Stephen's defense; his testimony of Christ

Acts 7:30-50 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: ³² ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. ³³ But the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’

³⁵ “This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. ³⁶ This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. ³⁷ This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’ ³⁸ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. ³⁹ Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, ⁴⁰ saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’ ⁴¹ At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. ⁴² But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? ⁴³ You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’

⁴⁴ “Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. ⁴⁵ And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. ⁴⁶ David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. ⁴⁸ However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:   ⁴⁹ ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is the footstool of My feet;
What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, ‘Or what place is there for My repose? ⁵⁰ ‘Was it not My hand which made all these things?’

 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. ⁵² Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; ⁵³ you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Today’s text is the completion of Stephen’s defense, his witness of Jesus to the authorities. In Mark 13:9-11 Jesus says:    “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.  The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.”    Stephen’s words were not thought out beforehand. They were not his words at all.  They were the words the Holy Spirit gave him for the time. He was a witness of Christ, revealing who Christ is, the promised Messiah.

Our natural human tendency, if we are charged with something and stand to suffer consequences and punishment will be to defend ourselves. The purpose behind God allowing His people to stand in those situations is as Jesus said:   “you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.  The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.”      We should not seek to defend ourselves or our own reputation but rather as Jesus said, we should testify for His sake, we should preach the gospel.   When we use our own words we tend to represent or testify about a part of who Jesus is. We focus on a particular aspect of His character, either what has been prevalent to our self or what we think those listening will receive.  Hebrews 4:12 says:    the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.     2 Timothy 3:16 says:  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;       Our own words may be affected by our own perspective or our own agenda, but the word of God, inspired and spoken by the Holy Spirit will speak the truth and testify of Jesus.  Jesus says:   “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me.”  (John 15:26)

Stephen was a bold witness of Christ, using the word of God, the scriptures he revealed who Jesus is. The message of the gospel, the good news is neither just about judgment and condemnation for sin nor is it just about mercy and grace, that there are no longer consequences for sin. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus paid the price for our sin. In Him there is no longer judgment or condemnation.  Stephen’s final words, his final witness of Christ was:    “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.  Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;  you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”     The truth of God’s word, the witness and testimony of Jesus Christ is that God is love:   God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)   “For God so loved the world, that He gave His  only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

When a witness is called to testify in a court of law they are sworn to tell the truth saying something to the affect of:   “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? So help you God.”  If we are called to be a witness and testimony of Christ, then we too must tell the whole truth. We must testify of His love, His mercy and grace, we must testify that He is the promised Messiah, the Savior, the Redeemer of all. We must also testify that He is the righteous judge. Jesus says:  For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22) Jesus is both the revelation and demonstration of God’s love and the one who will judge those who do not believe and receive His love and grace. He says:    “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:17-21)  

The truth, the whole truth is that each one will be judged. Hebrews 9:27 says:   Just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.      Each one has a choice about that judgment. Each one can be judged either in Christ, in love, mercy and grace or by Christ the righteous judge.  Jesus did not come to eliminate sin or its consequences.  He came to redeem and save sinners.    He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light.     That’s the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

May I be a faithful witness and testimony of Jesus Christ regardless of what impact it may have on me. May I tell the whole truth of Jesus love, mercy, grace, His redemption and of His righteous judgment.    Amen