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Welcome
Thank you to each and every one of you that is listening to us today. It's a privilege to share God's word with you, and I trust that you will find something that will be a challenge to you, and of use to you in the week that lies ahead.
Introduction
This is week three of our series entitled “Devoted to”
Week one dealt with our Devotion to Jesus Christ…
Week two being “Devoted to the Apostles Doctrine”
Today our topic is entitled “Devoted unto Death”
- We are undertaking this series because…
As was explained in the previous studies, the DEVOTION of the Apostles was a critical factor in the exponential growth of the church in the first Century.
Jesus’s demand made on His disciples was that they take up their cross and follow Him…
And we know that His cross led to His death at Calvary…
- So today we look at Acts chapters 6 & 7 where we meet a man by the name of Stephen…
- And as we look at this life I want you to consider this question…
Why should Jesus be my most important relationship…
- And as we look at this life I want you to consider this question…
Background
In Acts 5:18 we notice that the persecution of the Christians had already begun…
The High Priest and all his hangers on are jealous because the crowds from far and wide are following the Apostles as they performed miraculous healings, etc… Acts 5:16
So they have the Apostles arrested and put in jail…
But during the night the angel of the Lord opens the cell doors and instructs them to go into the temple courts and preach the new life found in Jesus… Acts 5:20
In the morning the High Priest and his associates sent for the Apostles to be brought to them…
But the guards are amazed to find that although the jail was locked there were no Apostles in the jail…
But then word comes to them that they are in the temple area teaching the people…
When asked to give account of their failure to obey instructions not to preach, Peter stands up and basically repeats the Apostles doctrine as found in chapter 2…
The Jewish authorities are furious and discussed having them put to death.
But Gamaliel, the teacher under whom Paul studied, persuades them not to…
Instead they have them flogged and they let them go…
They leave rejoicing…
Because they counted it a privilege to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus… Acts 5:41
Once again we see evidence of their devotion to the Lord Jesus
Introducing Stephen
In the face of all this opposition the church continues to attract Jew and Gentiles alike…
But a dispute develops over the treatment dished out to different groups.
So the Apostles, not wanting to give up their teaching roles, give instructions to appoint 7 deacons to take care of the administrative functions in the church… Acts 6:1-4
In doing that they stipulate that these men must be…
One of the men chosen is Stephen…
Who is well known for his faith in the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.
Later in the chapter we are told that he is also…
Full of God’s grace and power… Acts 6:8
Performing miracles and signs…
In summary, here is a reputable man…
Full of the Holy Spirit
Full of God’s grace
Full of wisdom from God
Full of the power of God
Full of faith in God.
We need to recognize that all of these qualities are found in the Lord Jesus Christ…
Stephen is Christ-like.
The Marks of a Christ-like Christian
Lets look at Chapters 6 and 7
And see what this man Stephen is like…
1. Full of the Holy Spirit…
We learn that Stephen had…
Why was Stephen so able in all of these things…
Because Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit
The phrase… by the Spirit… is used frequently in the New Testament
This enabling Spirit covers many areas…
Confession that Jesus is Lord… Romans 8:14
Teaching by the Spirit… John 14:26
Miracles by the Spirit… Acts 1:18
Gifting from God by the Spirit… 1 Corinthians 12:8
Understanding of God’s truth… John 16:13
Stephen is a man full of the Spirit…
So we can see why Paul speaking to the Ephesian church says…
Understand that the Lords will is that we…
Be filled with the Spirit… Ephesians 5:18
2. Full of God’s grace…
By the power of that Holy Spirit Stephen was full of God’s grace…
That same grace found in the Lord Jesus…
Here we find two kinds of people… Acts 6:8-15
Those with an agenda and those with a purpose…
These Freedmen had an agenda… (ex slaves)
They are determined to get rid of Stephen…
They try to engage him in debate… Acts 6:10 (Discredit)
Then they try to gain popular support… Acts 6:11-12
By giving false testimony against him… Acts 6:13
They drag him into the Jewish court for a hearing… Acts 6:12
In the face of all this false testimony one would expect an aggressive defense from Stephen…
Stephen had no agenda, only a purpose… Devoted to Christ
And when all their evil work is done and as the final stone is delivered, he falls to his knees and says
Lord do not hold this sin against them… Acts 7:60
Two kinds of people…
Some like the Freedmen who are determined to win… at all costs…
Truth is of no consequence to them…
The other, Stephen, who is full of grace and truth… by the Holy Spirit
Truth to him is all important… even unto death.
3. Full of Wisdom from God…
Stephen’s defense is long… some 60 verses…
Why is it necessary to go through the history of Israel…
The accusations…
Blasphemy against Moses and God…
Penalty… death by stoning… Leviticus 24:13-16
In support of that charge they claim that Stephen…
Never stops speaking against the Holy Place (Temple) and the law.
Jesus will destroy this place and do away with Moses’ customs handed down.
Therefor he must deal with God, Moses, Temple and law and Jesus
And so try to avoid the death penalty
The defense…
Starting with Abraham he then goes on to deal with Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, and Solomon.
But all of these people pass on
From the detail of the tabernacle to the glory of Solomon’s temple…
But none of this is permanent…
Through Isaiah God tells them this is not good enough… It is not permanent… Isaiah 66:1-2
Through Moses God promises another prophet like Moses to save his people… The Righteous One… Acts 7:52
He shows Israel’s continual rejection of God and their worship of other gods… Acts 7:39
This unfortunately is permanent
Wisdom is not mere knowledge, but the correct application of knowledge…
And in Stephen’s defense we see the wisdom of the Spirit that dwells in him.
The Jewish leaders were blind to the truth because they “always resist the Holy Spirit (Of Truth)”… Acts 7:39
But Stephen (by the Spirit) understood the bigger picture and shows that nothing in the past was permanent…
Not the people…
Moses was a type of the promised prophet to come… Christ
Not the places of worship…
Tabernacle replaced by the template
Temples were broken down and rebuilt…
The purpose of the temporary is to bring us to that which is permanent…
That is Christ and all that he does.
Hebrews is often referred to as the book of better things because that is exactly what it teaches us…
The exchange of the temporary for the permanent and better things
A better…
Moses, prophet, high priest, covenant, better sacrifice.
Stephen has a Spirit-taught understanding of Gods purposes.
The Judgement handed down…
Stephen in his summary is fearless…
He knows full well that his accusers are looking to stone him to death.
But for him the name of the Lord Jesus is at stake…
And he was devoted unto death.
Stiff-necked disobedient people like their fathers… Acts 7:51
You murdered the prophet spoken of by Moses… The Righteous One.
The reaction…
Accusers… Acts 7:54-60
Immediate and full of hatred
To say that their reaction was insane is probably very accurate
They are furious, gnashing their teeth at him… cover their ears, and scream for his blood.
Stephen… Acts 7:55-56
Summary
We have in Stephen a man who is truly born anew…
Here is someone who is being changed into the likeness of Christ… 2 Corinthians 3:18
Full of the Holy Spirit
Gracious in all things
Full of Godly wisdom
Add to that…
Powerful in deeds
Fearless in the face of death
Full of faith.
He knew he was facing a death sentence… by fair means or foul…
The only consideration for him was to honour his Lord by stating the truth…
And it cost him his life… He was devoted unto death…
Application
Here is the Challenge…
Question is…
Would the congregation of Medway select me based on these qualities found in Stephen…
The challenge goes out to all the leaders in our church…
Elders, deacons, Bible study group leaders, youth and Sunday school teachers.
It goes out to the young people…
Do you desire to take up a leadership role in the church in future…
It in fact goes out to every person who claims to be a Christian.
Sanctification…
Paul speaking to the Ephesians says…
Understand that the Lords will is that we be filled with the Spirit… Ephesians 5:18
Written in the present tense meaning it is an ongoing process.
Being indwelt by the Spirit and being full of the Spirit are 2 different processes…
We are indwelt by the Spirit when born again…
Born of the Spirit… John 3:6, Romans 8:9
But Peter says we must grow in the grace and knowledge…
This is the ongoing work of the Spirit in us…
Paul says we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ… 2 Corinthians 3:18
Reflecting His glory… As Stephen did.
Have I changed since becoming a Christian…
My relationship with the Lord Jesus is not just getting saved…
It should be my most important relationship…
Because it impacts all my other relationships…
I challenge you, every time you take action, to say… I am doing this as unto the Lord…
As a husband, father, employee, servant in the church…
See what happens…
You will grow in grace.
In my experience, the attitude “saved to escape hell” is a major problem in the growth of the church…
Salvation is only the first rung on the ladder…
Peter says we must grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord… 2 Peter 3:18
This is a project that lasts a lifetime…
Paul says…
We are all being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory…
All these qualities that we see in Stephen are in the Lord Jesus…
And should be in us.
So the moment I am born again a process of transformation starts to take place.
The Lord Jesus suffered and died for me so that these qualities would be found in me…
Stephen took up his cross and followed Jesus to death.
What am I prepared to give to save a life…
Stephen, like Jesus, was… devoted unto death.
So the question that must be asked is…
Is Lawrence any different to this time last year…
And if the answer is no… there is a problem/
What about those who have never accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour…
Maybe you are asking the question…
Why should Jesus be my most important relationship…
Here is why…
Because He is in control of your entire life…
The present and the future…
The Jewish leaders thought they had rid themselves of Jesus as He died on the cross…
But God was in control and within a few years the Apostles and Stephen were presenting the exact same problem.
They thought that getting rid of them would solve the problem…
But within a hundred years Christianity had spread like a covid disease… throughout the Empire…
Because to this day God is still on the throne…
And He is calling you to salvation today.
