Let's change our face to the face of angel.

Let's change our face to the face of angel.
Acts 6:8-15 Let's
Cosmetic surgery is very popular especially in Korea. If a woman disappears for about few months, and then appears with much prettier appearance, she might being doubted by others for the cosmetic surgery. A wife said to her husband, "Honey, if I have cosmetic surgery, I will be prettier..." He replied, "I want you to be prettier. But think of this. If you go to the kingdom of heaven and stand in front of God, and God says, 'This woman is not my work.', how can you say?"
There are many stories about the cosmetic surgery. I will tell you one more story. There is a very talkative woman. One day, she said to her husband, "Honey, I went to the cosmetic surgery clinic today. The surgeon told me if I have two stitches for my lips, I will be much prettier." "How much is it for the two stitches?" "It is five thousands dollars." The husband said, "I will give you fifty thousands dollars for 20 stitches. Okay?"
Today I want to tell you about face. We have 10 holes(In Korean language 'Gool') in our body. Among them, there are 7 holes in our face. Two holes in eyes, two holes in ears, two holes in nose, one hole in lips. Each hole has his feeling(In Korean language 'Earl'). So we call our face 'Earl Gool' which means holes of feeling. Our feeling appears on our face. We call the most beautiful face 'the face of angel'.
Who has the face of angel in our church? Today's scripture tells about Stephen who has the face of angel. When he was stoned to death, his face looked like the face of angel. We want to have the face of angel like Stephen. How can we change our face to the face of angel? I can answer in one sentence. It is possible if we live like Stephen. How did he live?
1. He lived with fullness of Holy spirit.
The face of angel does not mean the outward appearance beauty. If it means like that, the Korean cosmetic surgeons are like the creator who make the face of angel. The face of angel comes from our heart. If our heart is full of Holy Spirit, our face is changed to the face of angel.
Stephen is the man of full of the Spirit and wisdom.(Acts 6:3). He is the man of full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.(Acts 6:5) Holy Spirit changed his face to the face of angel. If our heart is full of Holy Spirit, our face will be changed to the face of angel by the Holy Spirit.
2. He lived with neighbours' praise for his praiseworthy works.
If we are criticized by others, our face becomes no good. But if a pianist is applauded by audience when he finish playing, his face will be full of joy. Stephen lived with praise from his neighbours. When the apostles chose the seven deacons, they are all praiseworthy. Among them, Stephen is the most praiseworthy.
How can we be praised by our God? God will praise us everyday when we are good worshippers to God, when we lead people to the church, when we pray hard, when we are humble. I hope all of us to be praised by God. I hope your face to be face of angel by lots of praise.
3. He lived with looking at heaven.
There was an evangelist who was sentenced to death because he spread gospel. The prison officer told him that he would be executed tomorrow. Next day the prison officer came to him and said, "How are you? Maybe you have not slept well, haven't you?" The evangelist replied with smile, "I have slept very well because I am very happy when I think of going to lovely Jesus." His face is like the face of angel.
If we look at Jesus and the kingdom of heaven, our face will be the face of angel. When Stephen was stoned to death, he looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. If we look at only this world, we cannot have the face of angel. If Moses looked at only Israelites who always grumbled against him, his face could not shine but looked depressed or angry. If you do not look at heaven, your face will be full of grief. I want you to look at heaven.
4. He lived with forgiveness and love.
When Stephen was stoned to death, he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."(Acts 7:60) Maybe common people will say in this situation, "Lord, avenge on my enemy." Stephen's prayer for them with forgiveness changed his face to the face of angel.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we have hatred, grief, hurt in our life. If we feel hard, our face looks no good. It is not the face of angel. In order to have the face of angel, we have to erase our bad feeling, we must renew our bad memory, we have to forgive them like Stephen.
Do you know Leonardo Da Vinci's great masterpiece, "The Last Supper." This painting took 7 years (1491-1498) for being finished. Da Vinci sought for a model for his Christ, "I must find a young man of pure life," He declared, "Before I can get that look on the face I want."
At length his attention was called to a young man who sang in the choir of one of the old churches of Rome, Pietro Bandinelli by name. He was not only a young man of beautiful countenance, but his life was as beautiful as his face. The moment he looked upon this pure, sweet countenance the artist cried out in joy, "At last, I have found the face I wanted."
So Pietro Bandinelli sat as the model for his picture of Christ. Years passed on, and still the great painting, "The Last Supper," was not finished. The eleven faithful apostles had all been sketched on the canvas and the artist was hunting for a model for his Judas. "I must find a man whose face has hardened and distorted," he said, "a debased man, his features stamped with the ravages only wicked living and a wicked heart can show."
Thus he wandered long, in search of his Judas until one day in the streets of Rome he came upon a wretched creature, a beggar in rags with a face of such hard villainous stamp that even the artist was repulsed. But he knew that at last he had found his Judas. So it came about that the beggar with the repulsive countenance sat as the model for Judas.
As he was dismissing him Da Vinci said, "I have not yet asked your name, but I will now." "Pietro Bandinelli," replied the man, looking at him unflinchingly. "I also sat to you as the model for your Christ."
Astonished, overwhelmed by this startling declaration, Da Vinci would not at first believe it, but the proof was at hand and he had finally to admit that Pietro Bandinelli, he whose fair, sweet face had been the inspiration for his great masterpiece the face of Christ, had now become so disfigured by the sins of a lifetime that no trace was left of that marvelous beauty which before had been the admiration of men.
Brothers and sisters, our face is changing on and on. US President Abraham Lincoln said, "Man is responsible for his face at the age of 40." What face should we have? Our face must change like the face of angel. It does not mean the face of actress Marilyn Monroe or TV star.
Bible say, "Stephen's face was like the face of an angel." If we live like Stephen, our face will be changed to the face of angel. He lived with fullness of Holy spirit. He lived with neighbours' praise for his praiseworthy works. He lived with looking at heaven. He lived with forgiveness and love. I want all of us to have the face of angel. Amen!