Please take your copy of God's Word and turn to the book of Acts chapter 6.
Our text for this morning will be Acts chapter 6, verse 8 through Acts chapter 7, verse 1.
And while you're getting there, let me just express to you that it's very good to be back with you this morning.
The whole family took last week off just as we've struggled with our new little one.
If you don't know my family, we have a brand new baby boy in addition to our other two.
And Silas has been a bit more challenging than the others.
We've had our what in the world do we do moments with him, but we're mostly filled with joy.
Sam's here with him somewhere.
I think she's already. Oh, she's here in the room.
How about that for now? She's here in the room.
That's the fussing you're hearing over there.
It's also very good to be back preaching with you again as I'm coming off a preaching break.
I just want to remind you guys why we're doing that, why I'm taking these times of stepping away,
not from my job in total, but from preaching itself.
And they're twofold.
Number one, we want you to want to come and hear the Word of God preached.
Simply that.
The truth proclaimed.
And not necessarily by a particular person.
And I don't think that that happens here.
It's not that I have some strange disillusionment that I'm being worshipped in any way whatsoever.
But we want to get ahead of that kind of thing.
We don't want you to show up and think,
Ah, not Nathan.
Please don't ever think that.
Praise God for the Word of God preached.
The truth is proclaimed here.
And I praise God for the depth of talent we have in that regard.
The second reason is simply that we need to let other people exercise gifting.
I'm certainly glad to get up here week in and week out.
It does grow tiring at times.
But primarily, we need to let other men get into the process and work that gifting out
and have the chance to share what God is working into them with you.
And so, you're going to see breaks like that periodically across the rest of the year.
But all that said, I'm glad to be back.
I'm glad also to be back,
to begin this period of time of study and preaching on your behalf
with a very important transitionary character in the book of Acts.
Come to the life and ministry of Stephen.
Peter has been the primary character up to this point in Luke's narrative.
Continuing forward, we will observe the ministry of Peter in chapters 10, 11, and 12.
And then his presence at the Jerusalem Council in chapter 15.
But the focus is beginning now to shift away from Peter as the primary narrative character to Paul.
We meet him first as Saul at the very end of chapter 7 and on into chapter 8.
And we see this shift through the end of the book then as Paul is the central figure in Luke's narrative.
So, we have this record of Stephen's ministry and it's a short one.
And rightly so, because his ministry is brief.
He is selected to serve as a deacon in order to serve the tables of the Greek-speaking Jewish widows
at the beginning of chapter 6.
And his ministry ends at the end of chapter 7.
He expands his ministry as a deacon to that of a preacher and an apologist.
And the Lord sees fit to end Stephen's ministry by making him the first martyr of the Christian church.
I appreciated this summary by Charles Spurgeon as I appreciate so much of his preaching and writing.
And I put it on the front of the bulletin for you to follow along.
He preached, 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 so that he may seal his testimony with his blood.
So we have the opportunity to look at the life and ministry of Stephen, however brief.
And we're going to do so across the next two weeks.
Today, I'd like to look at his arrest and inquiry.
And the next Lord's Day, we'll look at Stephen's response and his death.
And over the next two weeks, I want us to keep in mind two general lessons,
general and broad lessons that we can learn from Stephen's life and ministry.
Number one, a life given in service to God is a life that is not wasted.
As we come to the conclusion of Stephen's life next week,
we'll see that God sovereignly uses Stephen's martyrdom for the explosive expansion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
His death is the catalyst that sets off so much gospel reach and response.
A life given in service to God is a life that is not wasted.
And secondly, the significance of such a life given to God cannot be measured by its short-term gains,
its breadth, or its length.
The significance of a life given in service to God cannot be measured by its short-term gains,
its breadth, or its length.
So with those two things in mind, let's look at our text this morning.
Acts chapter 6, beginning in verse 8 through chapter 7, verse 1.
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the freedmen, as it was called,
and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians,
and of those from Cilicia and Asia,
rose up and disputed with Stephen.
But they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking.
Then they secretly instigated men who said,
We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.
And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes,
and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council.
And they set up false witnesses who said,
This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place
and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.
And gazing at him,
all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
And the high priest said,
Are these things so?
Beloved,
this is God's word to us.
It was written for his glory and our good.
And we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises
and obey its commands.
Now, our text this morning,
I would like to look at in two ways.
Number one,
the details of Stephen's arrest.
And number two,
the Stephen who was arrested.
The details of Stephen's arrest.
And number two,
the Stephen who was arrested.
So number one,
the details of Stephen's arrest.
We begin out here,
after him coming off,
we get this explanation of him being called as a deacon,
this early church that's meeting in Jerusalem
for the sake of serving the tables of the widows,
of the Hellenist Jews,
that Stephen is not only serving tables.
He is also preaching.
We have a deacon here who preaches.
And some have supposed
that the calling of these men
at the beginning of Acts chapter 6
were not the calling of deacons,
was not the institution of that office,
but rather the institution of the office of elder.
Because Stephen was preaching.
Elders must be able to teach.
That's a qualification that's given for an elder.
But that does not mean
that no one else can have that qualification.
In fact,
deacons and all believers,
whether or not they hold an office in the church,
whether or not they are especially gifted
to teach in a setting like this,
are to be
preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Don't miss that.
And what a great encouragement that is to us
that Stephen,
chosen to be a deacon,
I will argue,
to serve the physical needs of the church,
was also a preacher.
Stephen, the deacon, preached.
If you're looking at the text carefully,
you might be saying,
on what basis do I come to the conclusion
that he's preaching?
Because it doesn't actually say explicitly
that he preached.
But recall that we have noted
in our study of Mark,
if you've been with us for quite a while,
seen the record of Jesus' ministry,
and in our study of Acts so far,
that signs and wonders
were always intended to validate
the message of the gospel.
The preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ
always accompanied signs and wonders
being performed.
Signs and wonders were meant
to cause people to take notice
of the preaching.
God uses the preaching of the gospel
to work the greatest of miracles.
And beloved, we cannot miss this.
God is still in the business
of working miracles
in that He changes hard hearts
to ones that beat for Him.
There is no greater miracle
that has further reach
than hearts changed
toward God.
So, the fact that Stephen
is performing great wonders
and signs
necessitates that he was also
preaching.
So, first,
I come to a conclusion from that.
Second, I come to it
because of the way
in which he's opposed.
Note the opposition
that comes to him for this.
He's not opposed
because he's working miracles.
Verse 9
speaks of
a select group of men
from a variety
of the Jerusalem
synagogues.
We see,
then,
some of those
who belong to the synagogue.
I take that to mean
that those who
were versed
in debate,
those who were of
high training
from each of these synagogues,
the synagogues
of the freedmen,
we get this
parenthetical by Luke
as it was called,
and of the Cyrenians
and of the Alexandrians
and of those from
Cilicia and Asia
rose up
and disputed
with Stephen.
These are a select
group of men
from a variety
of the Jerusalem
synagogues.
You could think of
synagogues
in this day
while the primary
worship of the day
in Jerusalem
happened at the temple,
synagogues were
much like seminaries,
places of
theological
training.
And there were
no less than
480 synagogues
in Jerusalem
in these days.
And they had them
of all kinds
of variety.
These five
are all synagogues
of Greek-speaking Jews.
Now, if you missed
last week,
the Hellenists,
the Greek-speaking Jews,
were those
who either
were already living
in Gentile lands
from the dispersion,
therefore they spoke
Greek as a primary
language,
right?
And they were being
brought back in
or they had started
there and moved
back in
and there was
kind of a bit
of a class separation
as a result
of this.
So,
we find that
Stephen's primary
ministry is to
the Greek-speaking
Jewish widows
and therefore
he's being opposed
by Greek-speaking
Jews.
The synagogue
of the freedmen,
the freedmen,
were made up
of descendants
of Jewish slaves
that were captured
by Pompey
in 63 B.C.
and taken to Rome.
They were later
granted their freedom,
therefore the name
Freedmen,
and they formed
a Jewish community
living there
in Rome.
But this is a synagogue
located in Jerusalem
of these people
who would travel
to Jerusalem
in order to be
educated in
theology.
The synagogues
of the Cyrenians
and the Alexandrians,
both major cities
of northern Africa
which had large
Jewish populations.
Again,
a synagogue
in Jerusalem
for these people.
The synagogues
of Cilicia
and Asia
in much the same way
were Roman provinces
in Asia Minor.
Of interest
at this point,
the Apostle Paul
was from Tarsus,
which is a town
in Cilicia.
Recall
that he was a student
of Gamaliel,
which we've seen
previously in chapter 5.
And he was likely
part of the debate
that's going on.
He's likely one
of the people
standing here
and opposing.
He's likely one
of the people
that helps
recruit liars
to bring false charge
against Stephen
as we see him
at the end
of chapter 7
standing,
residing over
Stephen's
martyrdom.
So there's
this opposition
and it's coming
against teaching.
Verse 10 says,
but they could not
withstand the wisdom
and the spirit
with which he was speaking.
They were unable
to handle him
in a debate.
They were unable
to best the power
of God
at work
within him.
They were incapable
without the illumination
of the spirit of God
to fully comprehend
the scriptures.
They've been trained
in it.
Masterfully trained.
Stephen is likely
a lay person
but he has
the spirit of God
and the power of God
at work within him
to help him understand
this book
that had been taught
to him
from a child.
And he lays it out
for them
and they're unable
to debate with him
and so what do they do?
They turn
to deception.
They have no other
way to stand up
against him
and so
they turn
to deception
and they bring up
these false charges
in secret
and hidden places.
They instigate men.
They recruit false witness
against him
and they make these charges
against Stephen
in three pairs.
And we see them
in verse 11
and verse 13
and verse 14.
Verse 11
blasphemous words
against Moses
and God.
Stephen is speaking
these blasphemous words
against Moses
and God.
Verse 13
He won't stop
speaking words
against this
holy place
and the law.
And verse 14
this
Jesus of Nazareth
will destroy
this place
and will change
the customs
that Moses
delivered
to us.
And the way
these accusations
are brought
the pairs
expand
on the original
accusation
that Stephen
is against
Moses
and against
God.
That is
they go on
to make these
accusations
to say
to speak
blasphemous words
against Moses
is to speak
against the law
and the customs
handed down
by Moses.
And to speak
blasphemous words
against God
is to speak
against
the temple.
Now
these charges
weren't
altogether
false.
Stephen
was certainly
not being
blasphemous
but he was
preaching
the gospel.
So he was
teaching
that righteousness
could not
be found
in the law
or in the
traditions
and that temple
worship
would never
atone
for sin.
He was teaching
that these
things
were a shadow
of the thing
that has
come
in Christ.
Stephen
was preaching
the gospel.
He was
speaking of
the person
and work
of Jesus
Christ.
And that's
why it's
so offensive
to them.
We've said
this in
previous weeks
that went
against the
world system
which their
religion was
a part of.
It flew
in the face
of it.
And they
could not
have him
tear down
their
religious
worship.
Stephen
preached
that people
must believe
in the
person
and work
of Jesus
Christ.
And I don't
know if you've
been noticing
me across
the last
month saying
that often
that phrasing
person and
work
of Jesus
Christ
because beloved
it's not
enough to
believe in
one and
not the
other.
We must
believe that
Jesus is
who he said
he is.
That he is
the son of
God.
That he is
the Messiah
the chosen
one of
God.
The one
who was
sent to
take away
the sins
of the
world.
We also
must believe
in his
work.
We must
understand that
he lived a
perfect life.
That he
fulfilled the
law in
himself.
That he
has
righteousness
that's
granted to
us by
faith.
We put
on his
righteousness
and that
his
sacrificial
death
paid the
penalty for
our sin.
Both are
important.
The person
and the
work.
We must
believe that
Jesus is
the Christ
and that
his active
and passive
obedience has
brought us
into right
relationship
with God.
And this
is the
gospel that
Stephen is
preaching.
This is the
offense to
the world
system in
which he
lived.
Now, the
story of
Stephen is
used by
Luke.
And I
don't mean
that he
makes the
story up or
that he
conveniently
puts the
story in
this place.
But under
inspiration,
Luke writes
this account
and uses
the story
for a
very important
transition in
the book of
Acts.
I want to
show you
that.
At this
point in
the story,
God is
about to
turn loose
the church.
The beginning
of chapter
8,
persecution
ramps up
and the
church is
scattered.
God is
going to
take the
gospel of
Jesus Christ
in a
single
generation
across
three
continents.
The
gospel goes
forth in
a radical
way and
it's about
to happen
right here
on the
cusp of
that.
And here
the story
of Stephen
is this
transition
between the
two.
The
gospel is
going to
go from
Jerusalem
to the
world.
At the
beginning
of chapter
8.
In
Acts 3,
chapters 3
through 5,
we see the
effect of the
gospel as
it's spreading
throughout
Jerusalem.
Like the
teaching is
everywhere,
like many,
many thousands,
possibly tens
of thousands
have converted
to faith in
Jesus Christ.
It's spreading
even in the
face of
opposition,
even in the
face of
the arrest
and the
beating of
the apostles.
The gospel
is going
forth
throughout
Jerusalem.
The
primary
message
of their
preaching
is that
God's
blessing
is found
in
Jesus,
not in
temple
worship.
Beginning
after
temple
worship,
right?
As a
shadow
of a
former
thing.
God's
blessing
is
ultimately
found
in
Christ.
Now,
in Acts
6 and
7,
the life
and ministry
of Stephen,
the proclamation
of the
gospel leads
to Stephen's
trial and
his death.
The opposition
to the
gospel,
even as
it's
gone
forth
before
this
in
Jerusalem,
right?
In the
face of
opposition,
the opposition
cranks way
up.
We see
the first
martyrdom,
the first
death for
the cause
of Christ.
Leads to
his trial
and to
his death.
And the
primary
message of
Stephen's
preaching
is that
God has
never been
limited
by the
temple.
Always
try to
contain
him in
a house,
put him
in a
container,
but it's
never been
limited to
that.
His influence
has gone
forth far,
far,
far beyond.
So,
look to
Jesus for
God's
blessing.
And we're
going to
see,
beginning in
Acts chapter
8,
through the
end of the
book,
through chapter
28,
that the
effect of
the gospel
is that it
spreads
beyond
Jerusalem,
goes beyond
the Jewish
population,
that in
Abraham,
all the
peoples of
the earth
might be
blessed.
And the
primary
message of
the gospel,
God's
blessing is
for all
who will
believe in
Jesus Christ.
And so,
that's where
we stand
in this
gap.
And that's
why the
offense of
him speaking
against the
temple is
so massive
at this
point.
It's a
tipping point
for them.
We're not
going to see
a lot of
conversation
about the
temple
beyond this,
but that's
why it
brings this
whole event
and the
first martyrdom
to such a
head in
this.
And then
just note,
just as I'm
kind of
walking through
the passage,
verse 15
and 7-1,
and gazing
at him,
all who
sat in
the council
saw that
his face
was like
the face
of an
angel.
This
picture of
gazing,
some of
your
translations
might say
staring,
would be a
good word
for it.
It's not
a kind
gazing,
right?
They're
set him
in the
midst of
the council
and they're
staring him
down.
They see
that his
face was
like the
face of
an angel.
Take that
to mean
that his
face was
illuminated.
And the
high priest
said,
of these
accusations,
are these
things so?
And next
week we'll
see him
launch into
his,
it's not
much of a
defense.
He kind of
instigates
himself,
but his
speech following
that question,
are these
things so?
So those are
the events.
This is the
things that
happened in
his arrest.
Let's look at
secondly now,
the Stephen
who was
arrested.
What kind
of man
was Stephen?
What was
his quality?
He is
certainly a
saint that
we should
emulate.
We need to
observe this
brief little
record,
the life and
ministry of
Stephen.
We would
all do
well to
look like
Stephen.
And I think
even a better
question would
be how was
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ shaping
him.
Beloved,
if you are
in Christ,
if you are
indeed in
Christ,
you are
being changed
one degree
of glory
to another.
We're getting
a little
better.
There's
sanctification,
right?
It's what that
process is
called.
We're improving
bit by bit.
And it doesn't
always feel like
that in a day.
I know that,
and I'm there
with you in
that.
It doesn't
always feel
that way in
a week or
maybe even
in a month
or possibly
in a year.
But if we
zoom way
back,
we take
God's
perspective
on our
lives,
our trajectory
is toward
holiness.
It's away
from sinfulness
and it's
toward holiness.
This process
is called
sanctification.
The biblical
view of
sanctification,
and I
unapologetically
say that,
the biblical
view of
sanctification
is called
progressive
sanctification.
It means that
we continue
to plod
that course.
We continue
to move
in that
direction,
to look
more like
Christ.
And it is
taught in
the scriptures
as a
synergistic
process.
And by that
I mean
that both
God and
us are
involved in
this process.
We're both
involved.
That's what
the scripture
teaches.
At times,
it really
seems to be
an apparent
paradox.
You've heard
that phrase
before.
A paradox
is a
statement
that is,
at least
it seems
to be on
the surface,
self-contradictory.
The scripture
doesn't conflict
with itself,
so it's an
apparent paradox.
It's not,
but it seems
to be.
And many
people have
tried to
wrestle through
the logic
of these
things,
and many
heresies
have arisen
from it.
If not
heresies,
at very
least,
erroneous
teaching on
the matter.
There are
some things
that are
very difficult
for our
minds to
reconcile.
So we
step back
away from
the scripture,
and rather
than standing
over it
in judgment,
we stand
underneath it
and let it
speak to us.
Why has
God revealed
himself to
us?
Why has
he shown
us the
process of
sanctification
in this
way?
The way
that the
gospel works
in to
us holiness.
I can't give
you all the
answers to that.
I don't know
that I have
all the answers
or that I
have the
time this
morning,
but I
appreciate
that the
scripture
itself doesn't
always try to
wrestle it
out.
There's a
wonderful
example of
this if
you'd like
to see
it,
Philippians
chapter 2.
Paul states
the one and
the other
side by
side.
Now let me
just sum up,
if you're
turning there,
what I mean
by this.
We are being
perfected by
the power of
God and the
gospel of
Jesus Christ
through the
working of
the Spirit
in our
lives.
We would
of course
give all
glory and
honor to
Christ in
the process
of that.
We don't
take the
ownership
for that
kind of
thing,
but you
were not
made perfect
by sitting
around.
It doesn't
happen.
You don't
sit on your
hands and
go,
well,
God said
he's going
to do it.
Just waiting.
I promise
you that God
will never
animate you
in the morning
and cause
you to swing
your legs out
of bed and
cause you to
pick up the
scripture in a
way that you're
not part of
your faculty,
right?
That you go and
you open it and
you begin to read
it and you go,
what is happening
to me?
I don't even
know what's
going on right
now.
But I will
say when you
wake up in the
morning and you
swing your legs
out of bed and
you go and you
open the scripture
and you begin to
read it,
that God has
worked in you
for this very
thing to happen.
You get the
apparent paradox
in play.
So listen to what
Paul says,
Philippians chapter
verse 12,
man's responsibility,
verse 13,
God's empowering
work.
Therefore,
my beloved,
as you have
always obeyed,
so now,
not only as in
my presence,
but much more
in my absence,
work out your
own salvation
with fear and
trembling.
Why?
For it is God
who works in
you,
both to will
and to work
for his good
pleasure.
Verse 12,
you work,
verse 13,
God works.
So how is it
that he does
this?
And this takes
place in our
lives in four
broad areas,
and I promise
I'm coming back
to Stephen,
because it's
working in
Stephen's life,
in four broad
areas.
We could classify
these in many
different ways.
There's a lot of
wonderful books
on it that
classify what's
often called
the means of
grace.
I like to call
them habits
of grace,
because we play
apart in
these things.
So there's
other ways to
categorize this.
I'm going to
categorize it in
four broad areas,
and we're going
to talk about
this a lot
in the coming
year.
And those four
areas are
gospel conviction,
gospel character,
gospel community,
and gospel
commission.
You've already
got to memorize,
because they all
start with C.
Gospel conviction,
character,
community,
and mission.
These are means
of grace,
or habits of
grace, as I
prefer.
Things that we
are involved in,
and God uses
them to bring
about holiness
in us.
And so I want
to look at
Stephen and see
how the gospel
was at work
in these ways.
So number one,
gospel conviction.
Let's back up
in our text just
a little bit to
Acts 6, 5.
The disciples
are presented
with this solution
to the issue
of the tables
not being served,
and it pleases
them, and they
choose Stephen,
a man full of
faith,
and of the
Holy Spirit.
The response
that Stephen
gives to the
council in
chapter 7,
the full speech
that he gives
shows that
he had faith
that God
ruled history.
He believed
in God's
sovereign rule.
Now, I know
we haven't read
the text,
but we're going
to get there
next week.
I encourage
you to read
it this week
and see that
Stephen had
faith.
He believed
that God
ruled history.
He believed
in a sovereign
plan.
He could say
with Paul,
as Paul says
in Romans 14,
8,
for if we live,
we live to
the Lord,
and if we die,
we die to
the Lord.
So then,
whether we live
or whether we
die,
we are the
Lord.
And he had
this conviction
of that that
allowed him
to press into.
Remember,
he's going
around doing
signs and
wonders,
and he's
preaching the
gospel of
Jesus Christ
already in the
face of
opposition.
He already
knows that
it's happening.
We've already
had Peter
and John
arrested.
We've already
had the
apostles arrested
And flogged!
They're being
told,
do not speak
in the name
of Christ.
And this
man of
conviction,
trusting in
the Lord's
sovereign rule,
presses on
in to
these things.
Stephen had
faith that
Jesus was
the fulfillment
of messianic
prophecy.
He believed,
was convicted
that Jesus
was,
is,
the Christ.
Acts 7,
52,
the end of
his speech.
Which of
the prophets
did your
fathers not
persecute?
And they
killed those
who announced
beforehand the
coming of
the righteous
one,
whom you
have now
betrayed and
murdered.
He knew that
Jesus is
the Christ.
He was
convicted of
that.
Stephen believed
that Jesus
had risen and
was at the
right hand of
the Father,
and that he
would stand
and judge
the earth.
Again,
Acts 7,
verse 55 and
56,
full of the
Holy Spirit,
Stephen gazes
into heaven,
sees the
glory of God
and Jesus
standing at
the right hand
of God,
and he
says,
behold,
I see the
heavens opened
and the
Son of Man
standing at
the right
hand of
God.
He believed
in the
promises of
God found
in the
Scripture.
He was a
man of
conviction
because he
knew the
Scriptures
and he
believed them.
He knew
the Scriptures
and he
believed them.
Stephen was
also full
of the
Holy Spirit.
He was
filled up
with the
Holy Spirit.
And as we
have said
before,
the opportunity
for this
is not
unique
amongst
followers of
Christ.
We don't
have varying
classification
of Christian,
those who
are filled
and aren't
filled.
If you are
a believer
in Jesus
Christ,
you have
been baptized
in the
Spirit and
we all
have the
opportunity
to be
filled.
And it
should not
be a
rare
occurrence
or reserved
in any
way.
To be
filled
with the
Spirit is
to have
the Word
of Christ
dwell in
you richly
in a way
that brings
about
change.
Romans 8,
3 and 4.
For God
is done
with the
law,
weakened by
the flesh,
could not
do by
sending
His own
Son in
the likeness
of sinful
flesh,
and for
sin He
condemned
sin in
the flesh,
in order
that the
righteous
requirement of
the law
might be
fulfilled in
us who
walk not
according to
the flesh,
but according
to the
Spirit.
The great
evidence of
being filled
with the
Spirit is
obedience.
Being so
captivated with
Christ that
we are
obedient to
His call.
It's
following
our Lord.
I've read
this to you
before,
I just love
it too much
not to read
it again.
I think this
may be number
three in the
book of Acts.
Dan Phillips,
a contemporary
pastor,
said this,
Show me a
person obsessed
with the
Holy Spirit
and His
gifts,
real or
imagined,
and I
will show
you a
person not
filled with
the Holy
Spirit.
Show me a
person focused
on the
personal work
of Jesus
Christ,
never tiring
of learning
about Him,
thinking about
Him,
boasting of
Him,
speaking about
and for
thrilled and
entranced with
His perfections
and beauty,
finding ways
to serve and
exalt Him,
tirelessly
exploring ways
to spend and
be spent for
Him,
growing in
character to
be more and
more like
Him,
and I will
show you a
person who
is filled
with the
Holy Spirit.
Not to be
the normative
part of our
Christian living,
that we be
people of
faith who
are filled
with the
Spirit of
God,
and we see
the evidencing
of that in
obedience.
We hold
our lives up
to the
Scripture,
and we go,
yes,
I find
myself in
this,
failing at
times,
but moving
progressively away
from my sin
and toward
holiness.
So what part
do we play
in gospel
conviction?
What's our
part?
If it's
synergistic,
right,
being perfected
by the
gospel,
what part
do we play?
We read,
and we study,
and we meditate
on the Word
of God.
Beloved,
we're to be a
people of the
Word.
We're to be
saturated by
this book,
and it's
not nearly as
difficult as
we all make
it out to
be.
We make
far too
many excuses
for our
biblical
illiteracy.
The number
one I hear
is time
management.
I just
need you to
pray for
time management.
Not what
you need
prayer for.
You need
prayer for
the idolatry
of your
heart.
It's a
worship issue.
The fact that
we don't take
this thing up
and read,
and I'm in
the boat
with you
guys,
right?
It's an
issue of
worship.
It's an
issue of
priority.
My old
self is an
idol factory.
I picture it
that way in
my mind,
little
smokestacks,
chukka,
turning out,
new things
for me to
worship.
It takes
all these
varying forms
all the
time.
God has
built a
new wing,
right?
And it
produces
righteousness.
And he
is working
at destroying
that part
of the
factory that
I seem so
bent on
keeping
running.
And you
know why
we don't
get in
here and
read this
more often?
Because this
screws up
the idol
factory,
right?
It throws
wrenches
into the
idol factory.
It puts
the brakes
on that
production,
and it
messes with
our worship
of ourselves.
that's why
you don't
pick up the
word of
God.
That's why
you don't
read it
more.
It's an
issue of
worship.
Beloved,
we need to
be in
this book.
And I
know it
can be
daunting.
It's so
big and
there's so
much to
learn and
understand.
Don't
worry about
it.
Pick it
up today
and tomorrow
and the
next day
and you
will be
enriched
by it.
I can
promise
you
that.
Study it.
Study it
often.
Study it
well.
Read it
and let it
read you
and you
will be
changed
by it.
Gospel
conviction
produces
gospel
character.
It
produces
gospel
character.
Verse 8,
Stephen's
full of
grace and
power.
He's doing
these wonderful
works.
Verse 10,
this opposition
to him
couldn't
withstand
the wisdom
and the
spirit
with which
he was
speaking.
He's
full.
He's
amply
supplied
with
grace.
He's
amply
supplied
with
power.
He's
amply
supplied
with
wisdom.
Not in
a vacuum
but because
of the
spirit of
God
using
the
word
of
God
to
work
in
and
through
his
life.
And
he is
courageous.
Gospel
character.
Thing we
can note
of Stephen.
He is
courageous.
First for
preaching the
gospel at
all in
this
environment.
Knowing
full well
that there
was an
opposition
against
them.
Beloved,
we are
in the
same
place.
You don't
experience
opposition to
the preaching
of the
gospel because
you're not
preaching
the gospel.
He sits
amongst this
council,
70 men,
the high
court of
the day,
plus the
high priest,
and they
sit in a
semicircle
around him
and he
stands in
the midst
of him
and they
stare him
down.
Verse 15,
they're gazing
at him,
they're
staring
down.
Have you
ever been
in your
life in
a situation
where you're
being stared
at?
A wonderful
little example
of poor
Graham falling
off the
stage this
morning and
so embarrassed
because everybody,
at least he
thought everybody,
was looking at
him.
At the dinner
table sometimes,
my four-year-old
Judah will go,
why is everybody
staring at me?
And we'll go,
because you're
talking,
what's wrong
with you?
But he
suddenly gets
super self-conscious
and really,
and it's difficult
to stand up in
that kind of
environment,
right?
Everybody's
staring at you
and this is
such a higher
degree of that,
right?
He's on trial,
right?
They have been
warned.
We have already
seen that they
wanted to kill
the apostles.
And here he is
and he stands
amongst them
and when they
see his face,
he's not hiding
his face,
he's looking back
and his face
is shining
like the face
of an angel.
What courage!
And we'll get
into next week
his speech
and man,
is it good.
Right?
He holds
no punches.
Right?
This Stephen,
the deacon
of the church
standing before
the high religious
rulers of that
day and boy
does he go
for the jugular.
His face
is glowing
in the midst
of their stares.
And there's only
one other person
in biblical history
that this happens
to and that's
Moses in Exodus
33.
Remember he asked
to see the glory
of God.
God says that
if you fully see
my glory,
you'll die.
So he lets him
see his back
and just that
causes his face
to shine for days.
The people of Israel
can't even look
at his face
it shines so bright
so he wears a veil
but slowly over time
that fades away.
I think the same thing
is happening here
with Stephen
and I'm reaching
a little bit
but I believe
that that's what's
going on
in this case
that he's shining
like one of God's
shining ones,
one of the angels.
in response
to this great
opposition
and this glaring
that they're doing
on his part
these men of darkness
they see a man
of light.
I think it helps us
get some idea
about this.
Paul writes
in 2 Corinthians
chapter 3
beginning of verse 7
now if the ministry
of death
carved in letters
on stones
we're talking about
the law
brings death
convicts of sin
now if the ministry
of death
carved in letters
on stone
came with such glory
that the Israelites
could not gaze
at Moses' face
because of its glory
so the shining
the glory of God
shining out of his face
they couldn't gaze
at his face
which was being brought
to an end
verse 8
will not the ministry
of the spirit
have even more
glory?
For if there was glory
in the ministry
of condemnation
the ministry
of righteousness
must far
exceed it
in glory
indeed in this case
what once had glory
has come to have
no glory at all
because of the glory
that surpasses it
the gospel of Jesus Christ
verse 11
for if what was being
brought to an end
came with glory
much more
will what is
permanent
have glory
so Stephen
stands
as this man
of gospel
character
at the cusp
of the launching
out
of the gospel
of Jesus Christ
and I think
that's why
God
does the same
thing that he did
with Moses
in letting his
face shine
as well
in the same
way
so we see
gospel
conviction
and we see
gospel
character
in Stephen's
life
and for the
sake of time
we're going to
pick up the
last two
next week
but I'm going to
find a way
to do that
which would be
gospel community
and gospel
commission
beloved we need to
take careful note
of Stephen's
life
we need to ask
ourselves
what part
are we to play
in the
perfecting of our
lives lives
lived that are
not wasted
and are lived
for the kingdom
of God
for the glory
of God
the service
of the gospel
for the love
of others
around us
what do we need
to pick up
and do
what is our
part in
sanctification
that the gospel
might have
its effect
in us
and through
us
to those
around us
let's pray
together