Written ~ 06-11-2024
Read Acts Chapter Seven
Acts 7
In Acts chapter six we were introduced to a man named Stephen, he is described as a man who was full of faith and the Holy Spirit, he was full of God’s grace and power and he performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.
In Acts chapter seven we will learn what happens to Stephen when he is arrested because of the lies that were said about him, the men who debated him were the ones who smeared his name and twisted his words, which in turn caused a great uproar among the religious leaders.
Acts 7:1…
1 “Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”
One of the main accusations being said about Stephen was that he spoke against the law of Moses and even God. Look at Acts 6:11 and 13… 11 So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” 13 The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses.”
The reply Stephen gave to the high priest and the other Jewish leaders gathered around is found in Acts 7:2-50…
Stephen begins his reply in Acts 7:2; his complete response starts with Abraham and goes all the way through Solomon, these highlighted points can be found starting in Genesis 12:1 all the way through 1 Kings 9:9… Stephen covers a lot of ground in just a few verses and with this reply it proves his knowledge of the Scriptures and with that knowledge Stephen could not have blasphemed Moses or God. If you are not familiar with the Old Testament, Stephen actually gives a wonderful summary of many very important events…
- Acts 7:2-3… God told Abraham, “Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
- Acts 7:4… Abraham obeyed and left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died.
- Acts 7:5… No inheritance was given to Abraham yet, but God did promise a foreign land to his descendants
- Acts 7:6-7… Abraham’s descendants would be oppressed as slaves for over 400 years. (Genesis 15:13 and Exodus 12:40-41)
- Acts 7:8… God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. (Genesis 17:1-14) The practice continued with Isaac (Genesis 21:4) and Jacob (Genesis 25:19-26) and through the 12 patriarchs (Genesis 29:16-30:24 and Genesis 35:16-26).
- Acts 7:9… The 10 oldest patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph and sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:18-36).
- Acts 7:10-19… God gave Joseph unusual wisdom and was appointed governor over the land of Egypt, this position allowed him to save his entire family from the famine that threatened the lives of all people (Genesis 41:37-Genesis 50:26).
- Acts 7:20-22… Moses was born (Exodus 1:1-2:10).
- Acts 7:23-29… Moses killed an Egyptian for mistreating an Israelite and fled from Pharoah to the land of Midian (Exodus 2:11-25).
- Acts 7:30-34… At 80 years of age Moses see a burning bush and the voice of God calls out to him (Exodus 3:1-4:17).
- Acts 7:35-36… God sends Moses to His people to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 4:18-18:27).
- Acts 7:37-39… God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and gave him life-giving words to pass on to the people (Exodus 19:1-31:18).
- Acts 7:40-44… Aaron made an idol shaped as a calf because that’s what the Israelites requested, this action angered the Lord, then the Lord gave instructions for the Ark of the Covenant and Tabernacle (Exodus 32:1-40:38).
- Acts 7:45… Joshua leads the Israelites into the Promised Land (Joshua 1:1-24:33).
- Acts 7:46… King David found favor with God (1 Samuel 16:1-1 Kings 1:28)
- Acts 7:47-50… King Solomon is the one to build the Temple for the Most High (1 Kings 1:29-9:9)
After Stephen finishes quite a lengthy history lesson for the Jewish leaders, let’s see their reaction to Stephen’s final exhortation…
Acts 7:51-54…
51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.
One thing we must understand, the high priest, the Jewish leaders and other religious leaders listening to Stephen would know everything he had spoken about. They studied the Scriptures, they knew all about Abraham, Moses, the 12 patriarchs (or tribes) of Israel, King David, Solomon and the prophets, yet they completely missed the foretelling of the coming Righteous One – the Messiah. Because of this, Stephen’s entire speech fell on stubborn, deaf ears. Instead of being joyful, they were infuriated and full of rage.
I want us to ponder on what Stephen has told us in Acts chapter 7, he lays out a summary of the Old Testament to show us our need to see the Lord in the entirety of Scripture. We cannot be like the Jewish leaders and completely miss the point. The Holy Spirit is speaking mightily through Stephen, look back at Acts 6:15… “At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.” The Lord’s light was shining through, Stephen’s words were bold, he didn’t hold anything back. This should be our challenge, are we like Stephen, risking everything to proclaim the truth? Do we look opposition in the face, stand our ground and let the Holy Spirit take over?
The events that happen next are astounding, a little heartbreaking but at the same time exhilarating…
Acts 7:54-60…
54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
Astounding ~ The reaction of the Jewish leaders, Stephen sees the heavens open up and he sees his Savior standing at the right hand of the Almighty God! And what are the Jewish leaders doing? They are putting their hands over their ears and shouting so they can’t hear what Stephen is saying.
Heartbreaking ~ The action of the Jewish leaders, they dragged Stephen out of the city and began to stone him. The visual of them taking off their jackets shows they meant business.
Exhilarating ~ Stephen was looking into the face of Jesus as he called out “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” When he fell to his knees, he was at peace, he continued to call out, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!”
When Stephen died, he became the first (of many) to be martyred for speaking the Name of Jesus. Do you think he knew his death was imminent as he spoke so boldly to the crowd? Even if he did, I don’t think that would have stopped him from proclaiming the Name of Jesus. In his final breath, forgiveness towards his accusers is demonstrated…
Almost as quickly as we meet Stephen, we are witness to his death. But instead of focusing on how he died, let’s put our full attention on how he lived…
- Full of Faith
- Full of the Holy Spirit
- Full of God’s Grace
- Full of God’s Power
- Performed amazing miracles and signs
- His face shined as bright as an angel’s
- Full of Wisdom and Knowledge of the Scriptures
- Jesus was his Lord and Savior
We have the same access to all of these things! Putting our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and filling our hearts, minds and souls with the Holy Spirit gives us the opportunity to live these lives of ours in boldness, confidence and power. It’s up to each of us to either live like those Jewish leaders, angry, full of rage when the Name of Jesus is spoken ~ Or we live out the Name of Jesus with glory, honor and power in everything we do or say!
~AMEN~
- Making the decision to follow Jesus and to make Him Lord of your life is one simple act… It could be you’re overthinking everything you are learning. Questioning every detail, but deep down you know Jesus is calling your name. He’s been calling for a while and it’s time to answer… Pray this prayer of Salvation and allow the Lord through His Holy Spirit begin to change you from the inside out…
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
- If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you!
- It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.