The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-02-10

Text: Acts 7:59-C0mmlC verses
1906, 58-Commentary.
TIME.-35-37 A. D. PLACE
Jerusalem.
EXPOSITION. II. Stephen, the
Full Man, S-15. The character OF
Stephen presents a rare combination
of strength and beauty, robustness
and grace. He was a remarkably full
man. Full of faith" v. 5; grace"
v. 8, r. "; power" v. 8; the Word
of God, CHI. 1884; 1.-The Holy Ghost"
SIS; 1855; love, 1850; courage, 1851;
trust, 1859. He was also a notable
mar of prayer, 7:54-60. Among the
men of the Bible he seems to occupy
the next place to Christ in beauty,
symmetry and completeness of char
acter. Like his Master, he was hated
and maligned and ultimately muir
dered. What a revelation Of the bad
ness of the natural heart! The lie
sworn to against him had an element
of truth in it. The worst lies gener.
ally do have a. grain of truth in them.
Because he was full of the Holy Ghost
they were not able to Withstand the
wisdom and the Spirit with which he
spoke (cf. Luke 21:15, R.. W. AS
they could not silence him by argu-
ment they undertook to silence him
by violence, but they only gave him a
wider hearing by numbering him..
What a contrast between mems treat
ment and Gods treatment OF a Spirit
filled man! They married his face
with bruises and blood; God made 1t
to shine like an angels. They said,
HE speaketh blasphemous words
against Moses and against God" but
God made his face to shine even as
that of Moses had Eek. ~34:29-35).
III. Stephens Sight into Heaven,
$3.50. Stephens word laid open the
heart of Israel in all ages and the
heart of his hearers, but alas! convlc-
ton is not conversion. When men
are convicted of sin they do one OF
two things-they repent or they get
mad at the preacher. Stephens SER
mon and prayer were apparently
without fruit, but they were not
! really so-they gave the Apostle Paul
|. to the church, but Stephen did not
live to see it. A Spirit-flled man will
be a calm man under any circum-
stances e Tim. I'D. The express
sion full of the Holy Spirit" has a
! different significance from filled
with the Holy Spirit" (Acts IA; 4:
s, 81. The latter describes the Holy
Spirit coming upon n at a dehnl
period of time and filling n for the
time being with His glorious presence
and power; the former describes an
abiding condition. Being full. of the
Spirit involved Stephen in inevitable
! conflict with men who were full OF
Satan. 1t led him to look up rather
than around. In this hour Of trial
there came to him a wonderful vision
to sustain him. The sight was granted
Stephen to strengthen him for the
suffering and witnessing. Christ had
/, already been seen after His resurrec-
| ton. He had been seen as He as
cended, but now He is seen in heaven
itself at the right hand of God. We
| can no longer doubt His divinity nor
our security. Jesus left heaven as
God only, but He became man in His
incarnation John liza; 1 Tim. 2:5),
and when He went back to heaven He
went back as the "Son of Man as
we'll as the "Son of God" There is
now a Man in the glory.
III. Stephens Entrance into Heav.
en-, $3.50. They stopped their
ears" How many are doing that to.
day! He went the same path that
Jesus went to die. without the gate
(Heb. 1879. Once outside the city,
the stones began to crush in upon
him. There was one delighted spec-
tator of the pitiless fury of the mob
Saul of Tarsus. He will never forget
the sight. Stephens bearing and
words we're pricking like a goad in
his secret heart (Acts 26:14), and
be, too, will become a Christian. Ste
phen simply prayed as the stones fell.
He prayed as Jesus Himself had
prayed to the Father in dying. Into
Thy hands I commend My spirit" So
Stephen now says to Jesus, Receive
M spirit" We cannot question that
the prayer was heard, and while Ste
. phen's body died and ultimately
crumbled into dust, Stephens spirit
was taken by Jesus to be with Him
self in conscious blessedness (cf. Phil.
1929. But Stephen prayed another
prayer for those that killed him He
had lived as his Master had lived and
died as his Master died (cf. Luke 23:
S4). HIS last TWO uLleTaHceS "eie
v and prayers formed after the
pattern of the dying prayers of Jesus
(Luke 2S:46: 34). He had seen
Jesus at the right hand Of God, and
did not hesitate to address his pray.
ers to One 80 clearly proven to be di-
vine. Love shone out wonderfully in
the last moments. His prayer was
heard in heaven, and Saul the perse.
cutor became Paul the apostle. Hav-
ing offered this prayer he gently fell
asleep, he did not die,
w. Stephen Buried, the Good Seed
Scattered Broadcast. ch. S:1-13. The
devil o~verreached himself. The wind
of persecution simply scattered the
seed broadcast (cf. oh. 11:19-21).
Though from five to seven years
seems to have passed since Pentecost,
the church up to this time appears to
have been largely confined to Jerusa-
lem. but the storm that broke on
Stephens death carried out the pur-
pose of Christ. During this awful
time the apostles bravely stayed at
their post in Jerusalem, but the rank
and file of the church went every
where preaching the Word.