Living Above The Fray
Acts 6:8-15
I know each week as we come together as a church family into this room, we all enter with different issues swirling about in our lives. This week some of you faced health issues. We had folks in our church that had tests and procedures, emergency room visits and bouts with sickness.
Some of you had work situations that you know Monday morning this albatross is going to be waiting on you to deal with. Others have relationship conflicts, marital misunderstandings or unruly children. Then there’s the financial side of things. We just had government extortion day last week on April 15 and for some this year it was particularly painful. Then there’s the general cultural moral and ethical nosedive that’s going on around us. If you start considering all these things you might say, “Under the circumstances, how could I be anything but depressed?” But here’s the deal – we’re called to live – not under the circumstances, but above the circumstances; we’re called to live above the fray.
That idiom, “above the fray,” refers to being above the conflict, difficulties, hardship and struggles that our world is marked by. How do we live above the fray? As believers in Jesus, it all comes down to trusting in the certainty of the gospel.
In just a moment we’re going to read a description of Stephen and some of the accusations that were hurled against him. Upon first reading it you may be tempted to think, “Stephen’s life is totally irrelevant to what I’m going through. I mean, this passage talks about accusations of blasphemy, the customs and traditions of Moses, the destruction of the temple – all ideas and concepts that seem completely foreign and out of touch with my life situation.” Well, on the front end I’m going to ask you to trust me as we delve into this account of Stephen’s life and the charges that were brought against them. What I believe you’ll discover is the same way he was able to live above the fray of all that was swirling about him is the same way you and I can live above the fray as well.
8And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,
13and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Stephen’s life as a follower of Jesus was like a meteor flying through the night sky – very brief, but brilliant and bright; powerful and spectacular. Some might say his life ended way too soon. He didn't have a great position of power; he wasn’t an apostle or even a pastor. He was simply a follower of Jesus who had been captivated by the good news of His salvation. And even though his life was short, God used his brief time as a disciple of Jesus to produce earth-changing results. Three things I want you to notice about Stephen that will encourage us to live above the fray.
I. The CHARACTER He Possessed
Stephen, full of grace and power…
Now if you were here last Sunday, we had a tremendous day as we ordained four men to serve among the 18 laymen in our church who are deacons. They seek to lead and serve in practical ways in our body. We briefly looked at verses 1-7 of chapter 6 which lays out for us really a prototype of deacon ministry. In those verses we saw how the apostles delegated a practical, logistical aspect of ministering in the church to seven men. They did this so that they would not be distracted from their primary responsibility –preaching and prayer. Those seven men serve as the prototype of deacon ministry in the local church.
Luke, the inspired author of the book of Acts, gives us the names of the seven men who were called to take up this responsibility. And here’s something amazing about the selection of these men. There were at this point over 20,000 adult members of the Jerusalem church – 10,000 or more of those being men. And from those 10,000 men they chose 7. That’s fascinating to me, these men are the cream of the crop, the top of the class, the best of the best, the pick of the litter. And the first man named among those seven men was Stephen.
Now from the previous verses we studied last week and also from the verses before us today, there are several aspects of Stephens’s character worth noting. Now the way I want to mark these is by a repeated word that’s used in verse 3, verse 5, and verse 8. It’s used generally to describe all 7 of these men, and then specifically it’s used both in verses 5 and 8 to refer to Stephen. Every good Bible student knows that repeated words or phrases are of great importance in biblical interpretation.
The word is “full.” The word means to be completely controlled or possessed by something. When you say, for example, “Someone is filled with rage or filled with anger or filled with jealousy or filled with joy or filled with love,” you mean that is a dominating emotion. That is a dominating force in the person’s life. It's a consuming thing in their life; It has complete control. Well there are five specific things that Luke remarks Stephen is full of. I want us to consider each of them for a moment.
A. Full of the SPIRIT
We see this trait mentioned twice. First it’s used generally as the apostles gave instructions that any men they would consider to put forward to serve should be full of the Spirit: Pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit…Acts 6:3 Additionally, this descriptor was used specifically of Stephen when he is first named in verse 5 as one who was full of the Holy Spirit. This is really the one from which the next four flow. The Holy Spirit is the controlling and all-encompassing source of his life and ministry. He is controlled by the indwelling presence of the third person of the trinity.
What does being full of the Spirit look like? We know from the apostle Paul that it results in encouraging one another with praise songs. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. Ephesians 5:18-19
For Stephen, it was even of greater significance. Some of you may not be familiar with Stephen’s life, but it ends quite tragically. At the end of the next chapter these same people that he is called before to testify drag him out of the temple and out of the city and they systematically pelt him with stones and boulders, beating the life out of him. Just before that happens, notice how Luke describes the result of being filled with the Spirit: But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Acts 7:55
For Stephen, being filled with the Holy Spirit meant getting a glimpse of God’s glory; it meant experiencing a divine manifestation of the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But being full of the Holy Spirit also leads to these other controlling elements in his life.
B. Full of WISDOM
full of the Spirit and of wisdom… Acts 6:3
It’s one thing to be intelligent; it’s an altogether different thing to be wise. It’s one thing to have an education; it's another thing to have wisdom.
It’s one thing to possess common sense; another thing to posses wisdom.
Stephen was full of wisdom because he was full of the Holy Spirit. In fact, he was so full of wisdom that he confounds those who are questioning him. He’s so full of wisdom that verse 10 says: But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Acts 6:10
This display of wisdom took place in different Jewish synagogues around Jerusalem. Luke lists what appears to be 4 different, unique synagogues that had it out for Stephen. Look again at verse 9: 9Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia
We know from history there were as many as 500 synagogues in Jerusalem at the time of the early church. All you needed was 10 adult men and a Rabbi to start a synagogue, so there were many synagogues in Jerusalem. And you notice, these synagogues were created based on home towns. Those who were from Alexandria met in one synagogue, those from Cyrene met in another.
He also mentions Cilicia. Cilicia was a Roman province. And guess what the capital city of Cilicia was - Tarsus. Who was from Tarsus? Saul, Saul of Tarsus. It's very possible that this pre-converted, highly intelligent Jewish Pharisee Saul of Tarsus got into some debates with Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. Two brilliant minds, Stephen and Saul, battling over divine truth - now that's something I would pay money to see. Guess who won - Stephen won. Why? Was he a greater debater than Saul? No, because he was full of wisdom. Is it any wonder that Saul was there when they stoned Stephen to death? Chapter 8 begins with the simple sentence, "Saul approved of his execution."
Stephen was a man full of the Spirit, full of wisdom, but also he was...
C. Full of FAITH
Verse five says just that: Stephen, a man full of faith… Acts 6:5
The word for faith here is the common Bible word for faith, pistis. It means to have a confident belief and assurance in the truth. He is filled with faith, controlled by his faith, his confident belief in the truth. What do we know about his faith? What do we know about his belief system? I can tell you exactly what he believed - next week. In chapter 7 Luke records Stephen's address before the Sanhedrin. It's the longest speech recorded in the book of Acts; longer than any Peter's sermons and speeches; longer than Paul's address to king Agrippa. Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin in chapter 7 is the longest speech in the history book of the NT. Here's a preview of next week though: Stephen believed, he had faith in the Scriptures. He quotes the Scripture extensively and leans on them.
He also had faith in a God who was in control of history; he believed in the sovereignty of God - not random chance or circumstance. He also believed that Jesus was the Messiah of God, redeemer of lost sinners who put their hope in him. But that's next week. He was a man full of faith - he sincerely believed the truth of the Gospel. Here's the next character trait:
D. Full of GRACE
That's how our focal text today begins in verse 8: Stephen, full of grace
Stephen overflowed with grace. The congregation must have known him as a gracious person, a very loving person. That's probably why they chose him to serve widows. What came out of him was grace. Why do I say that? Go to the end of chapter 7. While they’re stoning him, he’s falling on his knees. The last recorded words of Stephen are him crying out with a loud voice saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” What kind of tenderheartedness is this? No anger, no vengeance, no violence, no retaliation. This is grace. Even toward those who are killing him in a fury of rage, he could be gracious because he was full of the Holy Spirit. He could be gracious because he was full of wisdom. He could be gracious because he was full of faith. This kind of grace is a product of his belief system.
E. Full of POWER
and power This too is a product of the indwelling Holy Spirit. In fact, verse 8 describes him as a conduit of supernatural power in that he was being used by God to perform signs and wonders. I would remind you, Stephen is not an apostle. Stephen is not a pastor or elder or prophet. He is a lay-leader, a deacon in the church. But just because he doesn't hold those titles of spiritual authority in the church doesn't mean he can't be used by God in powerful ways. The power of God flowed through him and he was a conduit of supernatural ministry.
These are the five ways Luke describes Stephen for us, he was fully controlled by the Spirit; full of wisdom, full of faith, full of grace and full of power. That's the character he possessed. Is it any wonder he was able to live life above the fray, above the rabble of this world? Secondly notice this from the text. Not only the character he possessed, but...
II. The COMPLAINTS He Addressed
“We have heard him speak blasphemous words…
No doubt because Stephen bested them in the Scriptural debates, a conspiracy among those different synagogues was formed where they determined to take Stephen out. No doubt they were driven by jealousy; they were driven to do this by the fact that their egos were wounded.
So Luke describes this conspiracy with a few phrases. In verse 11 it says, they secretly instigated men to drum up these charges of blasphemy against him. In verse 12 it says, 12And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes against Stephen. In verse 13 it says when Stephen was appearing before the Sanhedrin they set up false witnesses to speak against him.
This was a multi-layered, multi-pronged, well-orchestrated, perfectly executed conspiracy to get rid of Stephen. Sounds familiar doesn't it. Sounds very similar to what happened with Jesus.
What was their accusation? What were the charges they brought against Stephen? They charged Stephen with blasphemy. They charged him with blasphemy in four different areas. First, verse 11 says, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses So blasphemy against Moses - the lawgiver and leading prophet in the Jewish faith. But they also say in verse 11 that he's spoken blasphemy against God.
In verse 13 the other two charges of blasphemy come out - the charge of blasphemy against the temple, "this holy place." And blasphemy against the Law, the Scriptures. Four very serious charges for the Jews against Stephen. Blasphemy against Moses, against God, against the temple, and against the law. These are the complaints against him. The question is - are the complaints true, are the charges valid, are they legitimate?
Well their entire case rests on a single sentence of their testimony. It's in verse 14: "For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” Acts 6:14 This is the central component of the testimony against Stephen. Their entire case rests on this one sentence. If we can understand the implications of this one sentence we can understand the four-fold charge of blasphemy that was brought against Stephen.
First of all, I don't think there's any doubt that Stephen actually said these words - or something very similar to these words. Why? Because Jesus said something very similar to these words. At least, that's what he was accused of saying.
Matthew 26:61 and Mark 14:58 tell us that at Jesus' trial false witnesses came forward and said, " “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” Matthew 26:61 When the high priest asked him to make an answer to the charge, Jesus said nothing. He neither confirmed nor denied.
Matthew 27:40 and Mark 15:29 tell us that the crowds who passed by the cross while Jesus was dying mocked Jesus: And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days." Mark 15:29 So witnesses at Jesus' trial testified that he said it; those who mocked Jesus on the cross had heard that he said it. But did Jesus actually say it?
Yes, look at John 2. John 2:19 tells us about one situation when Jesus actually spoke words like these. It was the first time he entered the Temple - and remember, blasphemy against the temple was one of the charges brought against Stephen, this will have great significance so hang with me here - the first time Jesus entered the Temple with authority and turned over tables and made a leather whip and drove out the money changers. The question to Jesus was, "What gives you authority to do this? What sign do you perform that proves you have the authority to come into this temple and take charge like this. Notice Jesus' words: 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. John 2:19-22
Now what did Jesus mean? Did he simply mean that he would die and then rise again—his body would be destroyed and then raised up in three days? If that's all that he meant, then why did he refer to himself as the temple? And why would he say words like this in the temple itself, knowing that most people would take him to refer to the temple building and all that goes on there?
I think the answer is that for those who had ears to hear, and for those who thought this through after his resurrection (like Stephen did!), Jesus meant: When I die, the temple dies. When I am destroyed, the temple is destroyed. This whole system—all these sacrifices, all this blood flowing to make atonement for sins, all this priestly activity surrounding the holy place where God's presence dwells—it all ends when I die. You destroy me and in dying I destroy the temple. And here's the BIG truth from this statement that led to the charges of blasphemy.
The death of Jesus REPLACES everything that happened in the TEMPLE.
That's the bigger implication of that statement. By Jesus dying, the purpose and function of the temple dies.
Why do you think that at the very moment when Jesus breathed his last breath, at the very moment of his death, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom? It was a token of destruction. The walls were coming down. Jesus himself was taking the place of everything in the temple.
Hebrews 7 says that Jesus became our one and only high priest who lives forever to make intercession for us. So the temple priesthood was "destroyed." All the Jewish priests in Jerusalem were out of a job.
Jesus offered himself and his own blood once for all to make an eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12, 25–28; 10:10–12). So all the animal sacrifices of the temple are "destroyed."
When Jesus made himself the mercy seat of the temple (Romans 3:25), and made his own blood the blood of the covenant (Mark 14:24), the glory of God—the shekinah glory of the temple—came down and rested on him and raised him from the dead (Romans 6:4). And so the temple is no longer the place where you go to see the glory of God. Jesus is the place where God's glory rests. Destroyed and in three days raised up—Jesus is where you go to see the glory of God.
What Jesus meant when he said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up," was that he himself was taking the place of the temple—by dying for sin once for all, and by rising from the dead to reign as the everlasting priest and Lord of glory. When I die, the temple system dies. And when I rise, I am the temple. I am the sacrifice for sins. I am the priest and go-between with God. I am the presence and radiance of his glory. The usefulness and function of the Jewish temple is completed.
And this is what Stephen was preaching. Are you starting to understand why they charged him with blasphemy? He's preaching in the synagogues that their entire system has been replaced by the death of Jesus. In fact the complaints he addressed - the charges of blasphemy against Moses, and against God, against the temple and against the law, the Scripture, he systematically addresses those complaints in the next chapter.
This is what Stephen was proclaiming in the synagogues. And apparently, he was having some impact with his preaching. I didn't touch on this verse last week, but look again at verse 7 of this chapter:
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. 6:7
Why do you suppose Luke records this fact just before introducing us to Stephen's ministry - that a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith? Because as Stephen is preaching the gospel and as they begin to understand the implications of the death of Jesus; they realize the temple was only a foreshadowing of the completed work of the messiah Jesus, the obvious conclusion for them was: "I don't have to offer sacrifices anymore. No more shedding the blood of innocent animals." They came to realize that the temple is done for. Jesus has destroyed it. He alone is the one and only sacrifice for sins, the one and only high priest to God, and the one and only habitation of the fullness of the glory of God.
Ill. Every Christmas we travel to Florida to visit with our family. I prefer to make the drive at night for several reasons. 1) there is much less traffic on the highway at 2am than at 2pm. 2) Our kids sleep the whole way so there's no bickering in the back seat. The disadvantage is that obviously at night, vision is limited. Oh I've got the headlights on and they give me limited vision in front of the vehicle; and then there are the street lamps that provide some vision. But for the most part it's pretty dark. You certainly can't see way down the road things that may be coming. But then something happens as I drive down, and it's always a fascinating experience. The sun begins to come up, the sun begins to rise. And as the sun rises and brings light to the earth - guess what, I have no more need of my headlights; I have no more need of the street lamps.
When Jesus, the true Son, the true light of the world, rose on that third day - there was no more need for the temple. There was no more need for this artificial light that really couldn't take care of the darkness in the world. The temple was only a dim reflection of the true reality. Jesus replaced EVERYTHING that the temple stood for.
And so the temple in Jerusalem is "destroyed." We have a new temple, a new priest, a new sacrifice, and a new access to glory and fellowship with God. So when John the apostle has a vision of heaven in Revelation 21:22–23, he says, 22And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Revelation 21:22-23
What glorious, transforming truth. But it was this truth that was the source of the complaints that were brought against Stephen. But it was also this truth that was the source for Stephen to live life above the fray.
What do the problems and issues look like in light of this truth?
The government is extorting our money, yes but, Jesus destroyed the temple and in so doing destroyed the consequences of my sin.
You just lost the biggest account at the company. Ok, but Jesus purchased my salvation and opened the way into the holy of holies!
I'm stuck in traffic and will be late for my appointment. Yes, but the Shekinah glory of God rests not on a place, but on Jesus. And I can know and experience glory by not making a spiritual pilgrimage to some temple or cathedral or building - I can know and experience glory by know Jesus. Do you see the transformational value of this truth? Is it any wonder we see this third thing about Stephen in this text, why he was able to live above the fray? Not only the Character he possessed, and the complaints he addressed but thirdly...
III. The COUNTENANCE He Expressed
15And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
They are accusing him of blasphemy. They’re calling him evil. They’re saying he is denouncing God and Moses, and he is standing there looking angelic. What a rebuke to his accusers. What does this mean? Did he have a halo over his heard as some Renaissance artists have depicted? No. Consider this: angels reflect the glory of God in light. By saying Stephen had the face of an angel is saying he reflected the glory of God before them.
Stephen is standing before the council and he looked like he has transcended above it all. All of his power in the Holy Spirit, all of his wisdom in the Holy Spirit, all of his grace in the Holy Spirit, all of his faith, all of it came out on his face. He looked angelic. Only once in all the revelatory history has God ever put His glory on the face of a man. That’s in Exodus 33, and He put it on the face of Moses, didn’t He? After Moses saw the glory of God in Exodus 33 and 34 and came down, his face was shining. He was reflecting somehow the glory of God. For a moment, God allowed Moses to reflect His glory. That’s the only time that’s happened in the whole Old Testament.
Here in the New Testament, while the Jews are accusing Stephen of being a blasphemer of Moses, God puts a glow on his face. He stands, as Moses did before his people in shining purity with the mark of divine favor on his face.
I won't pretend to act like I fully understand all that took place here, but I do know it came across as divine presence and divine approval. They were damning him as a blasphemer and he had the face of an angel.
So What?
God is still looking for men and women who reflect the glory of God through their trust in the finished work of Christ. Look at a few passages as we conclude today:
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. 2 Chronicles 16:9
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
May I suggest to you that God is still looking for men and women like Stephen? Those who behold the glory of the Lord in Jesus; those who can serve Him in His church, who can be chosen out of the thousands, who have manifestly demonstrated the character of a Stephen, full of faith, full of grace, full of the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom and power.
God is still looking for people who have courage without limit; who have boldness without bounds. And God will demonstrate His glory on the face of those people; perhaps not visibly, but in the calm, peaceful, tranquil, almost transcendent trust that comes through in the most hateful and violent circumstances; people that are able to live their life in Christ above the fray. And that leads to my last thought:
Last Thought: CONFIDENT trust in Christ produces COURAGEOUS living through Christ.
