Part 6 - Trinity Fellowship - Raton, New Mexico

STEPHEN: THE MINISTRY OF THE MARTYR

(THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES --- PART 6)

The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice

June 26, 2005

Trinity Fellowship

Raton, NM

Scripture Reference:

Acts 6:17-42

SUMMARY OF LAST WEEK:

WHEN YOU ENTER INTO EXTREME UNITY WITH THE LORD GOD THE FATHER…THE LORD GOD JESUS…THE LORD GOD HOLY SPIRIT…YOU GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO “STUFF”…YOU WORSHIP THE LORD READILY AND CONSTANTLY…YOU OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE NEEDS OF YOUR BROTHER AND SISTER BELIEVERS…YOU WITNESS BOLDLY TO THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE…AND THE GRACE AND POWER OF GOD’S SPIRIT IS UNLEASHED IN YOUR LIFE AND THERE IS HEALING FOR ALL TO SEE.

IF YOU READ ON IN ACTS CHAPTER 5, YOU’LL SEE THAT GOD’S HAND CONTINUED TO BE ON THE DISCIPLES OF THE EARLY CHURCH IN JERUSALEM, THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF PETER AND JOHN. AND THAT EVEN THOUGH THROWN IN PRISON AND BEATEN, GOD MIRACULOUSLY PROTECTED THE LIVES OF HIS SAINTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF SHOWING HIS POWER, SPREADING THE GOSPEL OF JESUS, AND QUICKLY RAISING UP THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF BELIEVERS IN THE WORLD.

SPREADING THE GOSPEL BEYOND JERUSALEM:

(ACTS 6:1-7: “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Phillip, Proconus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.”)

BY THIS TIME IN THE HISTORY OF GOD’S PEOPLE, THERE WERE HEBREW JEWS AND THERE WERE JEWS OF THE DISBERSEMENT. THAT IS, THROUGHOUT JEWISH HISTORY THE JEWS HAD BEEN DISBERSED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD THROUGH CAPTIVITY. THAT’S WHY DURING PASSOVER, THERE WERE SO MANY NON-HEBREW SPEAKING JEWS IN JERUSALEM. THEY HAD TRAVELLED FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO OBSERVE THE HOLY DAYS. TODAY, THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL TO US, BUT BACK THEN, TRAVEL TO ANOTHER COUNTRY WAS PERILOUS, LONG, AND OFTEN FULL OF HARDSHIP.

IN THE EARLY CHURCH, THEN, ONE OF THE FIRST PROBLEMS THEY ENCOUNTERED WERE THE CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES AMONGST THEM. AND THERE WERE PRIMARILY TWO LARGE CULTURAL GROUPS OF JEWISH CHRISTIANS: THE HEBREWS, OR NATURAL BORN, AND THE HELLENISTS, OR THE GREEKS.

ONE OF THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHURCH WAS TO GATHER FOOD AND MEET THE NEEDS OF THE WIDOWS AND ORPHANS. AND BECAUSE OF LANGUAGE PROBLEMS, THE WIDOWS OF THE GREEKS WERE NOT BEING CARED FOR PROPERLY.

SO THE APOSTLES ARE SIMPLY ASKING FOR THE GREEK CHRISTIANS TO APOINT SEVEN GREEKS TO MINISTER TO THEIR OWN PEOPLE. EVIDENTLY, THE APOSTLES WERE STARTING TO STEP IN AND TRY TO FILL THE GAP, AND THEY QUICKLY SAW THAT THIS WAS NOT THEIR DUTY; IN FACT, IT WOULD DETRACT FROM THEIR PREACHING AND TEACHING AND PRAYER TIME.

SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT THIS WAS THE BIRTH OF THE DEACONS IN THE CHURCH. BUT THE WORD IS NOT FOUND IN THIS PASSAGE, SO IT APPEARS THAT THIS WAS SIMPLY THE STEPPING OUT BY A FEW MEN INTO A SPECIFIC MINISTRY, NOT NECESSARILY DEACONSHIP.

BUT A COUPLE OF THESE SEVEN MEN ARE GOING TO BECOME FAMOUS. ONE IS PHILLIP, WHOM WE WILL STUDY LATER, AND THE OTHER IS STEPHEN.

STEPHEN

(READ 6:8-15)

STEPHEN BEGAN TO PREACH IN THE GREEK SYNAGOGUES IN JERUSALEM, PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY WHO HAD MOVED BACK TO JERUSALEM, BUT WERE STILL “OUTSIDERS.”

GOD USED HIM MIGHTILY; “FULL OF FAITH AND POWER; DID GREAT WONDERS AND SIGNS”

WHEN HIS OPPONENTS COULDN’T DISPUTE THE TRUTH OF HIS PREACHING, THEY HATCHED A PLOT OF LIES AGAINST HIM, AND HAD HIM ARRESTED.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM, BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO HEAR ONE OF THE GREATEST SERMONS IN THE BIBLE, WHICH WILL ADDRESS THESE CHARGES.

· BLASPHEMY AGAINST GOD

· BLASPHENY AGAINS THE LAW (MOSES)

· PREACHING JESUS AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE

STEVEN’S DEFENSE

(SUMMARIZE 7:1-50)

THIS MAY APPEAR TO BE A RAMBLING HISTORY LESSON FROM STEPHEN. IN ACTUALITY, IT IS A CAREFULLY CHOSEN SUMMARY OF ISRAEL’S HISTORY WHICH SERVES TO TURN THE CHARGES BACK AGAINST STEPHEN’S ACCUSERS. IT IS THEY, NOT HE, WEH ARE THE RESISTERS OF GOD. THEYN, NOT HE, HAD BLASPHEMED GOD/S TEMPLE.

HIS SERMON IS IN FIVE THEMES:

1. THE PROMISES OF ABRAHAM (2-8)

ABRAHAM NEVER OWNED ONE INCH OF LAND IN THE HOLY. THE PROMISES OF GOD TO ABRAHAM ALL CAME OUTSIDE THE HOLY LAND. THIS WAS A CRITIQUE AGAINST JEWISH NATIONALISM THAT CONFINED GOD TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL ONLY.

THE DELIVERANCE THROUGH JOSEPH (9-16)

GOD DELIVERED ISRAEL THROUGH JOSEPH, OUTSIDE OF THE HOLY LAND. NOT ON LY THAT BUT THE SONS OF JACOB REJECTED JOSEPH, GOD’S CHOSEN ONE. HERE STEPHEN INTRODUCES THE REAL THEME OF HIS SERMON: ISRAEL HAD ALWAYS REJECTED GOD’S CHOSEN LEADER.

THE DELIVERANCE THROUGH MOSES (F17-34)

THIS IS THE LONGEST SECTION AND DIVIDES MOSES’S LIFE INTO THREE 40 YEAR SEGMENTS: HIS EARLY YEARS IN PHAROAHS HOUSE; HIS FLIGHT FROM EGYPT AND VISION OF THE BURNING BUSH, AND THE EXODUS AND WILDERNESS WANDERINGS. AGAIN, GOD HERE WAS WITH HIS PEOPLE, AND IT ALL TOOK PLACE OUTSIDE OF THE HOLY LAND.

THE BLASPHEMY OF ISRAEL (35-50)

ISRAEL REJECTS MOSES’ LEADERSHIP AND WORSHIPS THE GOLDEN CALF. AFTERWARDS, THEY DID A BETTER JOB WORSHIPPING GOD AS THEY WANDERED, THROUGH THE TABERNACLE, THAN THEY DID TODAY IN THE TEMPLE. HERE STEPHEN IS CRITICISING THE JEWS FOR CONFINGING GOD TO ONE PLACE IN JERUSALEM.

REJECTION OF THE MESSIAH

(READ 51-53)

HERE STEPHEN BRINGS IT FULL CIRCLE FOR THEM. THAT SINCE ISRAEL HAD A HISTORY OF REJECTING GOD’S LEADERS, IT SHOULD BE NO SURPRISE TO THEM THAT THEY HAD REJECTED HIS ULTIMATE CHOSEN ONE, JESUS CHRIST.

PERSECUTION, DISPERSAL, AND WORLD WIDE MISSION

(READ 7:54-60)

STEPHEN IS STONED TO DEATH. THIS IS BELIEVED TO BE A MOB ACTION, SINCE THE SANHEDRIN HAD NO LEGAL ABILITY TO EXECUTE SOMEONE. THIS WAS A LYNCH MOB.

STEPHEN IS THE FIRST MARTYR, DYING FOR HIS WORDS JUST LIKE HIS SAVIOR. HAVING HIS CLOTHES HELD BY STRANGERS, JUST LIKE JESUS. COMMITING HIS SPIRIT TO HIS LORD, JUST LIKE JESUS DID. AND FINALLY, ASKING FORGIVENESS FOR HIS KILLER, JUST AS JESUS DID. THE PARALLELS ARE AMAZING.

AND JUST LIKE JESUS’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION USHERED IN THE CHURCH, STEVEN’S DEATH USHERED IN THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL TO OTHER NATIONS.

THE GREEK CHRISTIANS HAD TO FLEE FOR THEIR LIVES AFTER THIS. THIS TOO WAS GOD’S PLAN, BECAUSE AMONG THEM WAS PHILLIP, WHO WENT ON TO SAMARIA. AND BECAUSE OF THE FLEEING TO OTHER COUNTRIES, A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL OF TARSUS WAS COMMISSIONED TO GO HUNT THEM DOWN.

WE KNOW HIM TODAY AS THE APOSTLE PAUL

AND THUS, THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST WAS ABOUT TO SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE.

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