Acts 7
COMMENTARY:
: 5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. (1861 “promised” [epaggello] means to announce one is going to do or furnish something, profess, assert, claim, indicate, declare, or report.)
DEVOTION: God knows the beginning and the end of each person’s life. HE is omniscient or knows everything. HE is not caught in time but in eternity. There is no past, present or future in HIS life.
Here we find God announcing an inheritance to a man’s descendants when he is old with no child. It is hard to think of having something given to you when you know you won’t be around to receive it. It seems funny to us that God would make a claim to give someone something when it seems it is an empty statement.
God never makes empty statements. HE always speaks the truth. HE always knows what HE is talking about. We see in the present. HE sees our past, present and future. HE knew that Abraham was going to have a child in the future.
Abraham didn’t trust God enough to wait for HIM to provide a descendant. He told God about his servant – God refused him. Sarah had Abraham marry her servant and have a child by her but this wasn’t what God had stated would happen.
When God visited Abraham HE told him that he as an old man was going to have a baby by his wife Sarah. Sarah was listening and laughed. She thought “how can I have a baby when I am past the years when I can have a baby.” She didn’t understand who was talking to her. HE was GOD!! HE can do the impossible and HE did.
When God gives a announcement that HE is going to do something we need to take HIM at HIS word. HE never lies. HE never goes back on HIS Word. HE has made many announcements regarding our life with HIM. We need to trust HIM to keep all that HE said HE would do for us.
CHALLENGE: Understand that God knows your life and will give you all that HE has stated HE would do for you and to you. Our responsibility is to trust in HIS statements of truth!
: 9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him. (2206 “moved with envy” means zealously affect, to be or become desirous of exclusivity in relationship, be jealous, to desire ardently, covet, or be deeply concerned about.)
DEVOTION: Siblings can be jealous of one another. I was the oldest of seven in our original family. Then we added six from my father’s next family and three from my mother’s next family. So I was the oldest of sixteen children.
Many times I was alone with my siblings to get them to do things that they didn’t want to do and I didn’t want to do it either. It caused some interesting times while I was growing up. It seemed that the other six didn’t think I should be telling them what to do even if there was no parent around.
Here is Joseph who had special privileges it seems with God. He had dreams about his siblings bowing down to him. They didn’t like it. They thought their father liked him best. In fact, Jacob did give him a coat of many colors that the other sons thought they should have received.
So with the dreams and the coat they were envious of him. They didn’t like him because their father treated him better than them or at least they thought that way. On one occasion Jacob had sent Joseph to find his brothers. They saw him coming and plotted to kill him. Cooler heads prevailed and they just sold him to a traveling caravan heading to Egypt. So Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers who just wanted to get rid of him.
Well, God was on his side. HE protected him from danger even while he was falsely accused and went to jail because of it. God had the jailer treat him well. He even interpreted dreams while in jail for two of Pharaoh’s servants. It took a while but the servant that lived finally remembered Joseph after two years. That is when he became a ruler in Egypt.
All the bad that was allowed in Joseph’s life was to be used of God to cause the children of Israel to increase in size until they were to be brought into the land that God promised they would have.
CHALLENGE: God had a plan and HE worked HIS plan for HIS glory and the benefit of the children of Israel. God has a plan for us and is working HIS plan for HIS glory in our lifetime.
: 42 Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets, O you house of Israel, have you offered to ME slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? (4762 “turned” [strepho] means to change one’s mind, change one’s ways, or reject an existing relationship.)
DEVOTION: There are many who think that God forces us to do things that we don’t want to do. He doesn’t give us a choice. HE has a plan for our life that we can’t resist. We have no choices ourselves.
Well here we find a group of people who knew who God was and what HE had done for them but they wanted to worship false gods instead of the one TRUE God of the Bible. They knew that Moses was on the mountain receiving instructions from God but they didn’t want to wait for his return.
So they asked Aaron to build them a golden calf after the god they saw in Egypt. They thought that they had it better in Egypt being slaves then they had following the LORD in the wilderness. They wanted to return to Egypt. They wanted the good life they thought they had in Egypt. They didn’t remember the bad parts only the good parts of being slaves.
Well we find that God said “OK” have it your way. You can worship these false gods. You can turn your back on ME. But remember that if you turn your back on ME for too long I will turn my back on you and let you have it your own way. It is a path that leads to destruction and the lake of fire for eternity but you can enjoy your sin for a season.
In the book of Romans chapter one, we see the same thing happening to those who turned their back on God’s general revelation in creation and his special revelation through the Word of God in the Old Testament.
Three times it states that God “gave them up” to their uncleanness, vile affections and reprobate mind. People have not changed from the time of Adam and Eve. They want to do what they want without any regard for the LORD and yet want HIS blessing on their life. It doesn’t work that way.
Either you follow the LORD with the help of the Holy Spirit or you say no to God and go your own way. There is no middle ground. It is either in one camp or the other.
CHALLENGE: We have a choice all the way until we die but once we get in a rut it is hard to change when you are ready to die.
: 51 You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you. (496 “resist” [anthistemi] means to stand against, oppose, withstand, to fall upon or run against.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever met an individual who was completely unyielding to persuasion to do right? Have you ever met someone who just didn’t want to hear anything about the LORD? Have you ever met someone who you thought had a heart that would not give in to good advice? Here we find Stephen in this situation. He had given an history of what the LORD had done throughout the history of Israel. During this history there have always been individuals who just wanted to kill the messenger of God. They didn’t want to listen. They didn’t care what the LORD wanted them to do to change their behavior. They were enjoying their life on this earth.
On this occasion the religious leaders enjoyed a good standing with the government of Rome. They were one of the chosen religions. They thought their status with Rome was more important than their status with God.
Stephen gave a history of the LORD working with Israel. He started at the call of Abraham and concluded with Solomon building the Temple. He also taught concerning those in Israel who resisted the prophets of God. Those that he was presently teaching were part of the same group. They didn’t want to hear anything that he had to say. Their hearts were hardened. They were just like the pagans that they thought they were better than. They were on their way to Hell for eternity.
What made them children of Hell? They resisted the Holy Spirit. There is only one unpardonable sin. That sin is not becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. All those who think they will get to heaven on their good works – are wrong. All those who think that because they attend a Bible believing church will get to heaven – are wrong. All those who think that giving money to the church will get them into heaven – are wrong. There is only one way into heaven and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus told the Pharisees that they were of the seed of the devil and not of Abraham. They were lying to themselves and so were the ones who stoned Stephen.
In the group at that time was Saul, who would later become Paul. He would listen to Christ and become a follower of HIM. Probably all the others that were at the stoning will go into the lake of fire for eternity.
We can never give up on our family, friends and neighbors concerning their salvation. Only God knows whose hearts are hardened for eternity. Only God knows whose ears are closed to the gospel for eternity. Our responsibility is to share each chance we get. Our responsibility is to pray until we die for those in that group. I still have a number of men on my prayer list that have wives that are followers of Christ but they are not. I will pray until I know they are in the family of God or I die. Stephen prayed for the men who were stoning him. Can we?
CHALLENGE: Never give up on someone the LORD has put in your world. If they are resisting the work of the LORD in their life help them to understand what HE is doing before it is too late.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
LORD heard the groaning of Israelverse 34
Stephen’s pray for those stoning himverses 59-60
Receive my spirit
Lay not this sin to their charge
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Tabernacleverse 46
Solomon templeverses 47, 48
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Lively oraclesverse 38
Written in the book of the prophetsverse 42
Says the prophetverse 48
Lawverse 53
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God verses 2, 6, 7, 9, 17, 25, 32, 35, 37, 42, 45, 46, 55, 56, 59
God of gloryverses 2, 55
Judgeverse 7
God with Josephverses 9, 10
Gave him favor
Gave him wisdom
God of Abrahamverse 32
God of Isaacverse 32
God of Jacobverses 32, 46
Lordverses 33, 37, 49, 60
God’s people Israelverse 34
Lord your Godverse 37
God turned and gave them upverse 42
Most High verse 48
Heaven is God’s throneverse 49
Earth is God’s footstoolverse 49
Creatorverse 50
Glory of Godverse 55
Jesus standing at right hand of Godverses 55, 56
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – /man, Messiah)
Lordverses 30, 31, 33, 59
Angel of the Lordverse 30
Voice of the Lordverse 31
Prophetverse 37
Jesus verses 45, 55, 59
Just Oneverse 52
Right hand of Godverses 55, 56
Son of manverse 56
Lord Jesusverse 59
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Ghostverses 51, 55
Religious leaders resisting verse 51
Stephen full ofverse 55
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Angel of the LORDverse 30
Hand of the angelverse 35
Disposition of angelsverse 53
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Mesopotamiaverse 2
Chartanverses 2, 4
Land of Chaldaeansverse 4
Egyptverses 9-12, 17, 24, 34, 36, 39, 40
Pharoah verses 10, 13, 21
Chanaanverse 11
Emmor father of Sychemverse 16
Pharaoh’s daughterverse 21
Land of Madianverse 29
Mount Sinaverses 30, 38
Babylonverse 43
Gentilesverse 45
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Evilverses 6, 19
Envyverse 9
Sold Josephverse 9
Subtlyverse 19
Killed childrenverse 19
Suffered wrongverses 24, 26
Killverse 28
Not obey lively oraclesverses 38, 39
Hearts turn back to Egyptverse 39
False godsverse 40
Idol (golden calf)verse 41
Rejoice in works of your handsverse 41
Worship host of heavenverse 42
Worship Moloch and Remphanverse 43
Stiffneckedverse 51
Uncircumcised in heart and earsverse 51
Resist Holy Ghostverse 51
Persecuted prophetsverse 52
Betrayersverse 52
Murderersverse 52
Not kept lawverse 53
Killing Stephenverse 58
Sin of murderverse 60
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Promiseverses 5, 17
Serviceverse 7
Deliverance from afflictionsverses 10, 11
Churchverse 38
Prayerverses 59, 60
Fell asleepverse 60
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
High Priestverse 1
Abrahamverses 2, 8, 16, 17
Four hundred yearsverse 6
Covenant of circumcisionverse 8
Isaacverse 8
Jacobverses 8, 12, 15, 46
Twelve patriarchs (fathers)verses 8, 9, 12
Josephverses 9, 10, 18
Sold into slavery
Delivered from all afflictions
Favor with God
Wisdom of God
Governor
Threescore and fifteen souls in Egypt (75)verse 14
Sychem (tomb of Abraham)verse 16
Time of promiseverse 17
Mosesverses 20-44
Learned wisdom of Egypt
Mighty in words and deeds
Forty years old
Killed Egyptian
Forty years away from Egypt
Flame of bush
Lord spoke to him
Ruler
Deliverer
Signs and wonders
Wilderness forty years
Children of Israelverse 23
Church in the wildernessverse 38
Aaronverse 40
House of Israelverse 42
Davidverse 45
Tabernacleverse 46
Solomonverse 47
Prophetsverse 52
Church (New Testament people of God)
Stephenverses 1-60
History of Israel
Full of Holy Ghost
Looked up stedfastly to heaven
Saw glory of God
Jesus standing at right hand of God
Calling on God: receive my spirit
Saul (Paul)verse 58
Last Things (Future Events)
Fell asleepverse 60
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