I think I would just like to pause right now and let us pray because those are some powerful songs we sing today. Our living hope and God has a plan and it's perfect all along. Will you just pause for a moment and give thanks to the Lord for his grace in your life? I'll pray and we'll get started. Loving God, so often we approach our life and we think things are going so wrong and so backwards. But just from the text of the music this morning, we know it's your plan and your purposes and you are sovereign God, you're in control. And I thank you for the truth of the music that we sang this morning, the songs that we lifted in praise to you. God, will you make these the prayers of our heart, There's so many things that we're struggling with today. So many doubts and fears and anxieties. Will you arrest them? Will you bring them in? And will you help us to follow you and trust you? I pray. And we give you praise today. Amen. Well, we're going to be in Acts chapter 7 today. So if you want to go ahead and turn there in your Bibles or on your device. and ask you, have you ever had to have a difficult conversation with someone? And perhaps you find yourself, you've been put in the position to tell someone something they don't really want to hear. Could be a manager as a job where you have to tell someone their job is ending, or some constructive feedback, or just really any number of scenarios there. Well, over the years, I've come to understand that that is not an easy place to be, to have to share something people don't want to hear. And it's one of the things that causes so many conflicts. Drama, debates, offenses, telling someone they don't want to hear these things. Because sometimes these truths lead to unpleasant endings at worst. And then other times, it can be good, where it actually has helpful dialogue that improves relations. But when you tell someone something that conflicts with their worldview and their presuppositions, sometimes they don't like that, and that is the time when those conflicts arise. We have a lot of examples in scripture of that happening. Think about Noah. He's building the ark and he's warning people. Well, they don't want to hear it and they mock him, right? They ostracize him. Elijah going to King Ahab, telling him many, many times that what he's doing is wrong. Well, Ahab doesn't want to hear that and he's seeking to kill him often. John the Baptist confronts King Herod and he tells him, you have an illicit relationship and you need to change, you need to stop. Well, what does that result in? That response was to imprison him and ultimately to behead him. And then all of Jesus' truthful words to the religious leaders of the day, leading to their desire to kill him, to murder him. It wasn't their actions that caused it, it was the words they shared and it went against the grain of what these people wanted to hear. In our text today, we're going to find that it happens again, and stones are going to fly at a man named Stephen because he told the truth that conflicted with the worldview of his audience. So I want to read the passage this morning as we get started. We're going to just go to verse 54, 754 through 60. When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, look, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. They yelled at him at the top of their voices. They covered their ears and together they rushed against him. They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he knelt down, and he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. And after saying this, he fell asleep." That's the word of the Lord. I want to approach the text this morning, as I was thinking through over the last few weeks, of how to really dissect this and what would be helpful for us today. It's a very well-known story. Those of us who had the privilege of attending church for a large portion of our life probably heard this story in several Sunday school classes, messages along the way. And sometimes those stories can just become a flannel graph on a board, and it just says Stephen was stoned and he went to heaven. But there's a lot more to it than that. And we need to digest this, we need to think through this. And so I approached it with three questions today that I had from the text, and I just wanted to think about this today. We'll try to answer these. Why, question one, why this response from his audience? Why did they get so angry? Question two. Why did Stephen have to die? Why was this the ultimate thing, that he had to die? And question three, how was Stephen able to die so peacefully and full of grace? And I think these are three very important questions that are relevant to us today. So as we consider these questions, I just wanted to quick remind ourselves of some things that Pastor Chase brought out last week when he was talking about Stephen here. A young man, a Greek-speaking Jew, a foreigner, foreign-born, living in Jerusalem, chosen to serve as a deacon based on his character and his reputation. He was full of wisdom, the Holy Spirit, faith, grace, and power. He was doing signs and wonders among the people. He was faithful to serve where God had placed him. He spent time in the Greek-speaking synagogues where there could have been several, two, three, four, I'm not sure, but speaking there. And there's ongoing theological debates and discussions taking place. And what was happening is as he's taking part of those discussions, he's confounding them. He's frustrating them with his wisdom that he has because they couldn't give an answer to it. And as Pastor Chase said, they lied, they stacked the court, they accused him falsely in an effort to neutralize him because he didn't have an answer to God-given wisdom. So they leveled charges against him. And this is where we are. They're leveling charges against him. They said two parts. You are blaspheming against Moses and God. Now notice the order there that they say this, Moses and God. And number two, you're speaking against the law and the temple. These are two serious charges they've leveled against him. And as they say this, that peace settles over Stephen. And as we heard last week, he had the face of an angel, a calmness, a settledness that was shown on his face. That was God's grace. And so we arrive at our passage today wondering what could be in Stephen's response to these accusations that could cause the council to be so irate. so reacts so hatefully and violently towards him at those words. Well, after the accusers made their claim, Stephen, or the high priest says to Stephen, are these things true? Simple question. And Stephen could have answered back simply. He could have just said, no, they're not true. These are false. These are false accusations. Or he could have responded as the Lord did and said nothing to his accusers. Now we would be right to wonder, what if he had just stayed quiet, would it have helped? Or did his argument, would it help anyway to argue back, because they already had their mind made up, it seems. Remember, many times the nature of the accusations mean a lot more than the substance of the evidence. And so they were accusing him and throwing these daggers at him, and they'd already made their accusations in their mind. But Stephen, under the power of the Holy Spirit and full of God's wisdom, responds to them. And he's in what we now know to be the longest speech or the longest sermon in the book of Acts. Now time will not permit us to read through all of this. It's a long passage, so I'm gonna encourage you to go home this week and in your time, read through this and follow the logic that Stephen lays out. But what we do find in his response is that I think he's living out what Peter tells us later is gonna happen to us when he says, who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. Do not fear them and don't be intimidated, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, and here's the key, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason of the hope that is in you. But do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. Why? Because it's better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. And I think Stephen already understood what the Apostle Paul would later write when he said unto Timothy, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And surely he must have known the words of the Lord Jesus when he says, you, to the religious leaders, you're pouring over the scriptures. And because you think you have eternal life in them, but they testify about me. but you're not willing to come to me so that you may have life. So with all of these things on Stephen's mind, his response, he did do that. He responded reverently and respectfully because he says to them, brothers and fathers. And he proceeds from that point to tell a story, to tell a story, just as a condensed version of Israel's history. In verses 1-8, he talks about Abraham at the beginning, how God was present with him before there was a land, before there was an heir, before there was a temple, before there was the law, the things they're so worried about. God was present with Abraham. In verses 9-16, he talks about Joseph and how the Israelites came to Egypt in their time of need, but the people initially rejected Joseph as their rescuer. Then he spends some time on Moses and he says again, highlighting that God was with him even before the promised land. And again, he was rejected initially by the people. He was sent to deliver them, but they rejected him. Then he closes with a brief reference to the tabernacle, to Joshua. He talks about David and Solomon and the temple in verses 45 and 50. chapter seven, and then he finally draws some conclusions of the whole matter in verses 51 through 53. But it's this history, and he's making a point, that long before the land was inherited, and long before the temple was established, God was present with his people, and he was unfolding his plan for them. All this to say to the council, you have got a long history of rejecting God's prophets. You have a long history of disobeying God's commands. And you have a long history of rejecting even, you rejected Moses, the man you revere and you're accusing me of now. Disobeying the laws of God and here you are doing it again. Regarding the temple, this accusation about being opposed to the temple, he does remind them that at first, God had provided a mobile tent of meeting called the tabernacle to the children of Israel as they went through the wilderness wanderings. Later, a permanent structure was built in Jerusalem called the Temple, and that's what they prized so dearly. It's important to remember that both were built according to God's will. Both were a gift to the people. But the argument Stephen makes here is that you're not wrong in constructing either one of these. And you're not wrong in worshiping there. I worship there, I love it there. But you are wrong in saying that these structures, these buildings, are God's home. In fact, you're elevating the structure to a level of worship. And if you follow the logic of Stephen's argument, you can see that maybe they made this an idol made by human hands, and they elevated it to a level of worship in their own hearts. The temple was very dear and important to them. Now, today, August 7th, 2022, in Jerusalem today, on the Temple Mount, the Orthodox Jews are celebrating a feast called Tisha B'Av. And it's an annual feast that is set aside for the mourning of the destruction of Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple. How ironic that they're doing that today, the day we're talking about this, right? But fasting and lamenting as they wait for the rebuilding of the Temple, for it will usher in the Messiah and the presence of God. It's still uber important to them. But Stephen says in verse 48, if you look there, but the most high God, what? He does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands. Because the prophet said in Isaiah chapter 66, the prophet Isaiah, he said, the heaven is my throne. The earth is my footstool. Where could you possibly build a house for me? And where could my resting place be? My hand made all these things and they came into being. So just as worship of God continues without the presence of the physical temple today, so can we worship God even without this place. I mean, next week, August 12th, celebrate 10 years of being in this facility. And we look forward to the day to be able to move in here and to enjoy this space together and it's beautiful. It's a gift from God. But what happens if it's gone? Is God gone? No, God is present with the believer, and we worship God. We will find another way to gather together. We will find another way to worship God. It doesn't have to be in this physical place, but we give thanks to God for the beauty, for the facility here that we have. So I think a good way for us to summarize right now Stephen's defense is that God was with his people long before any of these things existed. And he basically says, I'm not speaking against the temple, I'm simply saying this is not where God resides, and you're charging me with blasphemy, but he's present with us wherever we go. But at this point, that argument takes a turn. And his speech turns from more of a defense to more of a prosecution of the very ones that are sitting in judgment of him. When you look in verse 51, do you think the tone of it changes here? You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears, you are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law under the direction of angels, and yet you have not kept it. And I think right there we get our answer to question number one. Why did they get so angry? In essence, he's telling his accusers, you've elevated Moses to a place above God, worshiping the man of God over God himself. That's a danger for us. Regarding the law, you've received it from God, but you've not obeyed it. You are the ones who've broken the laws of God. Worshiping idols made with hands instead of worshiping the true God. You're just like your ancestors, rejecting God's words. Just like your ancestors rejected Moses and Joseph, you are the ones who have rejected the righteous Redeemer. You are stubborn, resisting the Holy Spirit, killing the one about whom the law and the prophets spoke, the righteous one. You have become his murderers. This is the climax. This is the point at which they can sit and listen no longer. Their anger grows. Their blood boils. They're grinding their teeth in anger. They're just coming unglued. But Stephen, Stephen remained calm with the peace of God. And God gave him a glimpse into heaven. And he tells him, Look, the heavens are open, and I see the Son of Man standing by the throne of God. What a powerful picture. Instead of speaking to them further about the law and the temple and continuing the debate and the argument and the defense, he simply says, look to Jesus. He's the fulfillment of both the law and the temple. And this is where they lose it. This is really where they lose it. They run at him. They rush upon us, the song said. They run at him, they cover their ears, and they say, do not talk about this one. He's equating Jesus with God, and they can't take it. In 2014, my family and I had the privilege of going through Europe on a short tour of visiting some of our gospel partners. And our first stop was in Madrid, Spain. And we got connected to a ministry called On the Red Box. And it was quite an amazing time for us. We spent a couple hours in prayer on the Puerta del Sol and the big main plaza in Madrid. And then we went out and on the red box ministry, their whole point is to practically with everyday objects and stories from everyday life, illustrate the gospel and tell how Jesus has changed their life. And so they literally, they walk out there and they step up on a red box and they have some visuals and they talk about this, some story, whatever they can come up with to draw attention and some relevance to the gospel. But then they switch and they say, Jesus did this for me. Well, while we were there, we're standing there, and we're listening, following along as best we can, it's all in Spanish. Someone, I think a young girl, might have said it, and Jesus, Jesucristo, and at that moment, all hell broke loose around us. There was hissing. There was cursing. My son, Will, reminded me there was a man walking around stomping his feet and just in anger and protest. And it's the first time in my life I had ever experienced that response to the name of Jesus. They hated the name. They hated it. They didn't want to hear anything else. They covered their ears. They did not rush at them and come upon them and stone them, but they would have possibly done that. It was uncontrollable. And this is what the Sanhedrin does, and the witnesses. They violently responded when Stephen equated Jesus with God. No ears to hear. They refused Christ once again. And they didn't reject Stephen, they rejected Jesus. He told them things they did not want to hear. Things that collided and contradicted with their worldview. and their teachings, and it resulted in uncontrollable anger. So, that's the answer of why they got so angry. But then it caused me to think, okay, they're angry, why wouldn't they treat him like they did Peter earlier and whip him and beat him and say, never speak of that again and go to prison? But they killed him. Why did he have to die? It was such a violent and wrongful death The very ones who insisted that Stephen was disrespecting the law were the hypocrites that disobeyed it and had mob action and killed him with stones. Well, by all accounts, the things I looked through, I was thinking about who is this Stephen, what he had going for him. He was a young man, it says, and most estimates are that he was 28 to 30 years old. He was full of wisdom. respected by the church and the apostles, respected to put into a position of leadership, and he was a helpful servant of the church. We know that he walked with God because he knew the scriptures. He knew them. And if you read through that whole sermon, you'll find he was a gifted orator. He knew how to put it together and to share and to talk. And from our human point of view, Just looking at this, it's understandable we might have feelings like, boy, that was a waste of a life. It was a life cut short. And we might even think, man, think about how much more he could have done for Christ and for the church if he'd have lived a full, long life. But, The peace and the comfort we get is that he accomplished everything that God wanted him to accomplish with his life. Think about what the psalmist says in Psalm 139. Your eyes saw me when I was formless. All my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began. Stephen's life was a full life. It was a long life. His life and influence has been multiplied for thousands of years now. I mean, we're talking about him today and the impact it has on us as believers today. It's not a waste of life. So I'm gonna give you four reasons that I'm just gonna quickly suggest that why Stephen had to die. as part of God's plan. Number one, to teach us to live faithful now. To teach us to live faithful now. While we may not yet have been called on, and we may never be called on to endure this type of persecution, we can be faithful to the leading of the Lord in our life, the Holy Spirit directing us. So live faithful now. Trusting God through the highs and lows of life as pilgrims on this earth, obeying God as He reveals His purposes and plans for our life, and then glorifying God with our lives as we reflect Him to others. Trusting, obeying, glorifying, be faithful now. Be filled with the Spirit, be saturated with the scripture. One commentator says it this way, you can't plan for persecution. But if you walk with Jesus now, you can speak for Jesus then. I wanna repeat that. You can't plan for persecution. But if you walk with Jesus now, you can speak for Jesus then. So one reason, teach us how to live faithfully now. Reason number two, to help us understand that as followers of Christ, we too may be oppressed or persecuted for our faith in him. We may be called to walk that path. Why do Christians in the West, and yes, I'm specifically thinking in the United States of America, why do we really so often think and live as if this will never happen to us? I mean, persecution in the Scripture happened so long ago, and it was a volatile time there in the starting of the church, so that's why it happened there. We may buy into this misstatement. America is a Christian nation. God will protect us. Now, I'm a patriot, I love America, and I'm so thankful to be here in this place and to worship freely. But we're naive to think if we are exempt from this, because persecution has been the story of Christianity throughout the centuries, throughout history. Great persecution of the church in every culture, in every century, a desire to stamp it out, a desire to thwart the work and the plan of God, but it has not worked. In fact, the gospel has spread further and deeper. So dear friends, don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, what? Rejoice. Rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed. If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. In Jesus' own words, in John chapter 15, if the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Faithful followers of Jesus have suffered for his sake. Faithful followers of Jesus Christ are suffering for his sake today. In parts of our modern and tolerant world, they're suffering. You can look at the voice of the martyrs. You can go to open doors and you can get a list and the world watch list. It tells you the 50 top persecuted countries. I mean the top 10 right here, Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, India, all of this Islamic oppression, religious nationalism, communist oppression. They're trying to thwart and stamp out Christianity today. It's happening. And persecution for the sake of his name may be at our doorsteps, friend. Don't be surprised. Be ready to rejoice and endure and trust God through it. Because reason number three Stephen had to die to fulfill God's plan was to give us hope. to give us hope that when we are oppressed, when we are persecuted for our faith, He is with us in the fire, in the flood, and in death, He is present. He's with us. Jesus tells us, make up your minds not to prepare your defense ahead of time, for I will give you such words and a wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will even be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will kill some of you. You will be hated by everyone because of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. By your endurance, gain your lives. These words were not stated to frighten us. These words were given to us as a promise, a promise from God that wisdom and grace and comfort for the one who loves us, the one who died to set us free is with us. The father allowed Stephen to look into heaven and to see Jesus at his death. And this gives us hope that confidence that we will not suffer alone because he said what I will never leave you or forsake you. Brothers and sisters, take heart. He is for you. He is with you. He will not leave you to suffer for his sake alone. He will uphold you, he will embolden you, and he will settle you. John Piper, a well-known pastor and author, says it this way, because we ask the question, can I actually do this? Is it possible? There's a special grace given to dying Christians. We often wonder, Could I endure suffering for Christ in the hour of persecution or even in the hour of ordinary death? Well, the answer is no. I couldn't. Not in myself. But we will not be left to ourselves, he writes. There will be an extraordinary grace for the extraordinary trial of death. The Spirit and the glory of God will rest upon us. So take hope. It might be at our doorsteps, but God, Jesus, is with us. Reason number four, quickly here, that Stephen had to die to fulfill God's plans, is actually found in chapter eight, if you turn there for a moment. And I'm gonna read to you Acts chapter one, verse eight. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Our theme verse up here on these banners and in the atrium this year, Acts chapter 1-8. The source of the empowered church is the power of the Holy Spirit. Now in our English translations of the scriptures, and in the chapter and verse designations, Acts chapter one, verse eight, and Acts chapter eight, verse one, are tied together. It's very interesting, they're linked. Because eight one says, Saul agreed with putting him to death. And on that day, a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. And all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea, and Samaria. Reason number four Stephen had to die, according to God's plan, was to ignite gospel advance beyond Jerusalem, to push it out to the region where he said we would go. The apostles stayed in Jerusalem for a while to lead the church, but others were scattered to different cities and regions because of the persecution. And by default, the good news of the Messiah was spread abroad just like Jesus said it would be. And ultimately, That young man who agreed to putting Stephen to death, hmm, it's amazing to think about. That young man will be the one to take the news to the ends of the earth. Isn't God's plan wonderful? Even though you can't see it always and you can't understand it, he's working out his plan for his purposes. So, we know why they got angry. We have some reasons that are helpful to understand why Stephen had to die to fulfill God's plan and purposes. So our final question, how was he able to do it so peacefully and full of grace? Of course, we could answer this in a similar way. God was with him, God strengthened him. But it might be helpful to consider some similarities in the way that both Jesus and Stephen died. I'm just going to read through these quickly. Both were put on trial before the Sanhedrin. Both were accused by false witnesses that were stirred up. Go accuse him. Both were accused of being against the temple. Both referenced the temple made with human hands. Both were charged with blasphemy. Both were questioned by the high priest. Both commit their spirit to the Father at their death, and both cry out with a loud shout at death, and both pray for their tormentors, their persecutors, their murderers. They ask for mercy on them. Stephen walked like Christ in his life. He did. He walked like Christ in his life. And Stephen died like Christ in his death. It's a power of testimony. I believe this is the only time in scripture where Jesus is portrayed as standing at the right hand of God. Other times it's noted that he's seated. Now, what's the significance of this detail? Well, just my ideas, my thinking. It's likely to my mind that this is just a posture of Jesus honoring Stephen. who is dying for his beloved Lord, he's giving him honor, but also a sign, a welcome. I'm welcoming you home. It's as if he says, come, son, come home. What a sweet picture, the love of our Lord. Those who die for his sake don't die in vain. They don't, they don't. And he's the first to welcome them into his presence. He's the first, he calls them home. Our brother Stephen was at peace. He was enduring a horrible death and those who had accused him before the Sanhedrin were hurling stones at him to end his earthly life. But Jesus welcomed him to life eternal. And you remember last week's message, the face of an angel, that calm demeanor, no angst against his persecutors. He goes a step further and he says, God, forgive them. Don't hold this against them. And the beautiful truth helps us see how one person, how Jesus forgave Saul. What a beautiful picture. And it's a beautiful truth about how one can live with a spirit-filled life and he dies as spirit-filled. At the end of our time in Madrid, when we were on our trip, we went over to Western France to spend a few days there with our gospel partners, Mark and Denise Nelson. What a wonderful visit we had with them. They're doing a great work. And during our stay there, Mark took us on a walking tour of his town called La Rochelle. He told us about the siege of La Rochelle and the events leading up to that. A particular interest for us today is a story of Claude, Kevin help me, Donglier, French. Yeah, he's French. I mean, he knows French. Lieutenant General in the French Army in 1544. Claude was commissioned to investigate the heretics of La Rochelle. And these heretics were true believers in Christ, but they were opposed to the teachings and the abuse of the Catholic Church in France. It was noted that there were several heretics that were, quote, making profane statements and scandalous blasphemy against the church. And over an eight year period, dozens and dozens of these true believers were tried and imprisoned. But in 1552, Claude was able to target three leading figures of this movement, which would later become known as the Huguenots. These three men, Matias, Pierre, and Lucas, were charged, tried, convicted, and condemned. And on May 10th, 1552, this is what happened, and it's a public record. Matias was martyred. He was very outspoken for his faith in Christ, so they removed his tongue, and then they burned him at the stake, burned him alive. Pierre strangled and burned at the stake. Lucas stripped to the waist and he was beaten severely with a whip. He was banished from the city and left to die. There's no record of Lucas beyond that point. But in that moment of their death, they were all three welcomed home by their savior. Well, Claude returned to his home after those events, and he writes that he went through his normal routines and went to bed. But he found sleep very elusive, very elusive. And he would later state that he was terrified with the images that entered his mind. He could not escape the faces of those he had condemned to their death. And what haunted him? He was haunted by their peaceful, contented look. Amazing. And for six nights, he could not sleep. With no relief in sight, he went to the home of a Huguenot Christian, and he just said, I need help. What is it with you people? I'm paraphrasing into modern vernacular here. What is it with you people? How can you die so peacefully when we're trying to get rid of you all? Ultimately, Claude became a child of God. Over the next several months, his home, he had a big home in the city. His home became a regular meeting place for Christians. Every room was filled. The gospel was going out. People were being redeemed and saved and coming to his home for worship. The persecutor of Christians had become one himself. Was this something Saul, the persecutor, experienced? I don't know, but was he never able to escape the memories of Stephen and his consent to it? Whatever the case, he became a recipient of that grace, a recipient of the martyr's request that the sin not be held against him. Amazing grace. I think this is what Jesus was referring to when he confronted Saul on the Damascus Road, and he says, why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to kick against the goads. Maybe Stephen's death kept prodding this persecutor, pushing him, nudging him to the throne of grace. Well, I'm thankful for this historical record that Luke provides for us of the life of Stephen because really of the hope it gives us to persevere in this life as a believer. Not to get more tangible blessings in this life, and comforts in this world. Not to be redeemed, just to be more secure and feel good and to be able to say, I'm so thankful I'm going to heaven. It's much deeper than that. But it's to be reminded that those who name the name of Jesus and are then entrusted with the responsibility to suffer for that name, will be met with grace, unmeasured, boundless, free, to endure that suffering and be greeted by the King of kings and the Lord of lords himself. Stephen did not set out to be a martyr. He was just trying to follow and be like Jesus. But sometimes, Christ-like living leads to Christ-like dying. His life and death should have us pause, stop, reflect on our purposes and goals in this life. So I wanna just close with this. I wanna ask you, and I ask you this question not to guilt you, not to shame you, not to manipulate you in any way. Just an honest assessment, just to reflect on these truths. What are you living for? What am I living for? What am I pursuing? What are you pursuing? What is your hope in this life? Is it these things we talked about, the blessings, the comfort, the security, the freedom, the rights that we have? Or is it for Jesus? Is it for Jesus to live like him for his kingdom and maybe possibly be called on to die like him? It's a tough question. But I'll leave that with you today to reflect on the life of Stephen, a life well lived, a full life. He gave his life for his Savior, and he did it peacefully, full of grace, because he loved his Lord. Well, I've asked the praise team to come back to close of our service today, because I want them to sing the song that they taught us last week. I want us to hear those words again in light of the message of the day. for the cause of Christ. It's a powerful message, and it fits nicely here with this text for sure. But here's some lyrics of that song. He is all my soul will prize, regardless of the joy or trial. When agonizing questions rise, in Jesus all my hope abides. And the last phrase says, I pray it said about my life that I live more to build your name than mine for the cause of Christ. They're gonna sing this song for us, we're gonna be dismissed, but I wanna invite you to have a moment of reflection in your spirit, in your heart. How's God speaking to you today? What are you living for? And if your prayer is this, for the cause of Christ, feel free to join in with them singing at some point along the way. Sing this song, lift it to the Lord, and make it your prayer and your aim to live like Christ, like Stephen did. Will you stand with me and we'll pray. Holy God, in love you became perfect man to bear my blame. Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice. But thank you for not just leaving it there, but you're being here with us. You're present by your Holy Spirit in our lives today. And God, I pray for grace and help and power to live this life for your sake, to love you fully, to be unhindered by the cares of this world and the draws and the things that crave our attention, but to be totally focused on you and your kingdom and your purposes for our life. God, will you help us to live our life for you, for your cause? Thank you for the example of Stephen. Thank you for this godly man who loved you, lived for you, died for you, and is impacting us even today. We give you praise. In Jesus' name, amen.