Fruit of faith

Transformed by God’s Spirit!

This is what it looks like to live life to the full!

Focus on The transforming power of God that flows from a total focus and worship of God!

Christ in you the hope of glory!

God’s character and His Spirit flowing through Steven in ACTION!

Living life so full of the Spirit that you walk right thru circumstances and temptations that normally derail mankind.

Over the last several days we’ve been walking through Steven’s speech, seeing some of the characteristics and underlying Biblical and eternal principles that God is revealing in it.

- Be who God called you to be

- Issues of the heart

- Stay on target! Focus on honoring and glorifying God

- The Perfect Script

- Trusting the Master weaver

- Growing to know Him

- Created to worship

Worship is the fruit of a heart seeking to honor and glorify God

- Signs of life!

Faith = action

Now we see Steven, FULL of the Holy Spirit, living out the heart character of God! Now we see the fruit of faith!

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Read Act 7:55-60

This is what being transformed by God’s Spirit looks like!

God has given us many examples of commitment to him. Two examples are the statement by Job and the three Hebrew children before the fiery furnace.

Job 13:15 (ESV)

15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.

These are more than words - Job lived this out. This IS the Fruit of faith!

Dan 3:15-18 (ESV)

15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn….

….who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

This is the Fruit of faith

It is my desire to live AND die with this heart attitude, with this total focus on honoring and glorifying God.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to live in this world with such a direct and solid connection with God that the circumstances of this world are irrelevant and have no impact on your state of mind?

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Act 7:55 (ESV) But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

The crowd is going crazy and about to rush in and kill him but Stephen is steadfast in his course, completely unaffected by anything in the worldly realm…

This is the Fruit of faith

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Act 7:56 (ESV) And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Stevens eyes were NOT on his circumstances…

This is the Fruit of faith

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Act 7:57 (ESV) But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.

Act 7:58 (ESV) 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 named Saul.

Act 7:59 (ESV) And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Steven was totally focused on the eternal. He was literally being stoned when he said these words!

This is the Fruit of faith

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Act 7:60 (ESV) And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

His actions are COMPLETELY different and contrast sharply with the normal human response.

This IS the outward sign of inward change! Christ in you transforms your response from a worldly selfish one to a Godly selfLESS response.

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This is the life God has called us to - to live so full of his presence, his spirit, his power, that we are completely unaffected by the circumstances around us.

Unaffected by…

…the Temptations that surround us

…our flesh’s demands and desires…Totally focused on honoring and glorifying him in EVERY thought and action