Living in the Light of Christ’s Resurrection

Acts 6:8-15

We all have our life-changing moments. When we realize something better. Some concern health. We’d been eating a certain way, and aren’t too healthy; and then we discover a new diet. It works and we’re benefiting. And we become evangelists. It could be an investment plan - you were saving this way, but now you’ve learned a better way. It could even be some life hack. It’s completely revolutionized your thinking and behavior. Your life has changed. You have a new countenance. It can be felt, seen, perceived. But others don’t always appreciate or understand it. They react with envy. “Wah, so slim now, ah?!” Or ridicule and anger. “Hngh! Who wants to be so skinny anyway?!” Folks, today, I speak not about health or finance, but about Christ and his resurrection. How has his resurrection revolutionized us? What’s our behavior in light of what he has done? Are we victorious over sin? Do we freely obey him? Do we experience an abundant life? Are we joyful and fruitful?

Jesus himself was affected by his resurrection. He knew he was going to die. But he also knew that he’d resurrect from the dead. That he’d be given power over sin and reign in heaven. That knowledge affected him. That’s why he was prepared to die. That’s why he lived a holy life. It was the reward of joy that fueled his life. That’s why his face shone at the Transfiguration. Yes, he was a man of sorrows, but Jesus was perfectly happy on earth. That’s why despite his great sorrow at Gethsemane, he endured the cross. Similarly, the apostles lived and died for Christ. His life and resurrection fueled their lives. Today, we see Stephen, one of the deacons of the early church. How did he live in light of Christ’s resurrection? We can glean three lessons from this passage. Firstly, the life of a righteous man is centered around Christ. Secondly, the message of the risen Christ angers self-righteous men. Thirdly, the peace an enlightened man possesses is found in the risen Christ.

Firstly, the life of a righteous man is centered around Christ. Stephen was one of the 7 original deacons. They were ordained to take over the administration of the church, especially to do the work of mercy. They were men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit, and wise. They got what it meant to be Christians. They were spiritually mature. They showed the love of Christ. And here, we see Stephen’s work. He demonstrated the character of Christ. Verse 8 says - “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.” Verse 3 says he was full of the Spirit and wisdom, verse 5 - he was full of faith. To be clear, all Christians must have faith. But Stephen was full of faith. His faith was strong. Jesus once scolded his disciples for having little faith. He told them - ye of little faith. He said if only they had faith like a mustard seed, they could move mountains. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds around. So their faith was less than a mustard seed. On the contrary, as we see here, Stephen was full of faith. And that must be our goal. Ephesians 4 reminds us that every Christian is to grow in faith and in the knowledge of Christ, till we are mature, reaching the full standard of Christ. And here, Stephen had that kind of faith - like Jesus. And he demonstrated it by his works of mercy.

The Bible tells us in James that faith without works is dead. You might say you have faith, but if it doesn't show in your works, what good is the faith that you say you have? Stephen was full of faith and power, verse 8. He put his life on the line, and he did great wonders and miracles among the people. As a deacon, we can rightly guess what he did. His ministry brought him to the needy, disabled, sick, and possessed. God gave him power to heal. Christ and his apostles also had these gifts, but now especially, this work fell on the deacons. And they were given power. We’re no longer in apostolic times. I’m sure our deacons wish they had those gifts. But as with Stephen, they are demonstrating their faith by showing mercy to help the sick and needy. So as a deacon, he sought out the sick. And his ministry took him to the synagogue. Verse 9 - “Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.” Why the synagogue? It was the natural place to go after the temple. That’s where sick and poor went for help. Jesus himself healed many times in the synagogue. Matthew 9:35 says, “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” He healed a demon possessed man in a synagogue, a man with a shriveled hand, and a woman hunched over for 18 years. All in synagogues. So Deacon Stephen, full of faith, mercy, and power, demonstrating Christ’s character, also went to the place where he could minister Christ. Folks, the church’s duty is to do good to all, but especially to the household of faith. And having done his duty to the church, Stephen now ministered to others outside the church.

But he didn’t only heal. He preached Christ. And he was arrested for it, verse 12. No one hates people who do good, but once you push Christ, all the good you do is not worth much to them. He delivered the message of the risen Christ, not just demonstrating mercy. We know this because those in the synagogue debated with him. It was a synagogue of the libertines - or freemen. These were former Jewish slaves who returned to Israel. They came from Cyrene - or Libya today; Alexandria - or north Egypt; and Cilicia - southern Turkey - whose capital was Tarsus. This was a Greek-speaking synagogue and it was likely Stephen’s synagogue before he became a Christian. Remember Stephanos is a Greek name.

But how did they react to their old friend’s new way of life and thinking? What did they think about his new life hack? His new life insurance? His new life? Verse 9 shows they hated it. They disputed with him. They argued with his message, they could see his healing, but not his healing in the name of Jesus. And the sense we get from the original tense is that they debated continually. It wasn’t a once off debate, but a frequent debate. And their discussion became progressively heated. And we know that one especially didn’t like his message. Saul of Tarsus of Cilicia. We can know with almost absolute certainty that he was there. But despite the presence of Saul - a Pharisee of Pharisees, a student of Gamaliel - they still couldn’t outdebate him. Verse 10 - “And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” He stood his ground. He countered every argument and objection. The reason why Stephen was powerful was because he spoke by the wisdom of the Spirit, whom the risen Christ sent.

Christ said in Luke 12:11-12 - “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.” Dearly beloved, we’re not alone. Christ has also sent his Spirit to empower us. We’re empowered to demonstrate the character and deliver the message of the risen Christ.

We see secondly, the message of the risen Christ angers self-righteous men. Yes, the gospel leads to salvation - like at Pentecost. But it also leads to hatred - like with the Sanhedrin. Sometimes people praise God because of our good works - like the healing of the lame man. But our good works can also lead to hatred. Jesus healed on the Sabbath but they hated him for it. And we see this here. The men didn’t like Stephen’s message. They couldn’t counter what he said. And they got angry. And despite his good works, they charged him with conspiracy. Despite all he did, his message angered them, that they wanted to destroy him. But why were they angry? It’s because their righteousness was challenged. Now, we can know what Stephen preached from the accusations they brought against him. In verse 14, they accused him of blasphemy - he said Jesus would destroy the temple and he said that Moses’ law would be changed. Essentially, it was the same charge given 3 different ways. Verse 11 - he spoke against Moses and God. Verse 13 - he spoke against the temple and the law. Verse 14 - he said Jesus will destroy the temple and the law.

This is what Jesus himself preached. Jesus said - destroy this temple and I will build it again, referring to his body. I’ll raise it in 3 days. I will resurrect even though I’m dead. Jesus also said - I come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, so you don’t have to keep it. So Jesus and Stephen were preaching the same things. They taught that the temple and the law - the two most important Jewish institutions - would be done away with and fulfilled in Christ. Jesus is our temple and sacrifice; he keeps the law for us. We don’t need to go to the temple to offer sacrifices, Jesus is our sacrifice. We do not need to keep the law to be righteous, Jesus has kept the law for us. He’s our righteousness. You see, Jesus and Stephen were not saying that the temple and the law were bad, they were saying that Jesus was better.

So in a sense, the charges were not completely false. But instead of focusing on the meaning, they focused on just the words. They refused to see how Christ offered them a way out of their meticulous keeping of the law - washing themselves, sprinkling themselves, tithing, not walking so many steps on the Sabbath. They refused to see how his sacrifice put an end to their endless temple sacrifices. And they refused to see that Christ resurrected to give them victory over the power of sin. They were angry because they liked their religiosity. What marked them out from other men was the things they did. These things made them self-righteous. These were their idols. They refused to accept Christ’s payment for sins because they wouldn’t admit they were sinners. The Pharisees found righteousness from keeping the law. They tithed their mint and cumin; washed themselves and despised others for not following their laws. So if these ceremonial laws were done away with, they’d lose their edge over others. They couldn’t despise others because they were exactly the same. Also, the temple gave the priests their power. They got their money, their living, their power from their position. If the temple was no longer important, they were no longer important. They’d have to rely on Christ and his righteousness like everyone else. That’s why they hated the preaching of the risen Christ and the power of his resurrection.

And ironically, their actions showed how truly unrighteous they were. They drummed up false charges when their arguments failed. So they attacked the person with slander. Verse 11 - “Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.” They suborned - they bribed men to say that Stephen blasphemed Moses and God. They also provoked the public. Verse 12 - “And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council.” And that’s common. When you’re upset with someone, speak evil to get people to join your side. This was clever of them. The believers had been finding favor with God and men, but if they could get enough people against Stephen, perhaps the whole movement would collapse. And they also tampered with the courts. Verse 13 - “And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law.” It’s one thing to lie in private, it’s another to lie in public and under oath. But when a person’s self-righteousness is attacked, this is what he can do.

So what happened? Stephen was hauled up to court, verse 12. But when the charges were brought, Stephen showed a remarkable peace and boldness. We see that he demonstrated the peace that only an enlightened man possess in the risen Christ. That’s the third lesson. After the false witnesses came forth, Stephen reacted with peace. Verse 15 - “And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.” This was his reaction in the face of 71 people looking steadfastly at him. There was peace in the face of death. His face was like the face of an angel. Now to be clear, it doesn’t mean he looked angelic. What’s an angel’s face like? Matthew 28:2-3 - “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance (or face) was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.” The disciples were frantic when they came to the tomb. But the angel was confident and at peace. This was Stephen’s face. His face reflected the perfect peace and confidence of one who knew and trusted God. And this was in the face of impending death. Stephen knew what was going to happen. As a deacon, he’s full of the Spirit, full of faith; he’s performed merciful signs and wonders. He’s like Jesus - who was full of faith, full of the Spirit, and went around performing acts of mercy. And they brought false witnesses against Jesus, and stirred hatred for him, and appeared before the ruling council. Stephen was now experiencing this. It doesn’t take a genius to know what would happen next. But yet, his face was like an angel’s.

Stephen also had confidence and peace because he knew Christ. Why would he seek out the poor to help them? Why would he spend so many hours living and preaching the gospel? Why were his arguments so clear with wisdom? It’s because of what he knew. He had his lightbulb moment. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, having spent time with God, his face and clothes were shining. He had the face of an angel. And this was because of what he knew. He had received the law - God’s people can be holy. He also received the plans for the Tabernacle - God’s people’s sin can be forgiven. It was a glorious moment. When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, communing with Elijah and Moses, his face also shone. He knew. The Old Covenant was passing away. There would be something better. The law would be fulfilled, salvation could be granted. Jesus would institute a better way. So Stephen was not against the temple or the law, he sees Christ’s fulfillment of it. It’s far better. We know what’s going to happen with Stephen - so did he. He would die. He would preach boldly just before he was killed. But his face was like an angel’s face. He lived in the light of Christ’s resurrection. It affected his life, his actions in life, the words that he spoke.

How can we apply this message? Are you living your life fueled by Christ’s resurrection? Which ones of you have faces like angels? Yes, we may not be officers - or do the work of officers - but the gospel affects life and speech. Seriously, how are we giving of our lives and gifts to serve others? Jesus served others. How are we serving others? Are we experiencing forgiveness of sins, the victory of Christ over sin, his love for us - that our lives are consumed by it? When Moses came down from Sinai, his face was shining because he saw something wonderful - a holy people that would live for God and be a witness to those around them. But the people took what was given, and it made them proud - it made them despise the people around them. They settled into a religiosity that made them feel good. They took what was good and corrupted it into something bad. In the same way, we often take what has been given to us - our salvation - and our freedom in Christ, and we corrupt it into something unrecognizable. We become proud or satisfied with our church attendance and our formal service. But perhaps we are more like the angry men of the synagogue. Righteous on the outside, but not pursuing true righteousness inwardly.

(I keep God’s laws more faithfully than you, I give more to the church than you, my kids are better behaved than yours. Our righteousness also comes from our service - we are doing well because we are serving God, and we give better service to God than you, my sacrifice is more sacrificial than yours - God, look how much more I pray!)

While we will always struggle with besetting sins, we should live in the victory that Christ has given. But that can only be possible if we abide with Christ. When Aaron as the High Priest raised his hands to give God’s benediction to the people, he was to pronounce that God’s face would shine upon them, that God would look on us with favor and give us peace. Dearly beloved, do you have that peace and confidence today?

1. The Life of a Righteous Man Is Centered Around Christ

A. He demonstrated the character of Christ

B. He delivered the message of Christ

2. The Actions of Self-Righteous Men Are Centered Around Self

A. Their anger when their righteousness was challenged

B. The actions that proved their unrighteousness

3. The Peace an Enlightened Man Possesses in the Risen Christ

A. The peace he possessed in the face of death

B. The peace he possessed because he knew Christ