← ArchiveActsSunday, May 26, 2019DateMay 26, 2019Speaker—TextActs 6Passages in this sermonActs 60:411 Peter 320:38Acts 724:35Acts 426:42Acts 238:14Ephesians 138:27Ephesians 2:844:23TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00We'll be right back. How are y'all doing?0:30Middle section, you win. Good job. How's everyone else besides the middle section doing? Excellent. If you have your Bibles with you today, join me, Acts chapter 6. We began this journey several weeks ago through the book of Acts, and we're going to continue that today, what we call the model church. Because if you wonder what God's church should look like, will you go back to His Word? And in Acts, we see this church birthed out of who Jesus is,0:57what He did on the cross, and now He's raised again. And what we see is this early church trying to figure out, what do we do now with this power of the Holy Spirit living in us? Acts chapter 6. Today marks the final Sunday in May. And this Sunday always coincides with Memorial Day. And many of you are going to celebrate that very somberly tomorrow.1:27Maybe you're going to celebrate that with your friends and family at the lake and rejoice. But this is the holiday that marks those who have given their life for freedom in this country. So we had a veteran remind us today, this morning. He said, don't thank me for my service tomorrow. He said, wait for Veterans Day. Or do it on Tuesday. Or today. But Memorial Day is a day that we remember those who have fallen,1:56who have given their life, who have sacrificed, given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Over 45 million veterans have been involved in combat. And 656,000 of those gave their life for something that they believe. For life and liberty and the ultimate pursuit of happiness that you and I enjoy.2:22But that's not why we're here today. See, for the Christian, I believe Memorial Day is a jumping off point to something even greater. Because we're here to worship the one who gave everything on the cross for our freedom. And so this is just a reminder that we have a Messiah who died that we might have abundant life. And that's what we're going to see today in Acts chapter 6.2:51So 656,000 men and women have given their life in America for freedom in some way, in some combat. But do you know that studies show that every six minutes around the world right now, Christians are given their life for their faith. So in our time together, this morning, about 12 men and women will die for their faith in Jesus Christ. This hour, since the time of Christ, some estimate 70 million men and women have given everything because they believe Jesus is worth it.3:21Jesus is worth it. So why do I lead us there as an introduction? Because what we're going to read today is the first Christian martyr. The first person we have documented evidence that gave his life for Jesus after the resurrection and the ascension of the Messiah. A man by the name of Stephen.3:49Stephen, the first martyr. So let's look at the word of God and then we will pray. Acts chapter 6, beginning in verse 8. So remember too, we're not going to deify this man. We're not exalting him as someone that will have angel wings and that God has a special place in glory for him. Stephen is a man much like myself, much like you. But he's a man that was willing to trust Jesus to the ends.4:17And so my big idea and big question for you today is, why should Stephen's faith be any different than yours? Why, as we read this, why is Stephen's faith any different than mine? And let that idea roll around in your mind as we read this scripture today. Acts chapter 6, beginning in verse 8.4:47Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. So let's stop there in verse 8. Stephen, full of grace, full of power, was performing signs and wonders. Awesome, right? Did anyone miss that, right? Yes. Good. Grace, good. Power, good. Signs and miracles from God. Good. Verse 9. Opposition arose.5:18Opposition arose. However, some synagogues, some members of the Freedmen's synagogue, composed both of Cyrenians and Alexandrians, some from Cilicia and Asia, they began to argue with Stephen. But they were unable to stand up against the wisdom and the spirit by whom he was speaking. Now, before I read again, we cannot resist the Holy Spirit. You are unable, I am unable to stand up against the Holy Spirit in our lives. So quit trying.5:48May we follow the will and the plan of God for our life. Verse 11. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses. Oh, yeah, and God, too. That's their mindset, is it not? And they stirred up the people, the elders, the scribes, and they came, they seized him, and they took him to the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who said,6:16This man never stops speaking against the holy place and the Lord. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us. Oh, by the way, God, too. And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.6:41Now, what you see next is going to be Stephen's lengthy message about what God's doing in his life. So let's read the end of Stephen's message in verse 51 of chapter 7. So this is the conclusion of Stephen's sermon about Jesus working in his life. And it goes like this. I love it. Verse 51. You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears.7:08You were always resisting the Holy Spirit as your ancestors did. You do also. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You receive the law under the direction of angels, and you have not even kept it.7:35Verse 54. When they heard these sayings, they were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven, and he saw the glory of God, Jesus, standing at the right hand of God. And he said, look, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. And they yelled at the top of their voices. They covered the ears, and together they rushed against him.8:03They dragged him out of the city, and they began to stone him. And witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. Go ahead and circle that, because we're going to come back to that man later this summer. Listen to this. Father, do not hold this sin against them.8:23After saying this, he died. Father, why not us? Lord, in the six minutes since the sermon began,8:54a brother and a sister in the faith has given their life, because they believe that you are who you say you are. They believe you are worth it. Father, as we have read your word, I pray that you would do something in our life that we were not expecting. That you would stir our hearts, that you would strengthen our hands to serve you, that this world would be different, Lord, because the faith in our life makes the difference.9:21So, Lord, we ask that question. Why can Stephen's faith not be ours? Lord, we pray that by your Spirit, you would challenge and empower us to live for your name alone. We pray this in the name that is above all names, the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus Christ. Amen and amen. Let me just confess to you guys right now,9:51this is a convicting scripture for me. I'm not to the point in my life that if you're killing me, my last breath's not going to be spent on you. And it's not going to be spent on saying, God, forgive them. It's going to say, God, curse them. How dare they treat me like this? And so Stephen serves as an example for us of how our faith changes our life. Why not you? Why not me? And Stephen's faith was not a different kind of faith than any of us can have in Jesus.10:20Think about that. God does not offer people Stephen faith and then offer some people like the clearance faith. Right? Some of us feel like, well, we just want to have enough faith to get into heaven. Well, that's not the faith that Stephen has. That's not the faith that Jesus offers. Jesus offers us faith that radically changes lives. Faith full of grace and power.10:51Faith that calls us to give everything in our life. So why was Stephen different? Well, he was willing to take Jesus at his word and to trust him with his life. Can you say the same? Right now, can you say, God, I will trust you with everything in me. And so as we unpack this, I want us to think in two major streams this morning. We're going to see the ministry of Stephen, his life.11:20And then we're going to see the message of Stephen, what he said. Because the reality is, if my life doesn't match my words, then what good is this radical faith? And the opposite is true. If I live a life of holiness and never utter the word of Christ to someone who's desperately in need, then what good is my life? And so a radical faith changes the way that we live. It changes your life. And a radical faith changes your lips and what you say and how we speak.11:46So let's look at Stephen's life, a faith that leads to a life that honors him. So if you claim the name of Jesus Christ, then we should also be full of grace and power, right?11:59And what does grace do in our lives? Grace makes us gracious people. And what does the power of Christ do in your life? The power of Christ makes you a powerful person.12:29That's Stephen's life and that's the call to each and every one of us. And that's what grace makes you. That's what God wants us to be. He wants us to be gracious. There's another man named John Newton that I believe also lived a grace-filled life. Let me tell you John Newton's story very quick. He was a man full of grace and power of God. After leaving school in England, he began to, he joined actually the lucrative Atlantic slave trade.12:55And he was making money hand over fist. This was a great career. And then one night near Africa, his ship hit this major storm. And it was such a horrific storm that he thought he was going to die. And, you know, if you're going to die and you don't believe in God, well, this might be a chance just to throw a Hail Mary. And so he said, God, have mercy on me.13:24And as the Word of the Lord reminds us, if we come to God with a full heart of faith and we cry out, God, have mercy on me, you know what God's going to do? He's going to have mercy. And so Jesus, on that very night, God radically saved John Newton. Not only did he save him spiritually, but he saved him physically. He did not die that night. And so when they made it to port, the Holy Spirit began to work in John's life.13:52And he soon realized that the gospel and the grace of Jesus is changing who I am. And I can't stay in this slave trade and be a Christ follower. So that's what John began to struggle with because he realized Jesus has come to set the captives free. So slavery is fundamentally opposed to Christianity. But you can't say, well, Jesus has set us free, but let us enslave someone.14:21And so he began, he left the slave trade. He left his career because Jesus had radically saved him. And then he began to give his life and devote his life to the church and to abolish this. But what you might not know about John is he also was a decent poet. And towards the middle or the end of his life, he actually wrote a hymn. And one of the lines sounds like this. John Newton, full of grace, full of power, full of radical faith, says this about his life and the transformation.14:53See, radical faith changes our lives. Radical faith fills us as it has filled Stephen and filled John with grace and power.15:08Why not you? Why not me? Why can't we have this? And Jesus says, that's what I want. There's no reason this can't be our lives. Radically changed by faith in Jesus Christ.15:38Now, if you're on board and you say, yes, pastor, that's what I want. I want power and I want grace. Well, then you get verse nine. You get opposition. And so don't think that if you are entering into a new life of Jesus Christ, then everything is going to be happy and go lucky. There are going to be rainbows and unicorns and Skittles at the end of the rainbow. Because if we're not careful, that's what we tell people, right? That God just wants the best for you and just come to God and you'll have heaven and streets of gold and mansions and you'll get to see your loved one.16:08And in heaven, there's going to be no tears. It's going to be really good. But don't forget verse nine, that when we surrender our lives to Christ, when you pursue this godliness and pursue Christ in your life, that verse nine happens. That opposition begins to arise and it happened in the local synagogue. The synagogue in Stephen's day was the community.16:36It was really the community water bucket, water cooler. It was where all the powerful, it was where all the elite would come and they would sit and they would open the scroll of Moses. And they would pontificate. Now, if you're going to Israel with us or would like to go to Israel with us next year in 2020, you will get to walk through some of the ancient ruins, some of these ancient synagogues. And see, you might even sit where Stephen sat in one of those synagogues. But this was the hot location of meeting.17:05This was the place of power. And their meeting here in opposition arises from northern Africa and from Cilicia. And also Asia. Now, what you might not know, that in Cilicia, the most popular or the most, I guess the most important town in Cilicia at this time was a town called Tarsus. Now, you might be thinking, well, what is Tarsus?17:36Tarsus was the hometown of a man named Saul. So God is now using Stephen's life full of grace and power to reach a man named Saul from Tarsus, who's in the synagogue, that the world might be different. This is what God wants in our life. And just know that when you live a life that pursues Jesus Christ, not everyone's going to embrace God's grace in your life.17:59You're going to have people that are going to champion you. That's what we're for. You're here because we are to encourage one another onto love and to good works. We're here to say, keep it up, right? Cross, let's go. Good job. Good week. But you can do so much more. Don't grow weary. Don't give up. God's worth it. He loves you. That's what we're here for. Because there are going to be people in the synagogue that when you go tomorrow, they're not going to say, yes, good job.18:30Keep pursuing holiness. They're going to say, don't bring that in here. Keep the miracles at home. Keep the faith private. Don't bring Christ in the public marketplace. And Stephen would say, man, it's worth it. It's worth it. So if you're facing opposition today, don't feel like it's because you're not following God. Maybe you're facing opposition because you are following Christ.18:59And to God be the glory for that. Look, we're 10 minutes in to this sermon. We have already had two of our brothers and sisters around the world today give their life because of Jesus Christ. They gave their life not because they are running to sin, but because they're running in holiness. It's worth it to live this grace-filled life. Radical faith changes the way that we live. And look what else happens here. In verse 10, they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and spirit by whom he was speaking.19:29So what does this say? So what do they do? They can find nothing really in his life to condemn him. And so they find the riffraff. They go to Twitter and they find the trolls. It's easy to find trolls or go to Facebook and they say, look, can you guys just say something that would indict him so we can kill him? Because we're tired of him.19:59Because we're tired of him living a faith-filled life. We're tired of this Jesus guy. So let's exterminate the threats. Now this is the first time in Acts that people have actually persecuted an individual and not the leadership. We've already seen Peter thrown in jail. We've already seen John thrown in jail. We've already seen Christ crucified. But this is the first time in the Christian church that an individual begins the attack or is receiving the attack because of what?20:21Because of a faith-filled life. Because of a faith-filled life. And this is what 1 Peter 3 says. It says that we are to live our lives in a way with gentleness and respect. Keeping a clear conscience so that when you are accused, Stephen, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.20:50So holiness requires us and equips you and I to live a life that is beyond repute. A life that others, even if they accuse you, that they are seen as ridiculous. Now that's not going to stop people from accusing you. But at least when they accuse you, they're ridiculous. At least when people come against your faith, the world looks at them and says, yep, troll.21:19We don't like the faith either. But man, what you're saying, we know Josh wouldn't do that. Because he wants to pursue Christ. We know he wouldn't blaspheme Yahweh because he loves Jesus and he loves the Lord. Are you living the holy life? You see, Stephen's faith is no different than ours. A.W. Pink says this about holiness. He says holiness consists of the internal change or renovation of our souls, whereby our minds, our affections, our heart, and our wills are brought into harmony with God.21:48What is holiness? God renovating us and bringing us into harmony with God. I don't know about you, but there are some times that my life is simply singing off key. And I need to be brought back into harmony. That's the power of the Holy Spirit working in our life. Maybe you're here right now and you realize you need renovation.22:16That you're singing out of key. As my friends used to say in Mississippi, I couldn't carry a, they said they couldn't carry a tune even if they had a bucket. Maybe that's your life spiritually today. And maybe this is a reminder of Jesus saying, look, I'll bring you back into harmony. But you're called to live a holy life, a righteous life in Christ. Radical faith changes the way that we live.22:46Let's continue. Not only do they make false accusations against him, but they say this, that they began to find these liars and they call everyone together. And then verse 14, they say, We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us. Now, okay, a couple of clarifying thoughts here.23:14Did Jesus say he will destroy the temple and raise it again? Yes. Was Jesus referring to the physical temple? Jesus was referring to the eternal temple. That's why in heaven one day, you read Revelation, there's not going to be a temple in the new heavens and the new earth, because Jesus is that temple. So, yes, they are correct. Did Jesus say that he would change the customs that Moses handed down to them?23:43He says, I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. So, God is working something in their life, and they don't like it. And they all look intently at him. So, this is continuing this radical life change that Stephen has experienced, that is offered to each and every one of us who believe. And they look intently in verse 15, at him.24:09Now, that's an interesting word. The word intently here is only used several times in Scripture. The first time we see it in Acts, it's the same word that the 11, it describes them when they were looking up to heaven, when they see Jesus ascend and sitting at the right hand. It's the same exact word used shortly in Acts chapter 7, when Stephen is dying, and he looks up, and he sees Jesus standing.24:35It's that word, intense. So, they're looking with a fixed gaze, as if they can't take their eyes off of Stephen. Why would they do that? Because of a faith-filled life. Because something's different about Stephen than every other person that they've ever encountered. He has a faith that he's not willing to back away from.25:03And this is what they say. And this is my prayer for some of you right now, in verse 15. They say that his face was like the face of an angel. Now, I'm not going to ask you to look to your neighbor and say, may your face be like the face of an angel. Some of you walked in here today, and you're thinking, man, Josh, the pastor's demonically possessed, because his face is not angelic. But what is going on?25:33This phrase is not used anywhere else in Scripture. Why would his face be like the face of an angel? Well, we have other passages that refer to something like this. Now, look what God is doing. So, Stephen's faith has radically changed his life. And he begins to live out something that people look and say, your face is different. This is in a good way. I mean, they go to Stephen and they're like, man, what's wrong with your face?26:01Something's different. It's the same thing used in Exodus when Moses has spent time with the Lord and he comes down. What's happened to his face? It's glowing. And he freaks the people out. They're terrified. They say, what has happened with Moses? He spent time with the Lord, so he has to wear a veil. My prayer for our lives is that the faith that you have in Jesus Christ so radically changes you,26:26that people will have to wear sunglasses because your face radiates the beauty and the majesty of Jesus. It's the same thing that the people say about Peter in Acts chapter 4. They don't understand him. They don't understand faith. But what do they say? He's uneducated and he's unlearned, but may he spend time with Jesus. Something's different.26:57Something's different. What does your face look like today? Do you have a face filled with faith or is it filled with fear? Is it filled with dread and worry? Radical faith in Jesus changes the way that you live. It changes so much so it changes the way that we look. Why not you? Why not you? Why not me? Why can't we be this person?27:26Why can't people look at us and say, man, they have faces of angels? Not like the Gerber baby angel thing. Not the creepy adult diaper wearing baby. I don't know what that is. But a faith that says God has changed them. That they are living different and we don't know what's happened, but we know Jesus has radically touched their life.27:53Why not you? Why not me? If that's the ministry of Stephen, let's look at the message now. Let's quickly look at the end of his sermon. This is what Stephen says. And I'm not going to end my message in the same way. A pretty difficult conclusion to this message. Verse 51, he says, You stiff-necked people.28:25Okay? You got my attention. You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears. You were always resisting the Holy Spirit. Oh, by the way, as your ancestors did, you did also. Oh, by the way, verse 52, tell me, you tell me which of the prophets you did not persecute. And then I'll let you out the hook. Man, what a difficult message for the people in the synagogue.28:56What is Stephen saying? He's one, he first, he calls them stiff-necked. And literally, that just means stubborn, right? It means, have you ever woken up with a stiff neck? I know y'all are probably too young to do that right now. But I'm getting to the point where if I tie my shoe wrong, my back gives me issues. Okay? It will happen to you. And there are times I wake up with a stiff neck, and the alarm will go off. I'm like, Casey, you're going to have to get that.29:26Because I can't reach it. I can move. I can get close. But what is stiff? I have a friend, actually, right now that has a stiff neck, and he can't drive because of it. Because it's dangerous. Because if you're pulling out on a busy road, and you can't turn your neck fast enough, there's danger coming. That's exactly what Stephen's telling them. He said, look, you have not turned your face towards God. And so when the danger was coming towards you, you didn't see it coming.29:55And you were unwilling to turn your face and turn your neck because of that. And church, my desire for us is that we would quickly turn to God. That when we hear the voice of the Lord, our necks snap. Because we say, God, what do you want? God, you're speaking to me? I want to listen to that. May we not be stiff-necked, stubborn in all our ways. But he also says this in his message.30:24Indictment number two. Not only are the people stiff-necked, but they're what? They're uncircumcised in their hearts and their ears. You say, okay, pastor, how are you going to apply this now? I'm glad you asked. This was a specific sign of the covenant. And what Stephen is telling the people, look, you claim the covenant of God in your life, but it has not touched your heart and it has not touched your ears. Let me say it in another way.30:53You go to church, but it hasn't changed your heart. And it hasn't changed your ears. So Stephen is saying, don't claim the name of God on your life if it hasn't changed your heart. It's exactly the same thing Jesus said. Not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Don't claim something you're not. Just be intellectually honest. Say you don't believe. What an indictment, and I pray that that could never be said of us, that we hear the word of God in our life and we go home and say, eh, that was okay.31:21Faith changes who we are. May we never, may it never be said of us that the covenant has not affected our inner disposition. Indictment number three, not only are these people stiff nets, and not only are they uncircumcised in their heart and their ears, but they're what?31:44He says, you were resisting the Holy Spirit, but not just today, when? Always. So let me give you the Greek word. I love it. It's a great word. You can go home and impress your friends. It is anti, anti, pip, tete. Anti, pip, tete. All right, so just on the count of three, we're going to say that together.32:14One, two, three. Anti, pip, tete. And it means always, continually resisting. He says, guys, you didn't resist yesterday and today. You've always resisted. And I believe that there are people here right now that you're in that same boat. You hear the word of the Lord often, and you have not yet put your hope and trust in Jesus. Don't resist. Today could be the day of your salvation.32:42Today could be the day where you finally say, God, what you say is true, and I will follow Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life. Respond by grace and truth through faith. But how do these people respond? Well, not as we would hope. When they heard these things in verse 43, they were enraged.33:07Literally, the word means that their heart was ripped in two. So can you catch the scene? When Stephen is in this council, he's before the Sanhedrin, he's in the synagogue, and he's listened to what they're saying. They're lying. And he begins to walk through Moses and the prophets. And he says, hey, you've always resisted. Oh, and your mama, and you killed the prophets. And that's what he says, right?33:38And instead of having broken hearts, instead of them saying, we did. We've killed the one true God, the one who loves us, and the one who came to redeem us, they did something opposite. Their hearts were ripped into two, not because of repentance, but out of anger. And it says that they were enraged, and they did what with their teeth? They gnashed their teeth. They gritted their teeth because there was so much rage.34:07Now, that's not the only time in Scripture that this is used. Remember that one day there will be an eternal separation from God for those who do not know him. Heaven is real, and hell is real. You can't believe in heaven if you don't believe in hell. It doesn't make sense. We want to, but it doesn't make logical sense. And in hell, the Bible says that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. I always thought growing up that that just meant there's going to be a lot of pain.34:34And it's going to be so bad that people are going to, like, grit their teeth and cry out, and they're going to be upset. But that's not what's happened. This phrase, grit their teeth, is usually an enrage at something that is holy. So even in hell, people will rage against God. Think about that. How wicked our hearts are that even in hell, people who do not know God are going to enrage at God's glory and His righteousness.35:00A God who loves them, and He gave His life, gave His Son, Jesus Christ, for them. So they cry out. And let me just say this. They had a choice. It's the same choice that each of us have. We can leave here today angry and bitter. God, how could you let me do this? God, how dare you let this happen in my life?35:29How dare you rip this marriage apart? Lord, how dare this happen to my family? Or God, how dare this disease come upon me? God, I can't believe you. And we can bite our teeth and leave with hearts ripped in anger. Or we can leave here today. You can leave here today with a heart of repentance. And you can say, God, I believe. God, I will trust.35:58God, I will follow you. Because you gave me a choice. And so again, I ask, why not you? Why not follow Jesus Christ as the only way, the only truth today? That's the hope that we have. That's God's desire for us. That you were created to know Him and experience His love. And so they cry out. And they begin to charge Him, right? So what we see now is they're gnashing their teeth.36:28Then Stephen in verse 55, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. And he sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Lord. Now, when he says, I see the Son of Man, he is the only person in the New Testament to use that other than Jesus Himself. That's rarefied error. Stephen's looking up and he's seeing Christ.36:57And what do we see for our lives? Look, faith will give you an eternal perspective. If anyone's world is breaking down at that moment, it's Stephen. He's about to die. And several breaths later, he's about to die. And he's not concerned with this world. He's looking up and he's seeing Jesus. And he's saying what? He said, God, I'm ready. God, I have an eternal perspective. And the people on the ground don't understand that, do they?37:26When faith changes your life, people will not understand until they follow Jesus. And so they begin to rush Him. They yell at the top of their voices in verse 57. And they drag Him to the city and they stone Him. And He kneels and He cries out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them.37:51And after saying this, He died. Let me point us to one aspect of Stephen's eternal, glorious vision that he has. So he sees Jesus Christ. Now we know in Acts chapter 2 that Jesus has ascended into heaven, right? Yes, is the right hand.38:21So he ascends into heaven. And what is Jesus doing at that point? Ephesians 1 tells us that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God. But Stephen sees Jesus not sitting, but standing. And this has perplexed scholars. I mean, a lot of things perplexed scholars, but this is one of them. They don't understand why Stephen sees Jesus standing. This is the only place, really, that we see Jesus standing in Scripture.38:51What's going on? And the greatest conclusion we have is this. In the ancient world, as is today, when a judge would give a pronouncement, they would stand up. And do you know where they would have a lot of their town hall meetings where the judge would give the final proclamation? In the synagogue or at the temple gates. So Stephen sees Jesus standing.39:21Why would Jesus be standing? I think there's two reasons. And I want us to really focus on this as we wind our time down today. I believe first that Jesus is standing. Because he's standing and welcoming Stephen home. And he's standing as a true and good judge. And he's looking at Stephen and he's saying, Stephen, I know you're going to give your life for me, but it's worth it. And he's standing as if to say, Stephen, well done.39:50Good and faithful servants. But he's also standing for another group, isn't he? He's standing for the group that's stoning Stephen. And Jesus is standing for them and it's a standing of condemnation. Is Jesus condemning them? No, their actions are. And what is Jesus' proclamation for those guys, for those who are stoning Stephen?40:17It is you have rejected the one stone that the house of God has been built upon. You've rejected the way, the truth, and the life. You rejected Moses. You rejected the prophets. And you don't know me. You say you do. You call me as Lord. But you're uncircumcised in your heart and your ears. And he's standing in judgment saying, your life has condemned you.40:45And maybe you're in that group right now. Maybe you're here today and as you look at your life, you realize you are not a Christ follower. And I want to, in the most loving way I can today, to tell you that one day Jesus will stand for you. And he will either be standing as a proclamation of righteousness, or he'll be standing as a proclamation of judgments.41:09Why will Jesus stand for you at the end of your life? I want to have a life that is so radically sold out to Christ, that my life and my lips honor him. That's the radical faith that we have. And, you know, we need faith like Stephen.41:37That's what God's called us to do. Faith and trust that rejects religious mediocrity and leads us to ultimate devotion, even to give our lives for the sake of the gospel. That's what we need. That's what God has called us to in Jesus Christ. Faith that lives out and speaks up. Faith that causes our Savior to stand up one day on our behalf and say,42:07Well done, good and faithful servants. You lived a life that honored me, that glorified me. Can that be said of your life? We need faith in Christ that overflows in the love for our enemies, even in Stephen's case, even in death. John Calvin said about Stephen, he's a rare example of a man dying in a godly and holy way.42:33We need a world where men and women die in godliness. We die in godliness. We need a faith that we are willing to die for. You know why we worship with hero worship missionaries and Stephens? Because if you and I are honest, most of us aren't willing to die for our faith. We're willing to go to church on most days for our faith.43:05We're willing to serve for our faith or maybe give for our faith, maybe give sacrificially. But if it came down to it, we really believe, Lord, I don't know. Listen, if you believe in Christ, you believe in the resurrection. If you believe in the resurrection, I'm going to say it until I die. What are they going to do? Kill us? Right? You want to make the world mad? I want to be like Stephen one day.43:34Kill me. I'm going to look and find my Savior standing. I'm going to say, Lord, I'm ready. What are they going to do? Kill me? Thank you. It's gain. But to live is Christ. I don't know about you today. But I want Christ to stand for me and say, Josh, welcome home. Well done. You lived a life of faith that radically changed your life. We see Jesus is not coming to the world to condemn it, but that we might be saved through him.44:01So where are you today? Why will Jesus stand for you? You know, we don't need Stephen's faith because Stephen can't give you his faith. But Stephen had a faith that's given to all of us if we believe. Ephesians 2.8. It is by grace that we have been saved through faith. You see, faith is a gift of God for everyone who desires his son, Jesus Christ.44:31If you're here today and you've never trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, I want you to know that there's no better or sweeter day than the Sunday before Memorial Day to say, I believe in the one who gave it all that I might have freedom. And today I will repent of my sin and I will trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If that's you, we're going to have a time of response. And we just ask that you would spend time with the Lord and get your heart right. Because if we live a life full of sin and we refuse to repent,45:02one day Jesus will stand and he will judge us in righteousness. And he will say, depart from me because I never knew you. Maybe you're here today and you say, I want the faith of Stephen. I want a faith that I am willing to risk my life for this faith. I want a faith that changes the way I live and it changes the way I speak. I want a faith that renovates my life and brings me into harmony with Jesus.45:29I don't know where you are. To be honest, I'm not where Stephen is. But I want to be at the end of my life one day to say, God, if someone's killing me for your sake, may I spend my last breath asking you to save them and forgive them just as you have done with me. Church, may we be the church. May we have a radical faith that changes our lives and changes our lips for the glory of God.45:56Let's pray, Father.← Previous in ActsSunday, May 19, 2019Next in Acts →Sunday, June 2, 2019More sermons on Acts →
