Sermon Tone Analysis

*Change Your World*

*Change Your World…with Courage*

* *

 

*1.

Courage is rooted in Character*

 

5 “This proposal pleased the whole group.

They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit…”

Acts 6:5 NIV

 

 

 

 

*2.

Courage is revealed by Conviction*

* *

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.

Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)-Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia.

These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

Acts 6:8-10 NIV

* *

* *

To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me!”

Acts 7:2 NIV

 

 

 

*3.

Courage reflects Christ*

 

57 Then they put their hands over their ears, and drowning out his voice with their shouts, they rushed at him.

58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.

The official witnesses took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

60 And he fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!"

And with that, he died.

Acts 7:57-60 NLT

 

 

 

 

 

*Changing Your World*

It takes courage to change your world.

\\ Intro:

 

Welcome: comments about marathon…

 

Good news: I finished…bad news: I couldn’t walk for a couple of days!!

 

The youth group was there to encourage me around mile 17 or 18…what a great encouragement…

 

Sponsors…Thanks…we raised over 1,700 dollars for the Stow Baptist Center…for youth Christmas gifts!!

\\ I’ve been going through a Series of messages this month called *Change Your World…*

 

We’ve discovered so far *You can Change Your World…*

 

…*Through prayer*: 30 day prayer challenge…

 

…*Through encouragement*…

 

Last week Pastor Brian…*through the gospel…*

 

Today…

 

*You can change your world…with courage*

 

What is courage?

What does it look like?

Wizard of Oz…cowardly lion

\\ I want to show you a picture from Scripture what courage looks like and how it can change the world.

Acts 6 & 7 we are introduced to a man named Stephen.

Stephen’s life is easily outlined:

1. Stephen selected

2. Stephen seized

3. Stephen’s speech

4. Stephen stoned

 

He was chosen as one of the first deacons in the early church….and he ends up changing his world because of courage.

As we look at his story in Acts 6 and 7 we discover what courage looks like…and the results of courage…

\\ Change Your World…with Courage

 

*1.

Courage is rooted in character*

 

In Acts 6 the apostles told the congregation to select seven men who were known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom who could deal with a problem in the church (Grecian widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.)

The problem was so serious it could have divided the church.

The future and testimony of the gospel was at stake.

Therefore, key men were to be selected to take care of the problem…men of character.

Stephen was one of those chosen.

Notice how he is described in Acts 6:5…

/ “This proposal pleased the whole group.

They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit…”/

/Acts 6:5 NIV/

 

Stephen was full of faith…

 

/Full of faith/ means he believed God completely…willing to empty himself so that Christ could have compete reign.

To be /Full of the Spirit /means to be live under the Spirit’s control and be empowered with God’s power for God’s purposes.

He had opened his interior life to God and as a result he had developed into a man of character.

There is a children’s song that we sing to our kids…

 

/Deep and wide, Deep and wide there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide/

/ /

/Deep and wide, Deep and wide there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide/

/ /

One more time with the motions…

 

 

 

/Deep and wide, Deep and wide there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide/

/ /

/Deep and wide, Deep and wide there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide/

 

There is a profound truth in that simple song…

 

God will only take you as wide as you are willing to go deep.

If you will go deep with God…He will take care of the width of your life…the opportunities, influence and impact of your life

 

We don’t want to end up a mile wide and an inch deep…

Stephen was deep in terms of character…and God was able to use him widely…

 

A man took his young daughter to a carnival, and she immediately ran over to a booth and asked for cotton candy.

As the attendant handed her a huge ball of it, the father asked, /“Sweetheart, are you sure you can eat all that?”/

 

/“Don’t worry, Dad,”/ she answered, /“I’m a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside.”/

That’s what real character is—being bigger on the on inside.

Work on the inside…

 

/Character is what you are when no one is watching./

/ /

/Character is developed by two small words—yes and no./

We have no control over a lot of thing sin life.

We don’t get to choose our parents.

We don’t select the location or circumstances of our birth and upbringing.

We don’t get to pick our talents or IQ.

But we do choose our character.

In fact we create it every time we make choices…

 

Stephen…

/ /

[Other Character quotes…Zingers p15.ff]

 

 

 

\\ Change Your World…with Courage

 

*2.

Courage is revealed in conviction*

 

As we continue to look at Stephen’s life we see that he is a man of conviction.

In Acts 6:8-10 we read…

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.

Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)-Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia.

These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

Acts 6:8-10 NIV

 

Stephen’s ministry for God goes beyond serving the needs of the widows…he begins to step up for God in other ways

As God fills him…he does great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.

The religious people begin to argue with him…but they can’t stand up to Stephen….

Stephen was on trial for his life.