Hear me

In this week’s message, we’ll see that all people are predisposed to reject God’s kind offer of salvation. None of us are drawn to God of our own accord. And that has some stunning implications with respect to how we respond to the Holy Spirit, preachers, the love of God expressed to us in so many ways, and to the Word of God itself. Even as believers, still battling the flesh, we tend to resist God’s work in our lives.

This is exactly the point that Stephen makes as he defended himself before the religious council. Stephen, a gifted and zealous young Greek-speaking, Jewish-Christian, was charged with leading a feeding program for widows. Along the way, he also prayed for people, saw them healed, and took advantage of that to preach the gospel. So many Greek-speaking Jews were converting to Christ that it raised the ire of the Jewish leadership and they arrested him. In this week’s message in Acts 7:1-53 we’ll hear his message to the council, and next week we’ll look at the leaders’ enraged response and Stephen’s martyrdom in Acts 7:54-8:3.

Sermon Notes

THE BOOK OF ACTS | CHAPTERS 1–7
Hear me
Pastor Todd Dugard
August 22, 2021
Acts 7:1-53

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The pattern of rejection in the past foreshadows the ultimate rejection of God’s appointed Messiah in the present.
John B. Polhill

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I am, as all people are, predisposed to reject God’s kind offer of salvation (7:1-50), and so…

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…though the Spirit leads, I resist him (v. 51)

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…though preachers preach, I despise them (v. 52a)

Most Christians don’t hear God’s voice because we’ve already decided we aren’t going to do what he says.
A. W. Tozer
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…though Jesus loves, I betray him (v. 52b)

John 15:13
Romans 5:8
Revelation 2:4
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…though the Bible instructs, I refuse it (v. 53)