Acts chapter 6. Look at verse 7. Acts chapter
6 verse 7. God has ordained the preaching
of the gospel to the salvation of His people. The Word of God
increased. That is, the preaching and the
The ministry of the gospel overtook this city. God ordained for these
men. You remember He said, come and
follow Me, I'll make you fishers of men. You can spread that gospel
net, and I'll bless it and gather in My sheep through the gospel. The Word of God in Christ. So much so, hold your place there.
You remember over here in chapter chapter 5, verse 28, they said
this. He said, these Jews, didn't we
straightly command you that you should not teach in His name?
And behold, you have filled Jerusalem, you have filled this city with
your doctrine, and you intend to bring this man's death upon
us. You charge us with his death.
And they were guilty. They were guilty. I'd like to
be enabled of God to fill this valley, this county, this city,
this state, this country, this world, this universe with the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God increased. God grant it to be so. And the
fruit of that, the fruit of preaching the gospel is this. And the number
of disciples, learners, multiplied. God used that message, called
a multitude of sinners to Himself, taught them the Gospel, made
them new creatures in Christ, a great multitude in Jerusalem. Turned this city upside down.
This city was going through a turmoil. You can imagine what 8 or 10,000
believers in Pike County would do. You say, well, surely there's
at least that many. I don't know. I know the few
who believe the gospel of God's grace in Pike County. God's few,
God's people. But what if God one day brought
the gospel to 3,000, 5,000 people at once? They'd believe the gospel
and went everywhere preaching the gospel. It'd turn this place
upside down, wouldn't it? It would. A number of disciples
multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. God blessed that word to the
salvation of a multitude. It pleased God, we read it earlier,
it pleased God through the preaching of the gospel to save and to
call out His people. A great company, so much so.
Here's the power of the gospel. So much so that a great company
of these Old Testament priests who were looking to the law,
looking to the ceremonies, looking to the animal sacrifice, those
Jewish ceremonies, they were taken up with that, born in that,
looking to that, resting in that. turn their back on all their
tradition, they turn their back on all their ceremony, and God
made them a king-priest in Christ. And you know what these priests
sing about? These who are converted here,
this great company of priests, were obedient to the faith, and
that's saving faith. That's obedient faith. It's saving
faith. And here's their song. Here's their conversion song.
Turn to Revelation chapter 1. Hold your place there. Here's
their conversion song. And here's a conversion song
of all those who were made priests in Christ. Revelation 1, verse
5, from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first
begotten from the dead, raised from the dead, and the Prince
of the kings of the earth. He's King of kings, He's Lord
of lords, unto Him, here's their song, unto Him that loved us,
and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made
us kings and priests unto God and His Father. To Him be glory
and dominion for ever and ever." This is their song. Turn to Revelation
5, look over here, verse 9, and they sung a new song. They sung
a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, to open
the seals thereof, for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God by Thy blood out of every kindred, tongue, people, and
nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and
we shall reign on the earth." You see, no longer following
the law, looking to their obedience, they were looking to the fulfillment
of that, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what He's done for us.
He's made us new again in Christ. You know, I was one time, you're
not going to believe this. Maybe you will. I hope you do.
I try to tell the truth most of the time. But in religion
that I grew up in, out in northern Utah, I grew up in Mormonism. And when I was 16 years old,
they ordained me to be a Mormon priest. I was a priest in religion. Now I'm a true priest of God
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Back then I didn't know anything
of the gospel. Back then I was a lost idolater
and didn't know anything of the truth. But one day God called
me with the gospel and made me a priest, his priest, in Christ. And that's what happened to these
men here. They were obedient to the faith. They were obedient
to Christ. Now look at verse 8. story of
Stephen. Stephen was one of these faithful
men, God's servants, verse 8, and Stephen, full of faith and
power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. He
preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to these most Jewish Jews. A man who's full of the Holy
Spirit and full of faith and full of power, what's he going
to talk about? He's going to talk about what
consumes him. What consumes him was Christ,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And he, with great passion and
love for Christ, stood toe-to-toe with these most Jewish Jews and
preached to them the gospel. And you know the outcome of that?
They killed him. They killed him. Turn to the
last part of chapter 7. Turn over there. Acts chapter
7. It cost him his life to preach the gospel. Acts 7, when they heard these
things, all that He said concerning Christ and how Christ fulfilled
these things, they were cut to the heart. They gnashed on Him
with their teeth. Can you imagine such a thing?
Like a pack of wild dogs. But He, being full of the Holy
Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory
of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. He had
a vision. Christ. And said, Behold, I see
the heavens open, and the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Lord
Jesus, standing on the right hand of God, He is my Advocate,
He is my Righteousness. And they cried out with a loud
voice and stopped their ears." We don't want to hear any more.
They stopped their ears and ran upon Him with one accord, cast
Him out of the city, stoned Him, and the witnesses laid their
laid down their clothes at a young man's feet named Saul. There's Saul of Tarsus. And they
stoned Stephen, calling upon God, saying, Lord Jesus, receive
my spivit. And he kneeled down and cried
with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
And when he said this, he fell asleep. The Lord took him home. He died at the hand of these
wicked, wicked men. Why'd they kill him? Why'd they
kill him? They had murder in their heart,
and they acted upon that. They didn't hear. They did not
like what he preached. He preached the truth to them,
and because of that, he became their enemy. Now, verse 8, it says that Stephen
was full of faith, full of power. And then it says in verse 3 that
he was full of the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom. These four things
that are said of Stephen here. Stephen, we know, was a sinner
chosen by God's electing grace, given to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ died to put away his sin. Christ called him by the gospel,
saved him by his grace and sent him to preach the gospel. But
this is said of him, these four things, he's full of the Spirit
of God. He was full of the Spirit of
God. That means he was quickened by the Spirit of God, blessed
and given life by the power of the Spirit of God Almighty, and
that's what it takes to raise a dead man and make him new in
Christ, to give him life and salvation. It's a resurrection
from the dead, quickened by the Spirit of God. full of Christ
and also full of the Spirit of God, full of the fruit of the
Spirit, which is love, joy, peace. How could he pray for these men
who were dashing out of his brains? Well, it's the love of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace and longsuffering
and gentleness and meekness and temperance. And this is true
of Stephen and this is true of every believer. Every believer
has been begotten by the Spirit of God. Every believer has the
manifestation to some degree of the fruit of the Spirit. Love
and joy and peace and longsuffering. It says also that Stephen here
was not only full of the Holy Spirit, as it says here in verse
Verse 5, He also was full of wisdom and full of faith. Full
of wisdom and full of faith. What is this wisdom that we're
talking about here? Full of wisdom. Full of faith. Well, this wisdom here, Christ
has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification. All the wisdom
of God is in Christ Jesus. He's full of that wisdom Full
of Christ, he was a wise man, knowing how God could be God
and justify the ungodly through Christ Jesus. He was full of
wisdom. Full of wisdom, put in there.
He found in Christ, Christ his wisdom before God. Not only that,
he was full, it says there, he was full, verse 8, he was full
of faith, full of the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom. Christ is His
wisdom. Full of faith. Faith. You know, faith is not something
that we're born with. We're born in sin and shaped
in iniquity. Faith is the gift of God. Faith
is something purchased by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This man was full of the Spirit of God, full of the wisdom of
God in Christ, and he was full of faith. By nature, I'm full
of unbelief. The natural man loved darkness,
not light. If you're full of faith or have
a measure of faith, it's because God gave you faith to believe
Him. But this man was full. He was full of the Spirit of
God. Full of the wisdom of God. How
God can be just and justify the ungodly. Full of faith. And someone
said he was faithful. Not only full of faith, but faithful. He was a faithful man. a servant
of God, and went out obedient to God, obedient to the faith,
faithful. You know, true saving faith is
a gift of God. True saving faith has a foundation
based upon the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of God. But true saving faith has an
object. The object of saving faith is
not self. The object of saving faith is
Christ. looking unto the Lord Jesus,
the author and finisher of faith. And then it says there in verse
8, he was full of power. Now what kind of power did Stephen
possess? Well, none of his own, but I
tell you what he had, he had the power of the gospel and the
power of God to back him. You see, the gospel of Christ
is the power of God unto salvation. The kingdom of God is not in
word, but in power. The power of God. He heard the
gospel not just with the ear, but He heard the gospel by the
power of God. And He was full of this, full
of the gospel, full of His Lord, full of wisdom, full of Spirit,
full of wisdom, full of the Spirit of God, and full of faith. I'd
like to hear Him preach, wouldn't you? Read chapter 7. Read chapter
7. We have a recorded sermon from
Stephen, the whole 7th chapter that's taken up with Stephen.
Now, it says here in verse 8 that he did great wonders and miracles
among the people. This faithful, courageous believer
was blessed, especially by his Lord, to preach the gospel. And
the Lord gave him this to confirm his message by miracles of grace. where it says there that he did
great wonders and miracles. He could preach the gospel in
a language he had never learned. God gave him this ability to
lay on hands and heal. Now, I don't need those gifts
today to prove that I speak for God or to confirm my message because I
have the Word of God. All I need to do is turn to this
Word and say, OK, here's what God says. That's my authority.
That's the confirmation of my message. It's thus saith the
Lord. But in the early church, in the
early day, God gave these apostles and certain men special gifts,
credentials, to let people know that they speak for God. For God. Now look at verse 9,
and there rose up in this synagogue, these synagogues in Jerusalem, someone said there was over 400
different synagogues, I guess one for each different nationality
in Jerusalem, the Labertines, the Cyrenians, the Alexandrians,
and those of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. As I said earlier, most think
that Saul of Tarsus was among these disputers because of this.
Turn to Acts chapter 21. Acts chapter 21 verse 39. Because it mentions there Cilicia.
Acts 21 verse 39. Paul said, I am a man which am
a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city, and
I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto this people." So Saul
of Tarsus was from Cilicia, and some think he was a major disputer
with Stephen. Now notice verse 10, if you will.
So these men rose up disputing with Stephen. They heard him
preach, and they tried to refuse what he said. Verse 10 says this,
and they were not able. They were not able. God confounded
them. They were not able to refute. They were not able to oppose. The word there means to resist
means to oppose. They could not oppose or resist
His message. The wisdom that God gave him.
And the spirit by which he spake. Now where did he get such wisdom?
Where did he get such a spirit to speak this way? Well, if you'll
find Luke chapter 21. Luke chapter 21. Luke chapter
21. God abundantly blessed this man
to speak the gospel with such spiritual wisdom and knowledge
of the Holy Scripture that these men could not find an answer. And the reason he did that was
because of this. In Luke 21 verse 10. Then said he unto them, Nation
shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and great earthquakes
shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilence, and
fearful sights, and great signs shall there be from heaven. He's
talking about the last days. But before all these, they shall
lay their hands on you and persecute you. Remember, they caught him
and brought him. Delivering you up to their synagogues,
into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's
sake. Just what he said, it happened. And it shall turn to you for
a testimony, sell it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate
before what you shall answer. For I will give you a mouth,
I will give you a mouth of wisdom, which all your adversaries shall
not be able to gainsay or to resist. You see, just as the
Lord said that he had that wisdom and ability to speak, and the
adversaries could not argue, could not oppose him, just as
the Lord said, it came to pass. And he said, this will be a testimony
to you. And certainly it was a testimony. Now, if you will, back to the
text. Look at verse 11. So here's what
they did. They gathered these men together.
They gathered these men together. They suborned men. That is, they
hired out false witnesses. And these men, and they said,
we've heard Stephen speak evil words. Evil words against Moses,
against God. They stirred up the people. Verse
13 says, they brought these false witnesses. It said, this man
does not cease to speak evil. Every word out of his mouth is
just evil. against this place and against
the law. Now, they could not answer or
refuse what Stephen preached, so they schemed to silence him
by this devious manner to arrest him and to bring these false
witnesses against him, and they stirred up the whole city. They
stirred up all the religious Jews, and Stephen became their
enemy. One time he was with them. One
time he was of them. But now, because he stands on
the ground of salvation by Christ alone, they turned on him. They
opposed him. Just as the Lord said, your enemies
shall be of your own household, your fathers, your brothers,
your friends. You take a stand for the gospel among the unbelieving
world, and they'll turn on you. They'll turn on you. Just get
ready. They will. They accused him of
four things. They accused him of speaking
against Moses, against God, against the holy place, the temple, and
against the law of God. They accused him of speaking
against the Word of God. Now, do you want to know what
Stephen really preached? I'm sure that he preached what
Moses said. I'm sure that he preached what
God had said. I'm sure that he preached about
the temple. I'm sure he preached about the
Law and Word of God. But do you want to hear the rest
of the story? Let's go over those four things right there. And
I'll tell you what he really preached to them. Number one,
they said he preached against Moses, but he preached to them
that all that Moses wrote about was fulfilled and that all that
Moses wrote about was nothing but and only the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he preached to them,
and they could not stand that. They could not stand that their
law was set aside, fulfilled by this one. They hated it. Now
turn to John chapter 5. He preached to them that all
that Moses wrote about was honored and fulfilled by this man from
Nazareth? Honored the law of God? Fulfill
the law of God? Are you sure, Stephen? Are you
sure you want to say that? Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure. The Lord Jesus Christ, Moses,
wrote about Him. Now turn to John chapter 5. Look what it says right here.
John chapter 5, verse 39. Now our Lord is speaking to these
Jews. He said, you search the Scriptures.
And they did. They were scribes. They were
students. For in them you think you have eternal life, But there
they would testify of me. Of you? Yes. And you will not
come to me that you might have life. See, I'm life. I am salvation. I'm the bread of life. I receive
not honor from men, but I know you. You don't have the love
of God in you. I'm come in my Father's name,
and you receive me not. If another shall come in his
own name, you'll receive him. How can you believe which receive
honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from
God only? Do not think that I will accuse
you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you,"
now watch this, "...even Moses, whom you trust. For had you believed
Moses," had you really believed Moses, you would have believed
me. He wrote about me. You mean all
that in Genesis? All that in Exodus that we've
been studying on Wednesday night? and all that in Leviticus. Now
we're going through the book of Numbers, and Deuteronomy,
and Joshua, and Ruth, and Kings, and Samuel, and Chronicles, and
all those prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah. To Him give all the prophets
witness, beginning at Moses. Turn over here to Luke chapter
24. You see, He preached to them
Jesus Christ. That Day of Atonement? That's
Christ. He's our atonement. That Passover
lamb? That is the Lord Jesus Christ.
That bread from heaven? That is the Lord Jesus Christ.
That smitten rock of water came out? That's Christ. That brazen
serpent lifted up? That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what He preached to them. Now look, the Lord Jesus did
the same thing in Luke chapter 24. Turn over there. You see
why that got so upset? Luke 24, verse 25, Then he said
unto them, O fools, so hard to believe all that the prophets
have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered these things,
and enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses, Genesis,
the woman's seed, and all the prophets, he expounded unto them
in all the scriptures a thing concerning himself." You mean
this book has one message? That's exactly right. Jesus Christ
Himself. Now stay right in Luke chapter
24 verse 44. These are the words which I spake
unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the
prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. Then He opened their understanding
that they might understand the Scripture. Thus it is written,
and thus it behooved Christ to suffer to rise from the dead
the third day, that repentance and remission of sin should be
preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem,
and you are witnesses of these things." You see, they said he
spoke against Moses. No, what Stephen did, he preached
what Moses said that Christ would do, fulfill all things. Now,
secondly is this, turn back to the text. They said, they accused
him, they said that you speak against God. Now did he? No. This is God's servant. God chose him especially and
sent him with a message. He's not going to speak against
God. But you know what they accused him of? And here's what Stephen
preached. Stephen preached this. Stephen
preached that the Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. That's what he preached. He's
saying that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, my Savior, God manifest
in the flesh. And they said, well, he's speaking
against God. How can God be manifest in the
flesh? Well, the natural man doesn't
understand that. We do by faith. We see that God
in Christ was reconciling us unto Himself. In the fullness
of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the
law to redeem them. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ
to redeem them that were under the law? He's God in the flesh,
come to represent, redeem, and make His people new creatures
in Christ Jesus. You see, He preached to them
that God Almighty said, This is My beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased. You better hear Him. Would you
hear him? This is the one that's sin of
God, blessed of God, anointed of God. And they said that Stephen,
speaking against God? No, he's speaking for God. He's
saying that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, coming to accomplish
salvation for His covenant people. Thirdly, they accused him of
speaking against. Look what it says in verse 13.
This man does not cease to speak evil. Every word they said, every
word he speaks is nothing but evil. He's speaking against this holy
place. This holy place. Well, what did
Stephen really preach about this temple? Talking here about the
temple, the temple of God. What did he really preach about
the temple? He said, here's what he said.
Stephen said the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple
were but temporary types and shadows pointing to the coming
of the temple, the tabernacle God. He tabernacled among men. He preached to them the fulfillment
of these pictures, types, and shadows were all done away and
folded up and fulfilled in Christ. That's what he preached to them.
No more ceremony, no more temple duty, no more temple sacrifice
is fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Here's what Stephen preached
to them. Turn to Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, chapter 10. He's saying that the tabernacle
sacrifice and all that pointed to the coming of the high priest
of God, Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. These were
all but types and shadows done away and fulfilled in Christ.
And they couldn't stand it. See, they were trusting those
things. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse 1, the law having a shadow.
Now, is there any life in your shadow? You go out on a bright
sunny day and you cast a shadow. There's no life there. If you
follow that shadow where it points to, it points back to the substance,
doesn't it? The law having a shadow of the
substance. The substance in life is Christ.
The law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very
image of those things, can never with those sacrifices which they
offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
For then would they not cease to have been offered because
that the worshippers once purged should have no more conscience
of sin? But in those sacrifices there is remembrance again made
of sins every year. It is not possible that the blood
of bulls and goats should take away sin. He's saying that the
Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled everything that was pictured. Those animal
sacrifices. Christ is the Lamb of God. He
is the Passover. Stephen preached to them that
the Lord Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest who represents
us before God with the merit of His sacrifice. He preached
to them that the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the mercy seat. Don't look to the holy of holies,
the tabernacle made with hands. Look to the one that fulfills
that. He is the mercy seat. God is
merciful in Christ Jesus. Stephen preached to them the
atonement, the Lord Jesus Christ, the atonement for our sin. And he preached to them the Passover
lamb. He said, Christ, our sacrifice,
Christ is sacrificed for us and Christ is. He is the Passover
Lamb. He is the Lamb of God that takes
away our sin. And Stephen said, there is no
more sacrifice for sin. You fellas just quit. Quit your
sacrifices. It's fulfilled in Christ. And
they said, well, he's speaking against this holy place. He's
speaking against this holy place. He was. Saying that he fulfilled
all things in Christ Jesus. They said, we've heard him say
that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place. He did. Not many years after this, the
Roman army came in and decimated this place. Flattened Jerusalem
to nothing. God stamped out their religious
doing. We've heard him say that Jesus
shall destroy this place. And Stephen preached to them
the judgment of God, the judgment of God against sin, and shall
change, he said, they said, he shall change the customs which
Moses delivered unto us. They said he spoke against the
law and the word of God, but in essence, he's saying this,
that the Lord Jesus Christ came to, not to destroy the law, but
to honor the law of God. that the Lord Jesus satisfied
the law of God. Our Lord said in Matthew 5, I
didn't come to destroy the law, I came to honor the law of God.
Now I want you to look at one scripture here. Find Romans chapter
10. Romans chapter 10. What he preached
about the law was this. What he preached about the temple
was Christ satisfied those types and pictures. And what he preached
about the law was this, that the Lord Jesus Christ, before
the law of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is our righteousness before
the law of God. He preached to them the righteousness
of God in Christ. Romans 10. Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. Romans 10.1. For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God, the righteousness provided by God
in the gospel in Christ. Look at verse 4, Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.
That's what Stephen preached, that Christ satisfied the law.
that before the holy law of God, that the Lord Jesus Christ is
my righteousness before God. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith
Christ hath set us free. Now, in closing, look at this
last verse, verse 15. No longer under the law, Stephen
said, but we're under grace. Look at verse 15. All that sat
in the council looking steadfastly on him, steadfastly on Stephen's
face. They wanted to see his reaction.
They saw his face as it had been the face of an angel, however
that looks. Stephen, I know it means this,
Stephen was not ashamed of his message. He didn't stand there
with a red face of embarrassment, nor did he stand there with a
red face of hot anger, And when you get angry, you turn red,
don't you? Nor did he stand there with a pale face of fright, but
he stood there in a calm, confident way, knowing he had spoken God's
truth, resting in the Lord's sovereign care. He committed
his whole person to Christ. Lord, whatever you, whatever
seemeth good unto you to do, That'll be fine. What an example
Stephen is unto us. How to be a faithful, committed
witness of the gospel, serving the Lord Jesus Christ with gladness
and sincerity of heart. God help us. God help us to follow
that example. I want to. I want to follow that
example, preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.