# Acts 07 📖: Stephen's Speech and Martyrdom
[[📚 Explore the Bible Books]]
[[-Acts Overview]] | [[Acts 06]] | [[Acts 08]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#💬 Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#🔗 Related Passages]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#📄 Outline]]
> [[#📂 Internal Notes]]
## 📜 Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
#### Stephen Addresses the Council
**Principle**: Knowing what you are talking about so you are ready when your moment comes.
[[#Verse 01.]] Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?”
[[#Verse 02.]] So he replied, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,
[[#Verse 03.]] and said to him, ‘.’
[[#Verse 04.]] Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God made him move to this country where you now live.
[[#Verse 05.]] He did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, not even a foot of ground, yet God promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, even though Abraham as yet had no child.
[[#Verse 06.]] But God spoke as follows: ‘Your .
[[#Verse 07.]] ,’ said God, ‘and worship me in this place.’
[[#Verse 08.]] Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the 12 patriarchs.
### The Patriarchs In Egypt
**Principle**: God uses bad situations to our benefit.
[[#Verse 09.]] The patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. But God was with him,
[[#Verse 10.]] and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.
[[#Verse 11.]] Then a famine occurred throughout Egypt and Canaan, causing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.
[[#Verse 12.]] So when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there the first time.
[[#Verse 13.]] On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.
[[#Verse 14.]] So Joseph sent a message and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people in all.
[[#Verse 15.]] So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, along with our ancestors,
[[#Verse 16.]] and their bones were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
### Moses, A Rejected Savior
**Principle**: Plan of God’s Salvation
[[#Verse 17.]] “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, the people increased greatly in number in Egypt,
[[#Verse 18.]] until .
[[#Verse 19.]] This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
[[#Verse 20.]] At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house,
[[#Verse 21.]] and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.
[[#Verse 22.]] So Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.
[[#Verse 23.]] But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his fellow countrymen the Israelites.
[[#Verse 24.]] When he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, Moses came to his defense and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian.
[[#Verse 25.]] He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand.
[[#Verse 26.]] The next day Moses saw two men fighting and tried to make peace between them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’
[[#Verse 27.]] But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying, ‘
[[#Verse 28.]] ’
[[#Verse 29.]] When the man said this, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
[[#Verse 30.]] “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
[[#Verse 31.]] When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord,
[[#Verse 32.]] ‘.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely.
[[#Verse 33.]] ‘.
[[#Verse 34.]] . .’
[[#Verse 35.]] This same Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘’ God sent as both ruler and deliverer through the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
[[#Verse 36.]] This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
### Israel’s Rebellion Against God
**Principle**: Israel rejects God’s plan.
[[#Verse 37.]] This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘.’
[[#Verse 38.]] This is the man who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, and he received living oracles to give to you.
[[#Verse 39.]] Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,
[[#Verse 40.]] saying to Aaron, ‘’
[[#Verse 41.]] At that time they made an idol in the form of a calf, brought a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing in the works of their hands.
[[#Verse 42.]] But God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘
[[#Verse 43.]] .’
### God’s Real Tabernacle
**Principle**: Christ Revealed.
[[#Verse 44.]] Our ancestors had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God who spoke to Moses ordered him to make it according to the design he had seen.
[[#Verse 45.]] Our ancestors received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, until the time of David.
[[#Verse 46.]] He found favor with God and asked that he could find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob.
[[#Verse 47.]] But Solomon built a house for him.
[[#Verse 48.]] Yet the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says,
[[#Verse 49.]] ‘.
[[#Verse 50.]] ’
## Resisting The Holy Spirit
**Principle**: God’s Word leads us to the point of decision.
[[#Verse 51.]] “You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors did!
[[#Verse 52.]] Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become!
[[#Verse 53.]] You received the law by decrees given by angels, but you did not obey it.”
## The First Christian Martyr
**Principle**: Jesus stands with us when all others are gone.
[[#Verse 54.]] When they heard these things, they became furious and ground their teeth at him.
[[#Verse 55.]] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
[[#Verse 56.]] “Look!” he said. “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
[[#Verse 57.]] But they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent.
[[#Verse 58.]] When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
[[#Verse 59.]] They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
[[#Verse 60.]] Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he died.
## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
This is Stephen showing his credentials. He was showing that he knew the OT and the story of God’s people. This would have been necessary for anyone to listen to him.
They would likely have required this for anyone to think he was worth listening to.
When they heard Stephen, they would have thought, “Okay, he knows the past.”
- Same thing as someone saying they have an MDiv from a good college.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
###### Verse 26.
###### Verse 27.
###### Verse 28.
###### Verse 29.
###### Verse 30.
###### Verse 31.
###### Verse 32.
###### Verse 33.
###### Verse 34.
###### Verse 35.
###### Verse 36.
###### Verse 37.
###### Verse 38.
###### Verse 39.
###### Verse 40.
###### Verse 41.
###### Verse 42.
###### Verse 43.
###### Verse 44.
###### Verse 45.
###### Verse 46.
###### Verse 47.
###### Verse 48.
###### Verse 49.
###### Verse 50.
###### Verse 51.
###### Verse 52.
###### Verse 53.
###### Verse 54.
###### Verse 55.
###### Verse 56.
###### Verse 57.
###### Verse 58.
###### Verse 59.
###### Verse 60.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Stephen's speech is the longest sermon recorded in Acts.
2. Stephen traces Israel's story through Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David and Solomon.
3. Stephen says God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran (7:2), showing God's presence was never limited to one land.
4. Stephen says Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (7:22).
5. Stephen quotes Amos 5:25-27 about Israel's idolatry in the wilderness (7:42-43).
6. Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1-2 to show that God does not live in houses made by human hands (7:48-50).
7. Jesus is usually described as seated at God's right hand, but Stephen sees Him standing (7:56), which many see as Jesus rising to welcome His witness or to stand as His advocate.
8. Stephen is the first Christian martyr recorded in Acts. The English word martyr comes from the Greek word for "witness."
9. The witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul (7:58), Luke's first mention of Paul.
10. Luke says Stephen "fell asleep" (7:60), a gentle way the New Testament describes the death of believers.
## 🧠 Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (7:55-56; Daniel 7:13). He is the Righteous One the prophets foretold (7:52), and Stephen died praying as His Lord did (7:59-60; Luke 23:34, 46).
## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## 💬 Discussion Questions
1. Stephen retold Israel's history to show how God's people often rejected those He sent (7:9, 35, 51-52). Where do we resist God's messengers today?
2. Stephen showed that God met His people in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the wilderness, not only in the temple (7:2, 9, 30-33, 48-49). What does that teach about God's presence?
3. Stephen prayed for the people killing him (7:60). How can we forgive like that?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- 📖 verse 51: Stephen confronts the leaders for always resisting the Holy Spirit.
- 📖 verses 55-56: Full of the Spirit, Stephen sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand.
- 📖 verses 59-60: Stephen prays for Jesus to receive his spirit and asks the Lord not to hold this sin against them.
## 🔗 Related Passages
- 🔗 [[Genesis 12#Verse 01.|Genesis 12:1-7]] - Abraham's call and the promise.
- 🔗 [[Deuteronomy 18#Verse 15.|Deuteronomy 18:15]] - A prophet like Moses.
- 🔗 [[Isaiah 66#Verse 01.|Isaiah 66:1-2]] - Heaven is My throne.
- 🔗 [[Daniel 07#Verse 13.|Daniel 7:13]] - One like a son of man.
- 🔗 [[Luke 23#Verse 34.|Luke 23:34]] - Father, forgive them.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
📝 SOAP: [[Acts 07 - SOAP|A Vision for What Matters Most]]
## 📄 Outline
(Acts 7:55-56) 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!”
BI- Persecution Brings Revelation
Point 1- He was full of the Holy Spirit.
Point 2- He was persecuted for not being ashamed of his faith. (Peter tells us not to think it’s a good thing when we are persecuted for bad things.)
Point 3- You see the light of God best in the darkest moments.
## 📂 Internal Notes
%%
### Outline
**Big Idea**:
**Point 1**:
**Point 2**:
**Point 3**:
%%