Striving To Finished Strong Series

Sermon: Striving To Finished Strong

Scripture Lessons - Acts 6:8-15 “Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. 9 But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. 11 So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” 12 This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. 13 The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. 14 We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” 15 At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.”

Acts 7:54-60 “The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” 57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

Introduction: The power of Pentecost spread throughout Jerusalem as the disciples followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. As the church grew, so did the opposition. The scare tactics of the Jewish leaders had failed to silence the church. The church must strive to keep moving. Finishing strong speaks of you continuing until you end up at the feet of Jesus. Finishing strong is going against all odds and overcoming them. As the challenges come, you stand against them in the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. Apostle Paul, said,“.... having done all to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Believers must not forget that there is a battle raging, if we are to win, we must finish strong.

Stephen the man of our lesson who become the first martyr and serves as a reminder to every follower of Jesus that we live in a hostile environment. The church has always been persecuted in this world. 2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Matthew 24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

The hymn writer called believers, soldiers of Cross as poses the question, "Must I be carried to the skies, On flowery beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize, And sailed through bloody seas?"

Jesus Christ assured us that “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” To endure means “to remain firm in a commitment to be true to the commandments of God despite temptation, opposition, and adversity.” How did the early church endure to the end? They experienced the Savior's redemptive power. They had the Holy Ghost, who both guided and sanctified them. They considered being an integral part of a community of faithful saints as important. Finally, they remained committed to the mission, serving, and receiving service from our brothers and sisters in the gospel and sharing the gospel with others. They not only began well, but they finished strong. Finishing strong is the attitude of believing you can do something and having the courage and determination to see it through to the end.

Stephen was one of seven men who were chosen to serve the daily distribution of food to the widows. We are told in chapter 6 that Stephen was full of grace and power and was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But then opposition arose against him from certain synagogue leaders, but they were unable to stand up against Stephen’s wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. So, when they couldn’t defeat Stephen in debate, they decided to make some false accusations of blaspheme against him, and so Stephen was seized and brought before the Sanhedrin – the religious rulers of the Jewish people to be tried. As Stephen sat and listened to the false witnesses, the Bible says that when the Sanhedrin looked at him, they could see that he had the face of an angel. There was something about Stephen’s countenance that prompted comparisons to angels who stand in God’s presence and reflect God’s glory. So, when Stephen stood before his accusers, glowing with the face of an angel, he was radiating God’s wisdom and heaven’s glory. Without speaking a word, Stephen’s countenance gave witness that he was the Lord’s faithful servant.