Sermon snippet – Simply Heaven – Part VIII
INTRODUCTION – We continue to endeavor to set our affection “on things above,” on heaven (Colossians 3:1-2). In Acts 7:54-8:4, we read about the martyrdom of Stephen, immediately after he preached a lengthy sermon. Don’t get any ideas.
- VIOLENCE AGAINST CHRISTIANS IS NOTHING NEW
Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you,” and we know that the words of Jesus, God the Son, are always true. Last summer, as leftist violence gripped the nation, I preached several sermons on the subject. Although that viciousness was not directed exclusively against Christians, a number of churches were attacked, and certainly our values were assaulted. Now, with a new regime in power, powerful people are discussing the need for “reconciliation centers,” a euphemism for the re-education camps made infamous by Marxist dictators. We correctly understand that Satan is behind all of this hostility, for “he is a liar, and the father of it” and “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). Our response should be like Stephen’s: led by God the Holy Spirit (verse 55), steadfast in setting our affection on heaven (verses 55-56), and firm in our faith (verses 56-59).
- EVIL RIPENS
I chose “ripens” rather than “grows” because of the connotation of ultimate rottenness.
We see this degeneration in the response of the religious leaders. When John the Baptist preached, they permitted him to continue (it was King Herod who killed him not the priests). When Jesus came, they asked the Roman authorities to crucify Him. When Stephen presented God’s truth to them, they stoned him themselves (verses 57-59), a classic outworking of sin. How do we make sure that we do not fall into this easy and evil pattern? One answer is found in verse 60: Stephen prayed for his enemies, following the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 5:44), as well as His example on the Cross (Luke 23:34). Does such prayer make a difference? Yes, for it keeps us from the path of evil, and it may well be part of the way that a sinner is saved: note Saul (verse 58), who we know better as the Apostle Paul. Note also that the prayer took a while to be answered (8:1-3).
- THERE ARE WORSE WAYS TO DIE
The last thing Stephen saw in this life was not flying stones but the face of the Savior. No death is pleasant, and not every Christian will be at his best as death approaches (for there are mitigating factors such as pain, the effects of medicine, and long-term physical and mental deterioration – let us not judge God’s people as they die). We may not be granted a view of heaven as the moment of death comes, but we do have the same certainty that Stephen had, for we have the same Savior.
CONCLUSION – Like Stephen, let us be certain that Jesus is our Savior. Also like Stephen, let us be bold, for our intensity and fervency will encourage others (8:4).