When Death Exposes What You Really Believe

Acts 7:45-60 is not a soft passage. Stephen is standing before religious men who believe they are defending God, Moses, the temple, and the truth. But Stephen shows them from their own Scriptures that they are not defending God at all. They are resisting Him.

That is what makes this passage so powerful. Stephen does not stand there and give his opinion. He walks them through the history of Israel. He reminds them of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the wilderness, the tabernacle, David, Solomon, and the temple. He shows them that their fathers had a long history of receiving truth from God, then resisting the very God who gave it.

Then Stephen brings the issue right to the temple. “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.” ~Acts 7:44. The tabernacle was real. God commanded it. The temple was real. Solomon built it. Stephen was not denying that. He was not saying the temple had no place in Israel’s history.

But then he says, “Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?” ~Acts 7:48-50. That was the point they did not want to hear. God was never trapped in a building, controlled by a temple, or limited to a religious location.

The temple had become something God never meant it to be. They had taken a blessing and turned it into a hiding place. They thought because they had the temple, they were right with God. But Stephen showed them the truth. They had the building, but they were resisting the Holy Spirit.

That should make us stop and think. How many people today talk about “going to God’s house” as if God is locked inside a church building? How many people act one way inside a church service and another way the rest of the week? How many think worship is something that happens for an hour on Sunday, but not in the home, not at work, not in private, and not when no one is watching?

The New Testament does not teach that God now lives in church buildings. It teaches that God lives in His people. Paul said, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God?” ~1 Corinthians 6:19. He also said, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” ~1 Corinthians 3:16.

That is not a small thing. If you are born again, you do not meet God only when you walk into a church building. The Spirit of God dwells in you. That means your life belongs to Him everywhere. Not just in a service. Not just when people are watching. Not just when the Bible is open in front of you.

That also means you cannot hide behind religion. The men who killed Stephen were religious. They knew Scripture. They honored the temple. They claimed to defend Moses. But Stephen said, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost.” ~Acts 7:51. That is a terrifying statement. They had religion, but resisted God. They had Scripture, but rejected the Righteous One. They had the temple, but murdered Christ.

Stephen said, “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.” ~Acts 7:52. This is where the passage gets serious. The issue was not a lack of religion. The issue was rebellion against God while hiding behind religion.

That same danger is alive today. A person can go to church, quote verses, defend traditions, follow popular teachers, and still resist the truth of Scripture. A person can defend a building, a ministry, a denomination, or a favorite preacher while ignoring what God actually said. That is why we must go back to the Bible instead of opinions, traditions, spiritual-sounding talk, or the words of a famous preacher.

Stephen stood on the Word of God, and it cost him his life. When they heard him, they were cut to the heart, but they did not repent. They gnashed on him with their teeth. They covered their ears. They cried out. They ran upon him. They cast him out of the city and stoned him.

But Stephen was not shaken. “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.” ~Acts 7:55. That is where death looks different for the believer. Stephen was not pretending the stones did not hurt. Stoning was brutal. It was violent. It was painful. His body was being broken by men who hated the truth he preached.

But death did not steal his hope. Death did not change the truth. Death did not make Christ less real. Stephen saw what mattered most. He saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Then he said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ~Acts 7:59. That is not the cry of a man who thinks death wins. That is the faith of a man who knows where he is going.

For the born again believer, death is real, but it is not final. Grief is real, but it is not hopeless. Pain is real, but it does not get the last word. Paul said, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” ~2 Corinthians 5:8. He also said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” ~Philippians 1:21.

That is not religious talk. That is biblical truth. If Christ is your life, death cannot rob you of Christ. If you are in Christ, death is not the end of your story. If you are born again, your body may fall asleep, but your spirit is with the Lord. Acts 7 says Stephen “fell asleep.” ~Acts 7:60. That does not mean death is imaginary. It means death has been changed for the believer. The body sleeps, but the believer is not lost. Christ receives His own.

But this passage should also warn us. If death terrifies you so badly that it shakes everything you claim to believe, you need to examine what you have really been following. Have you been following the truth of Scripture, or just men’s opinions? Have you been trusting Christ, or trusting religion? Have you been resting in the gospel, or resting in a church building, a teacher, a tradition, or a feeling?

The Bible says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” ~2 Corinthians 13:5. That is not a game. Stephen could face death because he knew Christ. He was full of the Holy Spirit. He was not clinging to a building, religious approval, or the praise of men. He saw Jesus.

And even while they were killing him, he prayed, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” ~Acts 7:60. That is not natural. That is the work of God in a man. The same Spirit who caused Stephen to stand boldly also caused him to die mercifully. He told the truth without fear, and he prayed for his murderers without bitterness.

That is what real faith looks like. Not church-building religion. Not Sunday-only worship. Not empty talk. Real faith is a life indwelt by the Spirit of God.

So ask yourself honestly. Are you following Christ according to Scripture, or are you following religion with Bible words attached to it? And when death comes, will you be clinging to a building, a preacher, and an opinion, or will you be able to say with Stephen, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”?

Read / Listen

1 Kings 8:1-66
Acts 7:51-8:13
Psalm 129:1-8
Proverbs 17:1

New Testament: Acts 7:51-8:13

Summary: 
The Stoning of Stephen
Saul Ravages the Church
Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria
Simon the Magician Believes

Overview: Acts 1-12  Click Here to Watch Video

   

---

   

Dr. J. Vernon McGee – Thru the Bible

 

Acts – J Vernon Mcgee – Thru the Bible

Acts 06-08

Views: 4