Acts Message 17

A Christlike Life

Acts 6:8–15 (NKJV)

8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.

10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.

13 They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;

14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Intro: My focus here, is not on martyrdom. The focus is Do I really want to be like Jesus? To be like Jesus (to have live Christlike life) To be like Jesus does not mean simply gathering facts about Jesus’s life and then copying him. (Joe Morgan)

We must not try to be like Jesus in our own power by copying Jesus’s words or behaviors.

But, as Christians we must realize that we can pursue Christlikeness because we have been united to Jesus.

As we seek to follow follow Christ as Stephen did, we must first be united to Jesus and be willing to suffer.

Stephen’s story shows us that suffering connected to honoring the Lord is worth it!

He Was Empowered like Jesus VS 8

Acts 6:8 (NKJV)

8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

Look at Vs 3,5

Not did Stephen full fill his duties of the tables. He also preached the word. Not an Apostles, not elder. But he preached with power. (Lay preacher)

The Spirit empowered Stephen to do ministry, which involved caring for widows, speaking and acting with wisdom, and performing signs and wonders.

In this way Stephen followed the Master. Jesus was also a man “full of the Spirit

Luke 4:1 (NKJV)

1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

You need to ask God to fill you with faith, power, and wisdom.

Remember: you are controlled by whatever fills you.

f you are filled with jealousy, the success of others will infuriate you.

If you are filled with anger, you will quarrel and even murder with your thoughts.

But if you are filled with God’s power and wisdom, you will live a life like Stephen did Christ-exalting life.

He Spoke with Wisdom like Jesus. VS 9-10

Acts 6:9–10 NKJV

9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

There was the Temple, and there were Synagogues.

The “Freedmen’s Synagogue” was a Greek-speaking gathering comprising former slaves from various locations.

These men were debating with Stephen.

10 But they were not able to resist the intelligence and the wisdom and [the inspiration of] the Spirit with which and by Whom he spoke

So, what gave Stephen such confidence? How could he stand up against this group of religious bullies?

Stephen, then, could be filled with confidence for only one reason: he believed a particular promise made by Jesus. He trusted in Christ’s words,

Luke 21:12–17 (NKJV)

12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.

13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.

14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;

15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.

16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.

17 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.

Stephen would be killed, but before they would kill him he is given an opportunity to share an unprepared message loaded with unanswerable wisdom

If you want to share the gospel message with someone Pray for God to give you an ability to speak his Word with power and clarity, knowing that the Lord is with you and for you.

He Endured a Trial like Jesus. VS 11-15

Acts 6:11–15 (NKJV)

11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.

13 They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;

14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Religious leaders Religious Rulers. Religious bullies.

They could not stand up to the man’s wisdom, so they invent lies about him and haul him before a mock (kangaroo) court. The same thing happened to Jesus.

This started with “opposition” in verse 9

The men opposed to Stephen, then they conspire against him (v. 11), create a smear campaign, cause his arrest, cause him to be hauled before the council (v. 12), and then make him face the charges of false witnesses. (Christlike life)

Stephen was accused of speaking blasphemous words about Moses and God, demeaning the temple and the law.

But in fact, in verse 15 Stephen’s face is Moses-like (Exod 34:29);

Exodus 34:29 (NKJV)

29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.

Stephens speech clearly shows honor for Moses. And at no point did Stephen blaspheme God’s name .

Stephen simply taught that Jesus was the fulfillment of the law and the temple.

John 2:19 (NKJV)

19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Elab on this verse

Stephen is a victim of the same accusation his Lord endured

VS 13-14

They (the Religious rulers) believed the only place to meet God was in the Temple.

Do we need to in church? Yes. But you can receive forgiveness anywhere place that you are at.

You can meet with God any where yo are at.

You don’t have to go to a priest for forgiveness.

What Stephen was preaching went against all that they believed.

They could not answer his wisdom. They opposed him, the brought false accusations against him. The brought in false witnesses.

Jesus had warned His followers this would happen.

If you are going to live a Christlike life this will happen.

When we as Christ followers are opposed, we are facing opposition against Jesus.

In putting Stephen through an inquisition, the men in this account are essentially putting Jesus on trial all over again.

They want to flog and kill him all over again. Remember, Jesus promised that many will hate us as they hated him

Verse 15 transitions to the next scene. While Stephen is being unjustly treated, “his face [is] like the face of an angel”—radiant

It could be that his changed countenance reflected the fact that God was standing on the side of Stephen

He Preached the Old Testament like Jesus. 7:1-60

Acts 7:1 NKJV

1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

For Stephen, I’m glad you asked,

He Suffered and Died like Jesus. 7:54-60

Acts 7:54–60 (NKJV)

54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;

58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen’s death and Jesus’s. The two executions are not exactly the same, to be sure, but they bear many similarities.

The angry mob gets “enraged” by Stephen’s message and, like animals, “gnashe[s] their teeth at him” (Grind)

I can picture them standing, waving clenched fists at him, gnashing their teeth at him, yelling and shouting at him. It was like a scene out of hell.

Instead of responding to the man’s message in humble repentance, the self-righteous are outraged by it. But, like Jesus, Stephen has a heavenly perspective prior to his death.

Stephen can view death positively because of heavenly realities. As the wolves prepare to attack, Stephen catches a glimpse of heaven (vv. 55–56).

Here we see Jesus’s “standing” instead of “sitting” at the right hand of God here; “sitting” at the right hand of the Father is used to describe his exalted position

So was this a sign of Jesus’s honoring Stephen

Was it a sign of Jesus’s welcoming and receiving Stephen, like a host who welcomes a beloved family member into his home?

Jesus is acknowledging Stephen before the Father in heaven, just as Stephen acknowledged Jesus before men on earth.

I see Him!” cried Stephen. “He is indeed at the right hand of God. I see Him standing there. I see Him, the Son of Man, in heaven.”

When he saw Jesus, saw Him standing, saw Him standing at God’s right hand, saw Him standing to register His applause, His approval, His “Well done, Stephen!”

In a few more minutes Stephen would be there, absent from the body, present with the Lord. But first he must bear one final witness to the nation and its leaders now set irrevocably on a collision course with judgment.

What Stephen said the Sanhedrin considered the ultimate blasphemy. Not only was he upholding the claim of the Lord Jesus to be coequal with God, but he was putting Him on the throne of the universe

They had heard enough

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;

They had heard enough blasphemy for one day. Then, with mob violence, they come out of their seats and run and grab him . Stephen was God’s fearless witness.

58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

There the attackers lay down their garments so they could throw the stones with more force.

First mention of Saul (Paul)

59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen endured a horrible death. People were hurling rocks at him, and he eventually died from the many blows they landed to his head

But before Stephen passed away, he offered prayers to the Lord Jesus, his words reflecting the prayers Jesus prayed to the Father while suffering on the cross. (Father forgive them for they now not what they do)

Stephens last words helps us see how one filled with the Spirit lives and dies. Stephen asks Jesus to welcome him home, and then Stephen prays for his murderers!

Only people who know the forgiveness of Jesus at a deep level can offer such grace.

Now don’t miss this. Saul himself would become the answer to Stephen’s prayer! Saul would soon find forgiveness through Jesus. He would become an undeserving recipient of the martyr’s request that this sin not be held against those responsible.

Following his Christlike prayer, Stephen “fell asleep.” Did you know that for the Christian death is like sleeping?