Shortly after becoming a Christian, I realized that I needed to get down to some serious Bible reading. And one of the things that was a great help to me as a young Christian was taking the lives of Bible characters, studying these characters, being very much aware of their weaknesses, and try to avoid them, but also aware of their strengths and trying to emulate them. And I must admit, I had great blessing through doing this. And from time to time, I still do it. And I want to do it this morning through the life of Stephen. It's amazing that only two chapters cover the life of Stephen. But how those two chapters are so important in that they bring to us the secrets of this great man of God. And as we study his life, there are many lessons that we can learn that I hope will help us to grow in our own Christian faith. Before we do look directly at Stephen, it's so important to get a little bit of the background. There are four things that I want us to know, three things, sorry, that I want us to note about the early chapters leading up to Stephen. And the first is this. that at those early years of the faith, there was unity among the believers. Following Peter's powerful address in Acts 2, we read in verse 44, all that believed were together and had all things in common. In verse 42 we see how that unity was shown. They were united in the apostles' teaching. The essentials to the faith, the important doctrinal points, they were agreeing upon. There was no dissension. Secondly, they were united in fellowship. What a wonderful thing is in a fellowship if we can all be united in Christ. And what a tragedy it is when schisms and when cracks and when divisions occur. And sometimes I find there's more divisions in churches than in the football league. And it's a tragedy to me that that is so. And it ought not to be so. They were united as they broke bread together. You see, that was the key to the center of their faith. Because the breaking of bread reminded them of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The suffering that he went through. But then it culminated in his glorious resurrection. and they were united in prayer. We've lost that. You know, the prayer meeting should be the most attended meeting of the church. But sadly, I think in every church I go to, it's the weakest. We should be joined together in prayer. Prayer is vital. When we turn to Acts 4.32, we read that the number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. You see, Paul says in Ephesians 4.3 that we should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. Unity does not come naturally. You have to work at it. You have to strive at it. We're all so different. We come from different backgrounds. We have our likes and dislikes. We're all so different. So we have to work at unity. We have to strive, as Paul puts it, to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Don't let anything divide a fellowship. But the second thing is, there was growth, but with persecution. Acts 5.14 says that believers were increasingly added to the Lord, both men and women. But by verse 18, we read, they laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison. In chapter 6, verse 1, we read, when the number of disciples was multiplying, there also arose a murmuring. Acts 6, 7 we read, the word of God spread, the number of disciples multiplied greatly. But then from chapter 6, verse 11, Stephen is accused of blasphemy. In Acts 8.1, at the time of Stephen's death, a great persecution rose against the church. Look, things haven't changed. If you get hold of information from open doors of Barnabas Fund, you soon see what's happening in the world today. My heart goes out to believers in China, in North Korea, in Afghanistan, in parts of Asia, in parts of North and West Africa. where persecution is the norm. And for Christians, persecution is the norm. We in the UK are not living in the norm. I look at Britain over my lifetime, and I have to say this, friends, that over the past 75 years, we have been untroubled. It's probably only in the last few years that we're beginning to see things coming to the church that are causing us great concern. But normally, we've been untroubled. But then I look at growth, and I look at statistics, and there's very little growth. In fact, it's going the opposite way. church attendances declining, evening services closed, churches being closed. I sometimes think, Lord, if we are to have growth, would we be willing to welcome persecution? But there was growth, and there was persecution. I looked at the country of Iran, and over the past year, growth has increased by nearly two million believers. And there are many places throughout the world where that picture is just the same. So we have unity among the believers. We have growth, but persecution. But there's one other point. We have saints in wrong places. As we turn to chapter 6, there seems to be either a shortage of manpower, some were not pulling their weight, or there's a lack of delegation. Whatever the reason, the apostles were so involved in serving tables, distributing funds, caring for widows, that the preaching and prayer were being neglected. something had to be done. And it was agreed that they would select a number of men who were to be deacons, a number of men who could take over the responsibility of caring for the sick, of caring for widows, providing for the needs of people, while the apostles could get on with the work that they'd been called to do, preaching and praying. Seven men were chosen and one of these was Stephen. So let's get to Stephen now. What were the things that stand out in this godly man? Number one, I'm going to just give you some quick points you can think about later. Verse five tells us he was a man of faith. Faith is a gift from God. You cannot create faith within yourself. It's a God-given gift. And in 2 Peter, the apostle counts faith as something that is precious. Every Christian has been given faith to believe. Before we were introduced to Jesus Christ, we were blind, we were deaf, we were dumb, and we were dead. And it's only Almighty God that can give us life. But when that life and that faith has been received, it needs to develop and to mature. Little Jane was about four years of age. Little Jane had been kept in a kind of cot with rails round, but now she had grown up and her parents had decorated a new bedroom for her and she had her own single bed And little Jane was so excited that now she was in her own little space. So the first night, mom and dad took Jane to bed. They had prayers and the Bible reading with her. Then they kind of tucked her in and they went downstairs. Within half an hour, what's happened? Dad ran upstairs and found Jane on the floor. He picked Jane up and he sat her on the bed, said, come on, love, you've fallen out, let me tuck you in again. And he tucked her in, went downstairs. In about another half an hour or so, Dad ran upstairs Jane, what's the matter? Why do you keep falling out of bed? She looked at Dad and said, well Dad, I guess it's because I stay too near where I get in. Friends, I think that's true of many Christians. I come across many Christians who will come to me share their experience now and they've either backslidden, they've either failed to grow, and when I talk to them, the answer is very straightforward. They are Christians, but they're staying too near where they got in. They're not growing. And my friends, It's one thing to say we're Christian, but it's another thing to say we're on the move. We're not stagnant like a river that's not flowing. We are flowing, we are growing, we are moving closer to God. And I'll say to this, friends, if you're a believer today, make sure you're not stagnant and falling out of bed. but make sure that you're growing in your faith and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Stephen's faith was strong, it was unwavering, even though he was facing intense examination and persecution, he was a man who was unmovable. And I said when I read that, Lord, give me a faith like that. So as a man of faith, Secondly, he was a man full of God's grace. We have that in verse 8. Because throughout the life of Stephen, grace was always evident. Now look, there's much confusion between three words, love, mercy, and grace. And I've heard people say, well, they're all the same thing. They're not the same thing. If there was the same thing, there wouldn't be three words. Love. God shows his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We who are believers should show love towards one another. But most important, we should show love to God. So, love comes downwards. It goes outwards. It goes upwards. Mercy. God has shown mercy to us. Depth of mercy, can there be? Mercy still reserved for me. We can show mercy to others who are in great trials and tribulations. Can we show mercy to God? I think not. Grace. Look, Newton said that grace comes in one direction. Downwards. Grace after grace after grace. Abundant grace. Overflowing grace. It's all from heaven. God's grace is unmerited, it's undeserved, it's unearned. We have done nothing to achieve God's grace. In fact, to the contrary, we did everything to reject it. That's why Newton called it amazing grace. He didn't call it amazing love or amazing mercy, but he called it amazing grace. Love goes three ways, mercy goes two ways, but grace goes one way, and that's downwards. And we're here this morning because of God's grace. Stephen was overflowing with it. Third thing, he was a man full of wisdom. We have the word wisdom in verse 3 and we have it in verse 10. You know many people have their heads full of knowledge. Our universities are full of people with knowledge. I'm amazed at the knowledge that 20 and 21 year olds have. But I'm also amazed that last year, earlier this year, a man of 92 took his maths A level and passed. Knowledge is just abundant. Look, I tell young people, go for knowledge. Get as much knowledge as you can. But not at the expense of wisdom. Friends, our Parliament, our judiciary are full of intelligent and learned people that have been to the top schools in the country. But sometimes I ask when I see the laws that are being passed and the judgments that are being made, where is wisdom? There's a vast difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge comes from study. wisdom comes from God. Proverbs 4.4, get wisdom. Proverbs 4.6, do not forsake wisdom. Proverbs 4.7, wisdom is supreme. True wisdom is a gift from God and Stephen had it. Fourthly, He was a man full of the Holy Spirit. I'm just giving you the verses. Chapter 6, verse 3. Chapter 6, verse 10. Chapter 7, verse 55. We receive faith to believe. Grace is given to us. But so is the gift of the Holy Spirit. As I said earlier, when we become Christians, our faith is to mature and grow strong. We're to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to be continually filled with his presence and power. You know, one thing we forget is that when we become Christians, the Holy Spirit lives within us. You have God living with you, within you. And you know, I think that's a warning of be careful where you go, be careful what you do, be careful what you see. The Holy Spirit is within us, but my question is, does he control us? As we mature and grow spiritually, the Holy Spirit must control our temper, our jealousy, our motives, our wealth, our thoughts, and our speech. Our aim should be that the Holy Spirit take control of every area of our life, transforming us into the image of God's Son. Let me turn to a fifth. He was a man who knew the Scriptures. As chapter six concludes, Stephen is seized and brought before the council of the Sanhedrin. Verse 13, false witnesses were set up. They intentionally misinterpreted his words. Accusations were flying around the council. For I love the last words of chapter six. And all that sat in the council looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. In the next 53 verses, Paul, as Stephen is giving his defense, and he takes them on a journey through the scriptures, sometimes quoting from the prophets whenever it was needed. He had no notes, but he had the Lord's presence as his help and inspiration. And I just leave two questions with you because there were two questions that came to me when I was preparing this. Number one, how familiar are we with the scriptures? How familiar are we? And two, How much time do we spend reading and studying the Word of God? Do we give Him the best of the day or the drag ends of the day? I'll leave those questions with you. Sixth, He was a man full of forgiveness. Chapter 7 verse 60 is A picture here, he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. Are those words familiar? Of course they are. He was following the example of our Lord on the cross. Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. You know, when you consider the attributes of Stephen, you think to yourself, wow, we could call him to be our pastor. Wow, we could call him to be a great missionary. Oh, we could call him to be one of the leading teachers. Yeah? But no. Stephen was called to serve tables to distribute food to the poor, to care for widows. Do you know when I was considering this aspect of Stephen, I had to ask, have we got it wrong? Are our expectations and standards too low? If a guy has gifts, yeah, bring him into the pastorate. Doesn't matter what else. Not even if he's been called, just get him in. With this man's godly life, no wonder there was persecution. Because people like Stephen, were a real threat to Satan's kingdom. And I asked another question. Am I a real threat to Satan's kingdom? Am I causing him disturbance? I leave that with you. Are we? But I want to just mention one final one. and this one leads me into what I want to say tonight. He was a man full of heaven. Chapter 6 verse 15, chapter 6 verse, sorry, chapter 7 verse 56 and 59. Scripture teaches and experience confirms the fact of death for all people. One day we're going to die. That's not being miserable or morbid, that's just being factual. It comes to kings and commoners alike, it comes to saints and sinners alike. Stephen was a man filled with the Holy Spirit of God, gifted with administrative abilities as well as the power to proclaim the truth courageously. But even Stephen was not spared from suffering the insults of lying accusers and suffered the death of a martyr. Christians die as well as non-Christians. The difference is the way we react to it. It's not the fact that we die, but how we die. Stephen shows us how to do it. He was faithful to the last, always serving the Lord. He departed without resentment. praying for the forgiveness of his enemies. He committed himself into the safe and secure hands of the Lord, knowing that beyond the grave, there would be glory in his presence. So what about us? Paul said, I have a desire to depart and be with Christ. But we live on earth, but our thoughts, our desires and longings should be towards heaven. You know, we rarely talk about heaven, do we, in our conversation? I cannot ever remember a full sermon on the subject of heaven. And I ask myself, I wonder why? Why do we not talk about heaven? Why do we not preach about heaven? Are we too comfortable down here? Are we reluctant to leave our possessions and valuables? But remember this, our journey to heaven will be a one-way ticket. No returns are available. I'll tell you this, when you arrive in heaven and see the good things that God has laid up for you, you won't want to return. I thank God this morning for the life and example of Stephen. And when we come to the end of our earthly journey, then one day we will. Just let's follow the example of verse 59. He called out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell asleep. Take this comfort home with you this morning, my friends. Precious in the sight of the Lord are the death of his saints. If you are the Lord's, when you die, you are precious in his sight. Just bear that in mind. Father, we thank you for the many examples that we can find in the scriptures regarding men of God and women of God who knew where they were going, who knew that this earthly journey was momentary, but where they were going was eternal. And I thank you, Lord, for the life of Stephen. What a godly man he was. What a privilege it would be to be able to be in his service and to serve him and to work with him. Yet Lord, there is one greater than Stephen. What a privilege it is to be in his service and to work for him. Lord, we just pray that as we begin to think of heaven tonight, we will just long to be there. hear our prayer for Jesus' sake. Amen. We're going to sing again, and that is number 607. 607. This is a beautiful hymn. May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me from day to day by his love and power controlling all I do and say. Stephen could have written that. But may I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward go. Stephen did that. May his beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win. And may they forget the channel, seeing only him. 607. Where'er I go, Christ my Saviour will lead me from day to day. I lift up a cup of joy with all I do and say, And so I'll always say I triumph only through His power. May the peace of God, my Father, rule my life in every way, that I may become to comfort, sin, and sorrow free. May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea, giving soul to self-abasing, this is victory. the race before him, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I often go. May his beauty rest upon me, Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, one of us this day and until Jesus comes again or calls us to be with himself and then forevermore. Amen.