Acts 7:59,60

Acts 7:59

Note:

I. The faith of Stephen. How was it manifested, and in what respect may we seek to imitate it? Now, I think we may say that as his faith was seen in every part of his trial, so most remarkably in the manner in which he faced death. It was seen in that upward looking of his soul to God in the hour of deepest suffering; it was proved by the cry which he then uttered, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." These words, spoken at such a time, must be regarded as the strongest evidence to the reality and soundness of Stephen's faith. They show us that he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. Let us also be prepared beforehand. Let us try now and examine our faith. Do not expect to find comfort from it at the last, unless you have proved and tested it in the course and conduct of your common life. Calls for such proof are daily occurring. We have all periods of sorrow; we are all tried by many infirmities; we are all subject to the loss of health, and to the loss of friends. When such things happen unto us, then is the trial of our faith. Let us take them as sent for our good, our portion of the cross, and let us bear cheerfully our burden; ever amidst the present distress let our eye look steadfastly towards heaven.

II. The charity of Stephen. It was of that kind so commended by the Apostle; that which beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Martyr as he was, his death had not been that tranquil sleep in the Lord which now it is, had he carried with him to the grave one thought of harm, one feeling of revenge against his persecutors. But then, neither can ourdeath be tranquil except on the same terms. It is not safefor any man to die at enmity with his fellow. Nay, more. It is not safe for any man to liveat enmity with his fellow. The very charter by which we hold the promise of God's pardon is that we pardon our brother his trespasses.

H. D. B. Rawnsley, Village Sermons,4th series, p. 110.

The Martyrdom of Stephen.

I. The first question that we must ask ourselves in reading this story is, "What is the secret of all this meekness and of all this bravery? How came Stephen to be thus self-possessed before the frowning Sanhedrim, fearless amidst that excited multitude in his home-thrusts of truth, brave in the crisis of trial, forgiving at the moment of death?" Men are not born thus. As we mentally put ourselves into his circumstances, we feel that no physical hardihood, no endowment of natural bravery, could sustain us. There must have been some Divine bestowment, in order to secure this undaunted heroism and this supreme tenderness of love. Then, was it a miraculous gift, reserved for some specially commissioned and specially chosen man, or is it the common heritage of all mankind? These are questions that become interesting as we dwell upon the developments of holy character that are presented to us in the life of Stephen. The secret lies in the delineation of the man. He was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost." He did not leap into this character in a moment; he did not spring, fully armed, as Minerva is fabled to have sprung from the brain of Jupiter. There was no mystic charm by which the Graces clustered around him. He had faith, and that faith was the gift of God to him, as it is the gift of God to us. He had the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and that indwelling is promised to us, as to him, by the blood-shedding of our Surety and Saviour. The only difference between us and him is that he grasped the blessing with a holier boldness and lived habitually in a closer communion with God.

II. The lot of the Christian is, ordinarily, an inheritance of persecution. There was nothing in the character of Stephen to arouse any special hostility. He was reputed learned and honourable, he had refinement of manner, and as the Church's almoner his office was benevolent and kind. But he was faithful, and his reproofs stung his adversaries to the quick. He was consistent, and his life was a perpetual rebuke to those who lived otherwise. He was unanswerable, and that was a crime too great to be forgiven, and so they stoned Stephen. And persecution has been the lot of the Church in all ages.

III. I gather thirdly from this subject that strength and grace are always given most liberally when they are most needed. With special and onerous duty there came to Stephen specially replenished supply. How it rushed in upon him when he needed it! He went into that fierce council unprepared; but how it came upon him the grace, the strength, the manliness, the utterance just as he required it, and lighting up, making him so translucent, so to speak, with glory, that, breaking through the serge and sackcloth of his humiliation, the inner glory mantled out upon the countenance as the morning mantles upon the sky! "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."

IV. We gather from the narrative that death is not death to a believer in Jesus.

"Brutal oaths and frantic yells

And curses loud and deep"

these were the lullaby that sang him to his dreamless slumber. But when God wills a man to sleep, it does not matter how much noise there is around him. "He giveth His beloved sleep."

W. M. Punshon, Christian World Pulpit,vol. vi., p. 385.

References: Acts 7:59; Acts 7:60. P. Robertson, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xv., p. 179; J. C. Jones, Christian World Pulpit,vol. vi., p. 385; Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. xx., No. 1175; Clergyman's Magazine,vol. v., p. 31.Acts 7:60. Christian World Pulpit,vol. x., p. 148; C. J. Vaughan, Church of the First Days,vol. i., p. 261; Three Hundred Outlines on the New Testament,p. 112.Acts 7 E. G. Gibson, Expositor,2nd series, vol. iv., p. 425; Homiletic Quarterly,vol. ii., p. 213.Acts 8:1. H. P. Liddon, Contemporary Pulpit,vol. vi., p. 366; Ibid., Thoughts on Present Church Troubles,p. 63; Ibid., Sermons,vol. ii., No. 1132.Acts 8:2. Homiletic Quarterly,vol. iii., p. 283; E. M. Goulburn, Acts of the Deacons,p. 189; Bishop Simpson, Sermons,p. 421.