Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A little later in the program, we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's book, Diamonds in the Dark. But first, here's the message. when hope turns to sight.
Take your Bibles, turn to Acts chapter seven. In fact, the story that we have before us. included in both chapter six and seven. of the book of Acts. The word Stephen, the name Stephen, means...
Crown. Stephanos Crown. And Stephen wore the crown of the victor, of Christ himself. Even in death. Revelation chapter 2, verse 10 says, When we are faithful unto death, we will be given.
The crown of life. And so, in the story of Stephen, this amazing man. We see the godly influence that we can all bring to bear on our world and ultimately. Our love for Christ that takes us all the way into His presence. Stephen was the first Christian martyr.
The first one. To give his life, to die for faith in Jesus Christ. Many others would follow. Including the apostles and the fathers of the church early on and through the centuries. And to this very day, there are men and women.
who are laying down their lives for the gospel, who are taking up the cross and Following Jesus all the way, even if it means death. Stephen was a godly deacon. He was not an apostle. He was not a member of the apostle band, the disciples who were with Jesus. He was not a preacher or a pastor teacher.
He was a godly, devoted deacon. a layperson. Who served the Lord and took the assignment that God had given him and did it well, and then God gave him more and more opportunities to share the faith. We're told that Stephen was a man full of the Spirit. He was full of faith.
He was full of wisdom. He had a good reputation. He was a mighty man. But in saying all of that, Stephen was a very ordinary man. He was not a spiritual hero at the outset.
Instead, he was, as I said, serving the Lord behind the scenes. He was ministering with mercy to people who needed his help. But What set Stephen apart was He has courage. and his character. He lived a short life.
He was a relatively young man when he died. stoned to death. But He leaves a long, long legacy. We're still talking about him. Today.
Acts 7, beginning in verse 54.
Now, when they heard these things, they were enraged. What things? Peter, or Stephen, rather, had preached a powerful and persuasive message regarding. Christ. And so they were enraged when they heard these things, and they ground their teeth at him.
But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God. Don't gaze at your problems. Glance at your problems. Gaze at the Lord. And he looked up into heaven and he saw the glory of God and.
Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, Behold, I see the heavens open. And the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him.
And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man. Name Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, Lord Jesus. Receive My spirit. And he cried out with a loud voice, falling to his knees, Lord, do not hold this sin against them.
And when he had said this, He fell. Asleep. There are three chapters in this story, in this message, that I want to mention to you. The first one in this profile of courage and faith and faithfulness. is what I'm going to simply call the chapter on character.
Because this man was a man who was filled with integrity. Filled with the spirit, filled with faith, filled with wisdom. And this comprised his character.
Now character is the sum total of the choices that we make in life. And so when Stephen chose to follow Christ, he was not a part of the original group. The 120 in the first chapter of Acts. He most likely was someone who came to faith on the day of Pentecost and was baptized and became a part of the church. He spoke Greek, and that's his name, it is a Greek name, Stephanos or Stephen.
And so he is a part of this family of God now, and he is chosen because he is a man of good reputation. Acts chapter 6 tells us that these deacons, these godly men, were selected and set apart. And He was one of these men and it appears to be the leader. The servant leader among these deacons. It's interesting to me that his character shows up on his countenance.
And Acts chapter 6 and verse 15, there's a remarkable verse of scripture there which tells us as he is speaking that his face is shining like an angel. They said, This man's face is the face of an angel, old angel face, Stephen, or young angel face, as it were.
Now, I don't know exactly what the face of an angel looks like. But angels are in the scriptures brilliant and beautiful. wonderful and glorious. They reflect resplendently the glory of God because they are in His presence, worshiping Him day and night. And so when God sends out his messengers, the angels, they go shining.
like the Lord himself, reflecting his Lord.
So they are radiant. They are beautiful.
So, when it says Stephen was shining like an angel, I believe it speaks of the beauty of holiness in his life. There was something supernatural about this man. His very presence radiated the Lord, and there was the character of joy and peace and the greatness of his life and the godliness of his spirit. This is what was shining. Everything that was on the inside was showing up.
on the outside. You know, if you are a follower of Jesus, if you say Christ is in you, then you should notify your face, right? You are a reflection of what you say you believe. And your face, listen to me, your face is a reflection of God's grace in your life. It is a mirror of the soul.
And so your faith should demonstrate. The joy of the Lord and the character of Christ who is in you. The secret of life is grace, and that grace shows up on your face. And so let's just say that. Stephen is brilliantly and beautifully shining for Christ, and his witness was winsome and compelling and inviting, as should ours be as well.
You can lose your health. You can lose your wealth. You can lose your strength. You can lose your beauty. You can lose even your mind.
But we must not lose. Our character. You can keep your character. Character never depreciates over. Climb.
In fact, the Apostle Paul said the inner person is being renewed every day, that we are strengthened day after day.
So, nothing takes longer in your life to build than your character, resulting in your reputation. But let me also remind you that nothing could be destroyed quicker than your character by a single stroke of sin.
So, we must always be on guard. to maintain our character and our integrity. And you say, how do you live like this? How do you develop this kind of character? He was full of the Spirit.
In fact, three times in these passages, we're told that Stephen was full of the Spirit. Full of the Spirit. Full of the Spirit. And to be full of the Spirit means that we live in the fullness and the freshness of the blessing of God. That we live in the abundance of Christ who lives in us.
The scripture commands us in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which means to be controlled by the Spirit. We are to be continually, conspicuously controlled by the Spirit of God who lives in us. Christ in us. Is the secret to life, living life with character. It's the fruit of the Spirit.
Which is recorded in Galatians 5:22 and 23, for the fruit of the Spirit. Is love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and gentleness and self-control and faithfulness. This is the fruit of the Spirit, which is really representative of the character of Christ in us. You look at the fruit of the Spirit there, love, joy, peace, patience, and all the rest, that's a portrait of Christ. Christ in us produces these great virtues, these great qualities, which represents the character of Jesus who lives in us.
So we're not talking about human behavior modification or just doing the best we can to live a good life. We're talking about allowing the Spirit of God to control us and therefore fill us with His love and all the rest that He gives. There's a contrast here in that the crowd that heard Stephen preach this message about. about Christ and it was a convicting and compelling message. They were ultimately filled with rage.
They were grinding their teeth and Putting their hands up to their ears to stop the noise. They were resisting the Holy Spirit. They were enraged. They were filled with rage and anger. And contrast that Rather than being obsessed and possessed by anger, Stephen.
who is possessed of the spirit. Who prays and loves and forgives and preaches and stands and all the rest because of his character. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message when hope turns to sight. If you're walking through a tough season, Diamonds in the Dark is a message you need to hear. In this honest and hope-filled book, Dr.
Graham shows you how God uses grief. Loss and hardship to reveal spiritual treasures you'd never discover otherwise. We want to send you Diamonds in the Dark as a thanks for your gift of $10 or more. Call now to request your copy? Call 1-800-795-4627.
That's 1-800-795-4627. Or text the word Diamond to 59789. Don't let stress rob you of peace. It is possible to break the destructive grip of stress on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God desires for you. That's what Dr.
Graham helps you do in his booklet, Breaking Free from Stress. We'll send you a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress when you sign up for email updates from PowerPoint today. Just go to PowerPoint.org slash stress and sign up today.
Now let's get back to today's message. when hope turns to side. That brings us to the next chapter, which is Courage. Courage. The courage of Stephen.
He is called upon to bring a message. He is accused of being one of the Christ's followers. And so rather than running, Uh and hiding, he stood and Before the council of Israel, before the religious leaders who were already angry, he brought a powerful message. And It's obvious when you read this message, and it's recorded for us there in the scriptures, that he was saturated with God's word. He stands to speak, and he courageously stands up and speaks up.
as his faith is under attack. And this message is so compelling. In fact, we're told in the scriptures that they couldn't resist it. They couldn't debate. What he was saying.
He boldly proclaimed The message of the gospel and announce Jesus as. The Messiah. And so he preached the whole message, and it wasn't necessarily complimentary all the way. In fact, Look what he said in verse 51. You stiff-necked people.
Uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous one. That's Jesus.
They killed John the Baptist. And then watch this, whom you have now betrayed and murdered. You murdered Jesus. You who received the law is delivered by angels and did not keep it. What's happening here?
He is confronting this religious crowd with their sin. See, the problem with so many people is their pride, and they don't see their own sin. They think they're too good. to go to hell. But he looks right at them and says, You have broken the law that you have been given.
And you proved it. By murdering Jesus. When he said, You murdered Jesus, what's the message? Certainly the message of the cross is that God loves you. You can be forgiven of all your sins.
There is not one sin. Past, present, or future. All your sins can be forgiven because of the blood of Jesus Christ. He died for you. That's God's love.
And the cross is a symbol. of that love. The cross is also confrontive of our sins. The cross reminds us of our sins. The cross is because of our sins.
Our sins, every vile thought, every evil deed. Every sinful attitude. Your sin and mine was nailed. to the cross with Jesus. And so, when you look at a cross, this is why the message of the cross is infuriating to some people, it is offensive to some.
Because at the cross, you come face to face with your own inability to save yourself. You see that sin brings death, that sin murdered Jesus. And so Stephen. went all the way with the message. Knowing that it's the bad news that makes the good news so good.
That we could have a new life. in Christ. And it is that cross and the resurrection. That is the message. Of the Christian faith, and you say, Where's the resurrection in this message?
Well, we see it really. When Stephen is stunned. They're so angry with Stephen, they drag him outside of town. They take off their coats, put them at the feet of Saul of Tarsus. And they began hurling, pummeling this man, bludgeoning him with these huge stones and rocks.
And as they're beating him down. He's looking up into heaven. And as he had said, as we read, I see Jesus. Standing. I see the glory of Jesus at the right hand of the throne.
Mm-hmm. Standing. He looked beyond this world. into the unseen world that is very, very real. It's all around us.
But by faith With the eyes of his heart, he looked into heaven, and in his suffering, in his dying. He sees Jesus. Standing. And when you see Jesus here standing, it is. It is demonstrative of King Jesus.
who is standing at the throne of God. And let me tell you this, dear people. When you're suffering. And when you're dying. When you are breathing your last, there is a supernatural grace to die.
Dying grace. And God opens the eyes of the believer to see beyond this life. And though he was brutalized and beaten and bludgeoned and bloodied, it was a violent death. And certainly it hurt, it was painful, it was real. And people who were left behind, we're told that devout men wept much and buried Stephen.
There was pain, there was suffering, there was heartache, there was loss, but oh, there was heaven. and Jesus at the throne of God. And you can know that if Jesus is on the throne of your life, that he is in control of the universe. He is in control of your situation. And when you suffer, when you're hurt, it's not out of control.
He is in control. Jesus is standing at the right hand of the Father in heaven. And not only as king, King Jesus, and Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. But not only standing as king, but standing As priest interceding for us. And I like to think that A scene in heaven while this Terrible beating is taking place on earth.
That the scene is heaven is so beautiful, and Jesus is standing, and as Stephen. Ascends into heaven. Oh, by the way, Stephen knew where to look when he was in trouble. He looked up. He knew where Jesus was.
Acts 1.11. He had ascended into heaven. And this same Jesus who has ascended into heaven will so come in the same way that you've seen him go.
So Stephen was taught well. He knew where to look. In his last breath on earth. He looked up into heaven and there was Jesus standing.
Now, in every other place in the Bible, Jesus is noted as seated at the right hand of the Father, signifying, symbolizing the authority of God, the right hand of God in Jesus. But here he's standing. Wonder why? I like to think that Jesus Is welcoming his child home. Come on in, son.
Because Stephen stood for Jesus on earth. Jesus stood. for Stephen in heaven. And Stephen said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. He submitted his will to the will of God.
And Jesus Welcomed him home.
Well done, son. And now come and enjoy eternity with me. He died like he lived in Christ. And his hope Turn to sight. Back on Earth.
That young man, Saul of Tarsus. was forever changed by what happened that day. It is noted there that they threw these garments, their coats, at the feet of Saul of Tarsus, that he was there. He was already. involved in persecuting Christians and Trying to stamp out the fires of the gospel and of the church.
And for a few more months, he would continue in this like a junkyard dog, killing Christians and imprisoning them wherever you would find them. But something happened. in Saul's life that day. And when he was on his way on the Damascus Road, to capture Christians. He met the living resurrected Lord.
And Jesus said to him, Saul, Saul, Why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you, isn't it, to kick against the goads. He was under conviction, and I believe it started when he saw this godly deacon die. And echoing in his soul that day that he met Jesus. Was the testimony of this godly man, the influence of this man who lived and died in faith?
And Saul of Tarsus was converted and became Paul, the greatest missionary the world has ever seen. This was, in fact, the tipping point of the Christian faith. As the church now spreads out from Jerusalem under the fires of persecution into Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth, God took the death of Stephen and drove out his people with the message of Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ, the conviction of the Holy Spirit penetrates hearts, and we will only know in heaven when we get to heaven the influence. That you shared with people, maybe with your own children, your own family, your own friends, your own neighbors.
You're going to meet people in heaven who maybe will grow up to change the world. Stephen didn't have any converts that day, he died. That day he preached so hard Not one. But boy, in Saul of Tarsus, he had a whopper on the line. And let me tell you something else.
You know, when When the gospel spread out because of persecution, this was the last message that we know about, really like this, delivered in Jerusalem. And so the gospel goes out. And it was persecution that pushed... the church forward. It is the message of hope.
In Jesus Christ. It's the only message to live by, and the only one to die by. And Stephen is the beautiful example. Of character and courage and commitment to Christ. And may God give us that same strength and the same spirit.
of life and liberty. That we see in him. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message when hope turns to sight. Life doesn't always unfold the way we hope. There are setbacks, losses, and seasons that leave us asking: where is God in all of this?
In his honest and encouraging book, Diamonds in the Dark, Dr. Graham shares how God is not absent in our pain, He is present. And he is at work. This powerful resource walks you through some of life's hardest places to reveal spiritual treasures God plants along the way. If you or someone you love is facing grief, Fear or uncertainty, this message will help you find strength, clarity, and hope right where you are.
and when you give a gift of ten dollars or more, we'll send you a copy of Diamonds in the Dark as our thanks. Call one eight hundred seven nine five four six two seven. That's one eight hundred seven nine five four six two seven. or just text Diamond to 59-789. And don't forget to visit jackgraham.org.
Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? Unfortunately, many times when Christians are ridiculed for their faith here in America, they just fold up their tents and go home.
So often, people do not stand up and speak up for faith in Christ. But Stephen, Is an example of the strength and the courage and the faith that we can inspire to live by. He knew the dangers that were before him. But he stood anyway, and he preached Jesus and told people of the good news. My prayer is that you would come to have the same deep experience with the gospel as Stephen had known.
My prayer is that a new generation of believers would rise up and relentlessly share the good news of God's Word, the message of Jesus, the hope of salvation. Because we know in Christ the only thing that can save our family, our friends, and the world is the message of Jesus. We may be mocked, jeered, even seriously persecuted as some people are today around the world for the sake of the gospel. And we should always pray for persecuted Christians and the persecuted church around the world. But we must never, ever give up.
May we boldly share to all that we know the new life that is found through Jesus Christ and Him alone. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Diamonds in the Dark, as our thanks. Call 1-800-795-5.
4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word DIAMOND to 59-789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about the power in the name we proclaim above all others.
That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.
