Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts - 18

Acts 6:8-15

Introduction

Sgt.

1st Class Paul Ray Smith could have retreated.

But he did not retreat.

Doing so would have allowed Iraqi troops to overrun an American aid station at the Baghdad International Airport.

Instead, Sgt.

Smith grabbed a rifle and continued fighting, single-handedly holding off over 100 enemy soldiers.

When a fellow soldier shouted at Smith to take cover, Smith refused.

He eventually suffered a severe wound and died at his post.

Yet his efforts halted the April 4, 2003 assault.

Two years later, President Bush presented the Medal of Honor to Smith’s 11-year old son.

Speaking of her late husband’s heroism, Smith’s widow commented, “Paul is showing the soldiers what it means to be a soldier.”

The power of a good example is undeniable.

The Army could produce thousands of pages of information about what it means to be a faithful soldier, and they do.

But one example sums it all up.

The Bible offers much teaching.

Hundreds and hundreds of pages showing what it means to be a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus.

But helpfully, the Bible provides for us numerous examples.

Some are good examples for us to follow, while others are bad examples for us to avoid.

Either way, the power of a good example is undeniable.

As we continue working our way through the Book of Acts, the narrative now turns to one of these good examples, an early follower of Jesus named Stephen.

We first meet Stephen at the beginning of Acts 6.

There was an administrative problem in the Church regarding the daily food distribution to the widows in the Church.

The Apostles designate seven men to take charge of the issue.

First among those men is Stephen, described in Acts 6:5 as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”

Of the seven men chosen for this ministry, we only know more details for two of them, Stephen and Philip.

Because the narrative of Acts shifts now to follow how their ministries progress.

Here is how Stephen’s ministry continues:

Acts 6:8-15 - 8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

9 But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and were arguing with Stephen.

10 But they were unable to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

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 up to him, dragged him away, and brought him to the Sanhedrin.

13 And they put forward false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases speaking words against this holy place and the Law;

14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.”

15 And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin saw his face like the face of an angel.

TS - Even in this little section that merely gives us a glimpse into Stephen’s life and ministry, and introduces us to the context of what will happen over the next chapter or so, we already see that Stephen sets a good example for us to follow.

2 Timothy 3:12 - Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

The Bible promises that one of the results of living a godly life, of following Jesus faithfully, will be some form of persecution.

How do you respond when that happens?

Stephen shows us:

STAND YOUR GROUND (V.

8-10)

Though verse 5 already described him as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,” we are now told in v. 8 that he is “full of grace and power.”

This is obviously a pretty great guy.

God has done a transformative work in his life.

Remember, he is Greek (as his name tells us).

So he comes out of a totally pagan background.

He has worshiped false gods in the past.

He has embraced a life of immorality.

He has grievously offended God in too many ways to count.

But God has saved him.

At some point, and we don’t know when or how, but at some point someone told him of the grace available in Jesus.

Stephen understood his guilt before God and knew he could never please God on his own.

So he placed his trust in Jesus Christ and his sins were forgiven.

He received the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit.

And not only did God remove his sin, God gave him some gifts.

God gave him the gift of faith.

God gave him a measure of wisdom (v.

10).

God gave him miraculous power.

V. 8 - And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

Apparently Stephen’s ministry expanded beyond administrating the daily food distribution to the widows in the Church.

God had given him miraculous power to do ‘signs.’

Now remember, we’ve talked about this before.

Not everyone was given power to do miracles.

Only the Apostles and those on whom they Apostles lay their hands have miraculous power in the Book of Acts.

Stephen is one of those men.

And the purpose of those miracles is to prove the authenticity of the gospel message they are preaching.

There is no completed NT that has any authority behind it yet.

So the only way to prove that what they are saying is true is for their message to be accompanied by these miracles that show the endorsement of Heaven.

This is why the miracles are called ‘signs.’

And even though it seems Stephen is just doing a great job and faithfully serving and doing some miracles, people aren’t happy with him and begin to rise up against him.

What is their problem?

It isn’t with the miracles.

The entire account makes it clear they do not like his message.

His teaching is the problem.

So they try to shut him down.

V. 9 - But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedman, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and were arguing with Stephen.

The Synagogue of the Freedman was a well-known group in Jerusalem, comprised of those who were once slaves but had earned their freedom.

And it is an international group for sure…Cyrene and Alexandria are in North Africa.

Cilicia and Asia are further north in the Middle East.

All of them from a Jewish heritage, decide they don’t like what Stephen is saying and take it upon themselves to argue with him.

They ‘rise up’ against him, signaling a sort of hostility.

They argue.

They debate.

They dispute.

V. 10 - But they were unable to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

It didn’t work.

They ‘rise up’ against Stephen, but Stephen is immovable.

Like waves crashing against the rocky shoreline, it doesn’t move no matter how hard you hit it.

Notice the shift in language here.

They ‘rise up.’

That’s active.

That’s offense.

They initiate and come after him.

But then we are told they cannot oppose him.

Meaning Stephen is meeting the challenge head on.

And now they are on the defensive.

Stephen didn’t lay down at their challenge.