Sermon April 25, 1999 Victory Through Offense based on Acts 7:51-60
Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
In our text, Stephen becomes the first martyr for the Christian faith. Another martyr was added this past Tuesday at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. One of the student-killers pointed a gun at 17-year-old Cassie Bernall and asked her if she believed in God. She paused and then replied, "Yes, I believe in God." The killer's only reply was "Why?" just before he shot and killed Cassie. She confessed her faith to her death. For that confession, our Lord promises the crown of life. Indeed, the confidence of all Christians as they face death is the crown of eternal life, first placed upon our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is risen from the dead, we can face death and threats of death unafraid.
This comfort ought to be enough for us, yet many search for explanations as to why this shooting happened. They analyze personalities, experiences, and parents of these youth. They look to the content of TV, video and computer games. They look at the recreation of these youth. They look to the supply channels for the weapons and bombs and the information needed to build the bombs. Why did it happen?
The school brought in teams of counselors and psychologists who can only approach the situation from a secular, humanistic point of view. They have no Christ to offer to those seeking answers. Those who start from this humanistic approach don't even see the problem, so they surely won't see the answer. This is sad, for they can offer no lasting comfort to the grieving or the fearful.
Secular humanism worships human beings. It starts with the assumption that people are basically good. It teaches that people are getting better and better through the years. Humanism would try to teach us that we can work on problems such as this school shooting and we people are good enough, smart enough, and powerful enough to solve this problem. Secular humanism, however, cannot even see the problem, because it assumes there is no problem in believing that people are basically good. If people are good, then the shooting should not have happened and there is no answer for why it happened, say humanists.
Instead of this falsehood, we need to hear the truth. However, you know this truth is offensive. Those who can't stand to hear offensive sermons will have to cover their ears. Offensive, it is for all of us to hear that people are not good, but rather they are sinful. The Law of God strikes us when it shows that all people fall short of the glory of God. Who wants to hear this?
This sin in our world is the reason for the violence in Littleton on Tuesday. It is the reason for all other kinds of evil around the world and in each of our lives. This gets personal and this gets offensive. This is the situation that Stephen faced.
As part of the first group of deacons among the Christians, Stephen got himself in the heart of the action. He was full of God's grace and power and demonstrated this in signs and wonders. Then the people received these with joy...No, they did not. Instead they opposed Stephen and began to argue with him. This church worker caused offense. Though it was certainly not his goal, we can see that Stephen did not tell the people what they wanted to hear, but rather told them the offensive truth that all people are sinners.
He speaks to them in our text, giving God's Law, accusing them of their sins. "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him-- you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
What kind of response can we expect to such accusations? When people hear the law they can respond in one of four ways: 1) deny it is God's Law, 2) deny that it applies to them, 3) take it to heart and be convicted of their sins, or 4) get angry and persecute the messenger. The people Stephen was addressing chose to get angry and then attack him. Our text says: "When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him." These people did not want to hear what God had to say to them. They rejected God's Word.
Stephen goes on to witness to them further about Christ. He looks up and sees a sight he describes this way: "Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." Here he was witnessing to the fact that Jesus Christ was alive, risen from the dead, and that He was reigning in heaven at the right hand of the Father. This means Jesus is truly God. This too was offensive to Stephen's listeners. It was the last straw for them. The text says, "At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him." Notice that their reaction to what he said was to cover their ears and yell and scream so they could not hear him. This is what a little child does when they are rejecting what you have to say. They refuse to hear it by drowning it out with their own noise and keeping the sound from reaching their ears. Stephen's listeners didn't want to hear what he had to say because it was offensive. They were so unwilling to hear it that they went as far as to kill Stephen, permanently silencing his message.
We, who are called as believers in Jesus Christ hear the voice of our Shepherd. Yet, and here comes the part of the sermon where I offend you again, how well do you listen?
The standard God lays before us is to be excellent listeners to His Word. Psalm 119 has 175 examples, but verse 97 stands out: "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." Do we really meditate on it all day long? Do we apply it to ourselves?
Martin Luther said that those who understand Absolution and the Lord's Supper will compel their pastors to teach them. They will say, "Pastor, this is what I need to understand what Jesus has done, and who He is." This would be music to a pastor's ears. Yet, what I hear again and again is, "Don't quote Scripture to me, Pastor." I hear people who want to give me their opinions, rather than hear what God has to say. I hear people who say one or maybe two hours in the Word each week is enough.
How can we close our ears to the words of our precious Lord? Sometimes, it is because we find it offensive, as did Stephen's hearers. We find it offensive to acknowledge that we need to listen to someone speak, with authority, someone besides ourselves. At the root of closing our ears to the Word is sin. This is the same sin that was at the root of the violence at Columbine High School.
To deal with this problem of sin, Christ sends His Word and preachers to deliver a message which is offensive. For Christianity to be effective it must be offensive. It must be "in your face." That is the only way we will come to know the sin in our lives and the need to be relieved of that sin. True Christianity will never be a wimpy message. If it were, it would simply be people gathering teachers around them preaching what their itching ears want to hear. This is the case when we stop putting up with sound doctrine, as 2 Timothy 4:3 reveals. Then our churches become only clubs where we come to hear messages that make us feel good about ourselves. The true message of our Lord, however, starts with hearing the Law, and that is not what people want to hear.
Stephen delivered a message the people did not want to hear and they killed him for it. Was he unsuccessful? No, rather he was faithful to death. He had the victory, for he was faithful to God's Word, even though it cost him his life. He had the victory in Christ, for death is just an entrance to eternal life for the true believer. This is shown by the last words of our text, where it says Stephen "fell asleep." This means he died, but it also means that that death is not permanent. He will awake again from that death, so he is only asleep. We will awake in the resurrection, just as Jesus awoke.
Stephen is the victor, but we are also victors in Stephen's witness to us. It was because of what he did that we now have God's Word in our text showing us one who is faithful to death.
Was Cassie Bernall of Littleton unsuccessful? No, for, though she died, because she has Jesus as her savior, she will live again. She also gave a witness to others. Others were in the room to report how she was bold to confess her faith and that was encouraging to them. It is encouraging to us also.
Success in our Christian witness is being faithful to God's Word. We consider a pastor who is faithful and consistent in application of God's Word a blessing, regardless of how people respond to his message. Christianity, by its very nature, is offensive and "in your face."
The one who is the model for us is, of course, Jesus. Jesus says, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division." He indeed caused much offense. He was so offensive that He was crucified. Through this offense, we indeed have the victory. We have the victory over sin. Though Christ got in people's faces, He was able to die for us to lift the burden or offense of all our sins. As a result, Jesus becomes our good shepherd. His love led Him to lay down His life for His sheep.
The voice of our Shepherd calls to us. Some hear His voice and they respond. Others reject His voice and they turn away from the Good Shepherd. Those who listen will hear the Law and confess their sinfulness. Then they hear how the shepherd leads them to green pastures and quiet waters. Our Shepherd calls us with His voice speaking forgiveness for all sinners. He calls us into salvation and eternal life.
Our Shepherd's voice calls us through His Word. That Word can make us humble people, grateful people, and loyal people. In short, it can make us people who hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow Him even though that means admitting that we have gone astray. That voice of our Shepherd makes us people to whom He gives a life without end, so that we shall never perish, and whom no one can snatch out of His almighty, yet merciful hand.
Our Shepherd comes to give us life to the fullest extent. The thief comes to kill and destroy, but the thief, the devil, can only do this if he pulls us away from the Word, the voice of our Shepherd.
As Stephen was dying, he prayed, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Do you know that our Lord will not hold your sins against you? Do you know that your sins are erased through Christ? This is why Christ died. Do you know that you will live forever? This is why...Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.