Sermon 11

In Defense Of The Faith

Acts 7

In order to be able to reach the world effectively with the gospel, believers must be able to defend their faith, see Titus 1:9, I Peter 3:15. Sadly, many Christians are unable to do that, having little or not understanding of why they believe. Lacking a solid foundation for their faith, they are easily "tossed" (Ephesians 4:14).

There is an entire area of theology dedicated to defense of the faith known as apologetics. (Apologia = Greek for defense - see Acts 22:1; 25:16; Philippians 1:7, 17. Paul became a great defender of the faith, Acts 17:1-3.

There was a great defender of the faith before Paul whose name was Stephen. As we learned last time, unable to best Stephen in open debate, his opponents trumped up charges of blasphemy against him. They then seized him and hauled him before the Sanhedrin for trial.

Acts 7, the text for this message, is the record of Stephen's answer to the trumped up charges against him. He stood accused of blaspheming God, Moses, the law and the temple - the most serious charges imaginable in Jewish society. While the main thrust of Stephen's speech was to answer the charges of blasphemy, three other ideas are interwoven in the speech.

· to capture an hold their attention he recited Israel's history.

· he presents Jesus as the Messiah using Joseph and Moses as types of Christ.

· he indicted them for rejecting their Messiah (climax 51-53)

Answering the charges of blasphemy

Against God, 7:1-16.

"Are these things so?" = "How do you plead to the charges?" Stephen's reply does not appear at first glance to be a direct answer to that question. "The defense offered by Stephen is hardly calculated to win an acquittal. Rather is a proclamation of the Christian message in Jewish terminology and an indictment of the Jewish leader for their failure to recognize Jesus as their Messiah or to appreciate the salvation provided in him." Stephen's purpose is to show that Christ and the Christian faith are the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament.

(Respect shown verse 2). Stephen affirms the great covenant work of God through Abraham and patriarchs and thus defends himself against the accusation that he blasphemed God. The dictionary defines blasphemy as impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things; an act of cursing or reviling God; irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred or estimable. Does Stephen sound like that to you as he speaks about the God of glory?

Against Moses, 7:17-37.

From Stephen's discussion of Moses, it is obvious that he has the utmost respect for him. In verse 37, Stephen reminds them that Moses predicted Messiah (see John 6:14). In Moses day, the Jews had rejected the one whom God had sent to deliver them from Egypt (vs. 27, 35) and in Stephen's day they had rejected the One whom God had sent to redeem them from sin.

Against The Law, 7:38-43.

Stephen affirms his belief in the law, referring to it as "living oracles" (v. 38) and quotes that which is "written in the book of the prophets" (v. 42 - quotation from Amos 5). But Stephen moves here from a defensive posture to an offensive posture pointing out that those fathers whom these men revered so greatly had rejected the law, vs. 39-43.

Against The Temple, 7:44-50.

Again, Stephen reveals his respect and honor for the things pertaining to God by reciting Jewish history and not slamming it.

But his tone changes dramatically in verse 51. Stephen tells them that they are just like their fathers - "stiff necked" (obstinate) and "uncircumcised in heart and ears" (unclean on the inside). You, too, resist the Holy Spirit. Just as your fathers persecuted, betrayed and murdered the prophets who promised Messiah, you have rejected and murdered the Messiah himself.

Verse 54 tells us that they "were cut to the heart" and "gnashed on him with their teeth" expressing the idea of their rage against Stephen.

In stark contrast to them being filled with anger is Stephen being filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 55). In contrast to their spiritual vision is Stephen's spiritual sight (vs. 55-56). In contrast to their hate (vs. 57-58) is Stephen's love (vs. 59-60).

Luke's foreshadowing - a young man named Saul, guarding their coats and consenting unto Stephen's death (8:1a).