here in Acts chapter 7 this evening. So I want to encourage you, or Acts chapter 6, rather. So I want to encourage you to take your Bibles and open up to Acts chapter 6. And this morning, or this evening, we want to read verses 8 through the end of the chapter. Acts chapter 6, verse number 8. And I'll give you just a moment to get there. Acts chapter 6, verse number 8 through verse number 15. Okay, Acts 6, verse number 8. Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some of the men from what is called the synagogue of Friedman, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly induced men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes. And they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the council. They put forth false witnesses who said, This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us. And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the council saw his face like the face of an angel. They saw his face like the face of an angel. The title of the message this evening is The Marks of a Man of God. The Marks of a Man of God. Let's pray and then we'll take a look at this passage. Again, great almighty God, we just praise you for this immense privilege that we have. And it is a privilege, Lord, to come into your presence and to worship you. Thank you, Lord, that we can come together as members of the body of Christ, that we can come together as those who make up the family of Christ, and we can worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we can do so in such a way that glorifies and honors you. What a privilege it is, Lord, to be able to be together and sing these hymns of praise to our great king and to honor you in doing so. Father, it is also just a great privilege that we have. It's a great honor to be able to sit down together, to be able to come and study your word and to learn more from your word this evening. We thank you, Lord, for what your word is teaching us during our times together around the word in the morning And we thank you, Lord, for what your word continues to teach us during the times that we have together in the evening. May you be pleased. May you be glorified in the preaching of your word tonight. May the preaching of your word tonight not only glorify you, but Lord, may it also honor your word. We pray these things in your great name. Amen. Again, the title of the message tonight is The Marks of a Man of God. And before we look at this, I just want to remind us of Luke's purpose in writing the book of Acts. Go back with me to Acts chapter 1, verse number 1. The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all the things that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up to heaven after he had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom he had chosen. It is implied in that that the work that Jesus Christ had begun to do while he was on earth is now being continued and is being continued through the apostles whom he had chosen. And by their writings, we know that that work is now continued through us. All that Christ needed to accomplish for the propitiation of sins was accomplished on the cross. All that needed to be done for the redemption of sins was accomplished on the cross. All that was needed to be done to make sinners right with God was accomplished on the cross. The resurrection is all that was needed to verify this accomplished work of Christ on the cross. And the ascension is all that was needed to verify that this accomplished work has been brought before God. So what more needs to be done? The applying of this accomplished work to the minds and hearts of those chosen to receive the benefits of this accomplished work. That is the work to be done. Jesus Christ has done everything to make propitiation for our sins. He's done everything that needs to be done to make us right with God. He's done everything for us to receive forgiveness of sins. It was all done on the cross, and we know that God has accepted that work by the resurrection. The resurrection was God's stamp of approval on what Jesus accomplished on the cross. And now we know that Jesus has taken that accomplished work into the presence of his father by the ascension. So what needs to be done? Well, now that work that Jesus Christ has done has to be applied to the minds and the hearts of those who were chosen to receive the benefits of that work. This will be accomplished through the Holy Spirit who is working through men and women of God who are devoted to the plans and the purposes of God. What marks one that can be used of the Holy Spirit in this manner? That's how this work will be accomplished. That's how the applying of the work of Christ will be accomplished to hearts of men. The Holy Spirit is going to do that work, and He's going to use men and women of God to you to accomplish that work. to further that work. Well, how do we know? How can you become a man and a woman who can be used of the Holy Spirit? We look at people like Stephen, and we look at what they were like, and we learn from them. In Stephen, in part, we see the marks of one that the Holy Spirit can use to take the work of Christ and apply it to the hearts and minds of those who are chosen to receive the benefits of that work. Why do I say in part? Well, because what we see here in Stephens is not everything that makes up the man of God, that makes up the person who is going to be used by the Holy Spirit. We see some of what is needed, but we don't see everything. For example, if you turn with me to 1 Timothy 6. Turn with me to 1 Timothy 6. 1 Timothy 6, verse 11. but flee from these things, you man of God." Here, Paul is telling us that Timothy is a man of God. We could go to Timothy and we could find out the marks of a man of God. Here in 1 Timothy 6, Paul tells Timothy, but flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you were made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus who testifies of the good confession before Pontius Pilate that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this verse, we see that the man of God is known by what he flees from, by what he follows after, and by what he fights for, and by what he is faithful towards. So those are marks of a man of God. We could go to Micah 6, verse 8, which says, So that's part of what it means to be a man of God. That's part of what it means to be one that God can use. You must love justice, you must love kindness, and you must walk humbly with your God. We could look at Abraham, who is known as a friend of God. You could look at Moses, who is known for his humility. You could look at Joseph, who is known for his faith. You could look at David, who is known for his heart. You could look at Daniel, Hanani, Ezra, and Mishael, a.k.a. Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, and you could look and see that the man of God needs great courage. So there's all kinds of passages that we could look at to see what are the marks of a man of God. So when we talk about Stephens tonight, I want us to understand that what we're going to learn about Stephens tonight doesn't include everything that comes into making a man of God. It's part of the picture. But we want to at least get this part of the picture that we can see from the life of Stephen. The first thing about Stephen that we see that is a mark of God is Stephen's attributes marked him as a man of God. Stephen has in this passage, and Luke gives us four different attributes of Stephen that mark him as a man of God. He was a man that was full of faith, full of the Holy Spirit, full of grace, and full of power. So we know that a man of God is full of faith, full of the Holy Spirit, full of grace, and full of power. We get the idea of Stephen being filled with faith from Acts chapter 6 verse 5. The statement found approval with the whole congregation and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Stephen was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Stephen was a man marked as one full of faith. He would have been known as one who could take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Those who are full of faith are able to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Be a servant? No problem. I'm taking my thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Yes, I will be a servant. Make disciples? No problem. Take my thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ and I will make disciples. Follow you at all costs? No problem. Why? Because I have the faith to take my thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Every thought that I have, I take captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Why? Because I am full of faith. I know that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. I know that He is my Savior. I know that He is my Lord. I take these things that I know, and once I know them, and once I believe them, and once I am committed to them, The act of actually taking thoughts captive to him, the desire to do so, is really not all that difficult. It may be hard to continue to do so, but understanding that that's what I need to do, once by faith, I understand that yes, Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. Yes, Jesus Christ became man, lived on this earth, went to the cross, paid the debt of my sins, was buried, was rose again, is ascended on high, and he is the high priest seated at the right hand of God. I know this to be true, therefore I can take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. He would have been known as one who always acknowledges God. We read in Proverbs that we are to acknowledge God in all that we do. The first thing that Stephens would have done before making any decision was to remind himself of who God is. Being a man full of faith, he understands that when he does anything, he's to acknowledge God. And all that you do, acknowledge God. So every decision you're going to make, everything you do, the first thing you do, the first thing you think about, the first thing you remind yourself of is everything I know to be true about God. God is eternal in all His ways. God is self-existent. God never changes. God is self-sufficient. God is all-knowing. God is all-powerful. God is good. He's demonstrated to me on the cross. God will do everything that He can to bring about His purposes in my life, and those purposes are good. So I remind myself of everything I know to be true about God, and then I go and I make my decisions, and when I do that, I know that He will make my path straight. So being a man full of faith is one who's going to acknowledge who God is in every decision that they make. Before they make a decision, they're going to stop, and they're going to run through their mind, who is God? What do I believe to be true about God? Do I have a faith that gives me assurance of what I know to be true about God that causes that truth to actually become something that is of substance? Is God the greatest reality of all realities? When we acknowledge God in everything that we do, we recognize that He is the greatest reality of all realities, and we don't even begin to understand reality apart from understanding who God is. He would have been one who delighted in the Lord, and the Lord would have rewarded such delight by putting His desires into His heart. Delight yourself in the ways of the Lord, and He will give you the desires of His heart. If Stephen was a man full of faith, he's gonna delight himself in the Lord. He knows the Lord is his Savior. He knows the Lord is his Lord. He is gonna delight himself in the Lord. And how does God reward such delight? God puts his thoughts in our hearts. God puts his desires in our hearts. And then our desires become the desires of the Lord. The only time that you can truly just follow your heart and do whatever your heart tells you to do is when you are by faith, one full of faith, fully trusting in God, fully delighting yourself in God. That's when we can trust our heart, when we are fully delighting ourselves in God. So this helps us to understand what we mean when we say that Stephen was a man marked as one who was full of faith. But he wasn't also a man marked as one full of the faith. He was marked as one full of the Holy Spirit. Verse 5 tells us he was full of the Holy Spirit. And again, that word full means to be dominated, permeated, controlled. Stephen was dominated by the Holy Spirit. He was permeated with the Holy Spirit. He was under the control of the Holy Spirit. The best way to stay full of the Holy Spirit is to be constantly indwelt with the Word of God. The consequences of letting the Word of God richly dwell within you is a life of worship, gratitude of all things, and humble submission in earthly relationships. These are the same consequences of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Thus, we can conclude that the way to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be richly indwelt with the Word of God. We can conclude that to be richly indwelt with the Word of God will result in being richly indwelt with the Holy Spirit. You want to be being kept filled with the Holy Spirit? You want to be a Holy Spirit filled person? then richly indwell yourself with the Word of God. That's how you become full of the Holy Spirit, is when you are full of the Word of God. If you want to be fully indwelt with the Spirit, you must be richly indwelt with the Word of God. Being richly indwelt with the Word of God requires one to be faithful, accept by faith all that has been revealed, accept by faith all that is revealed concerning God. By faith, Stephen became filled of the Holy Spirit as he faithfully trusted the message of the gospel. That's when he first became filled with the Holy Spirit. When by faith, he trusted what the Word of God had to say about salvation. He trusted that and he became filled with the Word of God. By faith, He continued to be filled with the Holy Spirit as he continued to faithfully trust more and more the revelation of God he received from the Word of God. That's how Stephen became filled with the Word of God, with the Holy Spirit, and that's how he continued to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It's because he richly indwelt himself on the Word of God. Stephen was a man marked as one who was full of faith, and he was one that was marked as one who was full of the Holy Spirit. He was also marked as one who was filled with grace. We see that in the verse that we're looking at tonight, verse 8. And Stephen, full of grace. Stephen was a man who was marked as one full of grace. He had a fullness of the grace that caused him to be obedient, and he had a fullness of grace that caused him to extend the love of Christ. The grace that Stephen was filled of caused him to be obedient. He was obedient to preach the Word of God. We see that in this passage. He was preaching the Word of God. That is what caused him to have trouble with those around him. It was his preaching of the Word of God. And we also see in the passage this evening, and we'll see it even more yet next week, that He had the grace to be obedient to the point of suffering. He had the grace to be obedient to the point of suffering, and not just any kind of suffering, but suffering to the point of death. He's becoming as much like Christ as a human being can. He wasn't obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross, but he was obedient to the point of death. Colossians 1, verse 24, Paul says this, That is a very interesting comment that the Apostle Paul makes there. He says here that he rejoices in his sufferings. And part of the reason that he rejoices in his sufferings is that because somehow his suffering is filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. That's a very interesting concept. There's something lacking in the afflictions of Christ Jesus? There's something lacking in the sufferings of Christ that my sufferings filled up? That's exactly what the Apostle Paul is saying. What is lacking in Christ's afflictions? Certainly nothing in a redemptive sense. There is no more suffering that needs to be done in order to gain redemption. Christ did all the suffering that was necessary for our sins to be propitiated. Christ did all the suffering that was necessary for us to be made right with God. Christ did all the sufferings that was necessary for us to be redeemed from our sins. So when Paul says we're filling up in what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, he's not talking about in a redemptive sense. In order to help us understand how it is we go about filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, it is important for us to understand the relationship between Satan and God. What is the relationship between Satan and God? What is the existence and the reality of the relationship between God and Satan? Well, Satan hates and opposes God. That's the relationship. Satan hates and opposes God. But God has granted Satan a limited amount of active expression of that hatred and opposition towards him. Satan hates and opposes God and God has allowed Satan a limited amount of expression of that hatred and that opposition. Satan can't do anything unless God allows him to. Satan does not have the power to go out and do what he wants regardless of what God says and regardless of God's purposes. God is the omnipotent one. God is the all-sovereign one. There's nothing that Satan does that God has not in his own wisdom allowed it to happen. this opposition and this hatred towards God that God has granted Satan to express. It began when Satan rebelled against God and he along with one-third of the angels were cast out of heaven. When Satan rebelled against God the only reason he was allowed to do that is because God allowed him to do that. God, for His good intentions, for His good purposes, allowed Satan to rebel against Him. This act of hatred and opposition may have began when Satan rebelled against God, and along with one-third of the angels, was cast out of heaven, but it continued in the garden. It continued in the garden when he led Adam and Eve into sin. And it continues on today. Satan continues to oppose and to work against God even today. I believe that we can say it reached its apex in the cross. God granted Satan to move upon the enemies of God to crucify his son. I would say that's the apex of his opposition and his hatred towards God. But I would not say it's the climax of his hatred and opposition towards God. It may be the apex, but it's not the climax. It's not the end. Satan is still today opposing God. Satan is still today expressing hatred to God. And the way that he does it is to go after the people of God. to give afflictions to the people of God. Remember what Jesus said. John records it for us in John 15, verse 20. Remember the word that I said to you, a slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Why do people persecute those who follow Jesus Christ? It's because they're under the influence of Satan. And Satan hates God. He's opposed to God. God has allowed Satan a certain level of expression of that hatred and that opposition, and that level has not been fulfilled yet. The afflictions of Christ on the cross did not allow Satan to fulfill his allotted amount of hatred and persecution against God that God has given him. if it was so, Satan would not be persecuting us. The only reason Satan is persecuting us is because God has allotted him a certain amount of persecution and hatred against the people of God, which is an attack against God. So you see, in that way, We're filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ. The afflictions of Christ on the cross were not enough to fill up that allotment that God has given Satan. We are filling that up. The only reason that Satan can oppose the church, the only reason that Satan can attack the gospel is because God is allowing him to. There will come a time When God says, that's enough, Satan. You've had all the time that I'm allotting to you, and you will no longer oppose my program. You will no longer oppose my purposes. It is coming to an end, and He will then take Satan and cast him into the lake of fire. It will be done. But as of today, it's not done. And when Stephen is suffering in this chapter here, he is in a way dealing with that affliction that God has allowed Satan to express against himself. Now, Christ's suffering on the cross draws the unbeliever to the cross. There's another way that we are filling up the afflictions of Christ when we realize that his suffering on the cross draws the unbeliever to the cross. When we want to share with a person what Christ has done for them and we want to help move that person to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, we will talk about Christ's suffering on the cross. We did it this morning with communion. We made sure that we understood that that bread is a metaphorical reminder of the body of Christ. And that bread is a metaphorical reminder of how Christ took every act of covetousness, was placed upon Him, and He bore the eternal wrath for every act of covetousness that we have committed. By looking at the cross, the suffering of Christ on the cross should be all that we need to move us to trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. But in the plan and wisdom of God, He has also planned that our suffering would be used alongside of Christ's suffering to bring people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Just listen to what Peter says in 1 Peter 3, verses 14 and 15. But even if you should suffer for righteous sake, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, and be always ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." Did you see what Peter is saying there? When you are suffering for righteous sake, you are to consider yourself blessed. And when you are suffering for righteousness sake, when you are suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ, the first thing that you need to do is make sure that Jesus Christ is the Lord of your heart. As you're going through that suffering, you recognize that Jesus Christ is the Lord of my heart. Now, if Jesus Christ is the Lord of my heart, as I'm going through that suffering, I'm not going to rebel against it. I'm not gonna be antagonistic against those who are bringing that suffering upon me. I'm not gonna fight against them. I'm not gonna want them to be persecuted. I'm not gonna hate them. I'm gonna be like Stephen, who when he is being stoned, asks God to forgive them for what they are doing. And when we behave with that kind of peace and with that kind of contentment, when we let Jesus Christ be Lord of our hearts, when we are suffering and we have that contentment and we have that peace, people are going to look at that and they're going to say, why? How are you able to respond to the suffering and the way that you do? And that's where you, with reverence, recognizing that it's only the Holy Spirit that is going to cause this person to really understand what Jesus Christ is doing in your life. With reverence and fear of God, you share with them what the gospel has done for you. And in that way, God uses your suffering to come alongside the suffering of Christ. and bring someone to saving faith in Jesus Christ. That always has been an astonishing reality to me. You would think that all I need to do is tell them about the suffering of Jesus Christ. But in the plan of God, God has planned to use my suffering to come alongside of the suffering of Christ and use my suffering in tandem with the suffering of Christ to bring people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. So why would we want to be able to fill up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions? Here are some reasons why we should want to be a part of what God is doing in us to fill up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Number one, we are called to suffer. Peter makes that very clear. We were called to suffer. And those of us who embrace the doctrines of grace, we love to talk about how we were called unto salvation, how God chose us before the foundations of the heavens and the earth to be his children. But are we just as excited to talk about how God chose us before the foundations of the heavens and the earth to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ? We were called to suffer. That's why we should want to fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ. Not only has it been granted for us to believe for Christ's sake, but it has been granted for us to suffer for Christ's sake. We love to talk about the grace that brings salvation. But Paul tells us in Philippians chapter one that that same grace that brought us salvation is the same grace that brings us suffering. Do we rejoice as much in the grace that allows us to suffer as we do in the grace that allows us to be saved? Paul, he wanted to have fellowship with the sufferings of Christ. And again, we as Christians, we love to talk about fellowship. We love to have times of fellowship. We love to have fellowship under the awning. We love to have fellowship at people's houses. We love to go and have a fellowship at a church picnic. We love to fellowship before church. We love to fellowship after church. We're gonna have fellowship this evening. After tonight's message, we're gonna go to Grace. We're gonna have fellowship around food. We love to have fellowship around food. We love fellowship. But that same word that's used for all those forms of fellowship is the word that Paul uses when he says he wants to have fellowship with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. He wants to have union, solidarity with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Peter says that to the degree that we suffer for Christ's sake, we are to rejoice. It's a one-to-one ratio. The more you suffer, the more you rejoice. You suffer more tomorrow, you rejoice more. True Christian joy is linked in part to suffering. The grace that God granted Stephen is the same grace that enables Stephen to live the type of Christ-like life that Satan hates and still persecutes today. The grace that God granted Stephen to be saved is the same grace that God granted Stephen to be obedient to the point where he suffers, to be obedient to the point where Satan attacks him. The grace that God granted Stephen is the same grace that enabled Stephen to suffer in a manner that allowed him to be a testimony of Christ to others. Is Stephen a man full of grace? Did he receive the grace unto salvation? Yes, he did. But it's that same grace That same grace that caused him to be obedient to the point where he is suffering, where he is enduring the attacks of Satan. It is that same grace that enabled him to be obedient to the point of suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. This is a mark of one who is a man of God. They are full of faith. They are full of the Holy Spirit. They are full of grace that causes them to be obedient. But not only was Stephen marked with a grace to obey, he was marked with a grace that enabled him to love others like Christ loved him. He had the ability to love others like Christ loved him. We noticed earlier in this chapter that Stephen was a servant. He obviously is a man who can handle the Word of God. He obviously is a man who can preach the Word of God. He has that ability, but yet he was willing to be a servant. He was a servant to the widows who were not being treated properly. He was willing to work behind the scenes and be a servant. He also extended the love of Christ in the way that he was able to forgive sins. Look at chapter 7, verse 59. Chapter 7, verse 59. as He forgives not sins, but He forgives those who are wronging Him, who are persecuting Him. Acts 7, verse 39, You talk about the grace to love like Christ loves us. Just like Christ on the cross said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. So, Stephen, as he is being stoned, he says, Lord, do not hold this against him. Stephen was also a man that was marked as one filled with power. God had enabled Stephen to live a life that verified that he was speaking for God. The word for signs refers to a distinguishing mark whereby something is made known. The fact that when Stephen spoke he was speaking of God was made known by the signs that he performed. Look here back with me in Acts chapter 6 again. Acts 6, verse 8, Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. What is most important about those signs is they were acts, works, miracles that Stephen was able to do that verified that he was speaking for God. In the same way, our obedience to God, our lifestyles are a mark, are a sign that we are speaking for God. Stephen was a man that was full of faith, full of the Holy Spirit, full of grace, and full of power. His attributes, his attributes of faith, being filled with the Holy Spirit, being filled with grace, and filled with power, those attributes marked him as a man of God. But Stephen's relationship with the world also marked him as a man of God. His relationship with the world marked him as a man of God. Look here with me in Acts 6, verse 9. Acts 6, verse 9. But some of the men from what was called the Synagogue of Freedmen, including the Cyrenians and the Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia in Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with his wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly induced men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the council. The world's rejection of Stephen marked Stephen as a man of God. The synagogue was a place that Jewish people would come and meet to worship God. Once the temple was destroyed, there were synagogues that popped up, and that's where the Jewish people would come to worship God. So these are people who outwardly look like they are worshipers of God. The freedmen, they would have been children of slaves in the Roman Empire. Those who oppose Stephen seem to have come from a very wide area. They come from all over. They represent four different regions. This probably represents a widespread opposition to the gospel that was being preached. And so here we see that the world is against Stephen. It's attacking Stephen. John chapter 15 tells us that if the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you are of the world, the world will love its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. If we are a person who is following Jesus Christ, the world is going to hate us. James 4, verse 4, you adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. So if the world is not against you, then that tells you you are not a friend of God, but you're a friend of the world. If the world is against you, if the world is opposing you, then that is a good sign that you actually are a friend of God, that you are actually doing what God wants you to do. Luke 6, verse 22. Blessed are you when men hate you and ostracize you and insult you and scorn your name as evil for the sake of the Son of Man. When people ostracize you, when they say that you are evil because of what you're doing for the name of Jesus Christ, that is good. Blessed are you. In fact, we should beware if the world loves us. As Christians, if the world loves us, we should beware. But if the world hates us, that is a good sign that we are following the Lord, that we are what the Lord wants us to be. So the world, the world's relationship to Stephen makes him a mark of one who is a man of God. You want to be a man of God, you cannot be a friend of the world. If as a man of God you suffer persecution, if as a man of God the world is against you, that is a sign that you truly are a man of God. The world's rejection of Stephen marked him as a man of God. Also, the world's rejection of Stephen's message marked him as a man of God. Let's go back here again and let's look at verse 10. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. They secretly induced men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Look at what we see in verse 13. They put forward false witnesses who said, This man is incessantly speaking against the holy place and law, for we have heard him say that this Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and alter the customs which Jesus has handed down to us. Here we see that the world is not just opposing Stephen as a man, It's not just what he represents as a man, but they are opposing his preaching. They are opposing his message. As we've seen in the past, yes, there are many that are making a positive response to the gospel. We have seen how fast the church is growing. We see how the church grows in the midst of persecution. We saw how the church grew even when there was sin in the church. We saw how the church responded to excessive growth and the problems and the challenges that would come with that. So, yes, there was a lot of people that were turning to the gospel, trusting in the gospel, but there also was great opposition to the gospel. The world in rebellion against God cannot deal with the truth of God. That is why there's such rebellion against the gospel. The world cannot deal with the truth of God. They cannot handle the truth of God. There is no logical rejection of that which is truth. You cannot logically reject truth. How do you logically reject something that is truth? You can't use truth to reject the truth, because there's no truth that can counter the truth. So anything that you use to attack truth is going to be illogical. That's why these people have to lie. That's why they have to deceive people. That's why they have to drum up false witnesses against Stephen, because he's speaking the truth. They have no truth that they can use to attack what He speaks. All they can do is to rely upon their lies, and all they can do is to rely upon their deceptions. Oftentimes the only way to reject truth is through deception and lies. I have never heard nor will I ever hear of any truth that can be rejected with truth." There is no way you can reject the truth of God's Word. You just simply can't. Because there's no truth that can go against God's Word. The truth of God's Word is true because God is true. The truth of God's Word is immutable. It doesn't change because God is immutable. The truth of God's Word is omnipotent because God is omnipotent. The truth of God's Word is infinite because God is infinite. You know that you are a man of God when the truth of God that you are speaking can only be dealt with with lies and deception. As soon as they start bringing the people out and they start bringing in the lies and they start bringing in the deception, there's a certain amount of satisfaction. I must be teaching the truth accurately because there is no truth out there that can stand against the truth of God's word. It is the world's rejection of our message. that shows that we have the mark of truly being people of God. We know that Stephen was a man of God because the world couldn't handle his message. They attacked it, they made lies about him, and they dreamed up oppositions that were illogical, that didn't make sense, because that's the only way you can deal with the truth when you want to reject it. So Stephen's attributes marked him as a man of God. The way that the world responded to him in his message marked him as a man of God. And there's one more mark that is upon Stephen that marks him as a man of God. It's the Lord's favor on Stephen that marked him as a man of God. Look at verse 15. and fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the council saw his face like the face of an angel. God did something to the complexion of Stephen. God did something to the person of Stephen that caused his face to look like the face of an angel. We know that Stephen was a man marked as one who was of God because of God's favor upon him. In the midst of all of the world's rejection, in the midst of all of the world's opposition, Stephen showed that God had put His favor upon him. Let me pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the work of your Holy Spirit that regenerates us, renews the spirit of our mind, that we come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We continue to praise you, Almighty God, that you continue to work in our hearts and in our minds. We thank you, Lord, that the work that you have begun in us, you will complete. You will continue to work on it until the day of Jesus Christ. We praise you, Father. that we are continuing to be worked upon by the Holy Spirit. We pray, Father, that as we study these men in the book of Acts, as we study these men and these women in the book of Acts, who obviously were men and women of God, I pray, Father, that we will be encouraged, that we will be challenged, that we will be motivated to follow their example and to continue to grow in our ability to be men and women of God. We want to be tools that fit perfectly in your hand. We want to be tools that the Holy Spirit can use to further your kingdom through the building of your church. And we want to be like those that fit comfortably, perfectly in your hand. Help us, Lord. as we study these individuals in the book of Acts to allow this study to conform us into people that can be actually used by you to further your kingdom through the building of your church. To you be all the praise and the glory, almighty God. Amen.