Stephen’s Message

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 21 December 2025
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#11)
Sermon Text: Acts 6:8-7:60
Main Points:
Introduction
I. The setup – Stephen accused
II. The conflict and twist – Who is really on trial?
III. The climax – Stephen’s message
Conclusion

In filmmaking, there’s a storytelling technique called ‘reverse chronology.’ With this reverse chronology, the story starts with the ending (or a key event near the end) and then, works backward to show how everything led up to it. It’s a way to grab attention, create suspense, and get the audience thinking deeply about the story. Today, I want to use that technique as we explore Acts 6 and 7.

The climax of this story comes at the very end of ch. 7. Stephen, one of the seven deacons of the early church, is martyred – stoned by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. As he dies, he speaks in v. 59, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” and in v. 60, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Then, he falls asleep – he breathes his last. The Scottish NT scholar, F. F. Bruce, describes it: ‘an unexpectedly beautiful and peaceful description of so brutal a death.’

Stephen was – as Acts 6:8 tells us – a man full of grace and power, performing great wonders and signs among the people.

So, the questions we face are: ‘What actually happened? What led him to such a horrific death?’ And even more importantly: ‘What does this story say to us?’ To answer these questions – and to hear the message Stephen leaves us – we need to jump back to the beginning of the story.

I. The Setup – Stephen Accused

The setup of this story begins with who Stephen was and what he did. We’re told not much about his background, but his name – Stephen – suggests that he was a Hellenistic Jew, that is, a Greek-speaking Jew, likely born not in the Palestine but somewhere within the wider Roman world. Stephen was a deacon, yet he was boldly teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and performing signs and wonders among the people.

It was some of these Hellenistic Jews disputed with him – most likely over the very heart of his message: the gospel of Jesus Christ. But Luke tells us that they could not withstand the wisdom or the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. Logic failed them. Scripture did not support their case. And when truth cannot be defeated, it is often silenced.

I believe these groups felt threatened by Stephen’s teaching. As people were drawn to Christ, they were losing their hold on their own followers. From their perspective, Stephen had to be removed in order to preserve their influence and keep their communities intact – so that no more people would be lost to this growing movement. And so, they brought Stephen before the Sanhedrin with accusations.

The pattern has repeated itself throughout history. Whenever the world begins to lose its grip on people because they are being drawn to Christ, accusations are brought against the church. What we’re witnessing in our own time is not new; it is the same story, played out again.

Many people say that in this generation, the church is losing people to the world. I’m not totally convinced that this is the full picture. I believe that, in many ways, the church is still gaining people from the world – or at least, the gospel is being proclaimed with increasing clarity and purity.

Why do I say that? Because the world, with growing intensity, moves in concert to suppress Christianity and silence the witness of Christ’s Church. If the world were not losing people to Jesus, it would have little reason to react so strongly. It would simply ignore the church and carry on. But when the Word of God is preached, when the truth of the gospel penetrates hearts, and when people are saved, the world does not remain indifferent – it resists!

I admit that this is not a claim supported by statistics or news reports. It is, in part, a theological reflection. But it is also consistent with the testimony of history. Whenever the gospel advances, opposition follows.

Another thing we must remember is how limited our perspective is. We tend to read the times only on a micro level. But Scripture tells us that the prince of the power of the air operates with a broader, more strategic view of the spiritual landscape. My speculation rests here as well: the enemy understands the times and works tirelessly to hinder God’s people from running to Christ!

That is the reality we face today. And that is precisely what Stephen faced. He stands surrounded by accusers, brought before the Sanhedrin – a court that claimed religious authority, but which in this moment was acting not on behalf of God, but of the world.

II. The Conflict And Twist – Who Is Really On Trial?

The tension now escalates. Stephen stands before the Jewish authorities, and the charges are laid against him. They are twofold. First, has Stephen blasphemed God by speaking against the temple? Second, has he blasphemed by denying the God-given law?

These are not minor allegations. Each carries the penalty of death. These are the very charges once brought against Jesus Himself. If Stephen is found guilty, the outcome is clear – his life is at stake.

Stephen’s response comes in ch. 7. But what he offers is far more than a legal defence. Let us follow the argument he makes. He begins by showing that God’s grace precedes the temple. God appeared to Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia – long before the land, long before the temple. God was already at work, calling and promising, apart from any sacred location.

Stephen then traces a familiar pattern in Israel’s history, that is, God works through rejected deliverers. Joseph was rejected by his brothers, yet God used him to save them. Moses was rejected by his own people. As you remember, Israel asked Moses this: “Who made you a prince and a judge over us?” But, God appointed Moses as redeemer. Even during Israel’s forty years of rebellion and idolatry in the wilderness, God remained present in their midst, symbolised by the tabernacle.

When Israel finally settled in the land and Solomon built the temple, even Solomon himself understood its limits. He confessed that God does not dwell in houses made by human hands. The temple was never meant to contain God, only to testify to Him.

In short, Stephen makes two devastating points. First, God’s saving presence and promises have never been confined to the land, the temple, or human institutions. So, Israel’s greatest problem has never been location, but rebellion. Second, Israel has consistently resisted God by rejecting His appointed deliverers.

Having established this, Stephen turns the table. The accused becomes the accuser. The courtroom is reversed.

He addresses the Sanhedrin directly, saying this: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears.” He means that they are no different from their fathers. They persecuted the prophets who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now they have betrayed and murdered Jesus Himself who is the fulfilment of all God’s promises.

Here is the truth Stephen exposes – he is not on trial. Israel’s leaders are!

III. The Climax – Stephen’s Message

Now, we come back to the very first scene of the story – that is, Stephen’s stoning and cruel death. The members of the Sanhedrin cry out in a loud voice, refusing to hear his words, and rush at him. They drag him out of the city and begin to stone him. Picture that in your mind: the chaos, the screams, the violence – an awful and brutal scene!

But, before the first stone even hits, Stephen sees something extraordinary. He sees a vision of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Why standing, and not sitting on the throne? There are two beautiful possibilities – first, Jesus is advocating for Stephen before God;, second, He is welcoming Stephen into His presence!

What Stephen has just proclaimed to the Sanhedrin is affirmed by the Lord Himself! This is not a man’s idea, nor a personal opinion – it is Christ’s message, and the Lord validates it in that vision.

Now, at the moment of death, the pain and shame of stoning are overwhelmed by the joy of being in God’s presence. So, Stephen cries out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” In that instant, he fully grasps what his Master had taught on the cross by saying, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit” and “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Stephen knows now that God alone orchestrates all things according to His good and righteous plan.

The ultimate purpose of our life on earth is the same: to glorify God in the name of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. Earthly authorities may rebel against God and His anointed Son, but in the end, their opposition cannot thwart the Father’s sovereign plan or the Son’s saving grace. We may be surrounded by those who reject Jesus, but in the end, we cannot be silenced because we’re called to bear witness to Him, our Lord Jesus, with our lives.

We Christians begin to understand this truth more clearly as we grow older. The values this world elevates so highly are ultimately fleeting and insignificant. When we’re young, it’s hard to grasp; but with age and years of godly formation, the wisdom of God becomes clearer. Scripture affirms this – for example, in Job 12:12 we hear, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days” and Prov. 16:31 agrees by saying, “Grey hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” But notice – this wisdom is not reserved only for the aged and grey-haired; it is for all who are faithful to God! In that moment, Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, experiences the fullness of this wisdom and the glory of God.

Conclusion

Now, we come back to the end of Stephen’s story. He fell asleep in the Lord. The screen fades to black. And yet, just as in a film, an epilogue appears – inviting us as viewers not merely to watch, but to understand more deeply the meaning of a life lived in the Lord, especially, within God’s redemptive history.

Stephen’s speech is the longest sermon in the book of Acts – longer than those of Peter or Paul. Remarkably, it is this sermon, sealed with the death of a martyr, that opens the next great chapter of the gospel’s advance to the world. The mission to the nations begins at the very place where Stephen was stoned.

He became a grain of wheat. He fell into the ground and died, and through his death the gospel bore much fruit to the ends of the earth. Saul – who would soon be known as Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles – was there, watching. He would later become the spearhead of the mission that carried the name of Jesus across the Roman world. Ironically, the scattering of believers through persecution became the means by which Christ’s name was proclaimed everywhere.

Stephen’s death must also have deeply challenged the apostles. Earlier, they had been beaten and yet rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name of Jesus. Now, one of their own had laid down his life for that same name. How much deeper their joy must’ve been, and how much firmer their resolve, as they continued to serve the Lord.

So, Stephen’s message speaks to us today, and that is, ‘Stand firm and bear witness to the Lord in your life – and even in your death – for the risen Christ stands with you as your Advocate!’ May this message grant you and me heavenly joy and strength as we follow Christ faithfully! Amen. ***