The Surrendered Life- Part 3

Introduction- Acts 6:1-15 & Acts 7:51-60

Last week we considered the scriptural record of the surrender of a young woman named Mary who was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus.

Mary and Joseph surely had plans for their future but were willing to set their plans aside in order to yield themselves to God.

Mary demonstrated a willingness to allow God to direct the course of her life having surrendered herself to Him.

Ultimately Mary would experience great trials and heartache and yet she would remain surrendered to the Lord.

You and I ought to surrender in this same fashion to the Lord—we ought to be willing to allow Him to direct the course of our lives even if that means that we must set our own plans and dreams aside.

Today we will consider another individual who chose to surrender his life to the Lord and whose devotion would ultimately be put to the test through harsh and unrelenting persecution.

Selected for Service (Vs. 1-7)

In the early days of the establishment of the New Testament Church there was growth and multiplication which brought about circumstances which would need to be addressed.

In this particular instance some had brought it to the attention of the apostles that the widows were not being properly cared for but had been neglected in the daily ministration of the church.

At this point the twelve called the multitude of the disciples together to remedy the situation.

They reasoned that they must continually give themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word so it was necessary that some should be appointed to oversee this area of ministry.

The apostles indicated that the congregation should select seven men for this task and laid out the qualifications which they should have.

It was important that they should be men of honest report (with a good testimony among the people) and that they be men full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.

The congregation then selected seven men among whom was Stephen—noted for being a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.

This simply means that Stephen was a man known to be yielded to God and as one who walked in faith at God’s direction.

He and six others were selected to help oversee this particular area of ministry and as a result the situation was corrected and the Word of God increased, the number of the disciples multiplied, and many of the priests actually came to faith in Christ.

It is important to note that Stephen was an ordinary man just like you and I—there was nothing unique about his character or appearance which specially qualified him for service.

He was simply yielded to God and others recognized this in him and as a result he was given the opportunity to serve in this important role.

We ought each to ask ourselves today— “If a need arose in the church which required that someone should fill a role such as this, would I be one that would be identified as a candidate to fill it?”

Do you have a testimony of faithfulness? Can others see that you have yielded yourself to God and are willing to be used by Him?

Under Attack (Vs. 8-15)

At this point God began to mightily use Stephen—the scripture describes the fact that “great wonders and miracles” were done among the people by him.

It is evident that this is simply the product of Stephen’s submission to the Lord—God often greatly uses those who will fully yield themselves to Him.

The faith and power which were on display in Stephen’s life then attracted the attention of those who stood firmly in opposition to Christ.

Those in the synagogue began to dispute with Stephen and yet the scripture states that they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

Again this is a powerful testimony to the importance of being surrendered to God.

The reason that he was so effective in ministry was because he remained entirely yielded to God.

It was God who gave his the wisdom and the words to speak to answer those who opposed Christ.

Those who are truly surrendered to God and who are being used greatly by Him will always attract the attention of the enemies of God.

Stephen became the target of lies and false accusations simply because he was totally surrendered to the Lord.

This is one more instance where we can clearly see that surrender often leads to suffering and hardship instead of comfort and ease.

If you want to be comfortable and free from persecution and difficulty then surrendering to the Lord is not for you.

If however you want to be used by God and you want to be a part of His work in this world you must surrender to Him.

Bold Confrontation (Vs. 51-60)

Ultimately Stephen would respond to their attacks and accusation by proclaiming truth to them.

Stephen takes them back through the history of God’s dealings with their ancestors as a reminder of what God had done among them in history and of how their fathers had rejected him time and time again.

At this point Stephen then boldly confronts them and calls out their resistance to the working of the Holy Ghost among them.

He tells them that like their fathers before them they have persecuted those who have come to tell them the truth.

He returns accusation against them, identifying them as those who were responsible for Christ’s betrayal and murder.

What courage it must have taken for Stephen to speak out so boldly for the truth!

Yet all this he does at the direction of God being filled with the Holy Ghost as is repeatedly indicated of him.

Stephen was willing to hazard his life in service to the Lord—he was willing to face whatever consequences should come to him for obedience to Christ.

Even in the face of harsh persecution and opposition Stephen remained committed to Christ and would not compromise nor would he turn away from God because the path of surrender involved suffering.

This should provoke us to examine ourselves—what would we do were we to face suffering and persecution for following Christ?

Not one of us has the courage and strength within ourselves to face persecution and threatening—but if we will yield ourselves to Christ as Stephen did we can withstand anything and remain loyal to Christ.

Ultimately Stephen would lay down his life for the cause of Christ—as his persecutors came upon him, once again the scripture tells us that he was full of the Holy Ghost.

He looked up into heaven and in that moment saw the glory of God and Jesus (the one to whom he had devoted his life) standing on the right hand of God.

As his persecutors stoned him to death Stephen did not curse them or cry out in anger and frustration —instead he simply commended his spirit to the Lord Jesus and kneeled down.

His final words once more demonstrate his allegiance to God as he cries out to God— “Lay not this sin to their charge” and then he breathed his final breath.

What a testimony Stephen’s life represents of one who was wholly surrendered to God!

A Lasting Legacy

Stephen’s death was certainly not in vain—we can be sure that many men were powerfully affected by it.

God may allow those who surrender to Him to suffer but their suffering will never be in vain.

God uses the suffering of His faithful servants as a means of drawing men to Him.

This was especially true in Stephen’s case because there was a man named Saul who watched the final moments of his life unfold.

It is no accident that the chapters which follows chronicle the conversion of Saul—an event which certainly was in part brought about by Stephen’s martyrdom.

Acts 22:20 “And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.”

Those moments would remain in the mind of Saul for the rest of his life and likely served to motivate Paul all the more to be faithful to Christ as Stephen had been.

Surrender may involve suffering—but it may be that God will use your suffering to impact others and to draw them to Himself.

Stephen’s surrender ultimately played a part in Saul’s conversion and subsequent service to Christ.

Stephen may have passed from the scenes of this life but he left a lasting legacy which would impact the world for generations to come all because he chose to surrender his life to God.

Conclusion

Today we have seen the powerful impact which one man’s surrender may have upon the world.

I wonder today would you be willing to surrender your life to serve Jesus Christ.

Maybe today you have been hesitant to truly surrender—fearing what surrender might cost and what it might involve.

Once again I want to challenge you to yield yourself to God—He has a plan and purpose for your life and He will use you if you will only surrender to Him.

If what you long for is a life of comfort and ease, then just know that you will not be greatly used of God.

If you want to be greatly used of God you must surrender to Him and this will almost certainly involved suffering and persecution as you attract the attention of the enemies of God.

Imagine what an impact could be made upon the world if each of us would simply surrender ourselves to God.

Where are the believers who are after the pattern of Stephen—who are full of faith and of the Holy Ghost?

Where are the believers today who could be described as being full of faith and power and through whom God will do great wonders?

Where are the believers today who will boldly stand for truth in the face of opposition and who will endure persecution and suffering for Jesus sake?

Where are those who will surrender their lives to Jesus Christ and who will make a difference in this world?

Will you be one of them today—will you surrender your life to Him?

If you don’t yet know Christ will you believe on Him and receive Him as Savior today?