Title Acts 06:8-15 Angel's face
Contents
Angel's face (Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60)
Our face is the message
Let's become a person who refines the inside in order to imitate the person of Jesus
As President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said, "A man over 40 must learn to take responsibility for his face." Lincoln believed that the thoughts he had in his heart were reflected on his face as the years passed. If you have selfish thoughts, carnal thoughts, or thoughts full of greed, your face will become ugly, and if you think about faith, hope, and love, your face will appear beautiful and bright. “No one has ever seen an angel. But you can see a face as beautiful as an angel’s.” In today's text, a man who illuminated the world with the face of an angel appears. He is one of the seven deacons of the early church and the first martyr, deacon Stephen. In particular, Stephen is remembered as a pronoun with an angelic face. What made Stephen's face shine like an angel? Today we would like to share that grace.
First, Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Second, it was full of grace, power, and joy.
The reason Noah was able to carry out the mission of the ark in a generation where sin was rampant was because he received God's grace. Because Stephen received the grace of God, he was able to carry out various ministries. Also, when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we receive power and perform signs and wonders. “Rejoice always in the will of God” (1 Thessalonians 5:16), but Stephen was also full of joy.
Third, we were filled with the Word and prayer.
Stephen was well versed in the law of Moses (Acts 7:2). He discovered the hidden will of God revealed in the law through Jesus Christ, and he firmly believed. If you continue to eat the Word of God, your face will change. When your heart is filled with the Word, your face is beautiful. A certain wife had a refined and personal appearance compared to others. So one asked. “How does your sister have such a beautiful charm?” Then the woman answered. “I have a different makeup style. Always put the truth on my lips, my voice is trimmed with kindness, my eyes are made up with care, my hands are beautiful with service, my heart is filled with the Lord's heart, my nose is breathing the fragrance of heaven My beauty food is the word of God.” Those who continue to eat the Word of God will have a beautiful appearance.
Stephen is a man of prayer. He prays for those who persecute him even in the desperate situation ahead of martyrdom. He never gave up on prayer until the very end.
Fourth, he was full of hope and gave his soul to God.
When Stephen was stoned, he did not look at the people, but lifted his eyes and looked at the sky. Then the gates of heaven opened and I saw the Lord standing at the right hand of the throne. In that moment, he forgot all the pain in the world. What people see and hear is important. We must look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The face of the saints should be a reflector of the face of the Lord. Those who entrust their souls to God enjoy rest. Those who entrust their lives to God every day enjoy rest, and that peace is evident on their faces.
conclusion
Stephen showed us that even in the worst circumstances, you can have an angelic face. His face was the best of evangelism. In the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that we too, like Stephen, become people of the Holy Spirit who nurture and refine the inside in order to become the face of a beautiful angel who can influence others.
Sermon notes
The face is the reflection of the mind. Traces of time are etched on the face. What kind of life you have lived is revealed on your face. Stephen lived a life filled with the Holy Spirit so that his face could shine like an angel. Like Stephen, who touched many people with a beautiful face even in moments of suffering, we should strive to become a person and face like Jesus