Word of Salvation – March 2026

The Glory Of God Reflected In A Deacon

Sermon by Rev. John Westendorp on Acts 6:8-15

Reading: Acts 6

Singing:       BoW.155         Come now almighty King
–                      BoW.104a       O worship the King  [1,2,4,6] –                      BoW.510         I cannot tell why He whom angels worship
–                      BoW.429         The kingdom of God is justice and joy

 

Theme: The Spirit-filled Deacon, Stephen, reflects the glory God in wisdom, gospel truth & facial appearance.

 

Introd:  The Bible often talks about people who were Spirit filled.  And here it’s Stephen who was Spirit filled.

Notice how they talk about him in vs.5 –it’s speaking about the election of the first deacons:
“The chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”

 

So what does a Spirit-filled person look like?  You may say, “That’s obvious, we’re told in verse 8.”
“Stephen… was doing great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.”
So… must we recognise Spirit-filled people by a special ability they have to do miracles?

That would raise some serious problems for us wouldn’t it?  Are you Spirit filled?
Well, please raise your hand if you’ve performed “great wonders and miraculous signs”?
If you did raise your hand I would want to ask you some more questions.
Because Stephen didn’t have to put his hand up – these gifts were self-evident.
My problem is that I don’t know anyone today who does “great wonders and miraculous signs”.
Does that then mean that we have no Spirit-filled people anymore in our day and age?

 

Of course it doesn’t.  Okay… Stephen certainly did those awesome signs and wonders.
The Apostles laid hands on him and he joined them in doing miraculous things.
That was God’s way of reinforcing the ministry of the church in those tender early years.
The years before the New Testament Bible was written.

 

Please understand me well.  I am not suggesting that miracles can’t happen anymore.
I’m just pointing out that we mustn’t judge people’s spirituality by that standard.
Hey, even the Devil can go great wonders and miraculous signs – think of Pharaoh’s magicians.
And remember: these “great wonders and miraculous signs” are only mentioned once… in vs.8.
But we have two whole chapters devoted to other things in Stephen’s life.
So I want to highlight three things that bring out that Stephen was Spirit-filled.
Or to put it another way: in three ways God’s glory is reflected in the life of this deacon.

 

A]       GOD’S GLORY SEEN IN THE WISDOM OF STEPHEN.

 

1. The outstanding nature of Stephen’s character is very obvious in this chapter.

This chapter begins with a problem that the church needed to solve:
The care of widows in a fast growing congregation that now numbers more than 10,000.
Obviously the apostles can’t possibly deal with all of that.
They have a special teaching and preaching ministry to which God has called them.

 

So the chapter begins with the congregation choosing the first seven deacons.
But notice that the list begins with Stephen.  Why?
Certainly not because the seven names are in alphabetic order and his name comes first.

 

No!  He’s listed first because he was such an obvious choice.
In fact he’s the only one about whom we are given some details apart from Nicholas.
About him we are told that he was a Gentile… a non Jew… and that he was from Antioch.
But Stephen is said to be “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit… he was an obvious choice.
So he’s listed first – and there is a special mention of his gifts.
This man is highly suitable because here is a Spirit-filled man.

 

That is repeated in a somewhat different way in vs.8.
“Now Stephen was a man full of God’s grace and power.”
So Stephen’s outstanding character didn’t lie in the fact that he was a darn nice guy.
No!  It lay in the gifting of God’s grace and God’s power in his life.

 

2. As the story unfolds it soon becomes obvious what a Spirit-filled person looks like.

So we see the first way in which the glory of God is reflected in the life of this deacon.

 

Stephen is appointed at a time when opposition to the church is growing.
In the previous chapter the apostles are dragged before the Sanhedrin.
And that Jewish Council determined to put them to death for preaching about Jesus.
Except that Rabbi Gamaliel stood up and advised otherwise.  So they got off with a beating.

 

Opposition now arises from the Synagogue of the Freedmen.
That’s possibly a special Jewish meeting place for foreigners visiting Jerusalem.
And they engage Stephen in debate.
So Stephen does more than just “wait on tables” and care for widows.
He’s also a capable defender of the Christian faith.
In fact in debate he cannot be excelled.  They could not stand up to Stephen’s wisdom.

 

And there we have the first way we can recognise Spirit-filled people: by their wisdom.

God’s glory is reflected in the life of this deacon through a wisdom that cannot be opposed.
A wisdom that engages unbelievers in debate… so as to leave them speechless.
So the richness of Stephen’s spirituality is evident in the wisdom he demonstrates in debate.

 

Do you want to know where that wisdom comes from?  What its source is?
The obvious answer is “from the Holy Spirit who indwelt Stephen”.
When God’s Spirit works within us He gives us a wisdom that cannot be opposed.

 

But that’s only half the answer to the question: where did Stephen’s wisdom come from?
We see a fuller answer in the next chapter… in the sermon Stephen preached.
It’s the longest of all the sermons mentioned in the book of Acts – it’s a chapter of 60 verses.
(So next time you may want to bring a packed-lunch for our study of those 60 verses.)

 

It becomes very obvious in that sermon that Stephen knew his Bible (the Old Testament).
So this is the wisdom of God that comes through the Word of God.
God’s indwelling Spirit in a person brings about wisdom through means of the Word.

 

3. Do you begin to see why these Pharisees and priests could not stand up to the wisdom of Stephen?

For Stephen the wisdom of God came from the Word of God.

And when the Spirit of God works in a person through the Word – what a powerful combination.

 

Today we are in grave danger of losing that wisdom.
We have this idea that if you want to know something you just Google it on the Internet.
You need the wisdom to do something?  Well, you just hunt for a DIY video on YouTube.
And yet with all that information at our finger-tips we live in a world unravelling at the seams.

We are witnessing, bit by bit, the breakdown of our western culture.  And why?
Because we are turning our back on the wisdom of God in the Word of God.

 

And before you tell me that this is not true of Christians let me disillusion you.
In our day and age there is an appalling ignorance among Christians.
Many are not reading the Word.  And in many churches they are no longer taught the Word.
Instead it’s all about feeling good.  Biblical exposition is being replaced by motivational talks.

 

In this story of Stephen we are shown that Biblical wisdom used by God’s Spirit cannot be withstood.
The wisdom that finds its source in God always triumphs.  That’s how you will win in debate.
That’s evidence of the Spirit filling your life – to know the wisdom of the God’s Word.
So these leaders have to resort to hiring liars to make up a case against Stephen.
Because they cannot oppose the glory of God in the wisdom that is there in this deacon.

 

B]       GOD’S GLORY SEEN IN THE GOSPEL OF STEPHEN.

 

1. But there is a second sign of a Spirit-filled person and a second reflection of God’s glory in Stephen.

That comes out when Stephen is charged with blasphemy against Moses and against God.
That stirs up the crowd and the elders and teachers of the law.
And so once again the Sanhedrin is called together to hear the charges against Stephen.

 

So what are these words of blasphemy that Stephen allegedly spoke against Moses and against God?
Verse 14 spells it out for us:
It’s the message that Jesus would destroy the temple and change the traditions of Moses.

 

But did Jesus actually teach that?  Yes He did.  Well, sort of…!
Turn with me, back to Mark 13:2.
Jesus is leaving the temple and his disciples draw his attention to the magnificent buildings.
And then Jesus says in vs.2:
“Do you see all these great buildings… not one stone here will be left on another…!”
So here Jesus at least predicts the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Now go to Mark 14:58, where Jesus is on trial before the Sanhedrin.
Here too false witnesses have been brought in to testify against Jesus and what do they say?
“We heard Him say, I will destroy this man-made temple
and in three days will build another, not made by man.”
Did Jesus actually say that?  No!  But He did say something similar.
In John 2:19: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”

 

It’s obvious that Jesus thought that the temple wasn’t going to be important anymore.
And isn’t that precisely what God confirmed in the instant that Jesus died on the cross?
At that moment God supernaturally caused the veil in the temple to be torn from top to bottom.
That veil symbolically hid God’s presence from sinful man.
And now as Jesus dies it is removed once for all.

 

2. The controversial question is whether Stephen teaching this was really a false charge.

In some ways it wasn’t – Stephen was spot on.  He picked up well this teaching of Jesus.

 

In fact, let me put this way: This is the very heartbeat of the gospel.
All the O.T. rituals were shadows of things to come.
All the practices and ceremonies of the temple pointed forward to the coming of Jesus.
Every animal sacrifice pointed to the offering that Jesus would bring for sin.
All the blood sprinkled on the altar pointed to the blood of Christ shed for us.

The book of Hebrews speaks of these temple practices as mere shadows of reality.
But when the full light appears it drives the shadows away.
Or to put it another way: you don’t need candles anymore when the sun comes out.
To keep going with all those rituals would be to act as if Jesus had never come.

 

And so Stephen in effect says clearly: Jesus has fulfilled all that the temple stands for.
Jesus has fulfilled all the traditions of Moses.  And what is that if it isn’t the gospel?
That was a truth that Stephen was willing to die for.  It’s the truth he defended to the end.

 

So we have here the second mark of a Spirit-filled man.  He is totally gospel focused.
If you are a Spirit-filled person you will have a strong understanding that Jesus has done it all.
The truth of the gospel will drive you to tell others that “It is finished!”
We don’t need temples and sacrifices and our own pitiful efforts anymore.  All we need is Jesus.
And in that way the glory of God is reflected in Stephen as he focuses totally on Jesus.
Here is the measure of true spirituality: It’s all about Jesus, His doing, His dying, His victory.

 

3. So how can it be said that these were false witnesses that brought made up charges against Stephen?

It was false in that this was not blasphemy… this was the truth.

Please keep in mind the two sides to this.
Stephen was prepared to defend this teaching to the death… and he did pay for it with his life.
But it’s just as true that the Priests and Pharisees were prepared to kill to suppress that truth.

 

The point is that this was a huge issue for these people.
Their whole lives revolved around the temple and the traditions of Moses.
The temple represented to them the presence of God.
And to speak against the temple was to speak against God.  Blasphemy!
The traditions handed down by Moses were the heart of the O.T. faith.
And to speak against the customs of Moses overthrew their whole system.  Blasphemy!

 

Do you see why the Jewish leaders killed Jesus because of his talk about destroying the temple?

And do you see why the Sanhedrin in Acts 6 considered it blasphemous for Stephen to talk like that?

 

These people never realised that Jesus did make the temple and all its rituals redundant.
In that sense He did destroy the temple… and He did change the customs of Moses.
And that fact threatened the very reason for their existence.
What Jesus had done… in so many ways… just made them redundant.

 

I find therefore that one of the beautiful things in this chapter is what is written in verse 7.
We’re told there that a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
That tells me that these men must have realised that they had lost their job.
Jesus had fulfilled all the shadows that the temple and ceremonies of Moses pointed to.
And this Spirit-filled deacon saw that so clearly.
Stephen reflected in his life the glory of God in the gospel of His Son.
May that also be the measure of our fullness of God’s Spirit.  Are you gospel focused?

 

C]       GOD’S GLORY SEEN IN THE FACE OF STEPHEN.

 

1. I see yet one more standard by which we can measure whether someone is filled with God’s Spirit.

And yet one more way in which God’s glory is reflected in the life of this deacon.

 

In the closing verse Luke specifically draws attention too to Stephen’s appearance.
He tells us that his face was like the face of an angel.
This was so striking that the whole Sanhedrin noticed it.

In fact, the language is rather telling: They were looking intently at Stephen because of this.
That expression “looking intently” has the idea of staring at someone.  They stared at Stephen.
It can mean to look at someone with undivided attention.
And the reason why they so focused on Stephen is because his face was like that of an angel.

 

I guess that raises some questions for us.
Stephen’s face was like the face of an angel.  But what does an angel’s face look like?
I’ve never seen one… at least, not as far as I know.
I’m tempted to say, “They must look like my wife!”  But other men here would disagree with me.

 

Let me say two things that I think I can say with reasonable certainty.
First the face of an angel would be different in that it would make a big impression.
It would touch me with a sense of awe.  The staring of the Sanhedrin at Stephen confirms that.

Second there would be in the face of an angel some special glow.
Often we see a special glow in humans: a girl showing off her engagement ring is all aglow.
So an angel’s face would surely have something of a special glow: the glow of God’s presence.

 

2. Do I dare to suggest then that the look of an angel is a sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit?

Well, I need to be very careful at this point, don’t I?
I sometimes wish you could all come up here for a while and observe the congregation.
Sometimes, watching the body language from the pulpit can be very telling.
People who are here but they are not really here – if you know what I mean.
And if I were to judge your spirituality by the glow on your face…?
Okay.  Let’s admit that sometimes we get out of the wrong side of the bed.
And sometimes that shows even when we sit in church on a Sunday morning.

 

But let me tell you another side to this.  I had a migrant couple come to our church one day.
‘Gave me their membership papers.  Social Christians. And you could almost see it in them.
There is a certain hardness of unbelief and a critical spirit – and you could see it in their faces.
Their papers said: ‘Baptised’.  But I think they must have been baptised in a bath of lemon juice.

But then this couple came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ… and that changes them.
And as so often happens I saw the change – even in their faces.
They now just radiated a sense of peace and contentment in the Lord.
That fruit of the Spirit that is joy just shines on faces that are aglow with the love of God.

 

Please… I understand – we Christians often have “bad hair” days.
There are days where the reality of physical pain is reflected in our faces.
And sometimes we have some deep inner grief that robs us of our joy and our smiles.
And yet… I want to say it…
Something of the Spirit’s indwelling in us should be seen in us.
Even in the outward appearance of God’s people.

 

Paul discusses something of this in the third chapter of 2Corinthians.
He remarks there that we, with unveiled faces, reflect the Lord’s glory.
And that we are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory.
Here it is certainly true of Stephen that this is another mark of the Spirit filling his life.
And that in this matter too the glory of God is reflected in the face of this deacon.

 

3. I believe however that we need to think of Stephen looking like an angel also in another way.

We need to put this in context of those false charges against him.
Keep in mind that Stephen is accused of blasphemy against Moses and against God.
That’s the charge against him here before the Sanhedrin.

 

And that presents us with a rather amazing connection.
There is only one person mentioned in the whole O.T. whose face shone.  Who…?  Moses!
In fact, it shone so bright that Moses had to cover his face when he met with the people.

But that glow on Moses’ face was a reflection of the glory of God.
It was a lingering leftover from Moses having been in the very presence of God.
And now we have the story of Stephen before the Sanhedrin and his face shines like an angel.

 

Can you imagine what that was saying to any thoughtful member of the Sanhedrin?
We’re charging this man with blaspheming Moses and God.
But if that’s the case… why is his face glowing like that of Moses?
Surely this too is a reflection of the presence of God through His indwelling Spirit.
God surely does this as a key testimony to these leaders who sit in judgment on Stephen.

 

So what does a Spirit-filled person look like?
A Spirit-filled person has the wisdom of God that comes through the Word of God.
A Spirit-filled person upholds the truth of the gospel – even, if need be – unto death.
And a Spirit-filled person will show something of the glow of the presence of God.

 

How relevant is all this to you this morning?
You’re here this morning and you’ve been struggling with the rebellion of your kids..
Or your bank manager is jumping up and down because you’re behind with your mortgage.
Or maybe you’re here this morning and you’ve suffered losses in your business.
Or maybe you’ve got health issues and that’s keeping you preoccupied.
Or there are some serious relational issues in your family.
You’ve got too many problems to worry about this story of a Spirit-filled deacon.
You can’t see what the glory of God in the life of Stephen has to do with you.

 

Well, you know what?  Stephen didn’t exactly have it easy either.
By the end of the next chapter he’s dead.
But you see Stephen knew a secret that in our day and age we tend to forget.
It’s not all about you.  It’s not all about us.
Stephen knew that it’s all about God… the God who in Jesus makes us His own.
And that’s what drove His life and made him the Spirit-filled man that he was.

 

This morning God is saying to you:
In all your trials and troubles just keep one thing central to help you to cope…
The glory of God in the doing… the dying… and the victory of Jesus.
Keep that central and you’ll cope with anything that life throws at you.
Amen.