DYING WELL

 

Acts 6:8-15; 7:1-60

Dying well as a follower of Christ means facing the end

of life with peace, trust, and active hope.

 

Dying well means having eternity stapled over our eyes to see that death isn’t the end but the beginning. Dying well is not allowing this fallen world to discourage, or dictate, your life away from seeing the glory in redemption that is found in Christ alone. Dying well is seeing Christ in the midst of the suffering and the storms of life; it’s seeing Christ in the chaos.

 

This hope is anchored in the belief that Jesus conquered

death and opened the door to eternal life.

 

I love what John MacArthur said in a sermon, “For those of us who are Christians there is no fear of death. Death is an entrance into the presence of the Lord. We have no fear of what is coming after death, only joy and anticipation. Even when I die, I will not be abandoned, but I will go through death into the path of eternal life, eternal joy, eternal pleasures." It is a natural transition from serving God on earth to being fully present with Him forever. We know that is true by what we read in the account of Stephen as he is declared guilty and killed at the hands of evil men, an evil world system. There are so many questions you can ask when we approach the end of chapter six all the way to the end of chapter seven.

 

Why did God call him to ministry to see his life end so early?

Why did God allow this man to face such brutal hatred and painful death?

What possess a person to hate someone over a God they don’t know or care about?

How does a Christian who speaks words bring so much rage and hatred to so many people?

 

Jesus warned the disciples, that applies to us if we truly are His children. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you...” John 15:18-21. Peter would tell believers that if they are insulted because of the name of Christ, they are blessed because the Spirit of God rests on them. 1 Peter 4:14. The hostility is directed at Christ's message of repentance rather than at the person personally. The wickedness of mankind is exposed to the gospel and they will do anything to stop it. Why? They love sin, and they hate the God of the bible for exposing what they love. That is why J C Ryle said this in 1800’s, “When a generation tolerates sin, the next generation often normalizes it, and the one after that may no longer recognize it as sin.” And that is exactly what we see here in this chapter, and that is also what we see today in our generation.

We are introduced to Stephen in the beginning of chapter six; but Luke goes to more detail as we will see that Stephen becomes the first casualty of war. Stephen becomes by the grace of God, the very first martyr for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We first learn that the people, the men who opposed him could not resist his wisdom or by the spirit in which he spoke. (Acts 6:10) Stephen was full of faith in total control of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 6:8) They started in innocent debate, but that would end rather quickly, when they could not defend their position so they thought its easier to deceive others, because they were cowards to do their dirty work to speak lies. Accusing Stephen of blaspheming against Moses and God…. (Acts 6:11) Accusing Stephen that he spoke against the temple.  (Acts 6:13-15) The accusations reach the ears of the Sanhedrin, and now Stephen is standing before the religious rulers, the superstars, the powerhouse of men who control the people, but not Stephen.

 

Something to consider this morning, we have been

here before with Jesus.

Stephen walked like Jesus….

Both put on trial before the Sanhedrin…. Acts 6:15; Matt 26:59

Both accused by false witnesses…. Acts 6:13; Mark 14:56

Both accused of being against the temple…. Acts 6:14; Matt 26:61

Both reference temple made with hands…… Acts 7:48; Mark 14:58

Both gave reference to the “Son of Man” …… Acts 7:56; Luke 21:27

Both charged with blasphemy…. Acts 6:11; Matt 26:65

Both questioned by High Priests…. Acts 7:1; John 18:19

Both commit their spirit to death…. Acts 7:59; Matt 27:50

Both intercede for their enemies…. Acts 7:60; Luke 23:24

The high priest said, “Are these things so” (Acts 7:1) You have heard the charges, Stephen. Are they correct? Are you speaking blasphemous things about Moses and about God and the law? Are you guilty or innocent?

So how does Stephen handle, or defend

himself before corrupt men?

He gives a redemptive history lesson the defends what he is saying before his accusers; with a living hope for those who hearts are listening. He starts with Abraham to Isaac, then Jacob, Joesph, and the promise land. Acts 7:1-8 He turns to Moses, as God’s people would grow and persecution would begin with the nation of Israel because Pharaoh of that time didn’t know Joseph. God would rescue His people through Moses, then in return they would rebel into idolatry. (7:30-41) And the rescued fathers of Israel would reject Moses. Acts 7:35-43. David would be mentioned and Solomon would build the Temple. Acts 7:47-48. Stephen would defend and say that God doesn’t need the temple and that the temple shadows Heaven. Acts 7:38-47

 

It’s here the fire of their hatred would be kindled. Acts 7:51-53. Stephen would reveal that they are anti-God just like their fathers. Stephen says, “You stiff-necked people” this means Stephen is calling them “Obstinate” a person who defiantly refuses to bow before God. Why? These men prided themselves on their physical circumcision and ritual behavior. That is why Stephen called them “uncircumcision of heart”, meaning your sin remains, you are not forgiven by God. They were unclean of heart before God as uncircumcised gentiles. This was the ultimate condemnation given to a Jewish man. Unclean like their fathers before them. “They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.” Exo 32:8-9

 

Their stubborn resisting of the Holy Spirit made them guilty of doing just as their fathers did. Their fathers had rejected Joseph and Moses and the tabernacle presence, so did they reject the Messiah. Stephen points this out in (v52) “which one of prophets did your fathers not persecute?” These words echo what Jesus said in Luke’s gospel. “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.” 

Luke 11:47-51

 

Stephen reveals that these men are without excuse and will stand before the “Righteous One”. They accuse Stephen but these men had no real respect for Moses or the Law of God. Why I can say that: If they had the respect for Moses and the Law, they would have never murdered the One, Moses promised. We read in John’s gospel when Jesus confronted the religious elites he revealed their true hearts. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” John 5:39-47

 

These men were exposed that they were no different then their fathers. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.” Matt 23:29-31

And now they are about to kill another person for

Preaching in the name of Christ.

 

These men proclaimed judgement and it resulted in Stephen being executed rather than an acquittal. Next to the Sermon on the Mount, Stephen’s sermon will go down in history as the second greatest message ever preached. The sad reality is that the Sanhedrin should have heard it, respond by faith, and repented in their hearts and turn to Christ to find life eternal. Instead, they closed their hearts to truth; and did what the flesh always does best approach…and kill whatever punctures your conscience.

 

These men represent a great majority of people today, a people who are:

Hostile towards the full gospel message.

Hostile towards the facts, truth, and history.

Hostile towards the Word of God

Hostile towards prayer and forgiveness.

Hostile towards His church and His true disciples.

They are hostile because they love their sin and flesh, as Paul wrote, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” Rom 8:7

People often resist God because they do not want to submit to rules that limit their own lifestyle. People reject biblical teachings because they view God's standard of right and wrong as unfair or outdated. What we witness is that we are never to shrink back from serving a suffering Savior. We can be cheerful and gentle, and in defiance, to everything that is contrary to God and a biblical worldview. True Christian love means showing mercy even in the face of unfairness and extreme pain.

What does Stephen demonstrate for us?

Beside the fact he died well.

 

What we learn is what Martin Lloyd Jones wrote, “A man who has his eye on his future state of glorification will spend his time in preparing himself for it.” Remember what Paul wrote, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil 1:6. And he would go on to say among other things, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” Phil 1:27. Spurgeon wrote, "If a man has eternal life, it is eternal, and therefore it cannot end or be lost." Stephen's death sparked heavy persecution, which caused believers to scatter and share the good news of Jesus in new regions. “And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” 

Acts 8:1-4

 

Dying well as a Christian means…. 

You died loving your spouse as commanded in Scripture.

You died loving your children with a godly example of Christ.

You died serving His church and your community in your singleness.

You died living your life according to the gospel.

You died because you know its worthy to suffer for His name’s sake.

You died encouraging others, to cling to Christ.

 

D.A. Carson’s said this about his father who died well, who was a pastor in Québec, at the end of his life. “When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he had stopped breathing and would never need it again.” “But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man— he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor— but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.’”

 

I truly believe this is why Stephen could say these words at the end of his life; he knew, he was forgiven and he wanted others to taste that grace as well. Acts 7:60. Let me ask you! How can a sinner saved by grace extend such compassion and forgiveness towards a people who loathed him for everything he said and stood for? These words sound familiar, don’t they? And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. We have people in the church that can’t forgive another person over the stupidest of things that have no eternal value. And here is a man being pulverized by boulders seeking God to forgive his accusers and murderers.

 

This is only by the power of God that a sinful man saved by

grace could ever utter such words.

These words by Stephen should put us all to shame, for how we respond to one another when we have been accused, or wronged by someone. We tend to never talk to that person again, or we talk bad about them to others, we rarely seek God to restore or forgive such a person. Stephen, was able to do this because he was “Spirit-filled” seeking the things from above and not from the flesh. (v55) His eyes were fixed on Christ as Paul reminded the church in his letter. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col 3:1-3

 

See what we learn from Stephen is…. He wants us to be prepared to not look at persecution with resentment, but with joy before the Lord, who will bring us into the Kingdom. Our current short and small troubles are working to prepare us for a permanent and great glory that is worth much more than our pain. As Paul wrote, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” 2 Cor 4:17. Our hard times on earth feel long, but they are very short and small when compared to forever. The word "glory" means heavy worth, value, and beauty from God, which replaces the heavy pain we feel now.

 

The hard things we go through with faith help shape us and

build up a wonderful future with God.

Stephen exemplified this when he died for the sake of what is right, and holy, before wicked men, who have rebelled from the beginning with their fathers. We the church, are to exemplify what Stephen did, without exceptions, no matter what the culture might do to you, and I. Everything we do is for the glory of God and to make Christ known to the nations.

 

The church must die well, otherwise we have failed our calling,

our mission to the nations.

 

Living well until we die, means repeatedly dying to ourselves. Paul says, “I die every day!” 1 Cor 15:31. The born-again life is meant to live for Christ, not me; and Stephen exemplified that for you, and me, to see how we are to live. If we want to live and die well, so that others might finally and fully live in Christ. Everyone in the church is always thankful to the Lord for all the blessing of the past. But in the same breath we would have to agree that, “We aren’t the church we truly need to be. We aren’t the church the Lord wants us to be.  We are not bearing living witness to His power in our weakness.  We are too good at ‘doing church.’ “

I don’t want to be good at doing church!

 

I want my life, our church family, to count for Christ alone; and that we stand boldly with Stephen in our gospel confession towards this generation and the next. We must…. surrender our pride, selfishness, and desire for self-preservation, following Jesus into radical humility so that Christ can bring true spiritual life. We must…. honor Christ, and our brother Stephen, by living our lives for the sake of the gospel to our country and beyond, so that we can die well.