The Witness

The title of the message is the Witness, and the

Bible calls Stephen God's witness. That's his title. The word

witness means martyr in the Greek. Did you know how

many of you knew that the Greek word for witnesses martyr.

It means someone who bears witness to God enough to

be willing to die for him. Is that a witness? Okay?

Jesus said that we need to die daily. We need

to bear witness to Him every day of our lives.

So in a way, we have to be martyrs every day.

We must die to be a Christian. Some people want, oh,

I want easy Christianity. I want the kind of Christianity

where I get what I want and I tell the

Lord what I want and then that arrives to me.

That's not how it works. Diedrich Bonhoeffer was correct when

he said this. When God bids a man or woman come,

he bids that person come and die. We must die

to live as witnesses. Living for God can be harder

than dying for God because it takes consistency, courage, and commitment.

You have to have buy in to be a witness

for Jesus and John fifteen twenty seven. Jesus told his

disciples plainly that they were his witnesses because they had

been with him from the beginning. He says, because you've

been with me, you are my witnesses. We can't be

a witness unless we have a relationship with Christ. Jesus

is the true witness, the true martyr to the lukewarm

latency in church, naked and lacking in a vital relationship

with Jesus Christ. Jesus identifies himself as the true witness,

the true martyr, who is the answer for a vibrant,

end time faith in life that is wholly lacking unless

we have a real relationship with Christ. Revelation three point fourteen.

Take your bibles, open them with me. Now the slides

are back, but your bible should be in your hand,

and we'll be hovering over Acts six and seven. So

that's where where he should probably put your marker. Jesus

is telling John to the Angel of the Church and

lay us see aright the words of the Amen, the faithful,

the true witness, the beginning of God's creation. That's Jesus.

So in the midst of his titles, the creator of

the universe of the world of the beginning. In the end,

he is the true witness, He is the Martyr. Stephen

was one of the Magnificent Seven set apart by the

Apostles to serve the Apostolic Church's needs, serving God, serving

others as a high calling in the church. That role

would later be called deacon in the church. Stephen became

a role model for those who seek to serve the

church as deacons in the church. Stephen did more than

just take up the offering, take care of the windows,

feed people. So the apostles, why do you do that?

So the apostles could spend time in the Word, they

could minister, they could have time to pray. Their focus

is that Stephen's was to serve and to help them

achieve those ends. Turn to Acts six, verse eight, and

here we're going to land in the role of Stephen

as he functioned as a deacon, and Stephen full of

grace and power. What does it say in your Bible

he did? What great wonders and signs among the people? Friends,

If God has called you to serve in the church,

God has not called you to mediocrity. God has not

called you to come and get what you need and

go home. He has called you to serve. In fact,

we are informed in the book Acts of the Apostles

that strength to resist evil is best found in aggressive service.

So if you're willing to beat down the devil in

your life, you're one to overcome sin. And you're doing

nothing to make a difference in the church or the world,

be it through Bible studies, prayer, making yourself available for

the needs of the church. Listen, God doesn't move when

everybody do the same thing. If you're not doing that,

you're in a spiritually vulnerable spot your life. You must

be engaged, involved and serve to be okay. And so

this is what he's doing. And so as a deacon servant,

look what he does. Great wonders and signs were performed

among the people Verse nine. Then some of those who

belonged to the Synagogue of the Freedman, Luke adds as

it was called, and of the Sirenians, of the Alexandrians

and those from Silician Asia arose and disputed with Stephen.

You know, he didn't go after them. They came after him.

Why because he was performing great wonders and signs among

the people Verse ten. But they would not withstand the

wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Now that's

an unusual deacon. He's not just some silent force. He

learned his Bible. Now take your bibles out with me.

You got him with you. Take these lovely book outs.

Do you realize this is the most precious thing we

own in our lives period, the Word of God. To

live it, to know it, to share it. Steve even

had mastered the Bible. Why because he was a deacon,

He was a servant of God. He was the first

of the Magnificent Seven chosen by the Apostles to serve

and as the first of the seven three bold characteristics

of Stephen's characters stand outs that we can learn from,

we find the first two bold characteristics are in verse eight.

Coupled together, The Bible says Stephen was full of all right,

we don't have grace and power. Those are the two

words great. Say it with me, grace and power. Grace

and power. Now we have someone here today whose named Grace.

It's a great name. The word grace in Greek communicates

the idea of a graciousness with a favorable attitude that

maybe like interacting with people who are always sour pusses

and you know, angry and frustrated with you. Every time

you walk by, they set you straight with a bony finger.

Now he's okay to have bony fingers. Mine's getting more

that way. But yeah, you did it. Isn't that awful

to be around that kind of thing. But when you

meet someone who's gracious, kind, considerate, not perfect, but gracious,

they care about you, doesn't that kind of lift you?

So he was full of grace, that attribute of graciousness,

that is kind a favorable attitude. There are many people

today who want to be leaders, but few people are

willing to cultivate the soft quality of grace in their life.

Grace is a manifestation of kindness from the heart. But

grace without power can disintegrate into weakness and codependency and

even in effectiveness. You see, it must be coupled with

a strength to be really strong. Grace is not weakness

when Holy Spirit power is manifested alongside of grace. So strength,

power and grace. Now grace can do great things. Stephen

possessed both grace and power together. Luke is very careful

to write that down the Greek word for power. Say

it with me is dunamous, dunamous one more time, dunamus

and we get our word. Now. There was a there

was a sitcom years ago, and I don't watch sitcoms,

but I did as a kid, and they had this

guy on it. I don't remember his name, but he'd

always do this. I'm gonna do a mimicking of it.

Here he goes dynamite. You remember the sitcom? You want

to throw me out of the church, right, he was known.

I lost my voice saying it. I can't believe it. Yeah,

let me get a drink of water. Here, dunamite. He

was known for that signature statement on probably every single

episode of that sitcom. And I remember as a young

person doing the high fiving dynamite and that's okay if

you're thinking along spiritual lines, I'm sorry. I'd surprised you

didn't I now think about it. Stephen had grace and

dynamite in him. The Gospel of Luke, Jesus had the

Holy Spirit, which is identified by Luke in the very

first part of the Gospel of Luke as the power

of God, the hand of God, or the finger of God.

The Holy Spirit is the power of God. Thus the

spirit power in Stephen's life was not an ordinary kind

of power. He had dynamite from God. The Bible says

that pul says, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel. It

is the Dunamus, the dynamite power of God for everyone

who has faith, the jew first and also the Greek

Holy Spirit power comes through the Gospel. Stephen was full

of it. It was Holy Spirit power that gave boldness, clarity, courage,

and strength to serve God without compromise in a gracious

way x five thirty two. He and it says, and

we are witnesses to these things, and so is the

Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those. And what

does the Bible say here to those who do what? Now?

If you're choosing to be wilfully disobedient in your life

now I'm not saying perfect, because none of us are,

then you have a problem. But if you're getting up

in the morning, you're saying, Lord, I commit myself to

you today, take my life. Make me an obedient Christian,

you know, take the self and put it down and

bring Christ in and help me to be focusing on others,

not me all the time. If you're doing that and

you're committed to God's law as an moral standard in

your life, with Jesus as the love that makes it happen. Friends,

you have a right to receive the Holy Spirit in

your life. God will give you the Holy Spirit for

that ends because it says He has given his spirit

to those who obey him. The Holy Spirit is called

the Spirit of wisdom and of knowledge in Isaiah eleven

two and is reaffirmed by Paul and one, Corinthians twelve eight,

and Ephesians one seventeen as such. The Holy Spirit, friends,

not hear me here now? Is not an i personal

force like the force in George Lucas's Star Wars genre

you hear me. The Holy Spirit is not George Lucas stuff,

just an impersonal force that comes from God. That's not

what the Bible teaches. The Holy Spirit is a wise

and kind person full of power as the third person

of the heavenly Trio, we are told in the Spirit

of Prophecy, as part of the eternal Godhead, the hearted

love of Eternity. As we're told in the Spirit of

Prophecy in the Bible, there were times in the Bible

some people don't realize this. When the Holy Spirit healed

a person before Jesus knew about it. Remember the woman

who had the flow of blood. Holy Spirit healed her

in Christ said, who touched me? Holy Spirit made that decision.

There was a time when the Holy Spirit commanded Jesus

drove him into the wilderness, and Jesus obeyed the Holy

because the Holy Spirit has authority and power. When Christ

was baptized in the Holy Spirit, he went throughout Judea

within the power of God. The Bible says he was

submissive to the authority of the Holy Spirit. Christ recognized

the power of the person and the lordship of the

Holy Spirit his life as a man. That cannot happen

if the Holy Spirit is not a person with authority.

It's a pagan idea to believe in the Holy Spirit

as an impersonal force. You can find that in the

Eastern religions, but that is not the Bible religion. Stephen

was no pagan from the East. Stephen was a man

of God, full of the Holy Spirit. He had a

relationship with Jesus Christ. He recognized the lordship of the

Holy Spirit as the ambassador of Christ in the Apostolic age.

Stephen was attacked from different sides because he stood for Christ.

He was opposed by the Synagogue of the Freemen. We

just read, which Luke writes, it's very interesting look at

that footnote as it was called. Now the reason why

Luke says this, it was really a synagogue of Satan

because it had cerroned itself to opposing the work of God.

And so he said, it was called the Synagogue of

the Freemen, but they are really slaves in that place.

It was really a synagogue overcome with Satanic influence. In

Jesus in book Revelation, identifies ancient Judaism that opposed the

Gospel that persecuted early Christians as a synagogue of Satan.

Any church or any group that does the same is

a synagogue of Satan. The other places mentioned were Hellenistic

Greek centers of Judaism. What do you mean by Hellenistic, Well,

I told you the word Greek in the diaspora, and

the spreading out of the Jewish faith and of Christianity.

Also as part of it, we find that the Judaism

became Greek. The Greek language was spoken. The Bible was

translated two fifty BC into the Greek language. It's called

the Subtuagint, and that's the Bible of the New Testament

to a large not exclusively. And so these Hellenized Greek

Christians converted from Judaism were very important early church. But

there were then holdouts people who were from these synagogues

that were Greek, that opposed Stephen and others because they

would go to the synagogues, they would engage them and

share the truth, and so it created controversy. Verse ten

is very clear they could not withstand the wisdom and

the spirit with which speed Stephen spoke. Stephen was full

of and hear the key words. Write them down. Grace, power,

and wisdom is the third component. These are the three

bold spiritual credentials and qualities needed for true leadership in

the church. And say them again together, what are they? Grace, power,

and wisdom. I didn't have time for a slide. So

you'll have to remember that the Bible says Stephen performed

great wonders and signs among the people. His life was

power orfully directed by the Holy Spirit. He wasn't in

the business of tearing down the church. He was in

the business of building up the church, of working to

help people come to Christ, of reaching beyond boundaries to

bring people in of loving the unlovable and sharing the

truth that people need. He was best known for his

ability to handle the Word of God effectively with grace, power,

and wisdom. Would that we had many Stevens in this

place doing the same in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Satan's methods are always the same in every age. You

know Satan is not very creative. You can tell what

he's doing because of his methodologies. Here they are slander.

Is that Satan's method yes or no, Working in secret

to get an outcome rather than bringing it into the light. Manipulation,

lying and intimidation friends, and and also trying to bully

is also an evidence of Satan's methods. Friends, The truth

doesn't need this kind of defense. Stephen was full of

the truth in the Holy Spirit. So let's review the

three bold characteristics of leadership in Stephen's life. Number one

Bold characteristic number one, what is it I'm quizzing you? Grace,

Bold characteristic number two, Bold characteristic number three Wisdom, godlike kindness, grace,

Holy Spirit, explosive dynamite energy which is power and Holy Spirit,

christ like wisdom that comes from relationship to God. Look

if we're lacking. James one five says, if any man

lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, and God will

give him. And he doesn't care who you are, he'll

give you wisdom. How many of you need wisdom? I do.

When my wife, by the way, is not here today,

she's gonna be meeting with her her parents, parents in Alabama.

It's a part of our responsibility to take care of

our grandparents and our parents or our children's grandparents. But

they're wonderful people. But she takes care of me because

I lack wisdom. I come through the door. She says, honey,

what you got to do here? Your tie is always crooked,

and so she says, you've noticed it too, okay, And

so I think of a dangles it's free. You call

that free. No, she bought me these tie clips like this.

She said. Now you put that right there, and you

tack it down good, and then use and close both

buttons on your coat. And I was taught to only

do one. She says, both of them, okay, both of them.

And she'll notice if my if my pocket's out, you know,

you see your pocket, Look see my pocket? Have to

make it even on each side right, and she says,

don't slow just honey, I sometimes I have to look

at my notes. Keep your head high. So I cracked

my neck. And then she'll she'll say, by the way,

don't get upset at me, because I'm helping you. That's

good advice, but not always achievable, all right, And then

she'll move the tie around. She says, you got the tyron,

Gotta put it in the center. It's my tight center. Now.

Got to help me because Diana's not here. Now. Look,

I'm saying that I need wisdom in life in certain areas,

and I like, there was a point in my sermon.

She says, that's a bad word to put in your sermon.

Change it from closet to house and you'll see what

I'm talking about. Now. Look, and the Bible, wisdom is

a woman. Very often in the Book of Proverbs, she

cries out in the in the marketplace. But wisdom is

Jesus Christ in Proverbs eight. He is called the wisdom

of God in First Corinthians. When we seek wisdom, we

seek the attitude the mind of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Whenever these bold qualities are manifesting, the church, friends, Satan

attacks people like Stephen. If you want to be a leader,

and you possess these three bold qualities because you've asked

God for them in humility, expect the enemy to come

after you. They rose up to oppose Stephen. This is

the cost of spirit field leadership. Acts six, verse eleven.

Open your bible and look with me. Then they secretly

instigated men who said, we have heard him speak blasphemous

words against Moses and God. And notice the order here

against Moses and God, not against God and Moses. So

who's foremost in their thinking here Moses? Verse twelve. And

they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes,

and they came upon him and seized him and brought

in before the council. So they were troublemakering, and they

were stirring up and stewing up. And they got a

coalition of the small, the weak, the leaders of the

church and everything to go after Stephen. And they brought

him before the council, that's the Seni verse thirteen, and

set up false witnesses. Can you think of anybody else where?

They brought in false witnesses to condemn him Jesus, And

they said, this man never ceases to speak words against

this holy place and the law, for we have heard

him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this

place and will change the custom which Moses delivered to us.

These instigators had methods that were slick and quick, and

I might add sick all right. Number one, they secretly

instigated men. We call that a coup attempt, by working

the rat line and the gossip channels. Number two, they

lied about Stephen's message, falsely claiming he was against God

and Moses. Number three, they stirred up the people and

the religious leaders together to form a coalition to destroy Stephen.

Number four, they set up false witnesses to law and

to distort the record of Stephen's life. Stephen was Jesus'

true witness who faced these false witnesses down with what

are the three attributes? Again? Helped me? Grace, power, and wisdom? Okay.

Number five, they distorted and decontextualized. That's kind of a

big word, isn't it. Say it with me. Decontextualized. In

other words, they took it out of context. They didn't

pay attention to what he was saying in the light

of what he was saying, they made it into something else.

They distorted and decontextualized the truth to make it into

something other than the truth. And because the Jewish leaders

rejected Jesus. In his father's word, Jesus did indeed predict

the destruction of Jerusalem. But Jesus said, the Prince of

this world is coming. He's quoting the book of Daniel

Dale nine to twenty six. I believe when he says,

the Prince of the people, of the prince who was

the calm will destroy the city and the sanctuary. That's

the prince of this world. See Christ withdrew and Satan

came in and the Roman legions destroyed the city. Jesus

also chose to set aside the customs of Moses, but

not the law of God, those laws that were made

in time and space for Israel, to keep them safe

until the Gospel could come online, till Christ could die.

Not dietary rules, but more so ceremonial rules that had

to do with touching this or that and uncleanness rules.

Was to teach them a consciousness of sin, as well

as the sacrificial system which ended of the cross. But

nowhere in the teachings of Jesus or the apostles, did

they teach that the Ten Commandments were set aside to

the contrary. Paul says in First Corinthians, neither circumcision counts

for anything, or uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

He's talking at the Ten Commandments, and James tells us

in James too, that we will be judged by the

royal law of liberty. Then he quotes the Ten Commandments

and he calls it the law of liberty. It's a positive,

not a negative. Friends, if you really follow Moses, you

look for Jesus, who is the new Moses. Because Moses

says God will raise up a prophet for you like me,

and whoever doesn't obey him to be cut off from

God's people. They couldn't tell the difference between their customs

and God's eternal covenant, the law, their political future and aspirations,

and the spiritual future the King of God. They're compromised

ways in contrast to God's unchanging Ten commandment law and

the Gospel that are eternal truths. They couldn't tell the difference.

Now it's possible that people can't here, can't tell the difference.

Now there are times when the Holy Spirit says, I

don't care about your scruples. I'm going to act in

a way that makes you nervous. Is that okay? No

Amen's coming out? Sure it is. See, the Holy Spirit

does not need to have an excuse to do the

right thing here in our lives. When Mary washed Jesus' feet,

the Holy Spirit didn't need an excuse to move on

her to wash Jesus' feet because and that'll happen from

time to time. But friends, the law of God is

the guiding light, the moral standard where we can test

the spirits. Those who despise the truth will always misuse

the truth to get their way to destroy those who

carry the truth. Did you hear me? Those who despise

the truth will always misuse the truth to get their

way and persecute those who carry the truth. Act six

point fifteen and Act seventy to one. Roll through your bibles.

Here it is on the screen, and gazing at him,

that is Stephen all who set and the council saw

that his face was like the face of a What

does the Bible say an angel? Have you ever seen

someone like the face of an angel? Now? Men. I'll

give you heads up if you tell your wife in

the morning, honey, your face is like the face of

an angel. You're going to be all right for the

rest of the day, okay, But you better mean it okay,

because they can read between the lines. But Stephen's face

was like the face of an angel. Act seven to one,

and the high priest said, is this sou? So? The

indictment by the instigators have been leveled. He was now

standing as one man against the mob, as Jesus had

stood before the Sanhedri. Now he stood alone, as many

a Christian has done so ever after, has died in

the flames for Jesus Christ, who died in the Amphitheater,

who died in the Hippodrome of Rome as they torched

Christians in the time of nero Annis was almost certainly

the high priest here where he stands in direct opposition

to Stephen, just as his father in law Caiaphas did

when Jesus was crucified. What does this mean? It means

that evil can run in family systems. You can get

a bad apple, and that can be passed on. In

the trial and witness of Stephen, Jesus was on trial

all over again in the person of the witness, who

was Stephen, God's witness. Stephen. The instigators had accused Stephen

of setting aside the law of Moses. Stephen started his

defense with the law of Moses. He started right where

they accused him, and he gave extra details that are

not in the Law of Moses. When you read his defense,

you'll notice that he's saying things and you go back

to the Old Testament. Where's it at. I'm gonna explain this.

Look at Acts seven, verses two and three, and Stephen said,

brethren and fathers, hear me, the God of Glory appeared

to our father Abraham, and when he was in Mesopotamia,

before he lived in Heron, and he said to him,

depart from your land and from your kindred, and go

to the land which I will show you. If you

carefully read Genesis eleven and twelve, you'll notice that this

is extra biblical material. Stephen addressed this hostile assembly as

brethren and fathers, Now of the three Grace, power, and will?

And which one was that it was grace, wasn't it?

It took its self control, which you can say a

little power in there. And what about wisdom. Is that

wise to address them that way? Okay? So he wasn't

obnoxious in their face, rude in that kind of way.

Stephen didn't mock his accusers, but rather Stephen appealed to

them and engaged them as brethren and fathers. Stephen spoke

to them with respect and affection when they really didn't

deserve it at all. Immediately, Stephen begins with the Law

of Moses and the call of Abraham to show these

religious leaders the truth about themselves and the light of

the eternal Gospel, the history of Israel, and how Christ

culminates the whole pattern. Here, he states that God appeared

to Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia. The Law of

Moses doesn't give us that kind of detail. You go

back to Jesuis twelve. It doesn't say that. So what's

going on here? At this point Jesus is speaking through

Stephen as a prophet. He's just become a prophet in

their eyes. He's given the spirit of prophecy. Later prophets

will often add details as the Lord sees fit to

inform his people. In Salvation history, God has a right

through the spirit of prophets. He let us know more

as we move to the end, don't lock the truth

down just in the past. When a prophet arises that

has the true spirit of prophecy connection with the Bible,

it will illumine the Bible. And we see that happening here.

So it's in play more detail from a prophet. Stephen

has been transformed into a prophet on the spot. In

the Law of Moses, in Genesis twelve to one, God

called Abraham while Abraham was in Heron. In the context,

Steve is making the point that God called Abraham from

er to go to Heron. That is not in the

Law of Moses. What did that mean and why does

he go out of his way to say that to them?

It means that Abraham didn't start his journey on his own.

You see, he didn't get to Heroin, and then God

called him. God was at the beginning of his journey.

God appeared to him. God called him, and that's how

he got to where we have the call in Genesis

twelve one, leave your kindred in your father's house and

go to land. I'll show you. And so the point

is we don't find God in the middle of the journey.

God starts the journey in our lives. That's what he's

trying to say. It means that he took the very

first step in his life to leave the land of

her because God called him out of that wicked place

and that culture that would not let him advance in

a relationship of God. This will be central, a central

theme in Stephen's discourse. Friends, God is always in the

business of calling his people out of darkness and delight,

out of sin and the righteousness. Now, let's focus on

the name Er, which is an Acadian word which also

has Hebrew identification. Excuse me. Er was a prominent city

in Mesopotamia, the land of ancient Babylon. In fact, Doctor

Willsee excavated it over one hundred years ago, and they

found the royal tombs there, magnificent discoveries. I've read his

good portion of his book. The word er in Hebrew

means light. In fact, member in Genesis One when says

let there be light, you' all remember that I hear

his vagghi or and you can hear the er in

there vagie or it's er. It's the same root for er.

It means the same in Acadian as it does in Hebrew.

Or was a city called light, but it was really

full of darkness, greed, immorality, and idol worship. God called

Abraham out of er when he was in er. The

Greek word for church is ecclesia. Say it with me

ecclesia and Greek, and it means the called out ones.

So what are we as church members? Were called out?

Just like Abraham. Stephen was God's witness calling people out

of darkness into the light, the true light that is

Jesus Christ. And we should be in the same business.

Steven had a choice to make. We have choices to

make in our lives. Friends, your character is determined by

the choices you make in life. Don't think it isn't

make good choices. They matter. Good choices will lead you

to eternal life. Stephen, as the witness, had to make

a choice in his life right there he was on

the spot. Would he stand true? Would it have been

easy for Steve and to say, all right, I give in.

You guys are big, you have a mob, You're gonna

probably kill me. I'm gonna do what you say. You're

in charge. Would that have been easy interact with me?

It would have been when you have peer pressures in

your life, and people are trying to get you, young

people to do things you shouldn't do, and you say,

I'm gonna I live for christ. I'm a Christian. My

best friend, who used to be my best friend, challenged

me just before I became a Christian. He says, I

know what you're getting ready to do. You're getting ready

to go off and be a Christian. You're gonna wreck

your life. The next day I would I find my father.

I'd be moving there in a car and discover that

he was alive. I turned to Jeff and I said, Jeff,

you're right, I'm going to be a Christian. And I

took my stand at Freeze Dam in the middle of

the night. We'd fished all night, and I let him

know that's exactly why I'm going away to be a Christian.

I had to get out of that place. It was

dragging me down. I was introduced to alcohol as a

young person. I was introduced to vandalism as a young person.

I'm not proud of any of that. There's nothing glorious

about it. But when I came to Fletcher Academy and

my father, who was I discovered was alive, led me

to christ gave me the book Steps to Christ. I

started making good decisions. I still stumbled at times, But friends,

I'm a Christian today, growing imperfect though I be, because

I made good choices. I want my children to make

those good choices. They put Stephen on trial for being

a whitness for Jesus. Have you ever been on trial

for standing up for Jesus when you could give in?

I hope. So it takes grace. What are the three things? Grace, power,

and wisdom in the Holy Spirit to bear witness of

the truth that is Jesus. God called Abram out of

darkness from the false land called the land of light

er to bring Abraham into the light that is Jesus.

The Bible says he was looking for a city that

has foundations. Who's building maker is God. God is the

same thing in our lives. He takes us out of

a past that has to change, and he takes us

into a future that's His future for us. One Peter

two nine and ten. Let's read it here and you

can read it with me. Why don't you try that?

But you, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,

a holy nation, God's own people that you may declare

the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of

dark darkness into his marvelous light verse ten. But once

you were no people, but now you are God's people.

Once you had not received mercy, but now you have

received mercy. God calls us out of darkness so we

can become children of light. Jesus is the light of

the world. Jesus is God's mercy. Friends, when you are

forgiven by Christ and you have mercy, you have light

in your life. Your light is illumined by the mercy

of God. Matthew five, fourteen to eighteen. I'm gonna focus

on verse fourteen. Jesus says this, you are the light

of the world. A city set on a hill cannot

be hid. John three, nineteen to twenty one. Move forward

a little bit. Jesus said, and this is the judgment.

Let's read it together, that the light has come into

the world. Men love darkness rather than light. Why because

their deeds were evil. He goes on to say, and

I'll quote this, for everyone who does evil hates the light,

does not come to the light lest his deeds should

be exposed. But he who does what is true comes

to the light. That it may be clearly seen that

his deeds have been rocked in God. Look, transparency doesn't

hurt us as Christians. We can grow because of transparency.

If there are faults in our life, then we can

address those faults. It pays to have a mentor in

your life, someone who will help you along the way.

I had a mentor here reaching hearts for many years,

and I do still. But that mantor was John Butler.

I remember him sitting me down even saying, Pastor Mike,

you know, there's just a couple of flaws here I

want to help you with. And of course you always

you do this. You know your throat, you swallow hard.

But I knew that man loved me, and so I

listened to him and I grew friend. You may not

be a superstar the church. You may not be an

ultra talented person in the church or the world or

anywhere else. You may be a nobody at your school.

You may be considered a great a d student in

many people's eyes. Maybe you are. You may not be

the brightest candle in the house. That's the word. My wife.

You may not be the brightest candle in the closet.

She's any closet makes no sense. You may not be

the brightest candle in the house. Okay, so I wrote

it in You may not have all the money you

need or the money you want to have for the

needs of others. But there is one thing you can

do in your life as an ordinary person like me,

like many of us, or less than ordinary person, just

like Stephen. You can be a witness for Jesus with

three bold qualities in your life. Bold quality number one,

what is it? Grace? You can choose Holy Spirit grace

so as to be gracious and kind, to make a

difference in the lives of others. Bold quality number two,

what is it power? Can choose power, not your power,

God's power in Jesus name. To stand for truth, To

do the right thing, no matter the consequences. To have

courage when you could cave in. Bold quality number three?

What is it Wisdom? The wisdom of God. Christ is

the wisdom of God. And the Spirit is the spirit

of wisdom. Not because you're smart, not because you're wise,

but because Jesus is wise. The Holy Spirit lives in you,

and Christ in you is the wisdom of God, the

hope of eternity and friend and never forget this that

when you are a witness for Jesus, it's not about

you anymore. Say it again, it's not about me anymore.

Want to say it. It's not about me anymore. I

me and my is your worst enemy. It's about Jesus.

Now you are a witness for Jesus. Stephen was the

witness God's witness, and that's exactly what we need to

be today. When you are a witness for Jesus is

there's a change in your life. And they call that

change the new birth conversion. The Apostle Paul's life was

changed by the witness of Stephen. When you bear witness

with Jesus and you, other lives are changed. Here is

his confession, Acts twenty two twenty. And when the blood

of Stephen, thy witness was shed, I was standing by

approving and keeping the garments of those who killed him.

It converted the Apostle Paul through an intervention from Jesus.

And what did they see that day when they saw

the witness God's witness Stephen die, Acts six fifteen, Because

they stoned him to death, and gazing at him, all

who said and the council said, they saw that his

face was like the face of an angel. I'll end

with that, the face of an angel. Let's come up

and saying, may our faces be like the face of

an angel. Dear Father, give us grace, power and wisdom

to be witnesses for Jesus, whether we're a deacon or not.

And help us to live for you as Stephen lived

and died for you. Thank you that the first of

the seven was the first to sacrifice himself for you.

That being first means giving yourself for others and for God.

So Lord, maybe strive for this kind of first in

our church, not the other kind that's kind of ugly.

Give us kindness, give us Jesus, give us power, give

us understanding, wisdom. And Lord, bless every young person here

who's challenged, being at a college or high school or

with friends, to live for Jesus and not sacrifice just

because they have friends who need Jesus. Maybe they be

the delight in their community in Jesus' name. Amen,