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“The Stand of Stephen – Part 1” (Acts 6:8-15)
Some of you may recall some of the happenings during the final days before the crucifixion of Jesus.
You may recall that Jesus was betrayed, that He was arrested, and that He stood trial before a group of religious leaders.
Though today’s sermon is not particularly about that time, I want to go back and look at that for just a moment.
Listen to what we read in Mark 14:55–58:
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they could not find any. For many were giving false testimony against him, and the testimonies did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’”
So, in this passage, we see Jesus falsely accused, and we see Jesus misrepresented by what He said.
Well, today we’re going to look at a man named Stephen who committed his life to following Jesus. We’re going to learn that Stephen went through a strikingly similar situation as Jesus, not only in today’s passage but in what will come.
Today’s sermon is entitled “The Stand of Stephen (Part 1).”
Before we go any further, let’s pray and ask God to speak to us through His Word.
(prayer)
Before we get into the meat of the sermon, remember that Stephen has already been mentioned in Acts. He was mentioned just last week as one of the seven chosen to serve the widows who were part of the church.
Now, he’s mentioned again in this passage.
Speaking of the passage, let’s dive into it. Look at Acts 6:8-15:
8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from some members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, and they began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came, seized him, and took him to the Sanhedrin. 13 They also presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the law. 14 For we heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15 And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Ok, let’s look at two defining characteristics of this passage.
First, . . .
I. There was something sinister about the opposition.
Put yourself in the position of those who opposed the cause of Jesus for just a moment. Not just those in this moment but those all the way back to when Jesus Himself first started ministering.
They did all that they could to stop Jesus and His ministry, yet they continued to fail, and the ministry of Jesus continued to flourish.
Then, they went so far as to have Jesus killed, yet Jesus rose from the dead to new life, and His ministry only got stronger.
Then, after Jesus was gone from the earth, the apostles continued the ministry of Jesus, and God blessed their work. Even after the Jewish leaders questioned the apostles, imprisoned the apostles, threatened the apostles, and beat the apostles, their ministry still continued to thrive.
Now, it’s not just the apostles who are doing great ministry; even regular people, like this Stephen guy, are doing great ministry in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Do you think that these guys might be frustrated about their inability to stop the mission of Jesus?
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By First Baptist Church Bartow
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Some of you may recall some of the happenings during the final days before the crucifixion of Jesus.
You may recall that Jesus was betrayed, that He was arrested, and that He stood trial before a group of religious leaders.
Though today’s sermon is not particularly about that time, I want to go back and look at that for just a moment.
Listen to what we read in Mark 14:55–58:
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they could not find any. For many were giving false testimony against him, and the testimonies did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’”
So, in this passage, we see Jesus falsely accused, and we see Jesus misrepresented by what He said.
Well, today we’re going to look at a man named Stephen who committed his life to following Jesus. We’re going to learn that Stephen went through a strikingly similar situation as Jesus, not only in today’s passage but in what will come.
Today’s sermon is entitled “The Stand of Stephen (Part 1).”
Before we go any further, let’s pray and ask God to speak to us through His Word.
(prayer)
Before we get into the meat of the sermon, remember that Stephen has already been mentioned in Acts. He was mentioned just last week as one of the seven chosen to serve the widows who were part of the church.
Now, he’s mentioned again in this passage.
Speaking of the passage, let’s dive into it. Look at Acts 6:8-15:
8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from some members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, and they began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came, seized him, and took him to the Sanhedrin. 13 They also presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the law. 14 For we heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15 And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Ok, let’s look at two defining characteristics of this passage.
First, . . .
I. There was something sinister about the opposition.
Put yourself in the position of those who opposed the cause of Jesus for just a moment. Not just those in this moment but those all the way back to when Jesus Himself first started ministering.
They did all that they could to stop Jesus and His ministry, yet they continued to fail, and the ministry of Jesus continued to flourish.
Then, they went so far as to have Jesus killed, yet Jesus rose from the dead to new life, and His ministry only got stronger.
Then, after Jesus was gone from the earth, the apostles continued the ministry of Jesus, and God blessed their work. Even after the Jewish leaders questioned the apostles, imprisoned the apostles, threatened the apostles, and beat the apostles, their ministry still continued to thrive.
Now, it’s not just the apostles who are doing great ministry; even regular people, like this Stephen guy, are doing great ministry in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Do you think that these guys might be frustrated about their inability to stop the mission of Jesus?