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Welcome to the Bible Made Real podcast.
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I'm Kathy Abraham.
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We are continuing our Bible study in the book of Acts.
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Acts chapter seven is one of the most important speeches in all of the New Testament, is the speech of Stephen.
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Stephen, we just talked about, was um appointed as the deacon to serve the community, but he's also gifted.
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He's an evangelist and he is gifted to speak and preach.
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So they arrest him.
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He is in front of the council and he gives an entire, delivers this amazing speech, proving why they're wrong, proving why uh the plan of God throughout the entire scripture.
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He talks about Abraham.
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He talks about Moses, he talks about Joseph.
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Um, and he's basically saying, he's trying to prove to them uh God's work through history and salvation.
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So he talks about how Abraham was called by God.
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He talks about Joseph being rejected by his brothers and later uh becoming the deliverer, and how Moses was initially rejected, but then being sent by God.
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And he wants to show them this pattern of God's redemption and God's plan.
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And then he confronts them, right?
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And he addresses them.
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He calls them, you stiff-necked people.
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You always resist the Holy Spirit.
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Stephen is being super bold in his declaration about God and his defense about uh about God's um plan for humanity.
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So he's exposing them, right?
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And he is trying to teach them something.
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And then after all this, he explains the history of Egypt and the tabernacle and the temple.
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He has a vision.
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He sees heaven opening in verse 56.
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He says, Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.
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Then it says, They cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears.
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You know, they said we had enough.
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We cannot listen to this anymore.
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They ran out with him after him with one accord, cast him out of the city, and they stoned him.
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And the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
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Okay, this is Saul who later becomes Paul.
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He is witnessing this entire stoning of Stephen, and it really changes him and transforms him.
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And then they stoned Stephen, and he started to call on God and listen to what he says.
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This is the very last breath that Stephen takes.
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He said, Lord, do not charge them with this sin.
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And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
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Sounds exactly like Jesus, right?
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At the cross, when he was saying, Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do.
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Stephen is saying the same thing here.
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So the core message of the book of Acts is number one, God is not confined to a temple or a location or a system.
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Stephen is trying to make this super clear to them because the Jews are very, very set on the temple and worship in the temple, but God is always moving as he is moving with Abraham in Mesopotonia and Joseph in Egypt, right?
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And in the wilderness with Moses.
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Number two, people consistently resist God.
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He is telling them that.
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And this is the uncomfortable truth, okay?
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Joseph was rejected.
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Moses was rejected, the prophets were rejected, and Jesus is rejected.
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The issue is not lack of evidence, but it's their hardness of their heart.
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And then we see that the religious activity does not equal obedience.
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This, these people, uh, the Sadducees and the Pharisees and the religious counsel, they were, they knew the scripture, they held to their traditions, they preached and spoke in the temple, yet they resisted God.
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So we can be full of knowledge of God, yet our hearts can be far from the Lord.
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And this is what he's continually being calling, calling them out on.
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And then the last one is that the truth really um stands firm under pressure.
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Okay.
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Stephen doesn't compromise.
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He has the Holy Spirit like speaking through him.
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He is bold and he is teaching so clearly, and he's able to ask for forgiveness for those who are stoning him to death in his last hour.
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Truly, truly, truly, this is the work of the Holy Spirit.
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And this is kind of the pattern we see with all the martyrs throughout history, right?
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They get this supernatural, abundant ability to forgive and this grace at the end of their life to finish their race well at the end, the last breath uh leading to their martyrdom.
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So, Stephen, we often call him the first proto-martyr, proto-martyr, and the proto-deacon, the first deacon and the first martyr is uh St.
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Stephen.
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So I hope this quick overview on chapter seven, the book of Acts, really helps you understand the power of what's happening with Stephen's speech to encourage you and I to speak boldly and firmly and to not lose the eternal vision of what's really going on in this world, not to live in the comfort of today, but to speak for eternity like Stephen was, and to realize that your life also is affecting those around you.
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There's a ripple effect.
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Saul was close by watching this, and he was really affected by the stoning of Stephen because he saw the faith of Stephen.
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Something in him was changing and being stirred and being planted for what God was about to do in Saul.
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So know that your life also has an effect on those around you.
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When you step up boldly, when you are living a life of faith and your testimony and your witness is sure, and you're staying close to God and the gospel is being lived out in your life, other people around you are being changed.
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So I hope this encouraged you and I will see you next week as we continue our Bible study on the book of Acts.
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Have a great week.
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Thanks for joining me on the Bible Made Real Podcast.
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