E15
Stephen’s Testimony.
“Tell me the Old, Old Story” pt 1
Acts 7:2-53
Stephen was one of the seven ‘deacons’ chosen to oversee the daily food distribution of the rapidly growing church in Jerusalem.
In addition to helping with this ministry, he has also been preaching. Similar to the ministry of the apostles, Stephen was able to confirm his words by performing ‘signs and wonders’.
The main message Stephen preached focused on Jesus. Jesus came from God to pay our penalty for sin. So, Stephen very likely would have said, ``”Repent of, (be sorry for and turn from) your sin, ask forgiveness, and believe that He indeed rose from the dead, ascended up to heaven and will return to judge the living and the dead.”
No doubt many listened to the message and believed. But not everyone. In particular, Stephen found himself in a debate with a few who did not like what they were hearing from him.
These men became vocal in their opposition, convincing the crowd that Stephen was a heretic. They were successful in having Stephen dragged before the Sanhedrin court and charged with blasphemy.
These were the actual charges; “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and
the law; 14 “for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which
Moses delivered to us.”
They are accusing Stephen of being Anti-temple and Anti-Moses.
In the following verses Stephen gives his defence. He is allowed to speak without interruption and he gives a very clear and complete defence. We will be able to see just how ‘anti-Moses’ Stephen was. The defence that he gives is remarkable. I fully believe this is an instance of the Holy Spirit speaking through him.
Does this end badly? That depends entirely upon whose perspective we are viewing it. From ours or God’s?
Stephen ends up dying. Did God allow this to happen? Did God plan for this to happen? Why?
We will try to address some of these questions, but first we will take a closer look at Stephen’s defence. Acts 7:2-53 covers Stephen’s testimony, as it is recorded here by Luke.
Let’s begin examining Stephen’s words.
2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
The charge against Stephen is that he is criticizing Moses to the point that they say he is blaspheming.
Moses is held in very high esteem by the Jews. The Jewish bible is referred to by Jesus as ‘the Law and Prophets’. The Law refers to the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. All five of the first books were written by Moses. So Stephen is being charged with attacking the very foundation upon which Judaism rested.
But as Stephen begins, the very fact that he begins to relate Jewish history to the listeners at his ‘trial’ shows his belief in, and his respect for Moses. But in the history of Israel, the man Abraham, figures in even more importantly than Moses.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had asked Him the question, “Are you greater than our Father Abraham? …”
In their minds, there could be no one greater than father Abraham. He was the founding father. So by Stephen going all the way back to Abraham, he had their attention.
Stephen is repeating a story to them that they knew backwards and forwards. It would be a story that was ingrained into the hearts and minds of even their children.
Stephen was saying that Abraham had been called by God to go to a ‘promised land’.
3 "and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'
4a "Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran.
He was to take only his immediate family. However, his father insisted on coming. They traveled as far as Haran and settled there for a number of years. But Haran was not the promised land. So why did they stop there? Because God had stopped directing them to the promised land due to Abraham’s disobedience in taking his father with him.
After Abraham’s father died, God once again spoke to Abraham, instructing him to travel and follow His directions to the land that He would ‘give’ him and his descendants.
4bAnd from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.
5 "And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.
God called the land a ‘gift’. But even though Abraham would live there, he lived as a visitor. The land was already occupied. But God was looking way ahead. He was designating the whole Canaan area for Abraham’s descendants, more specifically, for the descendants of only one of his sons and that was Jacob.
6 "But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.
Four hundred years later God would say that the ‘sins’ of the occupants of this land would have reached the top limit of what He would permit. God would accomplish two things at the same time. He would establish His people, Israel, in the Land of Canaan, and He would be judging the corruption and sin that had come to fill the land.
But Stephen does not say very much about conquering the promised land. He spends much more time talking about the forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Stephen has just indicated that after Joseph’s time in Egypt, their family would become slaves to the Egyptians for a period of over four hundred years.
He points out,
7 ‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’
Verse 7 covers a period of 430 years. In the next verses, however, he goes back to Abraham and fills in the details.
8 “Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
Notice that Stephen is not teaching or preaching against circumcision. The false witnesses claimed that Stephen was ‘anti-Moses’. Circumcision was a ‘sign’ given to them by God, demarcating them as His own people. Almost like a cattleman brands his cattle. The Jews were very proud of this ‘brand’. According to what we have heard so far, these Jews would not be able to fault Stephen for being anti-circumcision.
Stephen continues, 9 And the brothers, moved with envy against Joseph, gave him to the Egyptians for money: but God was with him, 10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
How many times has the story of Joseph being sold into Egypt by his brothers been told in Sunday School classes or told as a bed-time story to children? Stephen is on very familiar territory. Surely this story would elicit a few ‘amens’, would prompt some heads to nod in agreement?
Although Stephen does not point this out, there are similarities regarding what happened to Joseph and what happened to Jesus. For example, Joseph was sold as a slave to and Egytian family. Jesus was sold to the Sanhedrin council. Joseph became the ‘savior’ from a famine, for both his family and for Egypt. Jesus became the Savior of the world. So, in a way, Joseph’s life typifies the story of Jesus.
Notice that Stephen gives all the credit to God. God was with him, 10 and (God) delivered him out of all his troubles, and (God) gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
When we are in really tough situations it can be hard for us to remember that God is there with us. We are not in a position to bargain with God at those times. We cannot tell God, ‘God, I want you to do for me what you did for Joseph way back then’. It does not work like that. God is with us, but how He responds to situations is different every time. God has a plan. And God includes us in His plan. But don’t expect it to turn out like it did for Joseph. What God will do, will be totally His plan.
God put young Esther into a King’s palace, according to her uncle, ‘For just such a time as this’. It is so important for us to be as yielded to Him as clay is to a potter. God will make something beautiful of your life.
Stephen continues the story,
11 Now there was no food to be had in all Egypt and Canaan, and there was great trouble: and our fathers were not able to get food.
12 But Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, sent out our fathers the first time.
Jacob heard about ‘corn’ (food) in Egypt and sent his 10 sons to buy grain. The ten sons (not including Benjamin who was just a youngster) are called ‘our fathers’ by Stephen.
Stephen leaves out part of the story. But because of the times in which we live, I think I will add it here.
Why did Egypt have food in a time when there were shortages everywhere? We likely have all heard the story. Pharaoh had a dream that included seven fat cows and then seven very skinny cows. Joseph offered the interpretation of the dream … Egypt (and the surrounding area) would experience seven very good, crop yielding years that would be followed by seven dry years.
Joseph’s recommendation was simple. Prepare for the worst. The scriptures teach us that seven really bad years are coming for this world. Our response should be … prepare for the worst.
How should we prepare? Obviously, spiritual preparation comes before physical. Spiritual preparation includes, first and foremost … Trust in Jesus as your personal Savior from sin and eternal death.
And then spiritual preparation includes knowing and becoming familiar with everything that Jesus told us. Jesus Himself, said, 18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 18:19,20
Jesus told us a lot about living in the last times. He gives us signs to watch for. The apostle Paul gave us signs to watch for. Being aware of these signs is part of being prepared.
In addition to keeping a close walk with Jesus every day, we need to expect to be called on to minister to the less fortunate. In the ‘bad years’, just as in Joseph’s time, food will become very scarce, very expensive, and in some areas, impossible to get, even from a garden.
God gave Joseph a ‘heads-up’, and the result was that his own family benefited from his wisdom. The signs of the times that we are presently seeing, is our heads up to prepare to minister to Christian brothers and sisters who could need our help.
The apostle John said, But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 1John 3:17
How are you ‘set up’ with reference to ‘this world’s goods? Are you in a position to make a difference for Christians who find themselves caught off-guard and are now in financial difficulty? What changes would you have to make to be able to show the love of God in a practical way?
Deacon Stephen has been sharing his testimony with the Sanhedrin council and with his accusers. So far in his testimony Stephen has shared beliefs that in no way discredit Moses. He has not spoken against the temple. But his testimony is not over.
As Stephen has talked about the wisdom that God gave Joseph, we see a clear picture of a man walking with God and exercising Godly wisdom and foresight in order to help brothers and sisters in need.
And that is where I want to apply the word for each of you. Walk with God. Pray for wisdom. Be prepared to help brothers and sisters in Christ, both spiritually and physically.
In addition to helping with this ministry, he has also been preaching. Similar to the ministry of the apostles, Stephen was able to confirm his words by performing ‘signs and wonders’.
The main message Stephen preached focused on Jesus. Jesus came from God to pay our penalty for sin. So, Stephen very likely would have said, ``”Repent of, (be sorry for and turn from) your sin, ask forgiveness, and believe that He indeed rose from the dead, ascended up to heaven and will return to judge the living and the dead.”
No doubt many listened to the message and believed. But not everyone. In particular, Stephen found himself in a debate with a few who did not like what they were hearing from him.
These men became vocal in their opposition, convincing the crowd that Stephen was a heretic. They were successful in having Stephen dragged before the Sanhedrin court and charged with blasphemy.
These were the actual charges; “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and
the law; 14 “for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which
Moses delivered to us.”
They are accusing Stephen of being Anti-temple and Anti-Moses.
In the following verses Stephen gives his defence. He is allowed to speak without interruption and he gives a very clear and complete defence. We will be able to see just how ‘anti-Moses’ Stephen was. The defence that he gives is remarkable. I fully believe this is an instance of the Holy Spirit speaking through him.
Does this end badly? That depends entirely upon whose perspective we are viewing it. From ours or God’s?
Stephen ends up dying. Did God allow this to happen? Did God plan for this to happen? Why?
We will try to address some of these questions, but first we will take a closer look at Stephen’s defence. Acts 7:2-53 covers Stephen’s testimony, as it is recorded here by Luke.
Let’s begin examining Stephen’s words.
2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
The charge against Stephen is that he is criticizing Moses to the point that they say he is blaspheming.
Moses is held in very high esteem by the Jews. The Jewish bible is referred to by Jesus as ‘the Law and Prophets’. The Law refers to the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. All five of the first books were written by Moses. So Stephen is being charged with attacking the very foundation upon which Judaism rested.
But as Stephen begins, the very fact that he begins to relate Jewish history to the listeners at his ‘trial’ shows his belief in, and his respect for Moses. But in the history of Israel, the man Abraham, figures in even more importantly than Moses.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had asked Him the question, “Are you greater than our Father Abraham? …”
In their minds, there could be no one greater than father Abraham. He was the founding father. So by Stephen going all the way back to Abraham, he had their attention.
Stephen is repeating a story to them that they knew backwards and forwards. It would be a story that was ingrained into the hearts and minds of even their children.
Stephen was saying that Abraham had been called by God to go to a ‘promised land’.
3 "and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'
4a "Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran.
He was to take only his immediate family. However, his father insisted on coming. They traveled as far as Haran and settled there for a number of years. But Haran was not the promised land. So why did they stop there? Because God had stopped directing them to the promised land due to Abraham’s disobedience in taking his father with him.
After Abraham’s father died, God once again spoke to Abraham, instructing him to travel and follow His directions to the land that He would ‘give’ him and his descendants.
4bAnd from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.
5 "And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.
God called the land a ‘gift’. But even though Abraham would live there, he lived as a visitor. The land was already occupied. But God was looking way ahead. He was designating the whole Canaan area for Abraham’s descendants, more specifically, for the descendants of only one of his sons and that was Jacob.
6 "But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.
Four hundred years later God would say that the ‘sins’ of the occupants of this land would have reached the top limit of what He would permit. God would accomplish two things at the same time. He would establish His people, Israel, in the Land of Canaan, and He would be judging the corruption and sin that had come to fill the land.
But Stephen does not say very much about conquering the promised land. He spends much more time talking about the forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Stephen has just indicated that after Joseph’s time in Egypt, their family would become slaves to the Egyptians for a period of over four hundred years.
He points out,
7 ‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’
Verse 7 covers a period of 430 years. In the next verses, however, he goes back to Abraham and fills in the details.
8 “Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
Notice that Stephen is not teaching or preaching against circumcision. The false witnesses claimed that Stephen was ‘anti-Moses’. Circumcision was a ‘sign’ given to them by God, demarcating them as His own people. Almost like a cattleman brands his cattle. The Jews were very proud of this ‘brand’. According to what we have heard so far, these Jews would not be able to fault Stephen for being anti-circumcision.
Stephen continues, 9 And the brothers, moved with envy against Joseph, gave him to the Egyptians for money: but God was with him, 10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
How many times has the story of Joseph being sold into Egypt by his brothers been told in Sunday School classes or told as a bed-time story to children? Stephen is on very familiar territory. Surely this story would elicit a few ‘amens’, would prompt some heads to nod in agreement?
Although Stephen does not point this out, there are similarities regarding what happened to Joseph and what happened to Jesus. For example, Joseph was sold as a slave to and Egytian family. Jesus was sold to the Sanhedrin council. Joseph became the ‘savior’ from a famine, for both his family and for Egypt. Jesus became the Savior of the world. So, in a way, Joseph’s life typifies the story of Jesus.
Notice that Stephen gives all the credit to God. God was with him, 10 and (God) delivered him out of all his troubles, and (God) gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
When we are in really tough situations it can be hard for us to remember that God is there with us. We are not in a position to bargain with God at those times. We cannot tell God, ‘God, I want you to do for me what you did for Joseph way back then’. It does not work like that. God is with us, but how He responds to situations is different every time. God has a plan. And God includes us in His plan. But don’t expect it to turn out like it did for Joseph. What God will do, will be totally His plan.
God put young Esther into a King’s palace, according to her uncle, ‘For just such a time as this’. It is so important for us to be as yielded to Him as clay is to a potter. God will make something beautiful of your life.
Stephen continues the story,
11 Now there was no food to be had in all Egypt and Canaan, and there was great trouble: and our fathers were not able to get food.
12 But Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, sent out our fathers the first time.
Jacob heard about ‘corn’ (food) in Egypt and sent his 10 sons to buy grain. The ten sons (not including Benjamin who was just a youngster) are called ‘our fathers’ by Stephen.
Stephen leaves out part of the story. But because of the times in which we live, I think I will add it here.
Why did Egypt have food in a time when there were shortages everywhere? We likely have all heard the story. Pharaoh had a dream that included seven fat cows and then seven very skinny cows. Joseph offered the interpretation of the dream … Egypt (and the surrounding area) would experience seven very good, crop yielding years that would be followed by seven dry years.
Joseph’s recommendation was simple. Prepare for the worst. The scriptures teach us that seven really bad years are coming for this world. Our response should be … prepare for the worst.
How should we prepare? Obviously, spiritual preparation comes before physical. Spiritual preparation includes, first and foremost … Trust in Jesus as your personal Savior from sin and eternal death.
And then spiritual preparation includes knowing and becoming familiar with everything that Jesus told us. Jesus Himself, said, 18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 18:19,20
Jesus told us a lot about living in the last times. He gives us signs to watch for. The apostle Paul gave us signs to watch for. Being aware of these signs is part of being prepared.
In addition to keeping a close walk with Jesus every day, we need to expect to be called on to minister to the less fortunate. In the ‘bad years’, just as in Joseph’s time, food will become very scarce, very expensive, and in some areas, impossible to get, even from a garden.
God gave Joseph a ‘heads-up’, and the result was that his own family benefited from his wisdom. The signs of the times that we are presently seeing, is our heads up to prepare to minister to Christian brothers and sisters who could need our help.
The apostle John said, But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 1John 3:17
How are you ‘set up’ with reference to ‘this world’s goods? Are you in a position to make a difference for Christians who find themselves caught off-guard and are now in financial difficulty? What changes would you have to make to be able to show the love of God in a practical way?
Deacon Stephen has been sharing his testimony with the Sanhedrin council and with his accusers. So far in his testimony Stephen has shared beliefs that in no way discredit Moses. He has not spoken against the temple. But his testimony is not over.
As Stephen has talked about the wisdom that God gave Joseph, we see a clear picture of a man walking with God and exercising Godly wisdom and foresight in order to help brothers and sisters in need.
And that is where I want to apply the word for each of you. Walk with God. Pray for wisdom. Be prepared to help brothers and sisters in Christ, both spiritually and physically.