant of the Lord Most High.

e. One day our good deeds will be revealed for all to see.

f. One day we will wear the white robes of Christ’s righteousness and all who opposed us and our God will be ashamed and silenced.

g. It will be worth it all… my friends… when we see Jesus.

[Slide 22(end)] Let me close with a Prayer by the Puritan Robert Hawker.

Grant, dearest Lord, that though we still live in this world, yet never, never may we forget our relationship to You. Though we are outcasts, yet we are Jesus’ outcasts.

Lord, be our hiding place, so that You are all we need, like “streams of water in a dry place; like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.”

Oh, for a word, a whisper of Jesus. We cannot live without it. We dare not let You go, unless You bless us. None of all the past enjoyments or experiences will do us any good, until You again shine upon our souls. Come then, Lord Jesus! We fly to You as our God, our Savior, our Portion, our All!

We see our daily, hourly, continual need of You. You are our hope and Savior! Keep us, Lord, near You, for without You we are nothing.

Precious Jesus, help us to see our clear part in You, from our union with You. And dear Lord, make us so strong in Your strength, that during the whole period of our present warfare, we may be “awesome as an army with banners” to all who would oppose our way to You, and in You.

Yes, Lord! Let sin, and Satan, and the world, be united against us; yet put on us the whole armor of God, that we may “fight the good fight of faith, take hold of the eternal life,” and be made “more than conquerors through the One who loved us”

In Jesus name we pray… Amen!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 23:1–6.