"Gracious to the End" Acts 7:54-60
- Series: "Pandemic" - The Gospel Unleashed
- by: Chris Mayfield 02/07/10
Acts 7:54-60 "Faithful to the End"
They dragged him out of the city and threw rocks at him until he was dead. Not a comfortable way to die, but it was how God had ordained. Stephen didn’t die because things escalated more quickly than God had suspected they would. God knew this would happen and Jesus was standing ready to receive him and welcome him into heaven. God elected Stephen to face this persecution because he knew Stephen was strong enough and full of enough grace to handle it.
Instead of crying out “Why God?! Why?!” with his last breath Stephen prays for his murderers. Even in the midst of a mob and persecution, Stephen’s mind and thoughts are focused and centered on Jesus. Who else would have prayed for the forgiveness of sins for those launching rocks at their head? Stephen’s short appearance in the Bible gives us much to glean. Stephen’s grace and obedience in the midst of his suffering impacted the spread of the gospel throughout the entire region; bolstering the faith of the saints. Stephen finished strong. How will you finish?
Engage the Text
1. Why did Stephen’s words so quickly anger the Sanhedrin?
2. How were these "law-abiding" Jews able to justify the stoning of Stephen?
3. What is significant about Luke mentioning Saul in verse 58? Did Saul approve of what was happening to Stephen?
4. Stephen’s last words are similar to those of who?
From Thought to Action
1. Stephen’s last words are actually a prayer, asking Jesus to receive his spirit and to forgive his enemies, the very ones murdering him. How often do you pray for your enemies and those you feel persecuted by? How often do you pray for their salvation? What prevents us from being filled with compassion and mercy for those we dislike?
Discuss:
Some of us need to be reminded that God can redeem a life that has lived contrary to the gospel for decades. Saul, a murderer and persecutor of the church, has a radical encounter with God. God calls Saul out of a life of legalism and violence and redeems him. More than that, God uses Saul (later named Paul), to build his church and take the gospel all over the world. God was able to bring healing and forgiveness to Saul to the point that even Saul was able to forgive himself and move on (Philippians 3:12-14). If you are holding onto your past sins, if you think that what you have done is too evil or awful for God to forgive, you are wrong. And you need to know the love and mercy of God demonstrated towards you in the person of Jesus. In Jesus there is complete forgiveness; a total reckoning of your sins has been done by Him. To the point which, Saul is able to exclaim “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angles nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:37-39.
