Speaking the Truth

Acts 7

I.     The Setting

  • Stephen had been accused of speaking blasphemous words against the  temple and the law.
  • Stephen used Israel’s history to point them to the main point of the Bible –  God seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth

II.    The Subject (vv. 1-50)

  • Abraham (vv. 1-8)
  • The Patriarchs (vv. 9-43)
  • The Tabernacle and the Temple (vv. 44-50)

III.    The Summation (vv. 51-53)

  • They were resisting the Holy Spirit as they had always done.
  • They were persecuting and killing the prophets as they had always done.
  • They are breaking the law of Moses as they had always done.

IV.    The Salutation (vv. 54-60)

  • The Sanhedrin were faced with a choice: either admit that Stephen was correct  and that they were wrong in crucifying Christ some three years earlier, or be consistent and kill Stephen as well.
  • Jesus was seen standing at the right hand of God.

V.     The Side Effect (vs.58)