Acts 7
At first glance, this chapter seems to be nothing more than a history lesson chronicling the key events in the lives of the people of Israel. It appears to be less a sermon than a chronology of the Hebrew nation. But if you look closer, you see that Stephen is weaving together the story of God's redemptive plan. He is sharing with his Jewish audience the divine outline of God's intricate plan to send His Son. Stephen is attempting to show the Jews that their history is a vivid reminder of God's hand at work in their midst - paving the way for the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. For Stephen, this is all a "God thing."
Vs 2 - The God of glory appeared...
Vs 4 - God had him [Abraham] move to this country...
Vs 5 - He [God] gave him no inheritance in it...
Vs 5 - He [God] promised that He would give it to him as a possession...
Vs 6 - But God spoke...
Vs 8 - He [God] gave him the covenant of circumcision...
Vs 9 - God was with him [Joseph]...
Vs 10 - God rescued him from all his afflictions...
Vs 10 - God granted him favor and wisdom...
Vs 20 - He [Moses] was lovely in the sight of God...
Vs 30 - An angel appeared to Him in the wilderness...
Vs 33 - The Lord said to him...
Vs 35 - This Moses whom they disowned...God sent...
Vs 42 - God turned away and delivered them up...
Vs 45 - God drove out [the nations] before our fathers...
Stephen weaves throughout his lecture a picture of God's intimate involvement in the history of the people of Israel. He was there every step of the way, directing, guiding, moving, calling, orchestrating every event with a future purpose in mind: The arrival of His Son as the Savior of mankind.
That is exactly where Stephen takes his historical account. He accuses the Jews of doing just what their fathers had done, rejecting the underlying message of God's redemptive plan. They had not only rejected the messengers, they had rejected the Messiah. Their fathers had killed the prophets who were only announcing the coming of the Righteous One. Stephen's listeners had killed the Righteous One Himself.
But while these words caused the Jews to be "cut to the quick," it was Stephen's announcement that he saw the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God that caused the people to cover their ears and rush him. They drove him out of the city and stoned him. Why? Because Stephen simply testified that Jesus was alive, and not only that, He was at the right hand of God the Father, a place of power and authority. That was too much for the Jews to handle. They had no problem believing that Jesus had lived, because they had seen Him. They had even killed Him. But they could not deal with the idea that He truly was the Messiah, the anointed One of God. To accept that would mean that Jesus was the One the prophets had predicted. It would mean that God's divine plan had culminated with the arrival of this obscure Rabbi from the city of Nazareth. It would mean that God's plan did not match their own.
But isn't that what most people struggle with today? They have no problem believing that Jesus lived. They have no problem believing that He was a good man, a great teacher, and an example worthy of following. But to believe that Jesus was somehow the final step in God's divine plan to redeem mankind from sin and death, that's a bit hard to swallow. Because it doesn't fit our plan. And our plan is all about us. We can redeem ourselves. We can earn our own way into heaven. We can live righteous lives on our own.
But until men and women recognize that Jesus really does sit at the right hand of God, they will never understand all of human history points to Him. He is the focal point. He is the solution to all our problems. He is God's answer to the question of mankind's future.
But even as Christians we can struggle with that. We say we believe in Him. We say we trust in Him. But then we live our lives as though we don't need Him. We refuse to look up and see Him for Who He really is. The Son of God, who is the answer to all our problems. He is the solution to all our needs. So He is worth living for, and as Stephen illustrated, worth dying for.
Father, help me to have eyes that see Jesus for who He really is. Give me a vision of His power, authority, divinity, and help me recognize that He is the answer to all of my needs. Give me the boldness to speak about Him to others - even in the face of rejection or possible persecution. Show me how to point all men to Him and to nothing else. May I be willing to live for Him and, if necessary, die for Him. Amen.