Title: Let's Awaken the Eyes of Faith
Title: Let's Awaken the Eyes of Faith (Acts 7:55-60)
There is an example of this in the sermon to sail by faith
In 1952, a surprising event occurred in the history of American sports, when a man named Florence Cheduik challenged a woman to swim from Katrina Island to the California Beach and swam for 16 hours. I went up and it was just 500m ahead.
This woman tried again. In the end, I finished the race and swam to the destination and won.
Florence Cheduik said at a press conference: I was able to win when I saw the fog Oh! That's the goal! He says that he has won because he has hope.
What was the reason that Stephen was able to win here until he was martyred? It was because there was a hope in heaven.
We also hope that the precious work of victory in Jesus will come through today's text.
Why was Stephen able to win? Because you have eyes of faith. 55 When Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and looked up to see the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 he said, Behold, I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.
If you are filled with the Holy Spirit and your eyes of faith are opened, you will not give up and do not get frustrated no matter what kind of hardship or adversity comes.
Here, Stephen is boldly preaching the gospel because he was filled with the Holy Spirit and his eyes of faith were opened.
We too must have our eyes of faith open. We must open our eyes of faith and see the Lord standing at the right hand of God and proceed.
The Lord is at the right hand of the throne of God after He died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. Through these words, we must see that the Lord is at the right hand of the throne of God.
When these eyes are opened, the gates of heaven will open. God's hope for heaven overflows. When Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, his eyes of faith were opened and he saw that the Lord was at the right hand of the throne of God.
16 Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is here, and I did not know it. This stone that Jacob met with God and built an altar, 22 which I set up as a pillar, will be God's house. I will give it to God. Hallelujah!
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, your eyes of faith will be opened and you will see God.
Because Stephen had the eyes of faith, he was able to win even in the midst of great suffering.
Stephen is in great affliction. 57 They cried out and covered their ears, and ran up to him in unison. 58 They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses took off their clothes and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Great suffering comes to Stephen. stone it Even then, Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and his eyes of faith were opened, so he looked to the Lord who gave life and cried out.
59 And they stoned Stephen, and Stephen cried out, "Lord Jesus, receive my soul."
Even though Stephen was stoned, he opened his eyes of faith and cried out to the Lord, who gave life, to receive my soul.
Do you see the eyes of faith like this? It is said to receive a soul.
When Paul saw his eyes of faith, he was preaching in each region, and people from Antioch and Iconium thought that he was dead and stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city.
When your eyes of faith are opened like this, you will see the Lord and the kingdom of heaven. Let's open our eyes of faith and look to the Lord. Let's see heaven..
Because Stephen's eyes of faith were opened, he said, "Lord Jesus, receive my soul." 60 He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." After saying this, he went to sleep.
Will your eyes of faith be opened? It's possible.
Let me ask...
Is martyrdom difficult? Is it difficult to live by faith?
If we can open our eyes of faith and see God in heaven and the Lord at the right hand of God, both are possible. Open your eyes of faith and see the Lord seated at the right hand of the throne of God.