Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Unreasonable

Joseph Friedly · March 1, 2023

Acts 7:54-60

sharonrpc.org/sermons/unreasonable

Summary

Stephen preaches Christ before the Sanhedrin, but hardened unbelief answers good news with irrational rage rather than reasoned repentance.
Ministry sometimes meets conflicts, departures, crises, or persecution that cannot be fully explained, so servants of Christ must trust and wait upon the Lord.
What appears to be Stephen's helpless defeat is governed by a greater revealed reality: the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand.
Christ's reign is the foundation for interpreting every circumstance; his eyes are on his suffering servant and his authority is never threatened by the mob.
Deliverance can look like defeat, just as the cross looked like loss while accomplishing salvation, so Christian ministry should expect a cross-shaped path.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen commits his spirit to Jesus and prays for his killers, imitating Christ's composure and compassion on the cross.
Church leaders are called to walk by faith, remind their people that Christ reigns, and display a supernatural peace that surpasses visible circumstances.

Which present circumstance am I interpreting only by appearances rather than by Christ's revealed reign?
How do I respond when faithful service produces conflict or rejection that does not seem to make sense?
Do I believe Jesus' eyes and ears remain attentive to his people in suffering?
Where do I need to remember that deliverance may take a cross-shaped form rather than immediate escape?
Can others see a peace and reasonableness in me that points beyond natural strength to the Holy Spirit?
Am I able to pray for enemies and persecutors while entrusting justice and my spirit to Christ?
How can church leaders continually direct their congregations from frightening appearances to the reigning King?

Unreasonable rage: Hostility so ruled by hardened unbelief that it rejects gospel truth and the good of the hearer.
Revealed reality: The truth God discloses in Scripture—especially Christ's present reign—which sight and unaided reason cannot discover.
Son of Man: Jesus' royal title, here identifying the risen and exalted Christ standing at God's right hand.
Cross-shaped ministry: Service patterned after Jesus, in which apparent defeat and suffering may become the means of faithful witness and final deliverance.
Reasonableness: Spirit-given composure, gentleness, and peace grounded in the nearness and rule of Christ.
Martyr witness: Faithful confession of Christ maintained through suffering and, when required, sealed by death.