Stephen’s Martyrdom

Introduction

“But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55, 56.

TRUE Christian zeal will seek to do the highest work of which sanctified humanity is capable. Stephen is first heard of as a distributor of the alms of the church to needy widows. He exercised what was virtually, if not nominally, the deacon’s office. Being grave, and not double-tongued, and holding the mystery of the faith in a good conscience, he was well fitted for his work. Doubtless, he used the office of a deacon well, and so purchased to himself a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. Although the burdensome duty of serving tables might well have excused him from other service, we soon find him, full of faith and power, doing great wonders and miracles among the people; and not even content with that, we see him defending the faith against a synagogue of subtle philosophical deniers of the truth of God. These, with their allies, made the valiant deacon the object of their attack, and he at once rose to be an irresistible witness for the gospel. Stephen the deacon became Stephen the preacher. This holy man not only used such gifts as he had in one department, but having abilities for a more spiritual form of service, he laid them at once upon the altar of Christ. Nor is this all, he had a higher promotion yet—when he had thus become Stephen the wise apologist and brave defender of the faith, he did not stop there, but he mounted to the highest rank of the Christian army; he gained the peerless dignity, the foremost nobility, the brightest glory—I mean the martyr’s name and honor. Stephen the deacon is first Stephen the preacher, and afterwards Stephen, God’s faithful and true witness, laying down his life that he may seal his testimony with his blood.

Put a man without zeal into the front, and he will gradually recede into his native insignificance, or only linger in the front to be an impediment and a nuisance; but put a man into the rear of the army of God’s elect, and if his soul is full of holy fire, you will soon hear of the unknown Samson in the camps of Dan, and, before long, he will dash into the vanguard and make the enemies of God’s church know that the Holy Spirit still dwells in the midst of Zion in the men whom He has chosen. If there are any of my brothers and sisters here whose abilities are as yet dormant, I trust that, without ambitiously seeking the chief places of the synagogue, if they have been useful in any one walk of life, they will inquire whether they may not have talents for a yet wider sphere; since, in these evil days, we have need to use every soldier in the army to the utmost of his or her capacity. When the world is so dark, we had need that every lamp should give some light, and that each lamp should burn as much oil as it will carry, that its light may be of the brightest possible kind.

I. The Power of the Holy Spirit in Stephen’s Death

Stephen, as a martyr, is set before us in the words of our text. I shall not so much look upon him as witnessing for the truth, as ask you to look, first, at the power of the Holy Spirit in him, that you may learn to rely upon that divine power; secondly, I shall ask you to look at the source of his dying comfort, that you may learn to gaze upon the same ravishing vision; and, thirdly, I shall bid you notice the effect of this heavenly comfort upon him in the hope that we may live in peace and fall asleep in ease, by faith in the same great sight which cheered his dying eyes.

First, observe the power of the Holy Spirit as developed in Stephen’s death, in order that we may learn to rely upon that power.

Here, our grapes hang in clusters, and we would have you note them one by one. I would have you observe, first, that although Stephen was surrounded by bitter enemies, no doubt railing and caviling, and muttering their observations to disturb him and distract his mind, yet his defense is wonderfully logical, clear, consecutive, and forcible. If you read the seventh chapter through, you might think it was delivered from this pulpit to an audience as affectionate, appreciating, and attentive as you may be—it does not read like an address delivered to a furious mob of bigots, gnashing their teeth at the lone, brave man. In calm, cool, deliberate, bold, stinging language, he deals with them fearlessly and without reserve. He takes the sharp knife of the Word and rips up the sins of the people, laying open the inward parts of their hearts, and the secrets of their souls—between the joints and the marrow he deliberately inserts the two-edged sword, and reveals the thoughts and intents of their hearts.

He could not have delivered that searching address with greater fearlessness had he been assured that they would thank him for the operation; the fact that his death was certain had no other effect upon him than to make him yet more zealous. What secret spirit helped him thus to speak? Had he prepared that speech with long elaboration and forethought? Had that oration been carefully composed, revised, and learned by heart? Far from it; he was not unmindful of our Savior’s words, “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what you shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak, for it is not you who speaks but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you.”

Seized upon, doubtless, without previous notice, and dragged before the council without being allowed a moment for deliberation, Stephen stood up and defended himself with the truth of God as it is in Jesus, with all the skill of a practiced debater, with all the deliberation of one laboriously prepared, and with all the vigor of one whose zeal was like a fire in his bones. To what do we trace this mouth and wisdom which his enemies could not deny? To what indeed, but to the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit exerts such a power over the human mind that when it is His will, He can enable His servants to collect their scattered thoughts, to concentrate all their powers upon one topic, and to speak the words of truth and soberness with unaccustomed power. Moreover, the Lord can also touch the stammering tongue, and make it as eloquent as the tongue of Isaiah of old to proclaim the truth of God in the name of the Lord.

I will not argue, my brothers and sisters, that a minister, when called to speak for Christ, ought at all times to speak extemporaneously. I am so far removed from that opinion that I conscientiously believe that when we have the opportunity for studying the Word, if we waste it in idleness, it is mere presumption to trust to the immediate inspiration of the moment; but I will say as much as this, that if the Christian minister, or if any one of you are called to speak for your Master when you can have had no preparation, you may confidently depend upon the Spirit of God to help you in your hour of difficulty—yes, and I will go farther, and say that if more of our ministers believed in the divine power of the Spirit of God to help them in their preaching, their preaching would be more effective, and God would acknowledge it more greatly to the conversion of souls.

It seems to me a curious piece of absurdity, if not a specimen of blasphemy, for a preacher to ask the help of the Holy Spirit in his preaching, and then to pull his manuscript out of his pocket. Where is the room for the Holy Spirit to work? Have they not bolted and barred the door against Him? What thoughts can He suggest? What emotions can He excite? The paper is the guide of the hour. Why, then, should they mock the Holy Spirit by asking for His assistance—an assistance which they will not follow? Or, if I shall have committed every word to memory, and prepared every sentence, and then shall come into the pulpit and ask to have an anointing from the Holy One to help me to speak, what do I but ask Him to do what I do not want Him to do, since I can do quite as well without Him as with Him, and would be thrown off my course if He did assist me?

It seems to me that after due study of the Word, if the preacher— if you, dear friend, the teacher—will cast yourself upon the teaching of the Spirit of God, though distractions may occur, though in the congregation or in the Sunday school class there may be much to throw you off track, and to make you lose the thread of your discourse, if you can rest upon the Spirit of God, He will enable you to speak with power, propriety, and personality. It is better to be taught of the Holy Spirit than to learn eloquence from the rules of oratory, or at the feet of masters of rhetoric.

The Spirit of God needs to be honored in the church in this respect. I am quite sure that if He were more glorified, we should find more who spoke with power, because we would find more who spoke with the Holy Spirit. Let this first remark stand with you for what it is worth, and I am persuaded that there is far more in it than some will care to see.

Notice next, the energy of the Holy Spirit conspicuously displayed in the manner and bearing of the martyr. What a right royal and triumphant bearing the man has! He does not stand in the midst of the raging multitude with his eyes fixed upon the ground as though, humbly patient, and doggedly resigned, he felt crushed and overwhelmed; neither does he cast his eyes around to observe a gap in the dense ring of cruel persecutors; he has no wish to elude the penalty of witness-bearing. He gazes steadfastly up into heaven. They may gnash their teeth, but they cannot disturb that settled gaze. Their noise and vehemence may roar like the raging waves of the sea; but from the serene depth of his inward peace, his soul looks upward to the eternal throne, and is ravished with unutterable delight. He despises the tumult of the people, not because he is contemptuous towards them, but because his whole soul is swallowed up in blissful adoration of his God.

He looks up to heaven, and what he beholds through its opened portals makes him careless of the bloodthirsty foes below. Wondrous picture! Behold the man of shining countenance steadfastly looking up, as though he tracked the road through which his soul would soon wing its way; as though he saw the angelic bands ascending and descending to minister to him; as though he held perpetual and abiding fellowship with the great Father of Spirits, and was not to be disturbed or distracted by the rage of men.

The bearing of many of the martyrs has been singularly heroic. You will be struck, in reading Foxe’s Acts and Monuments, to find how many of the most humble men and women acted as if they were of noblest blood. In every age the line of martyrs has been a line of true nobility. When the King of France told Bernard Palissy that if he did not change his sentiments, he would be compelled to surrender him to the Inquisition, the brave potter said to the king, “You say I shall be compelled, and yet you are a king; but I, though only a poor potter, cannot be compelled to do other than I think to be right.” Surely the potter was more royal than the king.

The cases are numberless, and should be as household words among you, in which humble men, feeble women, and little children have shown heroism which chivalry could not equal. The Spirit of God has taken the wise in their own craftiness, and answered the learned out of the mouths of babes. The answers of uneducated persons among the martyrs were frequently so to the point, and hit the nail so well on the head, that you might almost suppose they had been composed by an assembly of divines; they came from a better source than that, for they were given by the Holy Spirit. The bearing of the bleeding witnesses for our Lord has been worthy of their office, and right well have they earned the title, “The noble army of martyrs.”

II. The Source of Richest Comfort

Now, my brothers and sisters, if you and I desire to walk among the sons of men without pride, but yet with a bearing that is worthy of our calling and adoption as princes of the blood royal of heaven, we must be trained by the Holy Spirit. Those men who are cowardly, whose profession of religion is so timid that you scarcely know whether they have made it or not; those men who go cap-in-hand to the world, asking leave to live, know nothing of the Holy Spirit. But when the Holy Spirit dwells in a man, he knows the right and holds the right, and is not the servant of men. Most humble among the humble in all things else, when it comes to a matter of conscience, he acknowledges no master but his Master who is in heaven. No child of God need fear the face of the great, for he is greater than they; he is God’s true aristocrat—God has put within him a spirit of uprightness and sternness for the right which the world cannot bend, let its blasts howl as they will. I pray God we may learn the manliness of Christianity, for much injury has been done to the faith by professors adopting another mode of procedure, and fawning and cringing before the mighty. That upward glance seems to say to us: “Eyes up, Christian! Eyes up; let your heart go up to heaven; let the desires mount; let the whole soul fly towards heaven.” With heaven in our sight, we may walk through the crowds of men as a lion walks through a flock of sheep, and our fellow men shall involuntarily acknowledge our power.

The power of the Spirit was also very conspicuously seen in the case of Stephen in another respect, namely, in the calm and happy spirit which he manifested. I see no fear, I mark no sign of trepidation; he wipes no hot sweat from his brow; he faints not, much less does he offer any plea by which he may escape from their cruel hands. He never walked out of that gate of Jerusalem with a more joyous and tranquil spirit, on the brightest day of summer, than on that occasion when they dragged him out to die—still, resigned, calm, and happy. It is a great thing for a Christian to keep himself quiet within when turmoil rules outside. When the mind gets distracted, we are not able to judge of what is wise. A disturbed and distracted spirit generally rushes in foolish haste to escape from the difficulty, and so falls into sin in some form or other. To be calm amid the bewildering cry, to be confident of victory; to be still and know that God is God; to stand still with the children of Israel at the Red Sea, and see the salvation of God; this is hard, so hard that only the divine dove, the Comforter, can bring us from above the power to be so; but when once the art of being still is fully learned, what strength and bliss is in it! How many of us, in the face of death, could return death’s stony gaze? If it were now decreed that at this moment you must lay down your life, could you smile? Why, the mere thought of it disturbs you, but the fact would alarm you beyond degree. But not so Stephen, his soul rests at anchor in an unruffled haven.

Oh, it is in these solemn moments of test, when we are not merely talking of death and vaingloriously boasting of our love to Christ, but when death actually comes, and our love is sternly put to the trial—it is then that the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit is seen, when He gives to His servants that sweet peace which none can know but the man who enjoys it.

III. Stephen’s Forgiving Spirit and Prayer

I have not yet declared all the glorious works of the Holy Spirit upon this first Christian martyr: in addition to the accuracy of his defense, and the royalty of his manner, and the happiness of his spirit, the Spirit of God was even more clearly seen in his holy and forgiving temper. In Stephen’s dying prayer, he imitates his Lord: “Lay not this sin to their charge.” He stood erect when he prayed for himself, and I know not that he spoke aloud; but when it came to praying for the multitude around him, his spirit acquired a greater vehemence and earnestness. We are told in the first place, that he knelt down, as if to make them see how he prayed, and then he prayed with a loud voice, that they might hear as well as see; he spent his last breath in a loud cry to heaven that his murder might not be laid at the door of his persecutors.

O sweet Spirit of the Son of Man lingering still on earth! “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” has been the pattern and the forerunner of thousands of prayers of a similar heavenly character. It has been the mark of a Christian to die patiently, with forgiveness on his lips. Thousands of those who wear the ruby crown this day, and are— “Foremost of the sons of light, Midst the bright ones doubly bright,” passed away from earth with just those very words upon their lips. Surely, this is a work of the Holy Spirit indeed! We can scarcely forgive those who offend us but a little; we find it not altogether easy to live at peace with all men, but to die at peace with them, and to die at peace with our murderers, what shall I say of it? Surely, this is what the world cannot understand—a celestial, a divine Virtue, which must be implanted in human hearts by God Himself.

Note once more, the power of the Spirit was seen in enabling Stephen, at such a juncture, when the stones were rattling about his ears, and his body was bruised and mangled by them, to pray one of the most prevalent prayers that ever went up to heaven. The prayer we have just mentioned did not die in the air outside Jerusalem’s gate; it passed through the gate of pearl, it reached the heart of God, and it obtained an answer.

See that eager, impetuous, young man yonder, about 30 years of age. The clothes of the witnesses are laid down at his feet; he desires to have a prominent part in stoning the hated Nazarene; he is one of the most fiery of those ferocious bigots; he belongs to the synagogue of Cilicia, and, having been defeated in argument, he rejoices that harder weapons are at hand; he is glad to see the heretic die; he gloats his eyes with the spectacle, for he feels that Moses and the law, and the rabbis, and the traditions, are this day avenged. Mark that young man well, for Stephen’s prayer is meant for him, though he knows it not. It may be that he heard the plaintive petition and despised it. It is just possible that having heard it, he went away to sneer at it, and to remark upon the hypocritical character of those disciples of Jesus who could lisp their Leader’s dying words as if they were their own. Yet I think that blessed petition must have rankled in his heart; he must have felt that there was a spirit there far better than his own.

Whether or not that prayer remained with him just then, in later years he must have looked upon Stephen as being, if anyone was, his spiritual father, by whose dying prayer he was begotten unto God. In speaking of his conversion, surely Paul must have thought within himself it was the prayer of Stephen that was the means of changing Saul the persecutor into Paul, the apostle of the crucified Son of God.

Ah, well, my friends, you and I cannot always prevail in prayer, even in sunny weather, but what a grand Spirit must that be who could help Stephen unlock heaven’s gates in the dreary article of death; to have power with God to pluck the Savior by the sleeve, and to bring Him to save this guilty, raving persecutor, just when the stones were falling upon him, and his flesh was being battered and bruised.

O blessed Spirit, though the outward man decays, You do renew the inner man day by day!

Behold, beloved, how independent of outward circumstances the Holy Spirit can make the Christian! See what a bright light may shine within us when it is all dark outside! See how firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be when the world shakes to and fro, and the pillars of the earth are removed! See how even death itself, with all its terrible influences, has no power to suspend the music of a Christian’s heart, but rather makes that music become more sweet, more clear, more heavenly, till the last kind act which death can do is to let the earthly strain melt into the heavenly chorus, the temporal joy into the eternal bliss!

Let us have confidence, then, in the blessed Spirit. Are you looking forward, my dear friend, to poverty? Does your business decline? Do you see clearly before you that you will have to put up with the woes of poverty? Fear not; the divine Spirit can give you, in your need, a greater plenty than the rich have in their abundance. You know not what joys may be stored up for you in the cottage which divine grace will make the cottage of content.

Are you conscious of a growing failure of your bodily powers? Do you expect to suffer long nights of languishing and days of pain? Oh, be not sad! That bed may become a throne to you. You little know how every pang that shoots through your body may be a refining fire to consume your dross—a beam of glory to light up the secret parts of your soul.

Are the eyes failing? Do you expect blindness? Jesus will be your light! Do the ears fail you? Do you hear but few sounds? Jesus’ name will be your soul’s best music, and His person your dear delight.

Socrates used to say—“Philosophers can be happy without music;” and we Christians can be happier than philosophers when all outward causes of rejoicing are withdrawn. In You, my God, my heart shall triumph, come what may of ills without! By Your power, O blessed Spirit, my heart shall be exceedingly glad, even should all things fail me here below.

May this first point be practically serviceable to you! Trust the Holy Spirit: rely firmly upon Him, and He will not allow you to be confounded.

The Vision of Christ and Its Comfort

By revealing to him the living and reigning Savior at the right hand of God, Stephen was granted an extraordinary glimpse of divine truth. Whether or not Stephen literally saw with his eyes the Lord Jesus standing at the right hand of God remains unknown. It is possible, however, that what is meant here is that his faith became so remarkably strong that he experienced the most vivid sense of Christ’s reign in heaven. This intense faith could have been so overwhelming that it might be described as if he actually saw the Lord Jesus standing at the right hand of God. If this was truly a supernatural vision, we have no grounds to expect a repetition of it. However, if it was a vision of faith—as I believe it was—there is no reason why we should not experience the same today. If we possess the same precious faith that Stephen had, we, too, can see Christ reigning in heaven and find joy and gladness in His presence, just as Stephen did.

What Did Stephen See?

First and foremost, Stephen saw that Jesus was alive. This is no small thing: “He lives, the great Redeemer lives—What joy the blest assurance gives!” Alive, too, after the crucifixion! Stephen knew that Christ had died on the cross, and this fact gave his soul confidence. However, he saw that, though once dead and buried, Jesus still lived. This was a great comfort to Stephen. He was not serving a dead Christ or defending the honor of a departed prophet; he was speaking for a friend who was still alive to hear his pleas and accept his testimony. Stephen’s faith held that if Christ could live after crucifixion, then Stephen, too, would live through Christ after stoning. If the nails of the cross could not keep Jesus dead, neither would the stones from the Jews destroy Stephen’s hope of resurrection. Jesus rose from His grave, and Stephen would rise as well.

This assurance is a great comfort for us today, especially when we feel frail or face the approach of mortality. Because Jesus lives, we, too, shall live. Moreover, Stephen did not just see Jesus alive; he also knew that Jesus saw him and sympathized with him. This is revealed in the posture of Christ: He is not seated, as He usually is at the right hand of God, but standing. Why standing? One of the old fathers suggested that it was as though the Lord Jesus stood up in horror at the deed being done, perhaps to intercede or deliver His servant from the stones. Jesus stands in active sympathy with His suffering servant.

Jesus as Our Constant Intercessor

Beloved, this is what we see in heaven: The Man of Sorrows, though exalted to the throne of glory, still sympathizes with His people. He is not a stranger to human weakness or temptation. “In your entire affliction, He is afflicted.” Christ deeply sympathizes with every one of His tried brothers and sisters, and in His measure, He feels afresh the burdens each of us bears. He is not an unfeeling observer of our griefs. Christ has risen from His throne to assist you. In your moments of extremity, He stands ready to help. He will send comfort when needed and ensure that your strength will be sufficient for your day.

What a sight this was for the dying Stephen! Jesus was alive, and His love remained as tender as it had been when He walked the earth among His disciples. The brightest part of Stephen’s vision was seeing Jesus standing at the right hand of God. This was the point in dispute. The Jews claimed that the Nazarene was an impostor. Stephen, however, pointed to the truth: “There He is: He stands at the right hand of God.” For Stephen, this settled everything. He was concerned only that his Lord be exalted, and in that moment, he saw Him exalted.

Christ’s Reign and Our Hope

Despite the turmoil surrounding Stephen, he looked beyond the rage of the people and saw the King upon the holy hill of God. The rulers and enemies of Christ raged, but Stephen knew the truth: Jesus is reigning. His only concern was for Christ’s glory, and with that, Stephen was content. Any fear he felt was not for himself, but for the church. He thought, “These wolves tear me first—what will become of the rest of the sheep?” But when he looked up, he saw the Shepherd, watching over His flock, promising them that it was the Father’s good pleasure to give them the kingdom.

This vision of Christ’s reign was the most powerful part of the experience for Stephen: Christ living, loving, and reigning. For me personally, this doctrine has been a source of great comfort in moments of deep depression. As I have shared before, there have been times when I was brought so low in spirit that no promise or doctrine seemed to bring light. Yet when I came across the verse: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name,” a flood of joy would burst into my soul. I would think, “No matter what becomes of me, as long as my Lord is exalted, that is all that matters.”

The Comfort of Christ’s Exaltation

I believe every genuine Christian heart that loves the Savior feels the same way. Like the dying soldier on the battlefield, who takes comfort in knowing that the general is safe and the victory is assured, so too is our confidence in the exaltation of Christ. Let Christ reign, and we will make no demands on God concerning our own fate. Let Jesus be King over the entire world, and we will care for nothing else. We rejoice in His reign, His purposes, and the fulfillment of His kingdom, even if it costs us our lives.

I wish that every sorrowing Christian could experience this comforting vision, as it has brought such peace to my own heart. If you are troubled, cast down, or struggling in your spiritual journey, remember that Christ is not troubled. His purposes are still being fulfilled, and He is glorified.

The Power of Christ to Intercede and Prepare

Remember that your exalted Savior intercedes for you. Christ has the power to plead for you, and He will use His influence to secure all that you need. Christ has received no reward for His death that He will withhold from you. He is dear to the Father, and He uses that influence on your behalf. Just as Joseph asked the butler to speak for him when it was well with him, so too does Jesus, who is well and exalted, speak for us. He has the Father’s ear, and whatever you need will surely be given to you.

Additionally, Christ prepares a place for you. As a King of boundless wealth, He desires to use His royal treasury to prepare a mansion for you that reflects the greatness of the One who provides it.

Christ’s Omnipotent Power

Christ is not only in heaven interceding and preparing; He is also present here on earth, exerting His power. Everything that happens here is under His permission. He controls providence. If the enemy rages, Jesus will put a stop to it. Your Lord Jesus Christ holds all power in heaven and on earth, and He will use this power to bring every one of His children into His loving embrace.

Let us remember, then, that Christ is crowned in victory. No foe shall conquer us, for as surely as Jesus is a conqueror, so too will we be more than conquerors through Him who has loved us.

The Comfort of Suffering

Now, let us consider the comfort that Stephen experienced. The appearance of Jesus in the heavens did not stop the stones from falling. When the Son of Man appeared in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the fire did not burn them, but in Stephen’s case, the stones still fell. The Lord Jesus does not always shield us from suffering, but He does sustain us in it. When we ask for relief from our troubles and it does not come, we hear the answer: “My grace is sufficient for you; My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Stephen’s life was not spared, but he was sustained in spirit.

The love of Christ does not preserve the flesh, but it preserves the soul. As Stephen’s body was bruised and battered by the stones, his spirit remained unshaken. This is the comfort we can expect: we will suffer, but we will not be overcome. We will be tested, but we will not be destroyed. The death of the body is not a calamity but a blessed fellowship with our crucified Redeemer. Stephen’s death was not a defeat but a triumph—a victory for the soul.

The Final Comfort: Peace in Death

Stephen’s death is beautifully described in the words, “He fell asleep.” This is the life and death of every Christian. No matter how great the struggle, how intense the opposition, God gives His beloved rest. The saint can peacefully lay his head on the bosom of God and leave his troubles there. This is the Christian’s death: though the body may suffer, the spirit will rest in peace, awaiting the resurrection.

Conclusion

May we all share in these precious truths. If we understand them, they will charm our souls, no matter the circumstances. If you do not yet understand them, I pray that the Spirit of God would open your eyes to see the glory of Christ. May we, too, one day see Him face to face in paradise. Amen.

Portion of Scripture Read Before Sermon: Acts 6; 7:54-60

Charles Spurgeon