St. Stephen
12/26/10
Acts 7:51-60
Bror Erickson
[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 not your fathers 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."
[54] Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. [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." [57] But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. [58] Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. [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. Acts 7:51-60 (ESV)
Jesus tells the people of Jerusalem that he will send them prophets, and they will kill and persecute them as their forefathers did. And here we see St. Stephen, the first martyr, after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, begin to fulfill that prophecy. It is a prophecy that is fulfilled over and over again with every Christian, with every prophet that gives his or her life for Christ, or experiences persecution in his name. Oh and it does happen even today.
Perhaps it is a bit strange to think of Stephen as a prophet, after all what did he prophecy? What is their left to prophecy? The Old Testament Prophets concerned themselves with announcing beforehand the coming of the Righteous one, as they spoke the word of God to people of uncircumcised hearts and ears. And so the prophets of today announce afterhand the coming of the Righteous One who forgives sins as they speak the word of God to generation after generation of stiff-necked people. And the prophecy of Moses, his desire that all God’s people would prophecy comes alive as the prophecy of Joel is fulfilled and the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh and young men and women prophecy, male servants and female servants prophecy. They speak the word of God, his law and his Gospel, to stiff necked people who don’t care to hear, and pray for those who persecute us.
Now, it is a bit tricky to be talking of being a Christian as being a prophet in the 21st century and in Utah. It is open to such misinterpretation here. We are surrounded by a stiff necked generation, who like to fancy their feelings as being the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and their whims and wants to be the command of God. Where as Christians have good reason to believe it is the devil leading us to believe and live contrary to God’s word, these people blame the Holy Spirit, and call it a prophecy.
This tendency must be guarded against. The Holy Spirit does not teach against God’s word. Quite the contrary, if you want to know what the Holy Spirit is telling you, then read God’s word! The Holy Spirit speaks through the word of God his law and his gospel. It is not his desire that we get divorced, have affairs, engage in fornication. It is not his desire that we discriminate against people on the basis of race or sex. He does not lead us around with warm fuzzies or other feelings for that matter.
But the Holy Spirit does speak. He speaks through God’s word, he works on us through his sacraments. And he speaks through us when we confess Christ.
It is fitting on this day in which we celebrate the confession of St. Stephen during his martyrdom, that we also bring in members by baptism and confession of faith. It may not be all the same as confessing Christ before hostile crowds, un hard hearts, but those opportunities do come. So often it is part and parcel of family life today, that the hardest hearts we know are so often those we love most.
And there we can learn from Stephan himself that to prophecy is to love with the love of Christ. Stephan never lets go of Christ’s last word, forgiveness. In fact he dies with the same love for his persecutors, that Christ had for his, crying out loud that God forgive those who do him wrong. And that prayer, if anyone doubts it’s power, is answered in that Saul is converted and becomes Paul, without whom we would be missing about 75% of our New Testament. Prophecy and prayer go hand in hand. And prayer is what we need. It is hard not to love those for whom you pray. Your faith does not have to become a point of contention with those you love most, even if it often will. Let it become a point of contention from their side to yours though. Let them persecute you, but don’t persecute them with your faith. This is so often the tendency. To go about beating people over the head with your beliefs trying to force it on them, and then claiming to be persecuted.
There is a better way. It is to find time for the Holy Spirit everyday, to attend church, to go to Bible Study, to read God’s word, spend time in devotion being fed with law and gospel, and then pray for those you know, your family and friends, your coworkers and acquaintances. And then when opportunity arises as it did for Stephan and will for you, you will find that your faith, the Holy Spirit, can’t help to speak of the forgiveness of Christ, who calls us to be his own. Then we will know what it means to be a prophet of the most high God, who became man for us men and our salvation, that in his death and resurrection, we would find life, escape from sin and the law in the forgiveness of sins, respite from the world.
Now the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
St. Stephen
12/26/10
Acts 7:51-60
Bror Erickson
[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 not your fathers 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."
[54] Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. [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." [57] But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. [58] Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. [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. Acts 7:51-60 (ESV)
Jesus tells the people of Jerusalem that he will send them prophets, and they will kill and persecute them as their forefathers did. And here we see St. Stephen, the first martyr, after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, begin to fulfill that prophecy. It is a prophecy that is fulfilled over and over again with every Christian, with every prophet that gives his or her life for Christ, or experiences persecution in his name. Oh and it does happen even today.
Perhaps it is a bit strange to think of Stephen as a prophet, after all what did he prophecy? What is their left to prophecy? The Old Testament Prophets concerned themselves with announcing beforehand the coming of the Righteous one, as they spoke the word of God to people of uncircumcised hearts and ears. And so the prophets of today announce afterhand the coming of the Righteous One who forgives sins as they speak the word of God to generation after generation of stiff-necked people. And the prophecy of Moses, his desire that all God’s people would prophecy comes alive as the prophecy of Joel is fulfilled and the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh and young men and women prophecy, male servants and female servants prophecy. They speak the word of God, his law and his Gospel, to stiff necked people who don’t care to hear, and pray for those who persecute us.
Now, it is a bit tricky to be talking of being a Christian as being a prophet in the 21st century and in Utah. It is open to such misinterpretation here. We are surrounded by a stiff necked generation, who like to fancy their feelings as being the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and their whims and wants to be the command of God. Where as Christians have good reason to believe it is the devil leading us to believe and live contrary to God’s word, these people blame the Holy Spirit, and call it a prophecy.
This tendency must be guarded against. The Holy Spirit does not teach against God’s word. Quite the contrary, if you want to know what the Holy Spirit is telling you, then read God’s word! The Holy Spirit speaks through the word of God his law and his gospel. It is not his desire that we get divorced, have affairs, engage in fornication. It is not his desire that we discriminate against people on the basis of race or sex. He does not lead us around with warm fuzzies or other feelings for that matter.
But the Holy Spirit does speak. He speaks through God’s word, he works on us through his sacraments. And he speaks through us when we confess Christ.
It is fitting on this day in which we celebrate the confession of St. Stephen during his martyrdom, that we also bring in members by baptism and confession of faith. It may not be all the same as confessing Christ before hostile crowds, un hard hearts, but those opportunities do come. So often it is part and parcel of family life today, that the hardest hearts we know are so often those we love most.
And there we can learn from Stephan himself that to prophecy is to love with the love of Christ. Stephan never lets go of Christ’s last word, forgiveness. In fact he dies with the same love for his persecutors, that Christ had for his, crying out loud that God forgive those who do him wrong. And that prayer, if anyone doubts it’s power, is answered in that Saul is converted and becomes Paul, without whom we would be missing about 75% of our New Testament. Prophecy and prayer go hand in hand. And prayer is what we need. It is hard not to love those for whom you pray. Your faith does not have to become a point of contention with those you love most, even if it often will. Let it become a point of contention from their side to yours though. Let them persecute you, but don’t persecute them with your faith. This is so often the tendency. To go about beating people over the head with your beliefs trying to force it on them, and then claiming to be persecuted.
There is a better way. It is to find time for the Holy Spirit everyday, to attend church, to go to Bible Study, to read God’s word, spend time in devotion being fed with law and gospel, and then pray for those you know, your family and friends, your coworkers and acquaintances. And then when opportunity arises as it did for Stephan and will for you, you will find that your faith, the Holy Spirit, can’t help to speak of the forgiveness of Christ, who calls us to be his own. Then we will know what it means to be a prophet of the most high God, who became man for us men and our salvation, that in his death and resurrection, we would find life, escape from sin and the law in the forgiveness of sins, respite from the world.
Now the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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