Nathaniel R. Martin

Sermon Idea: The Lord Jesus lives and acts to make all things new. 

Introduction: Is there anything we wouldn’t do, any place we wouldn’t go, any person we wouldn’t seek if it meant our hurting child might be made well? 

Jairus has little time to waste, but he knows where to go and whom to seek. The urgency of the moment is vividly described in the Gospel According to Mark through dialogue.

The worried father rushes to Jesus, “… and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” (Mk 5:22–23)

Jesus agrees to go to Jairus only for someone to meet them on the way to inform them that she has died. Why bother the teacher any further? It is suggested. She’s dead already. Leave Jesus alone.   

Jesus presses on with Jairus, but only takes Peter, James, and John into the house. This is what we read in Mark 5:41-42 after Jesus enters the room. 

. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. (Mk 5:40–42)

This is a miracle. It is not random or arbitrary; it is purposeful. It is a miraculous sign that not only testifies to Jesus’ divinity—He is God, but also that the Kingdom of God is coming on earth as it is in heaven. God’s new creation has begun with the arrival of the Son.

As a sign, it signifies a truth beyond itself. Those who saw it and those who now hear of it are to believe in Jesus Christ. 

This is how the miracles of Christ function in the gospels. Whether it is a healing, an exorcism, or a resuscitation, they are signs of God’s kingdom in Jesus Christ. 

What about the miraculous signs in the books of Acts? The Apostles perform miraculous signs in the name of Jesus. For example, Peter heals the lame beggar in the name of Jesus in Acts 3:6 and performs many signs and wonders in Acts 5:12-16. 

Our text this morning includes two more miraculous signs performed by the apostles, with, surprisingly, more details than before. Not only do we know their conditions and where they live, but we also know their names, Aeneas and Dorcas, also called Tabitha. It is worth noting that only a letter separates Jesus’ statement, “Talitha cumi” in Mark 5, from Peter’s “Tabitha, arise” in Acts 9:40. Surely, we are meant to notice the similarities and reflect on them. 

In Acts, the miraculous signs serve in the same way they do in the gospels, but with an important added element. Jesus has been crucified, buried, and risen. He is the ascended Lord, but he is not physically present. 

In Acts, the miraculous signs bear witness to the fact that the risen Christ is living and active. With every miracle, the risen Christ validates the apostles’ preaching and demonstrates that he reigns. The ascension of Christ does not mean the absence of Christ nor the irrelevance of his kingdom. 

On the contrary, Christ is risen and lives. His kingdom will know no end, and everyone, everywhere, should repent and believe in Christ.  

Peter lives and does ministry with a vivid awareness of Christ’s Lordship. Jesus’ rule and reign inform Peter’s thoughts, words, and actions. 

Now, the miraculous nature of these signs, as a gift through human servants, ended with the apostolic era. God still heals and performs miracles in accordance with his will, but these signs were for a particular purpose at a particular time in redemptive history. 

That said, is there not something we can learn from the apostles living with such a vivid awareness of Christ’s lordship? Perhaps I can say it this way. 

To what degree does Jesus being alive and reigning inform your thought life, words, and actions? Do you believe that if the reigning Christ can heal a paralyzed man, he can tend to the heaviest burdens of your heart? 

In your battle against temptation and sin, do you fight with an awareness that Christ lives, reigns, and is for you? 

Are you trying to improve your marriage apart from the astonishing reality that Christ lives, reigns, and is at work to make all things new? 

The Lord Jesus lives and acts to make all things new. The sign of raising Aeneas bears witness to that, the sign of raising Tabitha bears witness to that, and every person who repents and believes the gospel bears witness to that. Let’s take them one at a time. 

I.) The sign of raising Aeneas (Acts 9:32-35) 

The story of Saul is interuppted and Luke returns to the ministry of Peter, who is traveling here and there. He makes his way down to Lydda, where he comes upon Aeneas. 

33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. (Ac 9:33–35)

Aeneas has been bedridden for nearly a decade. Perhaps he has a stroke and has been paralyzed since. The text tells us that he is found after Peter came to the “saints who lived in Lydda,” suggesting that Aeneas is a brother in Christ.  Beyond that, we have few details, and the narrative is rather brief. 

The fundamental truth we are to draw from this healing is that Jesus restores Aeneas to health. Peter does not heal him, nor does he do anything by his own power. Peter is merely a faithful conduit for the grace and power of Christ. Listen to his words, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you…”

At the risk of belaboring this point, the ascension of Christ does not mean the absence of Christ. He lives and acts to make all things new. 

We need to take note of what the sign leads to. Those who saw Aeneas turn to the Lord. This is the language of repentance. To turn to the Lord is to turn from ourselves and the idols of our hearts to God in repentance and faith. 

One question worth asking is why Jesus leaves some of us as we are—sick, disabled, frail. An honest reading of the Gospels must lead us to conclude that Jesus and the apostles likely did not heal every single person. 

We can learn a lot from listening to the godly voices of disabled brothers and sisters in this regard. One voice worth listening to is Joni Eareckson Tada’s. At the age of 17, she dived into shallow water, breaking her neck, resulting in her becoming quadriplegic. She is now 76 years old and has spent the vast majority of her life in a wheelchair. She has spoken and written extensively about disability and the Christian life. 

In one piece of writing, she hopes for the possibility of taking her wheelchair to heaven.  

I sure hope I can bring this wheelchair to heaven.Now, I know that’s not theologically correct.

But I hope to bring it and put it in a little corner of heaven, and then in my new, perfect, glorified body, standing on grateful glorified legs, I’ll stand next to my Savior, holding his nail-pierced hands.

I’ll say, “Thank you, Jesus,” and he will know that I mean it, because he knows me.

He’ll recognize me from the fellowship we’re now sharing in his sufferings.

And I will say, ”Jesus, do you see that wheelchair? You were right when you said that in this world we would have trouble, because that thing was a lot of trouble. But the weaker I was in that thing, the harder I leaned on you. And the harder I leaned on you, the stronger I discovered you to be. It never would have happened had you not given me the bruising of the blessing of that wheelchair.”

Joni’s perspective regarding her own experience has a lot to teach us about suffering. In God’s sovereign providence, he gives us— the bruisings of the blessing— a greater good which comes through suffering and a greater intimacy with God than we would have had otherwise. 

II.) The sign of raising Tabitha (Acts 9:36-41) 

The text changes scenes in verse 36, and we learn of a female disciple named Tabitha. That was her Aramaic name, and her Greek name was Dorcas. She was a woman of good works and acts of charity, beloved by her community. When she passes, they wash her body and lay her in the upper room, perhaps showing their hope that God may miraculously restore her life. They learn that Peter is nearby and seek him out. Look with me at verse 38. 

38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” 

39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. (Ac 9:37–39)

Before we get to the miracle itself, we need to listen to the details that Like shares with us. Why does he give us this picture of a deceased woman surrounded by widows whom she cared for? The tunics and garments were made by Dorcas and given to the widows 

We are given these details, I think, to take note of what the grace of God looks like in the life of a believer. Tabitha lived in such a way that her death was a loss felt in the community of faith. People surrounded her dead body with tears in their eyes because of how she cared for them. 

What result does your presence have on the community of faith? Would people take a deep breath if you left, because you’re that difficult? Would your absence be felt? Is your presence edifying, enriching, Christ-exalting? 

Dorcas was a sister touched by the grace of God in Christ, and it overflowed, so that her practice of religion was pure and undefiled as James describes. 

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (Jas 1:27)

Just as Jesus ushered everyone out of the room when he raised Talitha, so Peter ushers out these widows. Once alone, Peter kneels, prays, and then commands Tabitha to arise. 

40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner. (Ac 9:40–43)

Just as before, it is Jesus, not Peter, who resuscitates Tabitha. She is restored to life, leading many to believe in the Lord. That is the point. Your Jesus is the one who raises the dead. We are to believe and put our trust in him. 

28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (Jn 5:28–29)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:25–26)

These miraculous signs of Christ anticipate a greater act. One day Christ will raise the dead in Christ to life. Will you be among them? Or will you be resurrected to judgment? 

The good news of the gospel, for those who believe, is that God judges their sin sufficiently in the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross. Since the judgment has already happened, the only thing awaiting the saints in resurrection is life. 

But for all who clutch their fist, love themselves, and die at enmity with God, the only thing that awaits them is a resurrection to judgment. 

III.) The sign of repentance and believing in the Lord (Acts 9:35, 42) 

35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.  (Ac 9:35)

42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. (Ac 9:42.)

The most evident and clear witness to Christ’s lordship and his act to bring about the new creation is the salvation of sinners. 

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Co 5:17)

Each one of you is a walking, talking witness that Christ lives, reigns, and is making all things new. Isn’t that good? Every repentant sinner who places their faith in Christ is a witness that Christ lives, reigns, and is making all things new. 

It is not necessarily true that we no longer see miracles. We are walking miracles of grace, whose dead hearts were raised to new life in Jesus Christ. 

The Lord Jesus lives and acts to make all things new

Sermon Idea: To encounter Christ is to change, so that we follow Jesus in the costly life of Christian discipleship lived in and with the church.

Introduction: Put yourself in their shoes. This man’s reputation preceded him. Word had certainly gotten around that Saul was responsible for much of the suffering that the church had experienced. It was Saul, after all, who was standing in approval as Stephen’s blood-soaked garments were laid at his feet. Saul’s zeal against Christ and his church is described with violent language in Acts 8:3 and 9:1. 

3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. (Ac 8:3)

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (Ac 9:1–2)

Is there any wonder as to why the disciples in Jerusalem are afraid of Saul? Wouldn’t you be? They are not only scared but also doubt the sincerity of his conversion. Could such a violent persecutor of the church really become a Christian brother?

Ananias and Sapphira professed Christ, but their lives betrayed that profession, and so they proved to be false converts. Simon the magician believed and was baptized, but his life quickly betrayed his profession, revealing him to be a false convert as well. 

How can the disciples be assured that Saul has truly encountered Christ? What are the evidence that he has been converted? We will provide answers to these questions, but there is one factor that distinguishes Saul from Ananias, Sapphira, and Simon: He changed. 

What happened to Saul on the road to Damascus was more than a change of occupation. It was more than an emotional experience. Saul encountered the risen Christ and before his glory was changed. What happened to him was spiritual in nature. His dead, rebellious heart was changed to a living, submissive heart through faith in Jesus Christ. 

The change wrought by Paul’s encounter with Christ is so apparent that he says in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Ga 2:20)

To encounter Christ is to change, so that we follow Jesus in the costly life of Christian discipleship lived in and with the church.

Our encounters with the risen Christ have not been as dramatic and visible as the Apostle Paul’s, but the result has been the same. If you have truly encountered the risen Christ through his Word, in the preaching of the gospel, and were saved, a glorious change was wrought in you. 

God made you alive in Christ, so that you would turn from your sin and idolatry to Christ through faith. A fundamental change took place, so that you are not the person you once were. You have received a new nature that produces new character because you are saved and now a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

As Paul teaches us elsewhere, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Co 5:17)

This change is not to immediate perfection. It is not a change to a life without spiritual struggle or even sinful lapses. The sincerely converted can and do act contrary to their new nature, but the key is that it is contrary to who they now are and not consistent with it. 

As the Baptist Faith & Message rightly confesses, Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Article V, God’s Purpose of Grace

It was the evidence of true conversion in the life of Saul that persuaded and reassured the disciples in Jerusalem that Saul was indeed now a fellow brother in Christ. 

What is the evidence of change in your life that testifies to God’s gracious work of conversion? Reflecting on that question should provide many reasons for thankfulness and praise to God for his grace. 

If, by chance, you claim to have encountered Christ, but your allegiances remain unaffected; If your thinking, speaking, and acting remain unchanged, then it was likely not Christ whom you encountered, nor a genuine conversion that you experienced. 

This morning, I want us to reflect on the change wrought in the Apostle Paul by encountering Christ.To encounter Christ is to change, so that we follow Jesus in the costly life of Christian discipleship lived in and with the church.

I.) The Change (Acts 9:19-22) 

The first and primary evidence of genuine change in Saul is his allegiance to Jesus Christ, whom he once denied and persecuted. He was a persecutor of Christ, and now he is a proclaimer that Jesus is the Christ. 

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” (Ac 9:19–20)

22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. (Ac 9:22)

All who hear Saul’s preaching can’t believe what they are hearing. The man who made havoc for all who called upon the name of Jesus is now proclaiming the name of Jesus. 

The central claim of Saul’s preaching is that Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified one, is the Son of God, the Anointed One, the Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, then, is the Lord through whom God will bring about all his saving promises. To receive the Lord’s salvation, one must call upon the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:21, 36). 

Notice something else. The way Saul is going about this shows that his encounter with Christ has changed his understanding of the Scriptures. 

We read that Saul, “confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” (Acts 9:22)

How did Saul prove that Jesus was the Christ? What do you think he did? The word translated as “proving” in most English translations conveys the idea of joining, knitting, or putting together. 

Saul is taking Old Testament passages and combining them to prove that Jesus is the Christ in accordance with the Scriptures. This is how Paul describes receiving the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Co 15:3–4)

Saul has changed. That change is evident in his conviction. It is obvious in his proclamation of who Jesus is and in his new understanding of the Scriptures as about Jesus. 

It is also evident in his character. Saul now pursues the good of those who follow Jesus and the good of those who do not by preaching Jesus to them. 

Saul’s conversion should be an encouragement to all of us that his sovereign grace can change even the most hardened sinners. There is no sin so grave that God’s grace cannot be greater still. 

Beyond that, friend. Saul’s conversion and young Christian life are an encouragement that you can change. Notice that in verse 22, we are told that Saul increased all the more in strength. The source of that strength is the Holy Spirit.

I wonder how many of us this morning at the start of this new year need to be reminded of the transformative power of God by His Spirit. What part of your walk with the Lord needs to be strengthened? Will you believe that the God who saved you in Christ can and will strengthen you by his Spirit?

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (Jas 4:6–8)

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn 1:9)

Believe this promise, beloved, and act on it. Take your temptations and troubles before the Lord, draw near to God, and be strengthened by his grace. 

The change of Saul’s convictions and character bears witness to the sincerity of his conversion. The next point strengthens the case, as Saul embraces the sufferings of Christ and the cost of discipleship. 

II.) The Cost (Acts 9:23-25) 

You may remember that the risen Christ said that Saul would suffer for Christ’s sake. 

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. (Ac 9:15–16)

That begins almost immediately as the Jews plot to kill Saul. 

23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. (Ac 9:23–25)

How many people at this moment would have done a risk assessment and decide that it would be safer not to follow Jesus? Paul here, and especially throughout the rest of the New Testament, demonstrates genuine conversion because he accepts the cost of discipleship. He will share in the sufferings of Christ, and he will suffer because of the name of Christ.

We would do well to reflect on vs 24-25, 24, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Christian faithfulness perseveres in suffering, but it does not carelessly pursue it. The Bible always honors Martys, but it never romanticizes martyrdom. Paul learns of a threat to his life and wisely removes himself from its danger. 

If we pay attention to the lowering of Paul in a basket, we might remember that Rahab lowered the spies down a window in Joshua 2 and how David was lowered down through a window as he ran from King Saul. 

15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. (Jos 2:15)

11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. (1 Sa 19:11–12)

Like the Spies and David, Saul may be on the run from those who wish him harm, but he is God’s chosen servant, and through God, He will work to deliver his people. 

Jesus clearly told us there is a cost to discipleship. We are to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. Jesus also taught us the parable of the four soils. Many who profess faith at first have their faith choked out by the difficulty of the word. 

Referring to the seed thrown on rocky ground, Jesus said,20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. (Mt 13:20–21)

Saul has encountered the risen Christ and so embraced the cost of following Jesus. 

Have you considered that the assurance of your salvation has more to do with your continual trust in Christ in the present than a decision you made in the past? 

We will not likely experience this level of persecution as Saul did, but whatever pain we experience for the name of Jesus should be done remembering the promises of Jesus. 

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Mt 5:10–11)

III.) The Church (Acts 9:26-31) 

Saul was commissioned by the risen Christ himself to be an Apostle to the Gentiles. This would puff up lesser men. It would keep them from local church accountability and partnerships. That’s not what Saul does. Listen to the simple sentence in verse 26, And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples (Ac 9:26)

Saul seeks more relationships and more partnerships among disciples of Jesus for his own benefit and for the advancement of the gospel. This is also evidence of a sincere conversion. Saul desires Christian fellowship and gospel partnership for ministry. 

What is even more interesting to me is the space the church has to assess and affirm Saul before bringing him into the fold. 

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. (Ac 9:27–30)

The evidence of Saul’s conversion is what persuades the church that he truly had an encounter with Christ and is a Christian brother. This is the beginning of his relationship with the local church. The next time we encounter Paul, he will be sent out by the church of Antioch, which he and Barnabas seemed to have made their “home church” for his first missionary journey. 

I love this! The man commissioned by the risen Christ submits and is accountable to the local church. All of Paul’s ministry from here on out is in cooperation with local churches. All of his writing ministry was committed to the strengthening of local churches. 

You see, one of the simplest signs of a saving encounter with Christ is a love for the bride of Christ, the church. And those who love the church desire to be submissive and accountable to the church. 

Illustration: My ordination at North Wake.

Perhaps the Lord has gifted and equipped you, and I wonder if you’re demonstrating the humility Paul does here by being submissive and accountable to the church. 

I’m only encouraged by those who want to lead if they first demonstrate a willingness to follow and serve the local church. 

To encounter Christ is to change, so that we follow Jesus in the costly life of Christian discipleship lived in and with the church.

Sermon Idea: God works extraordinarily through evangelism to build his church and create one people united in Jesus Christ. 

Introduction: In one of the earliest defenses of the Christian faith, Tertullian, writing around AD 200 in his Apology, argues that the Roman authorities were unjust in persecuting and mistreating Christians. In it, he responds to slanderous charges, defends the faith, and makes a positive case for Christianity. 

One particular point made by Tertullian has resonated with many believers throughout church history. The reality of persecution, painful as it was, could not prevent the spread of the gospel and the building of Christ’s church. 

He wrote, “The more you mow us down, the more we grow: the blood of Christians is seed.”

This certainly is not intended to glamorize persecution nor encourage the pursuit of martyrdom. It is intended to magnify the sovereign providence of God, whose redemptive work and building of Christ’s church cannot be prevented. 

How fitting this image is for our text this morning, as Stephen’s blood has been shed as the first Christian martyr, and the church scatters, taking the gospel into Samaria. 

Stephen’s blood being shed is exactly how Paul remembers Stephen’s death in Acts 22:20. We read, 20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ (Ac 22:20)

When you consider that image with verses 1 & 4 of chapter 8, you’ll quickly see how Tertullian’s words describe well what we see in Acts. 

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Ac 8:1)

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (Ac 8:4)

If the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, then the proclamation of the Word is the water that nurtures its growth. It is the ordinary work of evangelism through which God works extraordinarily to save sinners and build his church. 

In fact, one New Testament scholar summarizes our passage in this way: “In effect, Luke unfolds a theology of evangelism here.”

God works extraordinarily through evangelism to build his church and create one people united in Jesus Christ.

This morning, we are going to learn about how the gospel advanced beyond Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, how God works through the Word, and how He uses ordinary people like you and me in that work. We will also see that this work is not without its challenges. Being aware of the potential difficulties we may face in gospel sharing will only prepare us to endure those challenges and think rightly about them. 

In all, I want to show you four related truths: proclaiming the Word is the work of evangelism, false religion competes with evangelism, a unified people in Christ is the fruit of evangelism, and false conversions are the challenge of evangelism. 

I.) Proclaiming the Word is the work of evangelism (Acts 8:4-7, 12) 

The work of evangelism is not just any work of the church, but a particular type of work. Look how it is described in verses 4-5. 

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ (Ac 8:4–5)

In both instances, it is the proclamation that is central to evangelism. In the first instance, it is preaching the word, i.e., the good news of the gospel. In the second instance, it is proclaiming Christ, who, of course, is the center of the gospel’s good news. 

Yes, signs and wonders are mentioned in verses 6-7, but the word is central. Consider how prominent proclaiming the word is in this passage. 

In verse 12, we read that Phillip, “….preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.” 

In verse 25, we read that the apostles “spoke the word of the Lord…preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.”

As I reflect on these verses, I see the importance of what is proclaimed and who is proclaiming. Let’s take those one at a time. 

Consider the very related, yet different ways Luke describes the message we are to share in evangelism. 

The message of evangelism is the word (vs. 4) about Christ (vs. 5). It is the good news of the kingdom of God (vs. 12) and about the name of Jesus Christ (vs. 12). Put together, and the details parsed out, these ways make up the gospel (vs. 25) we are to share in evangelism. 

Phillip is preaching the name of Jesus, so that they’ll know it is Jesus of Nazareth who fulfills the Scriptures and is the promised Messiah. Of course, since it is Jesus of Nazareth, the gospel is about the Messiah who was crucified and raised from the dead and in whom forgiveness of sin is available to those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ. 

Today, if we were to try to share this message of the gospel, including these elements, we might say something like this.

The one true and living God is holy and the creator of everything, including you and me. We were created in God’s image to know him, worship him, and live with him in his kingdom. But we have sinned against God and have been banished from his good presence and kingdom. That’s what’s so wrong with the world. Our sinful rebellion against God has made all that was good wrong, and there is no way for us to make it right again. 

In God’s great love, he makes a way for everything to be made right. God becomes a man in Jesus Christ, who lives the life we were supposed to live, he died on the cross paying the penalty for our sins, and was raised from the dead, showing that God accepts Christ’s sacrifice for sin. Now forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God are given to all who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus. Jesus is the king, and we should give our allegiance to him. All who do will not only have their sins forgiven and be right with God, but will be given eternal life to live with God in his good kingdom forever. 

This is the good news of the gospel, and it is good news that must be shared using words. Living well before people is not evangelism. Defending the faith is not evangelism. Sharing your testimony is not evangelism.

Proclaiming the good news of the gospel with the aim to persuade sinners to repent and believe in Jesus is evangelism. 

Now notice who is doing this work of evangelism. Is it just the apostles? No, it is ordinary, unnamed believers like you and me, 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

We all have received the great commission from the Lord Jesus to make disciples by sharing the gospel. We can do that by sharing the gospel with a friend and by supporting and investing in a healthy church that is centered on the gospel—ones that reproduce, plants churches, and sends missionaries that they support well. 

J.I. Packer, in what is one of my favorite books on evangelism, writes, “The truth of salvation has been made known to us, not for us simply to preserve (though we must certainly do that), but also, and primarily, to spread. The light is not meant to be hidden under a bushel. It is meant to shine…He who does not devote himself to evangelism in every way that he can is not, therefore, playing the part of a good and faithful servant of Jesus Christ.”

Friend, do you believe that God can use you for the spread of the gospel and the advancement of his kingdom? This is not the work of a select few. It is our work together.

What if God has brought lost people close to you, so that they may hear about the good news of the gospel in your conversations with them? 

II.) False religion competes with evangelism (Acts 8:9-13)

As the gospel spreads into Samaria, it does not do so among a culture with its own beliefs and even a recent fascination with dark spiritual practices like magic. 

9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” (Ac 8:9–10)

The magic that they are amazed by is not a mere illusion or trick, but acts associated with spiritual powers. This is not an innocent way of getting to God, but a demonic means of Satan to distract people from God and distort the truth of the gospel. Paul speaks of Idol sacrifice really being sacrifices to demons in 1 Corinthians 10. John tells us to test the spirits, becasue many false prophets teach errant things about Jesus and so are not from God. 

Both the Old & New Testaments condemn the practice of sorcery and witchcraft just as they do every other form of idolatry. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 is a good example. 

10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer, or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. (Dt 18:10–12)

The Bible never speaks of false religion and practices as innocent and neutral spirituality, but as demonic competitors to the truth of the gospel. 

In a Gospel Coalition article from 2023, a sister named Jordan Taylor shared her conversion from witchcraft and New Age spirituality to Christ. As I read a portion of it, I want you to listen to how she reflects on her former practices. 

For more than 10 years, I was entrenched in mysticism and self-discovery.

I practiced witchcraft and performed spells. I became an oracle-card reader and enrolled in classes to sharpen my psychic abilities. I was a certified Reiki master and yoga teacher. I used crystals as a means of healing, protecting, and manifesting. I believed in astrology, manifesting under a new moon and cleansing and recharging my energy under the full moon. I worshiped nature and worked with goddesses. I found my spirit guides and let them lead the course of my life. I’d talk to “Spirit/Source/Universe” and believed I was speaking to my “higher self.” I believed I created my own reality and I was my own god, in control of my life. I thought I finally knew my purpose—to heal the collective, raise the vibration of the planet, and help others heal and do the same.

I was wrong about all of it. What I was actually doing was laying down a welcome mat for darkness and deception—and all that comes with it. The very practices I believed protected me and connected me to something divine were only pushing me further into darkness, further away from God.

We are not doing evangelism in a neutral culture. We are doing evangelism in a culture where false beliefs and practices compete for the hearts and minds of every person. Behind these false beliefs and practices is not a mere difference of ideas, but a work of Satan and spiritual powers that seek to blind people to the truth of the gospel. 

Whether it’s New Age spirituality, heretical cults like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormonism, false religions like Islam, or the progressive ideology that’s taken over American culture regarding gender and sexuality, evangelism is a form of spiritual warfare.

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ( Eph 6:12)

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Co 4:4)

Notice how the text talks of Simon’s magic and Philipp’s gospel preaching as if they compete with one another. By that I mean, they both long for the attention and allegiance of the Samaritans. 

11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Ac 8:11–12)

I say that false religions compete for the hearts and minds of others, but when God acts, it is not a competition. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and it is through the preaching of the gospel that these Samaritans turn from magic to Jesus Christ. 

It is by centering the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives and ministry that we find the best way to shine the brightest light into a world blinded by darkness. 

Don’t miss that the Samaritans are welcome in the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ, but they can’t bring their syncretism and magic with them. One of the errant beliefs of our culture that has unfortunately made its way into some churches is that to love is to be all-affirming and all-accepting. This is love in word only and is empty. It ignores God’s holiness and righteous law. It ignores his goodness and grace. God loves the Samaritans, and so he calls them out of the love of magic through the gospel. They are welcome; these beliefs are not. 

This will be important for our final point: notice that Simon is also said to believe, but note carefully how it’s described. 

13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. (Ac 8:13)

It is in the following few verses that we get the fullest expression of the meaning of this passage. Salvation coming to the Samaritans teaches us that the fruit of evangelism is a unified people in Jesus Christ.  

III.) A unified people in Christ is the fruit of evangelism (Acts 8:14-17, 25)

Word has reached Jerusalem that the Samaritans have received the gospel, so Peter and John are to see to the start of this young church. We then get an interesting note in verses 15-17. 

15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. (Ac 8:15–17)

This is a description of a unique moment in redemptive history. As we read the rest of the New Testament, we can see how this is irregular and not the normative experience for the church today. 

The question remains, however, why did the delay in sending the Holy Spirit to a group of people who had repented and believed the gospel?

Once we remember that the gospel is being preached to Samaritans, we begin to put the pieces together. Do you remember what the Gospel of John tells us about the relationship between Jews and Samaritans? 

In John 4, Jesus asks a Samaritan woman for water at a well. Listen to how she responds. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) (Jn 4:9)

The dislike between Jews and Samaritans has a long, complicated history. After Israel was divided into two kingdoms, King Omri named the capital of the Northern Kingdom Samaria. When Israel is captured and exiled by the Assyrians in 722-721 BC, they ship off the strongest Israelites, leaving behind the weak and the poor who intermarry with the foreigners who resettle Samaria. 

²⁴ And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. (2 Ki 17:24)

Over time, there was a mixing of pagan worship with Judaism, so that when Israel finally returns, the “Samaritans” are viewed with disdain as a mixed people who practice a mixed and polluted form of Judaism. The Samaritans even built their own temple for worship on Mount Gerizim. All of this results in a long, mutual disdain (Neh. 4:1-2) for one another. 

So why does God wait to give the Spirit? In his wisdom, he delays until the apostles can be present to see with their very eyes the Spirit of God, the same Spirit promised in the New Covenant that indwells them, has been given to Samaritan believers. They are to see and know that through Jesus Christ, they are full members of the new covenant community, just as the Jews are. The apostles can then bear witness to their place in the church. 

In Jesus Christ, God is creating one, unified people.

We will see something very similar when the gospel reaches the Gentiles. The laying on of hands and a dramatic display are not necessary or regular, but God does so as the gospel expands to new places and among people outside of Israel (Acts 8:38; 10:44). 

It is the gospel alone that can create a community that’s both unified and diverse. All the other efforts will fail. The gospel tears down barriers that keep us from one another, as we are united in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is unlike any other. It is a community that only makes sense becasue the gospel is true. That’s what Paul says displays the wisdom of God. As God creates one people in Christ out of Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles, “…the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Eph 3:10)

IV.) False conversions are the challenge of evangelism (Acts 8:18-24) 

Unfortunately, there is one more thing to consider in our study of Acts 8 and the theology of evangelism it offers. We have to learn from the church’s response to Simon, who is an example of one who professes faith with his mouth but whose heart is far from him. 

18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Ac 8:18–19)

The text does not allow us to read this positively. He was a man who spoke of himself as great, and even after his profession of faith, it is the signs and wonders he was amazed by. He wants to regain his influence in Samaria. He wants this power not for the advancement of the gospel, but for the advancement of his own name. Not only that, but he knows so little of God and his grace that he thinks he can purchase power with money that only God has the authority to give.

If there was any doubt about this reading, the apostle’s response clarifies exactly how we are to think about Simon.   

20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” (Ac 8:20–23)

Verses 21 and 23 are as strong an indictment of his spiritual state. He has neither part nor lot in the gospel, because his heart is not right before God.  The language of gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity does not describe a mistake or temporary moral mistake, but a heart enslaved to sin and the desires of the flesh. 

Even his response lacks signs of a contrite heart. It reads more like someone wanting to evade the consequences of their sin rather than someone grieving the reality of their sin to repentance. 

24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Ac 8:24)

Simon’s story, and so many others throughout church history, remind us that although the gospel will advance, it will do so amid challenges. We must be diligent in watching out for those who wrongly believe they are saved and implore them to repent and believe in Christ alone. We should not be a cynical or pessimistic church, but we can’t afford to be a naive one either. False conversions will happen, but we should strive to do ministry and worship in ways that expose the emptiness of their hearts and call them to true saving faith. 

God works extraordinarily through evangelism to build his church and create one people united in Jesus Christ. 

The passage ends with this emphasis again, 25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. (Ac 8:25)

This is the work God has called us to. We are to share the gospel, aiming to persuade people to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. May we be faithful to prayerfully proclaim the gospel in Massac County, Southern Illinois, and wherever the Lord takes us. 

Sermon Idea: Stephen’s ministry and death bear witness that God’s transcendent presence is not restricted to one people group, place, or thing but is found in Jesus Christ. 

Introduction: I trust that you are familiar with the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross. No doubt you are familiar with, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Or the most often referenced saying, “It is finished.” 

These are the most memorable words of Jesus on the cross, but they are not the only words. Jesus also prayed for those who were crucifying him. 

34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Lk 23:34)

Just before taking his last breath, Jesus entrusts himself to the Father by saying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this, he breathed his last. (Lk 23:46)

Jesus dies on the cross with unwavering trust in the Father, so he can forgive those crucifying him and willingly surrender his life in hope of the resurrection. 

Stephen was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ and a friend of the apostles. We learned in Acts 6:5 that he was a man, “…full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” Like Jesus, who came to serve, not to be served, Stephen was a man who gave his time and energy to serving the weak and vulnerable. 

His name means “crown,” and he was the first martyr of the Christian faith.  Familiar as we are with Jesus’ last words, you may not have ever thought about the last words of Stephen. 

59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Ac 7:59–60)

Stephen’s example is one of Christ-likeness in life, ministry, and even death. One of the reasons I wanted to take this whole unit together rather than dividing it over several weeks is that taken together, you can get a picture of a faithful witness to Christ whose ministry reflects Jesus Christ, whose reading of the Bible is centered on Jesus Christ, and whose last words resemble Jesus Christ. 

Jesus is at the center of it all for Stephen, and Jesus should be at the center of it all for us. 

At one level, this text advances the story of Acts by transitioning from the mission in Jerusalem to the planting of churches in Judea and Samaria. Jerusalem or the temple will not limit God’s presence and work, because Jesus Christ is the ascended Lord and the cornerstone of a new temple. The presence of God and the worship of God can be found wherever the people of God are. 

You might capture the meaning of this section as follows: Stephen’s ministry and death bear witness that God’s transcendent presence is not restricted to one people group, place, or thing, but is found in Jesus Christ. 

That is the central message, but it is communicated by a messenger whose life, ministry, and death resemble our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to keep the message and the messenger in view, because both lead us to Jesus Christ. 

To do that, we’ll follow the narrative in four movements: Stephen’s Christ-like ministry, Stephen’s Christ-centered biblical defense, Stephen’s Christ-likeness in the face of death, and Stephen’s church-scattering sacrifice. 

I.) Stephen’s Christ-like ministry (Acts 6:8-15)

Stephen is described as a man “full of grace and power.” These are characteristics not natural to Stephen nor ones he cultivated with time or practice. They are the result of God’s grace and the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. 

Stephen is one of three individuals, apart from the apostles, who perform signs and wonders. As a reminder, the signs and wonders point beyond themselves. They are displays of power to authenticate and validate the message of the gospel that the apostles preach. Stephen, then, must have been making much of Jesus Christ and the new covenant that he brought. 

His ministry brings him into conflict with fellow Hellenistic Jews, who have taken issue with what Stephen is preaching. 

9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. (Ac 6:9)

As the Pharisees and Sadducees often attempted with Jesus, these Jews debated with Stephen with no success, “…they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit which he was speaking.” (Acts 6:10) 

This is precisely what Jesus promised to his disciples. 

15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. (Lk 21:15)

Unable to defeat Stephen in a public debate, they conspired among themselves to bring serious accusations of blasphemy against Stephen. This alone is reminiscent of Jesus’ suffering, but we also have the added element of false witnesses. Stephen is walking the path of his Lord. 

11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” (Ac 6:11–14)

The charges are first introduced generally in verse 11 and then detailed in verses 13-14. They are accusing Stephen of blaspheming Moses and God because he allegedly spoke against the law and the temple. It appears that Stephen was probably preaching that Jesus was the Messiah who fulfilled the law and ended the Old Covenant sacrificial system. 

If this is what Stephen was doing, he was not blaspheming Moses or God, but showing how the law and the temple pointed forward and found their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The new covenant has come, so that the old covenant is passing away. 

13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Heb 8:13)

There would have been a grain of truth in what these false witnesses said, but it would be a twisted and exaggerated truth to paint as bad a picture of Stephen as possible. 

For any who has eyes to see and ears to hear, God gives them a clue as to who really represents him in this moment. Stephen’s face shines brightly. 

15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Ac 6:15)

Moses’ face shone brightly after meeting with God. Jesus was transfigured, shining brightly before his disciples, revealing his divine glory. For Stephen’s face to shine brightly like an angel is a sign that he is God’s messenger, a representative of heaven. Far from opposing Moses, Stephen is like Moses, speaking the will of God about the law and the temple. 

Can you imagine communing with God so closely that you reflect his glory? Can you imagine following Jesus so closely that your life resembles his in visible and tangible ways? 

Stephen is captivated by a vision of the glory of God in Christ that is so real to him that he shines brightly.

Several months ago, we had the privilege of having Paul Washer with us, who preached a really edifying sermon on a Wednesday evening. What has stuck with me the most about him being here was not necessarily what he said while preaching, but what he said afterward. There were only a few of us left here. He was encouraging one of our young men to pursue the Lord through the Word and prayer, to experience God’s presence truly. And speaking of his own experience, he said of God, “He is more real to me in this moment than the three of you put together.” 

I have thought about that a lot since. For Stephen, the glory of God in Jesus Christ was more real to him than all these false witnesses put together. 

It is this communion and experience of God that leads Stephen to speak so authoritatively in his sermon in Acts 7: Stephen’s ministry is Christ-like, and his defense is Christ-centered. 

II.) Stephen’s Christ-centered biblical defense (Acts 7:1-53)

The high priest’s question prompts Stephen’s sermon, “Are these things so?”

Stephen then responds with a robust biblical and theological defense against these false charges. This is the longest speech in Acts, and it is filled with numerous details. There is, though, a discernible structure and two themes that are developed. 

That is how we are going to tackle this together. I want to show you how the structure might be understood and then explain the two themes. This way, we can get the meat and meaning of the sermon without commenting on every verse and every detail. 

The sermon has four major sections that focus on the covenants God made with Abraham (vv. 2-16), Moses (vv. 17-43), David (vv. 44-50), and the New Covenant (vv. 52-53). 

With this structure, Stephen then develops a primary theme and a secondary theme. 

Stephen’s primary point is that the presence of God cannot be limited to one people group, place, or structure, such as the temple. Beginning with Abraham, Stephen shows that God was present and at work among his people outside Jerusalem, even before the Temple was built.   

The second theme of Stephen’s sermon is the rejection of God’s prophets. Throughout Israel’s history, God’s prophets were rejected, just as they are rejecting Stephen this very moment. 

I want to survey these four sections, noting these two themes as they occur. 

Abrahamic Covenant 

The glory of God appeared to Abraham in a foreign land long before God brought the people into the promised land. 

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ (Ac 7:2–3)

This is a promise that God would fulfill to Abraham’s offspring, but after they endure slavery in Egypt, God promises to rescue his people, so that they might worship God in the promised land. 

7 ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ (Ac 7:7)

The point? God appeared to Abraham in a foreign land, and worship of God can occur without a temple. 

Stephen then mentions Joseph, thereby introducing the theme of rejection.  Joseph was rejected by his brothers and sold into Egypt. However, this also allows Stephen to focus on God’s presence. Why? God was with Joseph in Egypt. 

9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. (Ac 7:9–10)

God not only used Joseph mightily while he was in Egypt (vv. 11-15), but also blessed and multiplied the people there. 

17 “But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt (Ac 7:17)

Eventually, a Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph and who harshly enslaved Israel. Stephen then moves to the second section, Moses and the covenant God made with Israel. 

Mosaic Covenant 

The presence of God was with Moses in Egypt. Look at verse 20, “At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight.” 

Eventually, Moses would see the harsh treatment of Israel by the Egyptians. He became so enraged by it that he killed an Egyptian in vengeance. The Israelites did not receive this well. His own people initially rejected Moses. 

27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ (Ac 7:27–28)

So Moses fled into the wilderness to the land of Midian. Why is this important? God’s presence is with Moses in Midian, just as it was in Egypt. 

30 “Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. (Ac 7:30–33)

God was also with Moses on Mount Sinai as Moses heard from God and received the law. Although God met with Moses, the people rejected Moses and turned away from God to worship idols. 

36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. 39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt (Ac 7:36-39)

In verse 44, Stephen reminds them that God met with his people in the tabernacle, which was a mobile structure until David’s son, Solomon, built the temple. 

44 “Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. (Ac 7:44)

47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, 

49  “ ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? 50 Did not my hand make all these things?’ (Ac 7:47–50)

We cannot overstate the importance of this last point. Even when the temple is built, God tells us that God does not dwell in houses made by hands. He gives his glory to the temple, but he is not restricted by it or limited to it. 

Everything comes together in vv. 51-53, when Stephen transitions to the new covenant and the rejection of Jesus Christ. 

51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” (Ac 7:51–53)

Stephen provides a biblical theology of God’s presence and of the rejection of God’s prophets, both of which culminate in Jesus Christ. Stephen knows God and the ways of God, so he is able to respond to these charges and show that it is them who blaspheme Moses and God, not Stephen. 

This is how we are meant to read and reflect on Scripture. We are to read it to know God and his ways better. Our Bible reading grows cold and stale becasue we often open it looking for ourselves or for some other end that concerns us. 

But the Bible is not about us; it is about God. It is the revelation of God’s redemptive work throughout human history, interpreted for us so that we might know him and what he is like. 

There is no greater end of our lives than to know God rightly. J.I. Packer, in his classic book Knowing God, says it this way. 

“What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough object, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance; and this the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?”

And how do we grow in our knowledge of God? We grow in our understanding of God through the Word of God. We need to give ourselves to reading, reflecting, and meditating on the whole counsel of God, Genesis-Revelation. Scripture is not a collection of 66 separate and fragmented writings with no relation to one another. Far from it! 

The Bible is one, unified story of God’s redemptive work in the world.  At the center of that work is Jesus Christ. As I’ve shared with you before, I love the delightful phrase by Dr. Mitchell Chase, “Jesus treasured the Old Testament, and at the same time he was—and is—its treasure.”

Beloved, follow the example of Stephen. Don’t settle for a superficial understanding of the Bible. Don’t dip in and out with little to no knowledge of Scripture’s grand story. The more you understand the big picture, the better you’ll appreciate and benefit from individual books, chapters, and verses. 

III.) Stephen’s Christ-likeness facing death (Acts 7:54-60)

As those listening are filled with rage, Stephen is filled with the Holy Spirit and is gifted a glimpse into the glory of God in Jesus Christ. 

55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Ac 7:55–56)

This is the final straw. These words sealed Stephen’s fate as those surrounding him stoned him, and Saul looked on with approval. 

What I want us to take special note of is vv. 59-60, as Stephen echoes the words of Jesus from the cross. 

59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Ac 7:59–60)

In his ministry, in his reading of Scripture, and now in his death, the most formative influence on Stephen’s life is Jesus Christ. This is what it looks like to follow Jesus faithfully even in the most difficult of circumstances. 

Stephen exemplifies what Peter calls us all to in 1 Peter 2. 

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly (1 Pe 2:21–23)

Who are the most formative influences in our lives, friends? As we think, speak, and act, who do we resemble? Can other people see and hear Christ-likeness in us? 

IV.) Stephen’s church scattering sacrifice (Acts 8:1-3) 

Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian faith, and his sacrifice was not in vain. The killers may have thought they were stifling the growth of this movement and killing its momentum, but what they did instead, by God’s providence, is scatter the church to take the gospel into Judea and Samaria. 

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Ac 8:1)

Beyond that, is the impact Stephen’s death would have on Saul, the young man who approved of it and continued to persecute the church (Acts 8:1, 3) 

Later, when Paul is giving his testimony, he mentions Stephen. 

20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles. (Ac 22:20–21)

We don’t want to say more than the text does, but I don’t think Paul brings this up unless it had a lasting impact on his own understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. 

Stephen was a faithful witness to Christ whose ministry reflected Jesus Christ, whose Bible reading centered on Jesus Christ, and whose last words resembled Jesus Christ. 

Jesus was at the center of all Stephen did, and Jesus should be at the center of all we do. 

Sermon Idea: The Christian always has reason to rejoice and be thankful to the Lord, our God. 

Introduction: Thanksgiving is without question my favorite holiday. You may prefer others, but there is something about the family gathering, shared meal, conversation, laughter, rest, and football that simply makes for a great day. 

More than that, it is truly an annual pause that allows for reflection on how we have so much for which to be thankful. Thankfulness is not optional for those living the Christian life. We, above all people, have reason for joy and thanksgiving, because we have been saved from much, for much, and the best yet to come. 

Psalm 100 is a thanksgiving Psalm, and it is the conclusion to a collection of Psalms beginning around Psalm 95. We might think of them as a unit that exhorts us to rejoice because of who God is and in all that God has done. Let’s read a few verses so that we can get an idea for how Psalm 100 summarizes and concludes these Psalms. 

⁶  Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! ⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. (Ps 95:6–7)

Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 

³ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! ⁴ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. (Ps 96:2–4)

¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,  and give thanks to his holy name!  (Ps 97:12) 

Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! 

His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. (Ps 98:1)

²  The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. 

³ Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! (Ps 99:2–3)

Psalm 100 summarizes and concludes these Psalms. Taken together, it is abundantly clear that God is worthy of praise and God’s people have more than enough reason to praise him with thanksgiving. The Psalm can be broken down simply by seeing that there are two exhortations, each followed by a reflection of God’s covenant. 

So we are to make joyful noise to the Lord, serve the Lord with gladness, and come into his presence with singing. (100:1-2)

We are also to enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise; give thanks to God, and bless his name. (100:4) 

The vision of the Christian life in Psalm 100 is not drudgery, but delightful; not reserved, but rejoicing; not complaining, but coming to praise, give thanks, and bless the name of the Lord. 

What I want to do tonight is focus on the reasons for all this rejoicing. There are five truths about God and his relationship to us that should result in joyful noise, glad service, singing, and thanksgiving. 

These five things are always true, regardless of our circumstances, perceptions, or feelings. I hope that we will then leave here tonight believing that the Christian always has reason to rejoice and be thankful to the Lord, our God. 

I.) The Lord is God 

We are instructed to know something about the Lord that we serve. This knowledge is supposed to be the grounding and reason of our joyful noises, glad serving, and singing. That knowledge is that the one we serve is the one true and living God, “Know that the Lord, he is God!” (100:3) 

Among all the gods who are worshipped, praised, and served, what distinguishes our Lord from them all is that He is the true and living God, and He is the rightful creator and sustainer of the universe. 

When Moses asked the Lord in Exodus 3:13, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” (Ex 3:13–14)

This revelation of God’s name does not place Him as a peer among the many gods worshipped in Egypt, but as the true creator God of the universe who is sovereign over all human history. There is the Lord, and there is no other God besides him. “Know that the Lord, he is God!” 

Throughout the Old Testament, the true and living God demonstrates that the other gods are impotent, while He is omnipotent. When Elijah mocks Baal and then asks that the fire of the LORD consume the burnt offerings on wetted wood, God does it. 

The response to this display of God’s power from the people anticipates Psalm 100,  ³⁹ And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” (1 Ki 18:39)

We are here to remind ourselves that, although God has given us many good gifts and blessings, He is worthy of our joyful noises, glad service, and singing simply because He is. There is one true and living God. 

God, the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is. If we had no other reasons to offer praise, that would be enough. 

Allow yourself tonight to reaffirm the worthiness of God to be worshipped. Believe with all your heart that the Lord we serve is the faithful and living God, the creator and sustainer of all. 

As we believe this, we can sing with Moses, ¹¹ “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?  (Ex 15:11)

The assumed answer? No one! 

II.) The Lord Made us 

We can rejoice in the Lord’s creation of us in two ways. First, we can rejoice because God gives us natural life. We have breath and life. That shouldn’t be taken for granted, and God should be glorified for it.

The second is spiritual. God grants us new life in Christ that only comes by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Let’s take them one at a time. 

The one true and living God also made us. He is the creator, and we are the creature. We can rejoice because he made us in His image and likeness. 

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Ge 1:27

We can make joyful noises to the Lord, serve Him with gladness, and sing because he made us. We should not take for granted the blessing of having life and breath. It is a gift without which we would not be able to enjoy so many of the wonderful blessings that come from simply being alive. We have reasons to rejoice, serve, and sing. That reason is that the Lord made us, and we are his. 

Unfortunately, sin has blinded so many to this truth. They don’t acknowledge God as the creator and sustainer of the universe. Therefore, they don’t worship God and give him the honor that is due his name. Sin is the only reason creatures will not praise God simply for being the creator. 

²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Ro 1:21–23)

What has gone wrong with the world is that creatures who were created to know and worship their creator have dethroned Him in their hearts and sat themselves in His place. 

This brings us to the second reason for rejoicing. We rejoice because God not only gave us natural life, but also spiritual life through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Nicodemus, we have been born again (John 3). We have experienced the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3). We have been born again to a living hope (1 Peter 1:5).

The new birth enables us to joyfully acknowledge that the Lord is God and that it is He who has made us. But more than that, we can rejoice with Paul that our Creator is still working in and through us. 

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10)

If you are a Christian tonight, it is because God has created you anew in Christ Jesus by his grace. Christians are God’s creation. 

Beloved, I don’t know what might discourage you tonight, what might tempt you to despair, or what life circumstances may bring about doubt. What I do know is that no circumstance of life or spiritual attack from Satan can uncreate what God has created. If you are in Christ, you are his, you are his workmanship, and nothing or no one can change that. 

We can make joyful noises, we can serve with gladness, and sing simply because God made us and we are his. And because we are his workmanship, created in Christ to do good works for His glory. 

III.) The Lord made us His own 

It just gets sweeter from here. Not only has the Lord made us. Not only has the Lord remade us in Christ Jesus. The Lord has made us his own. Notice the language of verse 3, “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” 

Sheep have the presence, provision, and protection of the shepherd. He tends to us and shepherds our souls. This is the comforting picture we are given in Psalm 23. 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. ³ He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness or his name’s sake. (Ps 23:1–3)

God cares for his people like a shepherd tends to sheep. He provides for us so that we lack nothing. His presence is the spiritual rest that takes us to still waters and green pastures. According to the New Testament, we enter the green pasture through faith in Jesus Christ, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. (Jn 10:8–9).

Jesus then goes on to say, ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn 10:11)

Christians have reason to rejoice because God has become our shepherd through the gospel of Jesus Christ. He knows us intimately, and we know him. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me (Jn 10:14)

I don’t know how any born-again believer could think for a millisecond about God knowing them through Jesus in such a way that He becomes their shepherd—providing presence, protection, and provision—and not be moved with gratitude and thanksgiving.  

We must remember these truths. The road of ingratitude is paved with forgetfulness, which loses sight of who God is to us and who we are to God. The way God relates to the people he makes his own is not with a heavy-handed rule, a mere toleration, or cold-hearted disinterest. 

IV.) The Lord is good 

Throughout the Psalms there is a connection between God’s goodness and the exhortation to give thanks,  Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Ps 106:1; 107:1; 136:1 )

The repeated teachings of the Bible are that God is good. The New Testament says it this way: ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 Jn 1:5)

We can only see borrowed goodness from ourselves and one another. Whatever good we have comes from God and his grace. God is not like that: he is good. 

I love the words from English Puritan Thomas Manton, “He is infinitely good; the creature’s good is but a drop, but in God there is an infinite ocean  or gathering together of good.

If we take the time to reflect deeply, we can see evidence of this goodness in the past and present of our lives. This is what James tells us, ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, (Jas 1:17)

The harsh realities of this fallen world can tempt us to doubt, discouragement, and even despair. Amidst all of this the Bible affirms and so we believe that God is good. 

It is essential to remember, reflect on, and recount God’s goodness now so that we’ll be prepared for the days ahead. The Christian life, which thanks and praises God for His goodness during calm times, is preparing to be anchored in it during chaos. We want to remember, reflect, and recount on it so often that it sustains the life of the Christian in the midst of suffering. 

The Christians who have often encouraged me most over the years are those who have experienced great suffering, but still testify to the goodness of God. It is not that the suffering isn’t great, but that their faith and conviction about the character of God is greater. 

Beloved, we can enter His gates with thanksgiving and bless His name, because God is so good. 

V.) The Lord’s love and faithfulness endures forever 

The description of God’s love and faithfulness echoes the display of God’s glory to Moses in Exodus 34. 

⁶ The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, ⁷ keeping steadfast love for thousands” (Ex 34:5–7)

God’s love endures for his people because he is covenantally faithful to them. Unlike so many people in our lives, God’s love is not based on how much we satisfy his expectations. Unlike many people in our lives who struggle to keep their promises, God remains constant. His love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. 

“A changeable God would be a terror to the righteous, they would have no sure anchorage, and amid a changing world they would be driven to and fro in perpetual shipwreck.”– Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

The assurance of God’s love and faithfulness for his people has a reference point in human history. The love and faithfulness of God were made manifest on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The cross kept God’s promises, and it displayed God’s love. 

Beloved, we can enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise; we can bless His name because we know the love of God in the cross of Christ. We can do so because God is faithful in all that he does. The cross and the resurrection are the assurance that God’s love will not grow cold nor will he fail to be faithful. 

³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ 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. (Ro 8:38–39)

Conclusion 

A miserable Christian is a contradiction in terms. To be sure, life is hard. The pain that accumulates throughout one’s journey in this world is a strong temptation to cynicism. The Christian life is not one of painted on smiles, pretending that all is right with the world when in truth there are horrors all around. Sometimes the pain in life is so great that the thought of rejoicing seems not only distant but a mockery to our true emotional state…

The Bible gives us resources for walking through the pain of life with a joy and calm that transcends the darkness. As the Psalm concludes, “The Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations.” Your pain never outpaces his love. Your difficulty is surrounded by a deeper reality of his goodness. He proved it by sending his own Son for you. Even in the pain of life, we lift our hearts and our voices to the Lord.”- Dane Ortlund