Bible Text: Acts 6:8-15 | Preacher: Pastor Steve | Series: The Solid Acts of God
Acts 6:8-15 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.
They also set up false witnesses who said, This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us. And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
Acts 7:1 Then the high priest said, Are these things so?
The Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak!
Matthew 10:16-20 Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! …When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say in your defense, because you will be given the right words at the right time. For it won’t be you doing the talking — it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Our life in Jesus is transformational from the inside out
2 Corinthians 5:17 Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
 
Christians are made brand-new on the inside
The evidences of a spirit-filled life are that we are full of and led by:
the Holy Spirit
wisdom
faith
grace
spiritual power (Dunamis)
Wisdom
The Fear of the Lord is an immense and crucial theological concept in the Bible and the Fear of the Lord is the beginning, or foundation, of wisdom (applied knowledge)
Wisdom is the ability to see things as God sees them!
Proverbs 9:10-12 Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
The fear of the Lord demands our:
Respect
Awe
Desire to please
Trepidation of judgment
Respect
Exodus 3:5 Do not come any closer, God told him. Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.
Awe
1 Corinthians 10:31 …whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God.
Desire to Please
1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God
Trepidation of Judgment
Romans 2:5-6 But no, you won’t listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin. For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, will judge all people according to what they have done.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 There is not a single person in all the earth who is always good and never sins.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
BUT God loves us!
God’s love forgives and pursues
Luke 15:7 Heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
God’s love is beyond measure
Romans 8:38-39 …Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God…
God’s love is eternal and sacrificial
John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.