Maybe modern science someday will be able to add years to your life but it will never be able to add life to your years. There’s a difference between a long life on the one hand and a full life on the other.

In our scripture today we have a case in point - Stephen. What we’re going to study today is the last day in the life of Stephen. Stephen is the first Christian martyr.

A martyr is one who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles. Stephen chooses to die rather than compromise his faith in Christ.

In his short life Stephen shows us how to live and how to die.
If you live a godly life, you’ll never regret it.
If you live a life centered on others, you’ll never regret it.
If you live a life in which you deny yourself for the cause of Christ, you’ll never regret it.

On the other hand, if you live a life that is godless, that is self-centered, that doesn’t ever make a difference in other peoples lives - you will regret it. So, the title and focus of today’s message is “What Are You Living For?”

How we answer this question impacts the way we live. How we answer this question also impacts the way we die.

Let’s first look at how we answer this question impacts the way we live.

Acts 6:1-8  (NKJV)
¹ Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. ²Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. ³Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; ⁴but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." 
⁵And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, ⁶whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. 
⁷Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. 

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy
⁸ And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
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There were two brothers that were notorious for the sin in their lives. They were always suspects for any crime in the small town they lived in, etc. One brother died and the other brother got the preacher aside and told him, “I will give you $1,000,000 if you will tell everyone that my brother was a saint.” The preacher thought about all that could be done with $1,000,000 and wrestled with this offer. When he stood to talk about the dead brother he said, “Everyone knew that this man was a low down, no good, rotten scoundrel - but compared to his brother he was a saint.” 

Stephen was not one of the Apostles. He was a committed Christian who was chosen and was willing to serve as one of the first deacons. His ministry was characterized as “serving tables." He along with six other men organized and gave oversight to the early church’s ministry of providing for the needy in the church, with a special emphasis on widows who did not have families to look after them.

In chapter 6 we are told that Stephen was a man who was:

1. FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 6:3, 5)
2. FULL OF WISDOM (Acts 6:3)
3. FULL OF FAITH (Acts 6:5, 7)
4. FULL OF POWER (Acts 6:8)

1. FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Bible says that we can grieve the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 4:30, NKJV)

Grieve is a relational word
It refers to the pain that we cause in a loved one when we hurt them.
It hurts the Lord when we allow sin in our lives.
It says that we can quench the Holy Spirit. (1 Thess. 5:19, NKJV)
The picture here is one of pouring cold water on a fire.
We can put out the fire that He places in us by disobedience.

But the Bible says that we can, in fact, we are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18, NKJV). The main idea behind this word “filled” is “to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.”

How did the people know that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit? By the way he lived his life!
The main evidence of being filled with the Spirit is not giftedness, talent, or how much enthusiasm you have. 
The main evidence is not how high you jump when the Spirit touches you. It’s not how straight you walk 
when you come down.

The fruit of the Spirit was evident in Stephen’s life.

2. FULL OF WISDOM
The word “full” carries the idea of abundance. 
Spanish proverb - “Men can acquire knowledge but not wisdom. Some of the greatest fools ever 
known were learned men.”

Knowledge is apprehension - wisdom is application. If you have knowledge but not wisdom, you know what you need to know about things but you’re unable to apply those things to your life.

You have a basic idea of what the Christian life is all about - you have a fundamental understanding of the New Testament and what the Christian life should look like. But there is a disconnect between that knowledge and your everyday living and you don’t have the wisdom to take those things and apply those things.

This is where counseling comes in. There are some people who are overly dependent upon counsel from other Christians or spiritual leaders. But there is a valid place for this - there are times in our lives when we don’t have the knowledge or the wisdom or we do have the knowledge but don’t have the wisdom to apply it. Sometimes a mature person that we can trust will help us to reconnect where there has been a disconnect in our lives. Stephen knew how to apply spiritual truth to life.

Another aspect of the Biblical understanding of “wisdom” is the ability to see things from God’s point of view.
Unbelievers see things so differently than believers - You know that.

When we place our trust in Christ not only are we forgiven of our sins and given the gift of eternal life - we are changed. Our thinking is changed - our values change - we begin to see things from God’s perspective.

It seems that some Christians experience this change only on a surface level because they never totally surrender their lives to God’s control. Others experience radical change because they fully surrender to the Lordship of Christ. 

Stephen was full of wisdom.

3. FULL OF FAITH
To understand we need to define faith.

Here are some things that Stephen’s faith was not:
He did not have faith in a Higher Power
He didn’t have faith in himself.
He didn’t even have faith in faith.
His faith was faith in God.

Faith here is referring to practical everyday faith. It’s talking about basic trust in God for daily provision and help.
Faith is what you need when find out that you’ve lost your job.
Faith is what you need when you find out that you’ve got cancer.
Faith is what you need when you hear that a loved one has been in an accident.
Faith is what you need when relationships are threatened - when depression gets hold of you.

In all these circumstances of life, faith is what we need to hang on to God. It’s what we need if we’re going to wrap our arms around God and hang on for dear life when there seems to be little else to hang on to.

How are we going to have that kind of faith?

The Bible is clear that to have that kind of faith we have to know Him. A.W. Tozer (quoting A.W.Pink) said: “An unknown God can neither be trusted nor served.” How can you trust Him if you don’t know Him?

If we are going to have practical, everyday faith we have to make a priority to get to know God. Not just begin a relationship with Him - but to get to know Him - to have a more intimate relationship with Him.

As I read the scriptures, I understand the nature and character of God. And the more I understand who God is and what God is like and how He relates to me, the more my heart swells with faith - even in the more difficult circumstances of my life. Stephen knew the scriptures as in evident in chapter 7.

Our faith grows as we hear other Christians share how God has been faithful to carry them through difficult times in their life. Our faith grows as we worship the Lord.

Stephen was full of faith because he knew God. One of the definitions of faith that I have seen describes it best:
FAITH = Forsaking All I Trust Him

4. FULL OF POWER
Power for what? 
Power for witnessing. 
To be a witness for Jesus by our lives and words (Acts 1:8, NKJV).

Power for service (Acts 6:1-7, NKJV).
Don’t miss the lesson here.
Whatever God calls us to do - preach or serve tables - we need His power to minister.

As we serve faithfully God may choose to expand our ministry, as He did with Stephen. In verse 8 we see this man who began serving tables being used by God to do miracles. God often uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

These qualities were not in Stephen’s life automatically or accidentally. They were the result of choices that Stephen made. The most basic of these choices that Stephen knew what he was living for. He determined to honor God with his life and serve the Lord faithfully whether by serving tables or being used to do miracles.

We began by saying that how you answer "What you are living for?" will affect how you die as well. Stephen is again a great example for us.

When challenged by the religious leaders Stephen had a choice to make. Would he defend himself or would he stand up for Jesus? He decided to go for broke and boldly proclaim Christ.

Chapter 7 is the longest recorded sermon in the scripture. It’s sort of like Cliff Notes of the Old Testament.

In this sermon, as Stephen traces the history of the Jewish people, he points out that over and over again that they had rejected the deliverer that God had sent. As long as he talked about how previous generations had treated God’s servants the Jewish leaders tolerated his sermon.  But when he brought Jesus into the conversation and made the point that in their rejection of Jesus that they were following this same tradition (Acts 7:51-53), the Jewish leaders lost it.

Acts 7:54-60 (NKJV)
⁵⁴ When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. ⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
⁵⁷Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; ⁵⁸and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." ⁶⁰Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
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This whole situation reached a flash point and, in their anger these leaders, took Stephen outside the city and stoned him. In these verses we see a cameo appearance by a young man, Saul, who later became the apostle Paul. He never forgot what he saw that day.

Stephen knew what he was living for and now he knew what he was dying for. What a contrast between the anger of his murderers and Stephen’s calm!

When the chips are down - when life’s crises come - the difference is really drastic between God’s people and the world. That’s when the difference is really noticed.

In verses 59-60, we see that Stephen died much like Jesus did on the cross. In these verses he is no longer talking about Jesus, he is talking to Jesus. 
"Lord, receive my spirit."
"Lord, don’t charge them with this sin."

Stephen knew that, for the Christian, to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-9, NKJV). He was not a victim - but a victor.

Verse 56 is an amazing verse: "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" There Stephen sees Jesus standing at the right hand of the father. All throughout scripture we see Jesus sitting a the right hand of the father. In Hebrews (Heb. 1:3, NKJV) we are told that after dying on the cross and ascending to heaven that Jesus “sat down” because his work of redemption was completed.

But when it came time for this first Christian martyr’s death, Jesus stood. As Jesus observed Stephen’s witness he couldn’t stay seated. I imagine Jesus clapping his hands and saying “Bravo.” Knowing that Stephen was about to be stoned to death for his faith, Jesus stood to encourage him and to welcome him into His presence.

Knowing what we’re living for affects the way we die. If you’re living for the right things it affects the way you live and it affects the way you die

If you’re living for the right things when you come to the end of your life you won’t be angry - as Stephen might have been.
You won’t be resentful - as Stephen might have been.
You won’t be afraid of death - as Stephen might have been.
Committed Christians not only live well - they die well.

When we read about Stephen and other martyrs who die courageous deaths, it’s inevitable that we ask of ourselves, “Would I be willing to die like that?”

Chapter 7 is the longest recorded sermon in the scripture. It’s sort of like Cliff Notes of the Old Testament.

In this sermon, as Stephen traces the history of the Jewish people, he points out that over and over again that they had rejected the deliverer that God had sent. As long as he talked about how previous generations had treated God’s servants the Jewish leaders tolerated his sermon. But when he brought Jesus into the conversation and made the point that in their rejection of Jesus that they were following this same tradition (Acts 7:51-53), the Jewish leaders lost it."

Acts 6:8-15  (NKJV)
Steven Seized
⁸ And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. ¹¹Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." ¹²And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. ¹³They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; ¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us." ¹⁵And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
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Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin
Acts 7:1-53 (NKJV)
¹ Then the high priest said, "Are these things so?"
²And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, ³and said to him, "Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.' (Gen. 12:1; NKJV) ⁴Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. ⁵And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. ⁶But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. ⁷"And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,' (Gen. 15:14;  NKJV) said God, "and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.' (Exo. 3:12; NKJV ) ⁸Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ "And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him ¹⁰and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. ¹¹Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. ¹²But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. ¹³And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to the Pharaoh. ¹⁴Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. (Or seventy - compare Exo. 1:5; NKJV) ¹⁵So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. ¹⁶And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.

¹⁷ "But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt ¹⁸till another king arose who did not know Joseph. ¹⁹This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. ²⁰At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months. ²¹But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. ²²And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.
²³"Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. ²⁴And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. ²⁵For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. ²⁶And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, "Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?' ²⁷But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, "Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? ²⁸Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?' (Exo. 2:14; NKJV)  ²⁹Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.
³⁰"And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. ³¹When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, ³²saying, "I am the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' (Exo. 3:6, 15; NKJV) And Moses trembled and dared not look. ³³"Then the LORD said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. ³⁴I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt."' (Exo. 3:5, 7, 8, 10; NKJV)
³⁵"This Moses whom they rejected, saying, "Who made you a ruler and a judge?'  (Exo. 2:14; NKJV) is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

³⁷ "This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel (Deut. 18:15, NKJV), "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.'
³⁸"This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us, ³⁹whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, ⁴⁰saying to Aaron, "Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' (Exo. 32:1, 23; NKJV) ⁴¹And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. ⁴²Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:

"Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness,
O house of Israel?
⁴³You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship;
And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.' (Amos 5:25-27; NKJV)

⁴⁴ "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, ⁴⁵which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, ⁴⁶who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷But Solomon built Him a house.
⁴⁸"However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

⁴⁹"Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
What house will you build for Me? says the LORD,
Or what is the place of My rest?
⁵⁰Has My hand not made all these things?' (Is. 66:1-2; NKJV)

Acts 7:51-53
⁵¹ "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. ⁵²Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, ⁵³who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it."
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