guys you only have to hear me once, Pastor Danny will be back next week. Now I don't get paid, so you get what you pay for, right? So, but you know I'm here representing the Lord Jesus Christ this morning and He's paid it all, so we don't have to pay, right? And so if you will turn in your Bibles this morning. We've been in the book of Acts. Pastor Danny took us through Acts chapter 6 verses 1-7 and And just to kind of get caught up, so last week Pastor Danny shared the problem. Now when you have a new church, you've got excitement, you've got the Word of God that's spreading. I love that verse seven in Acts six where it says, the Word of God spread and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. And that's a great answer to prayer. That's a great progress report. But there was some challenges. When you start bringing in more people, it can also create struggle and trial. And so that was going on. The Jews had the widows that they had to take care of. And the widows that were from the outskirts they were kind of being overlooked by the distribution of the food. Remember these widows at that time, there was no 401k, there was no retirement. If the ladies didn't have a husband to take care of them, they wouldn't have anything to eat, right? They were dependent on their family. So if they didn't have family, then the church had to step up and provide for the widows. They were commanded by the word of God. And so they talked about, That was a need that was there. And so the Holy Spirit had the apostles choose seven men to be servants, to be, we believe it may have been where the deacon's ministry started. And so these men, there were certain qualifications for these men, and we saw this last week. First of all, they had to have a good reputation. They couldn't be somebody that had a bad character, a bad name. the community. And also very important they had to be full of the Holy Spirit. We're going to talk about that this morning because the first name that was mentioned is Stephen. And we're going to see that they chose wisely because he was a man full of the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom. And we're going to see that this morning as well in our text. So let's go ahead and read the next section. We're going to read the rest of Acts chapter 6. So, turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 6, we're going to be in verse number 8. And I'll read it, I'm in the New King James, but I'm going to go ahead and read this passage and then we're going to look at it. Acts 6, beginning at verse number 8. And this is Dr. Luke who is writing the book of Acts. So let's see what the word of the Lord says through Luke. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then there arose some from what is called the synagogue of the freedmen, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. They also set up false witnesses who said, this man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us. Then all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day. Thank you for our time together this morning in the word. And God, as we look at the word of the Lord this morning, God, I pray that the ears of those here would open to what you would have to say to us through this passage, God. We love you and we ask everything in Jesus' name. Amen. So Stephen was a man full of faith and power. And in some of your translations, it may say he was full of grace and power. Let's don't get into why there's a variation, but faith and grace are related. So the important point is that we know that Stephen was a man full of faith. What does it mean to be full of faith? What does it mean to be full of power? full of the Holy Spirit, per se. I think it just means to be fully controlled by, you know, if you're full of something, then that is gonna consume you, that's gonna take over your life. And so Stephen, because he was chosen by the Lord, you know, by the apostles through the Holy Spirit's anointing, we know that he was a Christian. He was saved. He was one that had trusted in Christ for salvation. And just like from that point forward, anybody else, you know, that comes to Christ We are given the Holy Spirit at the time of our conversion. So God fills our hearts. So if you're here today and you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, then you have the Holy Spirit just like Stephen. That's good news, okay? So there is power available, the same power that rose Jesus from the dead. That's pretty strong power, I would say, wouldn't you? That same power is available and can work through us, and He worked through Stephen, and we're gonna see that in living color in this passage this morning. Stephen had surrendered his life, his control to God. He had trusted Christ. He had been filled with the Spirit of God, and he was walking in the Spirit. You know what? He's not an apostle. He was not a prophet. He was a waiter. You know, these Dickens were servants, they were waiting tables. He was the first name listed from these seven that were here to aid the Hellenistic Jews at that time. So the first thing that I would like to point out this morning that I think the Lord wants us to see in this passage is God wants to teach us that Stephen is a servant of the Lord and he was selected by the apostles But mainly by God. And it wasn't his pedigree. It wasn't what family he was from. He wasn't a priest in the line of Aaron or Levi. He wasn't a preacher. There's no evidence that he was an evangelist. But he had the qualifications, he had good reputation, but he was a man full of the spirit and wisdom. And we're about to see that as he is confronted by these unbelieving Jews. So Stephen went from, this is pretty interesting, okay, he went from the pew to the pantry with power. Okay, he went from the pew in church, he was an attender, you know, of the church in Jerusalem, right? But he went to the pantry, he went to work. He didn't seek glamor, he didn't try to get up on stage, he just went to work. And he was a servant, he served the tables. But along the way, God had other plans through Stephen. And you know what, that's a good reminder for all of us, God can use ordinary Christians like Stephen. when the power comes from Christ and not from us. And you know what? 2 Corinthians 4, verse 7 talks about that. But we have this treasure, and that treasure is the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, in jars of clay. Y'all like the group Jars of Clay? That's where they got their name from this passage. This message of the gospel, Christ chose to put it into humans that we can share. and he used us servants of God, unperfect sinners, he chose to use us to give this glorious gospel message that that way the power is from God and not from us, amen? So rest assured, guys, just like Stephen had that power, and was an ordinary Christian who did mighty things, we can do that as well. You know what Stephen was doing, in the next passage it says that Stephen was doing signs and wonders. Stephen was living by the Spirit. He was full of faith, like we talked about, he was full of grace. The Holy Spirit oozed out through Stephen, and he was controlled by the Spirit of God. And so you may ask, what were the signs and wonders that he did? You know, I wish there were times when the Bible would give us more detail, don't you? Because all it says is He did signs and wonders, right? Why doesn't Luke tell us what the signs and wonders were? Wouldn't that be nice to know? Well, you know what? I don't think he wanted us to exactly know that and to maybe even focus on that, okay? I think that's the important point is not what was the message, but maybe we should ask why did Stephen and the apostles perform signs and wonders? Well, we can understand from God's word. Why? The Jews of their day required signs and wonders in order to verify divine authority, the message that was being preached by those who were performing signs and wonders. Where do I get that from? The Bible. Look at 1 Corinthians 1, verse 22. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom. The Gospel account supports this as well. There are passages that talk about how the Jews were looking for signs. They wanted signs, supernatural signs that this new message of the Gospel was verifiable. So look what it says. I'm going to read through some Scriptures. You don't have to read there or turn there, but listen to these passages from the Gospels. these are all around the life of Christ, okay. Matthew 16, 1, and the Pharisees and the Sadducees came and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. Mark chapter 8 verses 11 and 12, the Pharisees came and began to argue with him seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. and he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. Luke 11, 16, while others to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. See, the Jews were wanting something tangible. that they could wrap their hands around. And then John 2.18, so the Jews said to him, what sign do you show us for doing these things? John 4.48, so Jesus said to him, unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. So they said to him, and this is John 6.30, then what sign do you do that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? So you see, signs and wonders, God knew that the Jews, in order to bring the reliability to this word, God knew that the Jews would need to see signs and wonders. And aren't you glad that the apostles were given the ability of Stephen to do signs and wonders? Notice that Stephen, that also was doing signs and wonders, some believe that the apostles were the only ones that were able to do signs and wonders. Stephen he's a servant. He's a he's a waiter, but he is able through the power of the Spirit, right? He's able to do signs and wonders, but it was to for a reason it was to bring validity to this message of the gospel the reliability of this message and you know what guys this is important, so When the religious leaders and their fellow Jews did not receive the signs that they asked for or when they received them and they got them, they saw Jesus healing, they saw Lazarus be raised back from the dead, they still did not believe, did they? So the signs and wonders, sometimes it wasn't even enough for these unbelieving Jews. And so Jesus held them under greater accountability to believe the message. This is partly why Jesus was so harsh with the Pharisees of the day, called them brood of vipers, hypocrites, because they claimed to love God, but they were rejecting the one that came from God, and his son, Jesus Christ. Their hate for Jesus, and now Stephen, in this passage, were stronger than their concern for whether the message was true. Sadly, guys, today, so many people demand 100% evidence that there is God. If they can't see him, and if they feel there isn't absolute proof for a creator, and the world was created by a creator, then they choose not to believe. It's just like the Pharisees that would want to confront Stephen and the apostles. People today are more concerned about retaining their grip on their own power of their own self, their self-desires, their self-rule. And so I see a correlation with these unbelieving Jews back in the first century and today, sadly. So back to Stephen. Stephen is a man full of faith and the spirit. He's performing signs and wonders. And you know what? The enemy didn't like that because there is opposition that is going to arise. And so the next passage we see it's a Jewish synagogue. Now synagogues, what is a synagogue? We don't have synagogues. Do we have a synagogue? Yes, we have a couple of synagogues here in Corpus. These were just Jewish meeting places that there was a temple in Jerusalem. But during the time of the exile the Jews who were away from the area of Jerusalem and Judea, they were in Babylon and other parts of the world at the time, they began to have these meeting places so they could meet together and learn and study God's Word. And so even in Jerusalem during the time of Christ, they believed there were like over 400 synagogues at this time. So there was this one synagogue, it's called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, and Jewish tradition states that that may have been a synagogue that was full of slaves that had been freed, Jewish slaves that were slaves to Rome, they had been freed. And so they were able to meet in these Jewish synagogues and just be, but they were Jews, they were unbelieving Jews. And so now when they hear this Stephen with these signs and wonders, maybe they see him healing somebody, maybe they hear things that they've never heard before. But then, remember the fruit from verse seven, people were multiplying? Well, that brought envy. to these Jews, and so instead of saying, man, let's check into this, maybe we need to apply this to our life, no, they oppose Stephen. They actually begin to, out of envy and out of hate for Stephen, they begin to argue. with Stephen. And you know what? Satan tries it many times in the book of Acts to fight against the church. Sometimes he uses persecution, and we're going to see that next week with Stephen. Sometimes he allows internal corruption with Ananias and Sapphira. They lied to the Holy Spirit. But then, when there's a fruit and we see the word of the Lord multiplying, Satan doesn't like that, does he? So he begins to work against this early church. And this time, he has these unbelieving Jews begin to oppose Stephen. And so, I think that we have to realize that they were up against a very formidable foe. Not Stephen, but the Holy Spirit. They tried to come against him. They tried to debate him. And guess what? They were no match. In verse 9, it says that the Jews confront Stephen and they begin to dispute with him. But look at verse 10. They were not able to resist the wisdom of the Spirit in which he spoke. Amen? That's great. We don't have to worry about whether or not we can win if we're filled with the Spirit of God. Amen. So the second thing we want to look at this morning is in this account of Stephen is he was full of the Spirit and because of that he was a mighty defender of the faith. And there was a passage back in Luke that I think is important for us to see, just to see the prophetic Word of God and how Jesus knew beforehand what would happen, okay. He talked about this, and I think this account with Stephen was a fulfillment of a prophecy that Jesus made in Luke 21. Jesus is talking to His disciples and they ask Him about the end of the age. What's it going to be like when you come again? And He begins to explain to them some of the signs of the Second Coming of Christ. But then He says this important thing, but before all of this, and then He kind of details some of the things that are going to happen in their lifetime, but in between the First and Second Coming of Christ. And look what it says here in Luke 21, before all this I'm going to read, starting verse 12. I've got it on the slides through 13, but I'm going to read it starting with 12, okay? But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. Sound familiar? You will be brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake, but I like those butts when it's a good butt, right? But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Amen. What will you answer? Don't worry about that. He says, therefore settle it in your heart not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. and you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. This scripture was fulfilled in the life of Stephen. The wisdom of this world, folks, from unsaved people, from skeptics, from agnostic, from atheists, from professors at colleges who don't believe that what we're saying is true, They are no match for the Holy Spirit that indwells the heart of the believer. It doesn't take a pastor, it doesn't take an elder to silence the skeptic or be able to defend your faith. When Christians submit their lives to Christ, to the power of the Holy Spirit, He will give you what to say. That's what it says in this passage. I love this. He will bring back scriptures that you have understood, you've studied, you've memorized, and at the right time, he will put that in your mind so that you can share that with somebody that you're getting a chance to share with. You can defend your faith. This is why there are so many apologetic ministries online, on YouTube. You gotta be careful with some of it, but a lot of it is solid Bible defense that can help you in your conversations with unsaved believers and loved ones and workmates. And so to help Christians able to defend our faith, Peter says this, always be ready to give a answer for the hope that lies within or a defense. And that word in the Greek is apologia. And that's where we get the word apologetics, not that we're apologizing, but that we're defending what we believe. So back in verse 10, Stephen was no match for these opponents, or they were no match for him. The interesting part is this, as I mentioned earlier, one of these opponents was no doubt a young rabbi named Saul. One of the places that these Jews originated from was Cilicia, and the capital of Cilicia is Tarsus. Who do we know in the Bible that was from the city of Tarsus? The Apostle Paul, who was Saul at this time, he was unsaved, right? And even though Paul wrote two-thirds of the New Testament, he was unrepentant. This was before his conversion. We'll see that later in Acts, right? Even Paul, in the amazing knowledge that God gave him, was unable to match Stephen in his... Is it time? Is that the rapture? Was that the trumpet of God? Amen. Well, I hope not, because then we're all still here. Yeah. So as I mentioned, there was this confrontation. And one of these young men was no doubt the Apostle Paul, pre-conversion. And one of the things we're going to find out is these Jews began to secretly put in false witnesses. Well, how can they be a secret, right? How did Luke find out? I think he found out from Paul later when he came to Christ. And so, in his pre-Christ version, even Paul was unable to withstand the Spirit speaking through Stephen. And this is perhaps what he was talking about in mind when he wrote 1 Corinthians chapter 18. I want y'all to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 18. If you don't have it, it's up on the screen. Oh, that's small print, so maybe you should turn. If you have eyes like me you may turn. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. And we're gonna begin at verse 18. I'm gonna read this out of the, I love it out of the ESV. So I'm gonna read this passage. Think about how this applies to this passage in Acts 6. For the word of the cross is folly, or foolishness, I think it says in the King James. It is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God, amen. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning, I will thwart. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom, but we Christ crucified, both a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards. Not many of you were powerful. Maybe you were a waiter. Not many were of noble birth, but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, So that as it is written, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. Amen. Good words from the Apostle Paul. And that's post-Christian Paul, right? Sounds a little bit more on par there. So the natural man, the man before Christ, without the illumination of the Spirit, he's in darkness. Paul knew this and probably saw this in himself prior to that Damascus Road experience. So these Jewish instigators, they lost the debate. But they moved their next chess piece instead of trying to win a debate. They decided to spread lies. And we see that often. If people can't out-debate you, they're going to start slander. They're going to start bad or false things about you to try to break you down and to shame you. And that's what they're trying to do here. Where do you think they learned that from? Just a few, several months earlier, Jesus was on trial, and they did the same thing, didn't they? They tried to bring in false witnesses to say he wants to destroy this temple. Well, here it is again in this passage. They claim that Stephen was speaking out against Moses, the law, the temple, and the customs of Judaism. And you know what? Stephen had done nothing. these. These were all false, no doubt. Stephen spoke about the New Covenant. He talked about Christ and that He came to die as that final sacrifice. He probably did say that Jesus was greater than Moses, right? That prophet that was in the likeness of Moses. He was the fulfillment of the Law. Maybe that's what they heard him say, because Christ said, I didn't come to to do away with the law. I came to fulfill the law. And you know what? He is a greater than the temple. Maybe, maybe Stephen told them that the word became flesh and tabernacled among us. There was no need for a temple anymore because God, the hope, the God, the son was on the earth in physical form. He was the, the, the tabernacle of the Holy spirit at that time. but they twisted his teaching to create false accusations to condemn him. They were trying to take him out, and those that arrested Christ did the same thing. They had no case, though, against Christ, so they had to trump up some charges. So how does Stephen respond? If you were falsely accused, Do you think it'd be easy to get angry and start to get defensive and lash out? I've done that before. I've had times in my life where I get accused of something and it's just my personality. When I get back to the corner, I start to lash out back, right? Did Steven do that? Let's see. Let's see how he responded. Stephen, full of the spirit and faith, though falsely accused, is restrained by grace. I know of a couple other times when someone's face was like an angel, and that's what we see. It says that Stephen's face shone like an angel. Guys, that's a picture of a countenance that is full of the Spirit of God. Perhaps Luke was even thinking back to Moses as well. He was one that came down from Mount Sinai after receiving God's law and being in God's presence. And his face shined like an angel, shined like the sun. Matter of fact, he had to put a veil over his face because it was so bright. He had been in the presence of the Lord. Is it possible that Stephen here, confronting these false accusations of speaking against the law of Moses, is one of the first ones to bring the new covenant to the nation of Israel? Stephen had been victorious in his debate, but when confronted by false accusations, he did not lash out. in anger, controlled by the flesh or his pride like we probably had done. How could he though? He was full of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn't do that. So Stephen could not do that. And it goes on in chapter seven, he goes and preaches the longest sermon in the book of Acts. Come back next week to hear more about that as Pastor Danny takes us through that. So this morning as we get to our conclusion, I think it'd be important for us to put some applications, some real life application and handle. How can we take away from this passage? And I think there's three things in closing this morning that we can apply from Stephen's story and make it our own. I'm gonna leave these three things with you as we close this morning. How can I be like Stephen, a follower and a servant of Jesus Christ? Number one, like Stephen, I can do mighty things through life lived in the Spirit. When I submit to His power, He can do signs and wonders through me. So what may that look like? a changed life, somebody that was broken, somebody that was trodden down, somebody that has a horrible motorcycle accident, somebody that gets, you know, into an accident and God spares your life. You're performing signs and wonders. You may not realize that, but the Lord spared your life for a reason, okay? You may pray healing over somebody and God may choose to heal them through your prayer. And I think the most important thing is by you sharing Christ with somebody, that's the greatest sign is that a new person comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And so one thing that I'd like to talk about is the second point in this passage is Like Stephen, I can allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me as I defend my faith. We don't have to be a pastor. We don't have to share Christ, or we can share Christ without having a title. We can share the gospel. As Christ said, don't worry about what you're gonna say. He will give it to you at the right time. Just go forth and speak. Be bold. Be a Stephen in this generation. And then number three, like Stephen, I can respond to opposition with grace and endurance. The closer we get to the coming of Christ, we will continue to face more and more opposition. Let's choose not to fight or get defensive when somebody lashes out with us in anger, if they don't agree with our faith. Let's let our face be like an angel. I heard it said this week, Charles Spurgeon, the great pastor theologian from years ago, Talking about this passage, he says, if you're talking about heaven with an unsaved person, and you're sharing Christ with them, and you're talking about the hope of heaven, your face, let your face shine like the face of an angel. But, he says, if you're talking about hell, your regular face will do. I think that's a good reminder for all of us. So this morning, if you have never made the decision to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that needs to be the first step. You have to be spirit filled in order to be a Stephen. You can't put the cart before the horse. You can't do mighty signs and wonders. You can't debate and win against the unrepentant in talking about spiritual things. You can't have the response to opposition and grace without the Spirit of God. And you can't have heaven without it either. So if you have never placed your faith and trust in Christ, the Bible says that we're all sinners. Everybody here, sorry to say, breaking news, everybody here has committed a sin, whether it was a lie, a theft, a murder. taking the Lord's name in vain, dishonoring your parents. Those are the 10 commandments, right? And so God gave us those as a mirror to show us how sinful we are compared to a holy God. And so the Bible says that a soul that sins is gonna die. And that death is a spiritual death in hell that they could fire one day. And that's the concern, that's the diagnosis, but here's the cure. Turn from your sin, repent, and trust in what Jesus did. Jesus was perfect. He was the only one that never sinned. And when we place our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ, all of our sins, folks, past, present, and future are wiped away. And he writes our name in the Lamb's book of life. And the rest of our lives, we can be a student. We can go forth and we can do mighty things through the power of the Spirit, living by the Spirit. Now it may not guarantee a lack of opposition. It may not mean the easy life Come back next week Stephen He lived a godly life. He had a good reputation. He was full of the Spirit of God and he was stoned to death That may be in our future, too But that's not gonna scare me, that's not gonna intimidate me, because I know where I'm going if my life is required of me. And if you're here today and if you've never trusted in Christ for salvation, today can be the first day of the rest of your life. It's simple, it's repentance, it's humbling yourself, turning from sin, and trusting in Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross. I'm gonna have Natalie sing a song, and if you have never made the decision to Turn from your sin, repent and trust in Jesus. Why not do it today? Don't put it off. You can leave this place. We got a new brother back here that's not a new brother, but Matthew was in a motorcycle accident 10 days ago, 12 days ago, 13 days ago now. He didn't know he was gonna have that accident. Now God could have taken him out, right? And if he wasn't a Christian, he'd be lost in eternity, right? That could happen to anybody here. So if you've never placed your faith and trust in Christ, don't put it off. I'm gonna say a prayer. We can't talk you into this, but it's something you have to do on your own. between you and the Lord. So as I pray, I'm gonna say a prayer and make this your own, and I'm gonna have Brother Don to close this out after I pray. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this time. It's been your word. Thank you for the example of Stephen. God, help me to be a servant. Help me to be a Stephen, God. Use me, God. Lord, as I live by the Spirit, do your work through me, Lord. As a servant of the Lord, I know that I can defend my faith. I know that I can serve others. I know that I can be ready to give an answer for the hope. And I know that when I'm faced with opposition, I can do it with grace, realizing that as long as we're pleasing you, it doesn't matter what mankind thinks. And God, may we do that. God, may we dare to be a steed, Father, even if it means going to our death. Lord, if there's somebody here that has never made the decision to repent or turn their lives and trust in you for salvation, And they believe today that Jesus died for their sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, and is coming again maybe soon. God, change their heart, Father, I pray. Thank you for this time in your Word. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.