Stephen: A Model Christian
Acts 6:8-15
May 27, 2012
We are now embarking upon
A bit of a transitional period in the book of Acts.
Up until the now the entire story
Has been about Peter’s leadership to the church in Jerusalem.
But you and I know Jerusalem was only intended to be the beginning.
Jesus said:
Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
It is clear that Jesus had far more in mind
Than just evangelizing the Jews in Jerusalem.
Certainly that city mattered, but so did the rest of the world.
Starting with our text tonight we are going to see
How Jesus began to thrust His church into the rest of the world.
And it all begins with an incident regarding the man named Stephen.
We have already been introduced to this man, earlier in chapter 6
As he was one of the 7 men selected by the congregation
And entrusted by the apostles to oversee the ministry of feeding widows.
And that is really all we know about him.
But in the next chapter
Stephen is going to be the first martyr of the church
And his death will cause the ministry of the church to change forever.
Acts 8:1-4 “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison. Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.”
The incident with Stephen was clearly the incident in Luke’s mind
That catapulted the church into foreign missions.
Now, it is certainly not that the early church wasn’t mission minded.
But they were so focused on their own city they had yet to branch out.
The issue is that Jesus has bigger plans for the church
Than they had for themselves.
Jesus was about to spread this church out and not just reach Jerusalem,
But the rest of the world as well.
And the catalyst to get all this going was the rise and fall of Stephen.
And tonight Luke gives us a pretty good picture of Stephen.
And I really can’t do justice to the type of man Stephen was.
In my mind you won’t find a better example of Christian life than Stephen.
(Had he not been martyred early, there is no telling what he might have accomplished)
Before we dive into the sermon he preached and the death he died, Let me just sort of lift Stephen up as a model for you to examine.
For Stephen is in fact “A Model Christian”
There are actually 6 things I want to show you about Stephen tonight.
#1 A FULL MAN
Acts 6:8a
“And Stephen, full of grace and power…”
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a believer pray it,
I’ve certainly prayed it, but it is not uncommon to hear someone pray,
“Lord empty me of me and fill me with You.”
It is a recognition of our own weakness, frailty, and carnality.
It is also a recognition of the Lord’s strength, power, and righteousness.
In reality it ought to be the mindset of every Christian every day.
We ought to realize the fallen nature of our flesh.
Romans 7:18-20 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.”
The fact is clear that on our own
We are only beset with weakness and corruption and failure.
The only possible way for God to use a believer is if
That believer first dies to self and is raised again
In Christ’s likeness and filled with God’s Spirit.
• That is the only way a believer can glorify God,
• That is the only way a believer can make a difference,
• That is the only way a believer can accomplish anything.
Zechariah 4:6 “Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.”
The New Testament equivalent is: (as we saw this morning)
John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
And so the prayer to be emptied of ourselves
And filled with God’s Spirit is a perfect prayer of a believer.
And Stephen is a good example of one who not only desired to be filled, but was actually filled.
Here we read that he was “full of grace and power”
But if we remember last week we also read:
Acts 6:5a “The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit…”
Stephen didn’t just want to be filled with God’s Spirit,
Stephen WAS filled with God’s Spirit.
I don’t think I would be far off in saying many believers want to be filled,
But often fail to obtain it, where as Stephen did.
That is why Paul said:
Ephesians 5:18-21 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
In that passage we learn that being filled with God’s Spirit is a command.
That means that achieving it is up to us.
It is no different than “love your neighbor” or “be holy”
It is a command we are supposed to obey.
“be filled with the Spirit”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
HOW DOES IT OCCUR?
Well, first recognize the evidence that one is “Spirit-filled”
Their heart is filled with singing and they are filled with gratitude.
(That is not how to be filled, but it is evidence that one is filled)
Now let me show you an easier verse to get around.
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
There we see the same fruit (singing and gratitude)
But the means to achieving it is different.
In Ephesians Paul said “be filled with the Spirit”, but to the Colossians he wrote “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you”
At once we realize that we are not dealing with something mystical.
It is not some sort of ecstatic experience.
It is something rational, something actual.
Let me give you another verse.
Galatians 5:16-17 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”
Someone would talk about walking by the Spirit
And it turns into some sort of experiential thing;
Some sort of mystical thing,
• Where you follow the voice in your head,
• Or the feelings of your heart,
• Or even the circumstances
• Or “signs” around you.
But that isn’t it at all.
Walking by the Spirit is merely where you follow His leading.
If being filled with the Spirit is to have Christ’s word in you,
Then walking by the Spirit is to walk in obedience to Christ’s word.
The word of Christ is contrary to the thoughts and desires of the flesh,
And throughout this life you have the choice of
Whether or not to do what the flesh desires or what the word says.
What you choose dictates how you walk.
SO HOW DO I GET FILLED?
“let the word of Christ richly dwell within you”
The Old Testament equivalent would be:
Psalms 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”
I always liked the KJV (“They word have I hid in my heart…”)
Now I know that it is a long way around to talk about Stephen,
But I want you to understand what it means when it says he was a man “full of…the Holy Spirit”
It merely means Stephen was a man who knew and obeyed God’s Word.
It was in him, and he died to self to obey it.
Let me take this a step further to let you identify with Stephen.
WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STEPHEN AND THE REST OF THE APOSTLES; EVEN PAUL?
They were all eye-witnesses, sharing what they SAW.
Stephen was not, he was a disciple, sharing what he LEARNED.
In order for Stephen to share and preach like he does in chapter 7
And refute these men like he does here,
He had to be dedicated to letting God’s word dwell in him.
He was.
God’s word dwelled in him richly, he was full of the Spirit.
But that isn’t all he was full of.
Acts 6:5 also says he was “full of faith”
Acts 6:8 says he was also “full of grace and power”
1. “faith” indicates that Stephen was a man who trusted God.
2. “grace” what does it mean to be “full of grace”?
The only other person in Scripture said to be “full of grace” was Jesus.
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
So for Stephen to be “full of grace” indicates that he walked like Christ.
Certainly Stephen had received grace, but Stephen also lived it.
He offered it. He was a gracious man.
3. He was also full of “power” and that is of course because he was full of the “Spirit”
Stephen had supernatural strength which is only supplied by the Spirit of God.
In short we would see Stephen as a model Christian.
He wasn’t a fleshly man, he was a spirit-filled man and it was evident.
He was a full man.
#2 AN ACTIVE MAN
Acts 6:8b
Here we find that this Spirit-filled man “was performing great wonders and signs among the people.”
This also is interesting seeing that Stephen was not an apostle.
There are only two men in Scripture who were not apostles, yet who were credited as working “signs” and “wonders” one was Philip and the other was Stephen.
All others were specifically assigned to the apostles,
They were even called the “signs of an apostle”
But it is obvious that God allowed Stephen to work them as well.
But what I want you to see even beyond that is that Stephen did do it.
He “was performing”
In short he was not a passive man he was an active one.
It does little good to be filled with faith and filled with the Spirit
And filled with grace and filled with power if you never do anything with it.
What good is it to know the truth and know the Scriptures
And be filled with the Spirit if you never put it into action?
Stephen wasn’t just a spiritual man, Stephen was an active man.
Now granted, if you aren’t filled with the Spirit
Then all the action in the world is pointless, it accomplishes nothing.
But if you are spiritual and then have no action,
That is pretty well pointless as well.
This is why the Scripture has so many of those action words we hang on.
• “Go and make disciples of all nations…”
• “Let your light shine before men…”
• “Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season…”
• “Give and it will be given to you…”
• “Be doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves…”
Don’t just know it, do it.
• We are disciples, but we are also witnesses…
• We are believers, but we are also followers…
• We are the called, but we are also the sent…
I thought about the parable Jesus gave to the Pharisees.
(I realize we are overlapping a lot tonight)
Matthew 21:28-31 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. “The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.”
It is important that we put feet to our spiritual claims.
Stephen did.
He wasn’t just a man of faith, he was a man of action.
He took his spiritual filling and turned it into works of ministry.
A Full Man, An Active Man
#3 AN EFFECTIVE MAN
Acts 6:9
A few weeks ago we talked about understanding opposition,
And we said that one of the reasons Satan is so opposed to the church
Is because he is jealous of her popularity.
I think that is probably obvious here as well.
Stephen has gotten a little too popular…
Stephen is accomplishing a little too much…
And so opposition arises.
“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 argued with Stephen.”
In regard to who all these people were, John MacArthur writes:
“The Freedmen were the descendants of Jewish slaves captured by Pompey in 63 B.C. and taken to Rome. They were later granted their freedom and a formed a Jewish community there. Cyrenians and Alexandrians were from two major cities in North Africah…Cilicia and Asia were Roman provinces in Asia Minor.” (pg. 193)
The synagogue from Cilicia would have been Paul’s home synagogue
Since he grew up in Tarsus which was in Cilicia,
Which explains why he was present, holding the coats at Stephen’s stoning.
What this shows us is that the fame of the church is spreading
For now their opposition doesn’t just come from Jerusalem,
But even Northern Africa and Asia have entered the fight.
There is serious opposition to Stephen
And the reason is because Stephen was successful.
Satan has no need in stopping a stagnant Christian.
Satan has no need of opposing an apathetic follower.
But he had to try to stop Stephen
So we Stephen was a Full Man, an Active Man, and an Effective Man
#4 A WISE MAN
Acts 6:10
And we just love that verse.
Stephen was a man filled with wisdom.
Just like people couldn’t handle the TESTIMONY of Peter and John,
Now they can’t handle the DEBATE of Stephen.
Stephen had wisdom.
And incidentally this should also be said of every believer.
James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
Furthermore wisdom is a bi-product of being filled with God’s Spirit
Since He is the Spirit of wisdom.
Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”
And because He is the Spirit of wisdom, we then obtain wisdom.
1 Corinthians 2:6-13 “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.”
Every believer ought to have wisdom and Stephen most certainly did.
He had wisdom because He was filled with the Spirit of God.
We all remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:
Matthew 10:19-20 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
Stephen was a wise man, namely because he was filled with God’s Spirit
And no one could handle him.
All you have to do is read chapter 7
And as I said, this is really impressive for him
Since he was not an eye-witness, but only a student.
• Stephen had spent time studying the Scriptures.
• Stephen had spent time letting the Holy Spirit explain them to Him.
• Stephen was a wise man as a result.
#5 A PERSECUTED MAN
Acts 6:11-14
And here we read of a tremendous attack that was handed to Stephen,
But it shouldn’t shock us for it was nearly identical to the attack on Jesus.
We see everything there.
Secrecy – “they secretly induced men”
Manipulation – “they stirred up the people”
Physical attack – “they came up to him and dragged him away”
False witnesses – “they put forward false witnesses”
Even the accusations made against Stephen
Resemble those made against Jesus.
“This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.”
Matthew 26:59-61 “Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.'”
Of course Jesus never said that.
What Jesus did say was that if they destroy the temple (His body)
He will raise it up again.
But with a twisted testimony Jesus was condemned and so was Stephen.
Undoubtedly Stephen had been teaching about the fulfillment of the Law in Jesus and no further need for all the sacrifices.
This teaching, coupled with the fact that Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew
Most certainly did not sit well with the people of Jerusalem.
WHY DOES THAT MAKE HIM A MODEL CHRISTIAN?
It speaks volumes to his faithfulness, holiness, Christ-likeness,
And doctrinal accuracy.
Throughout the Scripture, nothing indicates Christ-likeness
More than suffering for the name of Christ.
So much so that believers are told to count themselves blessed when it occurs.
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Peter said:
1 Peter 4:14 “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Paul said:
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
That most certainly causes Stephen to be a model Christian.
He lived Christ so much
That it actually got him in trouble in the world around him.
For a Christian there is no higher form of glory
Than suffering for the name of Jesus.
Acts 5:41 “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
That is why when Paul chose to give his resume to the Corinthians
As to why he was legitimate while the Judaizers were not…
• Paul did not give the number of church’s he planted…
• Paul did not give the number of baptisms he recorded…
• Paul did not give the number of professions of faith he received…
When Paul wanted to reveal that was undoubtedly a genuine follower of Christ, Paul listed his record of suffering.
2 Corinthians 11:22-29 “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? — I speak as if insane — I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”
Suffering was Paul’s badge of honor, he would even tell the Galatians:
Galatians 6:17 “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.”
Perhaps you could attack Paul in a lot of ways,
But not in regard to his devotion for Jesus. That was settled.
And it was also settled with Stephen, for he suffered for his faith,
He was persecuted, and this makes him a model Christian.
A Full Man, An Active Man, An Effective Man, A Wise Man, A Persecuted Man
#6 A GLORIOUS MAN
Acts 6:15
And this is really an astounding verse.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
“his face [was] like the face of an angel.”
Well obvious that provokes images of glory to our minds.
Commonly in Scripture when angels appeared it caused as much fear over those they appeared to as the Lord Himself.
• Daniel
• John at the Revelation
• Mary or the shepherds
The reason is because Angels reflect the glory of God.
Matthew 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”
And by staring at the face of God
They begin to reflect and transmit His glory.
Remember how Moses had to put a veil over his face to keep from transmitting glory to the people, and all he saw was the back of God.
And Stephen’s face was “like the face of angel.”
Stephen’s face shown with the glory of God.
WHY?
Because Stephen was walking close to the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
This is just a spiritual reality,
But you can often tell when a believer is walking close to Jesus.
They look more and more like Jesus.
They radiate Him in a special way.
There is literally a glory about them.
• It doesn’t occur through church attendance…
• It doesn’t occur through laser treatment…
But it occurs when a person draws near to Christ.
Certainly Stephen had done that for he was filled with the Spirit.
And that is a model for other Christians to follow.
Draw near to Jesus and let Christ shine through you.
But I would also add in Stephen’s case
That it was more than even just walking with Jesus.
There is sufficient evidence that once Stephen was arrested
He was looking at Jesus.
We all know he is about to preach a powerful and convicting sermon, but remember the end of that sermon?
Acts 7:54-56 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Stephen wasn’t just walking with Jesus, Stephen was looking at Him.
And without a doubt the glory with which his life shined
Makes him a model Christian.
And we could go on with these attributes even into chapter 7 and say he was also:
• A Knowledgeable man – by reason of the sermon he preaches
• A Courageous man – calling the court “stiff-necked”
• A Convicting man – since they were all “cut to the quick”
• A Gracious man – praying for the forgiveness of his stoners
Stephen was a model a Christian,
Perhaps the greatest Christian who ever lived
And we certainly could follow his example.
• Be Filled with the Spirit
• Be Active in living your Spiritual life
• Be Effective in your ministry through the power of the Spirit
• Be Wise through the wisdom of the Spirit
• Accept Persecution as an indicator of Christ-likeness
• Let the glory of Christ shine through you by walking close with Jesus
That is how a Christian walks and lives.
Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”
Certainly Stephen is a good place to start.
