Now, the presence of God is not cheap. It costs. It costs us our body, and spirit (which is His). Now that is surrender that pleases Him is our all on the altar. See, we are a willful sacrifice. Being full of God shows up on our countenance. I mean, we can not help it. Everyone knows we have something that they don’t have. Look at the next verse . . .
“And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15).
You know you have little kids running around, you can read them like a book. If you are parents, you know your kids. They think you are like God at that stage, because how in the world do they know? You happen to come in at just the right time when they are too quiet and you bust them. You know, all the stuff. You can see it on their face. And a lot of times, that’s exactly what we say, “Man, it’s written all over your face!” And believe me, people know when you’ve been with God. You don’t have to be smiling and giddy all the time, people just know. Your countenance just changes.
So, there is a price to pay in serving God.
Point number 3, Stephen knew God’s Word.
I mean he was a man full of faith. And we know that ‘faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.’ And he begins to expound in the next chapter . . . on the historical actions of God with Israel.
“And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran” (Acts 7:2).
What are you saying? He’s starting with Abraham. Why? Well, because the Jews say that ‘we have Abraham as our father.’ God knows what they are thinking, He’s starting with that.
And for sake of time we are not going to read all those verses. Some of you may even complain about how long this one is going to be.
What he proves is, with their Scriptures, the unwillingness of Israel to follow God. Remember, he is condemned for blaspheming, for trying to change temple worship, for trying to override the Scriptures? He is using the Scriptures! Like they should be used. Israel’s leaders, he said, killed the prophets that God sent to help them in their deliverance. Now think about yourself for a minute. Isn’t it true that we hurt the ones who loves us the most? We allow our friends and peers to come first, and ignore the warnings of our parents. It’s bred in, almost. We don’t stop and think, well, my goodness, I should go to somebody that’s been married and had kids—no, we ask these young punks—these gals that ain’t never been married for their advice. And man, they will surely give it. Fools leading fools.
And here you have Israel. The experienced all the miracles of God. The problem is they never listened to Him about separation. They started acting, and worshipping, just like the heathen. And God brings judgment. And before that He sent His prophets as deliverers for them. And what did they do? They killed them.
So, he’s lining up this history that they know very well. They can’t argue the history, I’m telling you.
Point number 4, Stephen applies his history lesson.
What do you mean? There’s a point to a message—just like there is a point to this message.
It’s amazing how these teachers say, “When you preach you shouldn’t call anybody names. You shouldn’t do this, and you shouldn’t do that.”
What I tell them is, ‘Would you please show me from the Scriptures.”
And what they show you is the Christian attitude in the civilized world, right? Working next to everybody and you do it with love, and you do it with grace. No kidding, Sherlock. No kidding. But Paul didn’t come with excellency of speech. As a matter of fact, he was crude, to get his point across. And these words that we use are defined by Scripture and a person that doesn’t obey God is stiff-necked.
I can’t see Stephen saying, “Oh, will you please listen to me a little bit, you have a little problem psychologically, and you know, your attitude and your motives are wrong?” YEA, RIGHT! I don’t find that nowhere in here by preachers. But that’s all you hear today.
So, Stephen is done being nice to them in telling them their entire history. I like how Stephen leads into the next passage, in verse 50: “Hath not my hand made all these things?” Who is he talking about? The Lord of heaven.
“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51)
“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears” … What’d he call them? A dog and pigs. Yes he did. Uncircumcised are the Gentiles.
“Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost” … Well, how did they know they were resisting the Holy Ghost? They know it right now. It is called CONVICTION.
“Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it” (Acts 7:52-53).
What are you saying? They have the oracles of God. From Who? From God! Of all people, they should know Who the Messiah is … they got the Scriptures, they should have read them. They got the Law, from God! I mean to tell you, you look at this and say, “Are you kidding me?” Yea, it’s bad.
What does this show about Stephen? Well, it shows that he does not compromise, He does not sugar-coat it, and he does not fear. Why is that? He has the presence of God in him and on him. In him and on him. And conviction comes to those that hear the truth and are guilty of violating it, according to verse 54. They violently—violently—responded to the fact that they were guilty. Stephen had the touch of God, and because of his love for God—God opened his spiritual sight—to behold the Lamb of God which, I’m telling you, conquered death and hell and is at the right hand of God. Who did that for him, God did, because he was obedient unto the Word of God.
Where’s the proof of their conviction?
“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth” (Acts 7:54).
“Gnash” means they went through the flesh. The uppers met the lowers. When you and I have excruciating pain—basically you burn yourself at the stove—you gnash your teeth—it’s just automatic. That’s why Jesus says for those in hell, ‘gnashing of teeth,’ that’s proof that there is never-ending pain in hell.
And the conviction of the Holy Spirit, guess what, you are pricked in your heart. They responded negatively showing how full of the devil they were.
bkmk