Grace and Power

The Printing Press 1440

Johannes Gutenberg’s Invention of Movile Type Printing press creaed the Latin “Gutiberght Bible” It was pivtal in the

When you are faithfully following Jesus you can expect the unexpected.

1.Grace and Power v.8

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

Full of Grace and Power

Acts 6:3 “3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty.”

Acts 6:5 “5 This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch.”

Great Signs and Wounders

Luke seldom qualifies the miracles and wonders performed by the apostles. But in the case of Stephen, he discloses that the wonders and signs are great.

Simon J. Kistemaker; William Hendriksen

Transition figure no one other than apostles

The

Seek not, therefore, after visions, fancies, miracles, signs, and wonders, but believe when God speaks to your heart, according to all the statutes and testimonies, the precepts and promises, which are contained in the sure word of revelation. Assurance Sought, Volume 63, Sermon #3546 - Psalm 35:3

Charles Spurgeon

The biblical vocabulary for miracle, expressed in various Hebrew and Greek terms, focuses on three ideas: powers, signs, and wonders. These remarkably correspond to the three lordship attributes we have been discussing. Miracles are powers, instances of God’s control over his creation. They are signs, authoritative communications about God’s intentions. And they are wonders, events that make us wake up and realize that God is really here, now, in his covenant presence, just as Peter realized after the miraculous catch of fish.

John Frame

2.Deception and Lies (v.9;11-14)

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6

Freedmen’s Synagogue-

Synagogue

60 Million Slaves in habity Rome during the times of the NT

Former slaves or decendants of slavwes.

People who have been or Relatives of Freed Captors of

Saul - most likely a member of the synagogue

Cilicia- Tarsus Paul’s Hometown.

Aginst Moses speak aginst the law

Attach on the Temple

Luke 21:5–6 “5 As some were talking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “These things that you see—the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.””

Be treaed like Jesus

Matthew 26:61 “61 stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ””

Mark 14:58 “58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’ ””

3.Wisdom and The Spirit (v.10;15)

Truth- What was Said

Luke 12:12 “12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.””

Wisdom - How it was said

Luke 21:15 “15 for I will give you such words and a wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”

Stephen was a great debater- But it does not matter unless God changes hearts.

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise … There is no fool so great as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.

Charles Spurgeon

Foolish

Bringing the WOrdl into the Word

Wise

Bringing the Word into the World.

It is better to get wisdom than gold. Gold is another’s, wisdom is our own; gold is for the body and time, wisdom for the soul and eternity.

Matthew Henry (Nonconformist Biblical Exegete)

Acts 6:15 “15 And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”

Ezekiel 1:10 CSB

Their faces looked something like the face of a human, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle.

Moses viled face

Exodus 34:29–35 “As Moses descended from Mount Sinai—with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain—he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone! They were afraid to come near him. But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them to do everything the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded, and the Israelites would see that Moses’s face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the Lord.”

Jesus transfigurateion

Faithful witness that changes the direction of the church and the World.