Always Be Ready

Introduction

Please open your Bibles to The Acts of the Apostles 6:8-15.

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In our previous passage, we learned the names of the first seven Deacons who were chosen to serve the Church so that the pastors of the church would be free to focus upon prayer, the study of Scripture, and the teaching of it to the Church Body.

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Out of these seven, Luke now focuses our attention in on Stephen, a man who was ALWAYS “PREPARED to make a defense to anyone who [asked him] for a reason for the hope that [was] in [him]” (1 Peter 3:15).

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May the Spirit give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds that comprehend the truths of our passage today.

Please Pray With Me

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Breakdown

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

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Who was Stephen?

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Well, Stephen is first mentioned in our previous passage along with six other men who were chosen to serve the Church Body.

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In addition to Stephen, Acts 6:5 tells us the names of the first seven Deacons were “Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus…”

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Now what’s interesting is that each of these names are Greek names, which likely means they were of the Hellenists group of Christ-Followers.

Hellenist means Greek. So, these men were Jews born in Greek speaking and influenced regions, with the exception of Nicolaus. Acts 6:5 tells us Nicolaus was “a proselyte of Antioch.” Which means he was a Gentile man who converted to Judaism.

And these seven Jewish men, whether by birth or conversion, travelled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost.

By God’s grace, while in Jerusalem, these men, along with “multitudes” of other Jews, heard the Gospel, repented of their sin, and were saved.

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Additionally, Luke tells us a few important details about Stephen.

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Looking at both Acts chapter six, verses five and eight, we learn that Stephen was FULL of:

Faith.

The Holy Spirit.

Grace.

And Power.

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ALL four of these things are essential to our salvation from God’s wrath against our sin AND for understanding our character as His redeemed Children.

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And we will look at each of these things shortly, BUT FOR NOW, we should know that BECAUSE Stephen was FULL of these things that RESULTED in his salvation, he was out “DOING great wonders and signs among the people.” In other words, Stephen’s salvation informed his character, it informed what he DID as one of God’s redeemed children.

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In our passage, this Greek word for “DOING,” or as some translations say, “PERFORMING,” is in the imperfect tense. Which means Stephen, just like the Apostles, HAD BEEN, and has, with no sign of stopping, CONTINUED to be, out AMONG the people PERFORMING “great wonders and signs.”

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Speaking of the Apostles, Acts 5:12 says, “Many signs and wonders were REGULARLY (CONTINUALLY) done AMONG the people by the hands of the apostles…” And such signs and wonders that were done THROUGH them by the Holy Spirit, were done SO THAT all would know Christ Jesus is Lord and God Who saves sinners from the wrath they deserve.

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When God’s people are FULL of:

Faith.

The Holy Spirit.

Grace.

And Power.

They CANNOT help but be AMONG the lost. Not to participate in their sinful ways, but to befriend them so that they might call the lost to repentance.

As Christ Jesus says of Himself, in Luke 19:10 “The Son of Man came to SEEK and to SAVE the LOST,” which would require Him to be around those who are not Christians.

And He commands His followers, in Matthew 28:19, to “make disciples” of ALL people as they “GO” about their DAILY lives, SO THAT the lost would TURN from their sin and FOLLOW Him for the salvation of their souls.

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An evidence of being FULL of the things of God is to have a burdened heart for the lost around us, and a desire to teach them to repent of their sin and follow Jesus as Lord and God.

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This is WHO Stephen was.

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Stephen was FULL of the things of God and therefore, he surrendered to the will of God, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus no matter what it cost him personally.

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By this point, Peter and John had been arrested twice, the second time being with the rest of the Apostles, and were WARNED to NO LONGER teach in the name of Jesus. The first time, they were just warned, but the second time, they were imprisoned and then beaten.

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And how did the whole congregation of Christ-followers respond to this?

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Well, after the first trial of Peter and John, the Church prayed, in Acts 4:29, saying, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to CONTINUE to speak YOUR word with ALL boldness.” And then, after the second trial, that resulted in ALL the Apostles being imprisoned and beaten, Acts 5:41–42 says, “They left the presence of the council, REJOICING that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name [of Jesus]. And EVERY DAY, in the temple and from house to house, they DID NOT cease teaching and preaching that THE Christ IS Jesus.”

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And so, Stephen, FULLY knowing what could happen, followed Christ Jesus without fear. And becomes the first NONE Apostle to face persecution, not for the “wonders and signs” he performed, BUT for proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of Sinners.

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To follow Christ in such a way REQUIRES a man to put Christ’s Words from Luke 9:23 into practice. Christ Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him DENY himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

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And let us not forget that the cross Jesus speaks of represents death by execution, which speaks of following Christ even at risk of ones personal well-being.

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Let’s continue in our passage today, in Acts 6:9-10.

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It says, “Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.”

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Remember, there are TWO different groups of Jewish worshippers in Jerusalem. The Hebrews, who were born and raised in Palestine, a Hebrew influenced region. And there were Hellenists, who were Jewish by birth, but had been born and raised in Greek speaking and influenced regions.

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As we consider in our previous passage last week, the Church was made up of converts from BOTH of these groups. And Stephen was a Hellenist who converted to the Faith, now being a follower of Christ, as we’ve seen so clearly in our passage today.

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Whats interesting is that these groups who “belonged to the synagogue” were ALSO Hellenists who had come back to Jerusalem to live and worship.

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There were:

Freedmen - Who were taken prisoner by Pompey, made slaves, and then taken to Rome.

Cyrenians and Alexandrians - Who were from North Africa. Cyrene is where Simon, who carried Jesus’ cross was from.

And some were from…

Cilicia and Asia - These were Roman provinces in Asia Minor. Saul, who later became known as Paul was from the Cilician town, Tarsus.

(Summary from Acts: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary His Courage)

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Being that Stephen was a Hellenist, and this Synagogue was ALSO comprised of Hellenists, it is likely Stephen had once been one of their members but had left when he repented and surrendered, in FULL, to Christ Jesus as Lord and God. It is ALSO likely that Saul, being a Hellenist from Tarsus in Cilicia, was of their membership, which would explain his presence in Stephen’s trial in chapter seven, which Lord willing, we will consider next week.

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And so, these Hellenist Jews, in response to Stephen’s proclamation that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ Who would save them from their sin, “rose up and disputed with” him. Meaning, that they organized themselves against Stephen in the form of a debate.

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Proclaiming Christ Jesus in such a way is the reason ALL Christians have been and continue to be persecuted to this day.

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And what should the Christian do when confronted in such a way?

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Like Stephen, Christians should trust in the wisdom of God as found in Scripture.

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Furthermore, it is noteworthy to point out that Stephen was READY to have this debate even though he had not set out that day to participate in one.

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The Apostle Peter says, in 1 Peter 3:15–16, the Christ-follower should “…Honor Christ the Lord as holy (BY), ALWAYS being PREPARED to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

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Which is EXACTLY what happened to these who “rose up” to debate Stephen! Our passage says Stephen’s opponents “could not withstand the wisdom AND the Spirit with which he was speaking.”

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I imagine Paul, when writing to Timothy about the qualifications of a deacon, had the example of Stephen in mind when he says, in 1 Timothy 3:9, that deacons “must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” They MUST be FULL of wisdom, knowing the Word of God to such an extant that they, like Stephen, could proclaim the Gospel of Christ Jesus with ALL power.

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Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

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This Greek word for “active” may also be translated in your Bibles as, “effective.” The Scriptures are ABLE to produce RESULTS. The Word of God can defend itself, doing what we cannot do.

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One of my favorite salvation stories was told by Paul Washer and proves this point.

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He was confronted by a man who had questions about being a Christian and how to become one. After a lot of discussion, the man was no closer to repenting of his sin and following Jesus as Lord and Christ than he was when discussion first began. Exhausted, Paul Washer opens the Bible to John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He had this man read this verse over and over again, asking him each time, “what does this verse mean?” After many times of reading this verse, over and over again, the man lights up and says, “I understand!” And he repented of His sin against God and surrender His life to follow Christ Jesus and was, therefore, SAVED from the wrath of almighty God!

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Paul Washer is an accomplished Missionary and Preacher, but his words produced NOTHING! Instead, it was the Word of God being read that made this man who was lost to be found, who was blind to now see!

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HOW is the Christian to be READY at all times to proclaim Jesus as Lord and defend the faith when necessary?

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By KNOWING the Word of God!

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In our passage today, these men, including SAUL, one of the greatest students of Scripture of his day, COULD NOT “withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which [Stephen] was speaking” BECAUSE Stephen was speaking the wisdom of God by the POWER of the Holy Spirit he was FULL of.

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And what do those who cannot withstand the wisdom and power of God do?

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Well in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit they either REPENT of their sin and follow Christ, OR they rebel against Him. Which is what these in our passage today did.

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Look with me at our passage, in Acts 6:11-14.

It says, “Then they secretly instigated men who said, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’ And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.’”

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BECAUSE they COULD NOT withstand the wisdom and power of God that was being proclaimed THROUGH Stephen, they FALSELY accused him of teaching in opposition to “Moses and God.”

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Basically, they “stirred up,” they RILED up, the “people and the elders and the scribes” BY accusing Stephen of saying things he did not say.

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Luke points out that after they violently “seized” Stephen and took him before the Religious Leaders, they “set up FALSE witnesses” who FALSELY ACCUSED Stephen of CONSTANTLY teaching that Jesus would DESTROY The Holy Temple and would NULLIFY the Law of Moses.

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But Stephen taught nothing of the sort because Jesus NEVER said He would destroy the Temple OR that He would make The Law pointless.

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Yes, Jesus DID say the Temple would be destroyed, but He NEVER said He would do it.

Speaking of Himself, in John 2:19–21, Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.”

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And, as for the Law of Moses, Jesus NEVER said He would make it VOID. In fact, He says the exact opposite.

Speaking of the Law, in Matthew 5:17, He says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

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Interestingly, these men who FALSELY accused Stephen of saying such things proved they didn’t really care about God’s Law. For doing what they did was A BREAKING of the ninth commandment in Exodus 20:16, which says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

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And let’s be clear, they DID NOT make their accusations in ignorance. Our passage says, they “secretly instigated men… [setting them up as] false witnesses” against Stephen. An action that showed themselves to be just like their father Satan, who Revelation 12:10 calls the “accuser of” the Church.

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But, even with this elaborate scheme to set Stephen up, nothing they did or said could stand against him.

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Over the next few weeks we will carefully consider Stephen’s response to their false accusations, BUT for our passage today, we should know that the reason none of his opponents could stand against him, was because he was FULL of faith, the Holy Spirit, grace, and power. And, although they rejected the reason for it, everybody present could tell that Stephen was different. In stark contrast to these children of the devil, these accusers, Stephen stood before their hateful gazes as a blameless, and approved, child of God.

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Look with me at Acts 6:15, the last verse in our passage today.

It says, “And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”

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This does not mean Stephen was an angel, but rather, that in this moment before “the council” he stood fearless and unconcerned over what they might say and do.

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They falsely charged him with blasphemy, yet he stood firm because he was FULL of faith! Stephen trusted the Lord explicitly! He knew that NO MATTER what happened he would be alright. And he would be alright BECAUSE he was sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise by a pure, and amazing act, of God’s unmerited GRACE.

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Furthermore, Stephen’s face shone in the presence of his enemies, as a sign that he had been with Jesus.

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The only other person in Scripture to have such an honor was Moses.

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After spending forty days on Mount Sinai with the LORD God, and receiving the Ten Commandments from Him, Moses came back down from the mountain to the people of Israel. Exodus 34:30 records for us what happened. It says, “Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.”

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Moses’ face shone bright, not because of anything he had done, but because he had been in the presence of the LORD.

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Likewise, Stephen, in our passage today, did not shine in the presence of his enemies because of anything he had done, but rather, his “face was like the face of an angel” because he was continually in the presence of Jesus.

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F. F. Bruce says,

While his accusers pressed their charge against him, Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin with face aglow, as one who stood consciously in the presence of God. This was “not the mild, gentle look that is often seen in paintings of angels; not the fierce look of an avenging angel, but a look that told of inspiration within, clear eyes burning with the inner light.”

F. F. Bruce, New International Commentary, The Book of the Acts (4. Stephen Accused before the Sanhedrin (6:11–15))

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Concluding Thoughts

There are a few things we can learn from this man, Stephen, who being CONTINUALLY in the presence of Jesus, was FULL of faith, the Holy Spirit, Grace, and Power.

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First of which is…

First: We cannot be Christians if we are not full of faith, the Holy Spirit, grace, and power.

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All four of these things are essential to our salvation from God’s wrath against our sin and for understanding our character as His redeemed Children.

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So, let’s look at each of these carefully.

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Stephen was “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”

FULL means to be completely filled, with no room to add more.

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Stephen was filled to the brim with FAITH, meaning he fully TRUSTED the Lord. He trusted that Jesus was the promised Savior who died and rose again. And so, Stephen, who was FULL of faith, did just as Christ commanded in Mark 1:15, and REPENTED. Stephen TURNED from ruling his own life and surrendered to Christ Jesus as Lord and God.

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At that moment, Stephen was saved from the wrath he deserved for his sin against God and was FILLED in FULL with the Holy Spirit Who guarantees salvation. The Apostle Paul speaks of this in Ephesians 1:13–14, saying, “In him (In Christ…) you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were SEALED (Were FILLED in FULL…) with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the GUARANTEE of our inheritance.…”

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Now, Luke also tells us Stephen was “full of grace and power.”

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Because Stephen FULLY trusted in, had FAITH in Christ Jesus, he was FILLED to the brim with the HOLY SPIRIT, Who sealed Him for salvation. All of which happened to, and in, Stephen by a pure act of God’s sovereign GRACE.

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Grace is to be given something we do not deserve. By GRACE God has given us forgiveness and salvation. We could never merit this. We could never EARN such love and affection from the Creator of the Universe. Mankind, being the sinful rebels against the RULE of God that we are could NEVER EARN God’s love. We don’t DESERVE it!

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Ephesians 2:1 says we “were dead in [our] trespasses and sins.”

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A man whose heart and brain activity have ceased CANNOT revive himself, but needs someone else to perform CPR on him. LIKEWISE, a spiritually dead man CANNOT make himself to be ALIVE to God. He DESPERATELY NEEDS God to FILL Him with His unearned, unmatched, and Amazing Grace.

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Paul says, in Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by GRACE you have been saved through FAITH. And this is NOT your own doing; it is the GIFT of God, NOT a RESULT of works, so that no one may boast.”

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As gifts of God, both FAITH and GRACE happen simultaneously.

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Upon receiving, in FULL, the Grace of God, the spiritually dead man acts in FAITH for the salvation of His soul. And the Holy Spirit, whom he now has IN FULL, is the guarantee he will NEVER lose God’s GRACE, no matter what may happen in this life.

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Furthermore, when a person is GIFTED FAITH to believe by the pure act of God’s unmerited GRACE, He is immediately REDEEMED from his OLD way of life, to a NEW way of life, SO THAT he would LIVE for God in THIS life.

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Paul continues in Ephesians 2:10, saying, “For we are HIS workmanship, CREATED in Christ Jesus FOR good works, which God prepared beforehand, that WE SHOULD WALK in them.”

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Luke also tells us Stephen was FULL of POWER. Which is the direct result of being FULL of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8, Christ says to His followers, “You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (SO THAT…)… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

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Are we saved today? Have we acted upon the Grace of God and repented of our sin? Do we TRUST Him to save us and keep us as His own? Do we belong to Christ Jesus?

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If not, KNOW today that in an amazing act of love and kindness to sinners, THROUGH Christ Jesus’ work on His cross, EVERYTHING necessary for your salvation has been accomplished!

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Understand, that WHILE you were spiritually DEAD and UNABLE to save yourself, Christ demonstrated His love for you by dying on the cross, taking the punishment you deserve, in your stead. He died, so that you might live.

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Hear the Gospel today, repent of ruling your own life, and be saved. Enter into the peace and rest of Jesus today, for tomorrow makes no promises.

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And if we ARE Christians, may we follow the example of Stephen, whose character was shaped by this great salvation, and BE the people we were redeemed from our sin to be. Those who walk in surrender to Christ Jesus as Lord and God.

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Second: To be FULL of the things of God means we are not our own.

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Many wrongly believe they can profess faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and God WITHOUT surrendering their lives to His will.

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Let us not forget the words of Christ we considered earlier.

He says, in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

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To be a Christian is to lay down our own wills, our own lives, for Him. Remember that these who attacked Stephen in our passage today, were ALSO Hellenists like himself. They were from among his own people. He was attacked by those he had once called friends and family.

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But, as Jesus continues in the next verse, in Luke 9:24, Stephen KNEW that “…whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for [Christ’s] sake will save it.”

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When we are saved, we give our lives over to Christ, our Lord and God, Who so graciously saved us. But, doing so will come with consequences.

And in those moments when it is difficult to OBEDIENTLY stand resolute FULLY trusting Christ Jesus, remember these encouraging words from Paul concerning the power of God’s love working in us.

He says, in 2 Corinthians 5:14–15, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

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Third: To be a Christ-follower, is to REFLECT Him CONTINUALLY to those around us.

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Although they likely did not want to admit it, the Religious Leaders who put Stephen on trial, KNEW Stephen had been with Jesus. His face SHOWN like that of an angel!

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They knew this was true of Peter and John, back in Acts 4:13, who were ALSO FULL of the Holy Spirit.

It says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

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Are we so DEVOTED to the study and teaching of Scripture, this fellowship, living Gospel lives, and corporate prayerful reliance upon Christ Jesus that people can tell that we have been with Him? Or, do people still see us as we were before we were saved?

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Answer this questions carefully and in much prayer, for we were saved from the pit of Hell and purchased by God, NOT so we would live like we DO NOT belong to Him, but SO THAT people would see Christ Jesus in us.

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The title Christian means “little Christ,” and was originally meant as a derogatory term. But the Early Church took it as a badge of honor, for to be accused of REFLECTING Christ Jesus is the GREATEST thing a Christ-follower could ever be accused of. But let us be clear, to reflect Him is two fold.

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And therefore, statements like, “preach the Gospel at all times, [and] if necessary use words,” is not Biblical.

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To be recognizable as a Christian, one who has been with Christ Jesus, people must SEE AND HEAR that we follow Him in both our actions and in our words.

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Peter and John, the rest of the Apostles, and now Stephen, were all arrested, NOT because of what they were doing, but because of what they were saying. The Religious Leaders were fine with the good deeds being done by these men, but what they could not abide by was the name in which they were doing what they were doing. This is why two different times in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter and John were specifically ORDERED by the Sanhedrin to NO LONGER SPEAK in the name of Jesus.

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We will never reflect Christ Jesus to a lost and dying world if we only behave as a Christian should without taking the opportunity to verbally PROCLAIM His name as the King and Savior of sinners.

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Fourth: Christians must CONTINUALLY be ready to give a reason for our hope in Christ Jesus.

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There have been times in my life when I was scared to speak up and share the Good News that Jesus saves sinners ALL BECAUSE I was not prepared.

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But Stephen, in our passage today, is an example of CONTINUALLY being a witness for Christ, CONTINUALLY REFLECTING Christ, as we go about our daily lives. Which means, Stephen was always PREPARED.

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So, how do we prepare ourselves for being ready?

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Joshua 1:8 says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

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The principle hear is that what we CONTINUALLY fill our hearts and minds with, what we meditate on most, is what we are most prepared to live by and speak of.

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So, do we want to be prepared and ready to reflect Christ Jesus at all times? Then we must be FULL of wisdom BY filling our hearts and minds with the Scriptures.

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When we do, like Stephen clearly did, we to can trust that the Word of God will stand up to all scrutiny from those who reject it, for no one can “withstand the wisdom” of God.

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Like Stephen, who was FULL faith, the Holy Spirit, grace, and power, let us fill our hearts and minds with the Scriptures, trusting that the Word of God is sufficient to cut clean to the heart of a person, revealing to them their great sin, and great need for a Savior.

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Church Family, let us remember and be encouraged by the example of Stephen who trusted Christ, and therefore obeyed Him. Even in the midst of his accusers.

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And, when afraid to stand on the wisdom of Scripture, remember these encouraging words from the prophet Isaiah.

He says, in Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

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This is what Stephen believed and lived by as we will clearly see over the next few weeks while considering his POWERFUL, Scripture filled speech, to the Sanhedrin.

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Please Pray With Me