Tell Them The Truth

TELL THEM THE TRUTH

 

Acts 7:51-8:1

 

V.7:51. "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye."

 Definitions

  1. Stiffnecked= skleerotacheelon=stubborn, headstrong, obstinate

  2. uncircumcised in heart and ears =aperitomeetoi tee kardia kai tois oosi=whose

      heart and ears are covered, whose soul and senses are closed to divine admonitions.

 A. Sometimes people need to the know the truth about their attitude.

    1. The truth sometimes has to be presented in harsh terms.

    2. Stephen gave his accusers, the unbelieving Church members a history of the

        Salvation that they rejected.

    3. Jesus came to save them from their sins, yet they rejected His words.

    4. They studied the Word, yet did not live by the Word.

    5. These men held tightly to their traditional teaching.

        a. Their traditional teaching pointed to Jesus Christ who they rejected.

        b. It was not Stephen they were persecuting, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

B. By studying the Word of God, they had a taste of the Holy Ghost.

    1. The Word was given by divine inspiration.

    2. These men were made stewards of God's Word.

    3. By rejecting the Word of God, they rejected the divine inspiration that was

        powered by the Holy Ghost.

C. "As your fathers did, so do you."

    1. Some behavior is learned.

    2. Some behavior and beliefs are passed on to our children.

    3. Good or bad, what we do and believe affects our children.

D. Jesus came to change our bad beliefs and behavior to the righteousness of God.

    1. Our light shines by the degree that we live according to God's commands.

 

V:52. "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers."

A. In an effort to show our unfaithfulness, God has to remind us of our past behavior.

   1. If we grew up believing what we were taught, we are likely to treat others

       according to our teaching.

   2. If we were taught wrong, we will act wrong.

       a. Some don't know  what they believe is wrong, until the truth is presented to

           them.

       b. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

B. When we disobey God's commands, we sin against God.

   1. The Jews hated anyone who pointed out their unfaithfulness.

   2. You can't love God and hate His Son.

   3. You can't love the Son and hate His Word.

   4. Our disobedience shows our hatred for His Word.

   5. We slay the Spirit of God in our hearts with our disobedience to the Word.

C. Stephen spent his last hours teaching the Word of God.

    1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not always accepted when it is preached.

    2. Trouble sometimes follows the messengers of God.

 

V:53. "Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it." 

 A. Throughout Biblical history, God has used angels to present his Word to man.

     1. Angels were present during the giving of the Law to Moses. Due 33:3

     2. The Jews were not able to keep the Law, but hated the one who fulfilled all the

          requirements of the Law on their behalf.

     3. They believed in angels but would not believe in Jesus the creator of angels.

     4. They believed in the Law, but would not believe in Jesus the author of the Law.

 B. We believe what we want to believe.

     1. We can only believe in the Word by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

     2. If we reject the divine inspiration, you reject the divine God.

 

V:54. "When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth."

 A.  The Word of God is a two edged sword; it convicts and it inspires.

      1. It condemns those who reject it and inspires those who accept it.

      2. Its makes you angry if you reject it and it gives you joy when you accept it.

      3. It troubles you when you reject it and it gives you peace when you accept it.

 B. The heart is affected by the Word of God.

     1. The thoughts of man originate and are cultivated in the heart.

     2. The actions of man are the results of what is cultivated in the heart.

     3. Out of the heart flows the issues of life.

 C. If we don't get an understanding of the issues, we are likely to make wrong

      decisions.

     1. We need to understand what the most important issue of life is.

     2. The apostle Paul said, " I determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him

         crucified."  1 Cor 2:2

  D. Stephen understood the main issue of life.

     1. Stephen preached Jesus Christ, the salvation of man.

     2. Those who opposed Stephen didn't understand the main issue.

     3. Those who reject Jesus don't see Him as the main issue of life.

     4. Those who reject Jesus see the world and all it's glories as their main issues.

  E. The unregenerate man does not want to see himself in the mirror as he really is.

      1. They gnashed their teeth when they heard the truth about themselves.

V:55. "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God."

A. The Holy Ghost is our power to stand on God's Word in the face of adversity.

    1. When your focus is on God, you see heaven rather than your circumstance.

    2. When you trust God, you don't worry about the outcome.

        a. Wheather you worry about the outcome or not, God is in control.

B. "Full" = pleres= covered over. complete

    1. "Looked up steadfastly"=atenizo= fasten eyes, set eyes

    2. When you are covered by the Holy Ghost, your mind is set on heaven.

    3. When your mind is fixed on heaven, you are not worried about the outcome

         of your circumstance, because  your goal is heaven.

    4. When you are covered by the Holy Ghost, heaven is assured.

C. When you are covered by the Holy Ghost, Jesus is standing ready to receive you.

    1. Your situation may look bad, but Jesus is your intercessor.

    2. Your situation may not turn out the way you want, but it will turn out the way

        Jesus planned it.

    3. When you are covered by the Holy Ghost, your situation will turn out for your

        good.

 

V:56. "And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."

 A. Death can come at any time.

     1. Longevity is not promised to us.

     2. What you want to keep in focus at all times is Heaven is open to you.

     3. Tomorrow is not promise, but you want to keep in focus Jesus standing at the

          right hand of God.

 B. You were born to die and you will die.

     1. Death is not the end because a glorious life begins in heaven with Christ.

     2. Stephen said, "I see."

         a. It doesn't make a difference what others see.

         b. You must see heaven as you golden opportunity.

         c. Only a person in Christ can see heaven open.

         d. Only a person in Christ can see Him standing at the right hand of the Father.

 C. The question is; can you see Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father?

 

V:57. "Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord."

 A. There is a situation that God want let you out of.

     1. You can't run from death.

     2. Life will eventually take it's toll on you.

 B. The world does not want to hear the Word of God.

     1. When you stand on God's Word, you run the risk of being run down by

          an angry mob.

     2. The world can't do any more than God allows.

 

V:58. "And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul."

 A. God allows bad things to happen to good people.

     1. God allows bad things to happen to His people.

 B. False witnesses will stand silent while injustice is being carried out.

     1. The world is full of unjust people who for their own profit will allow the

          innocent to suffer.

     2. We must always remember that God is in control of the Good and the bad.

     3. God never takes His eyes off of His people.

C. In the mist of injustice, there is somebody who will benefit from your testimony.

    1. Saul who later became the Apostle Paul was a perpetrator of the injustice.

    2. God will use your situation to give Himself the glory and push the Gospel to

        greater heights.

 

V:59. "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

 A.  On our dying bed, we got one prayer, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit".

     1. Stephen recognized that there are three parts to a man; a body, a soul and a spirit.

     2. Stephen recognized that you can kill the body, but you can't kill the spirit.

     3. Absent from the body, present with the Lord.

B. In all situations, we ought to call on God.

     1. With God no situation is hopeless.

     2. With God all situations works for the good of believers.

C. The greatest testimony we can have is our trust in the Lord.

     1. Our trust in Jesus has a powerful effect on those around us.

     2. You never know how your testimony will benefit others.

 

V:60. "And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

 A. A humble spirit is an important attitude of a believer.

      1. He kneeled downed before the Lord while injustice was done.

 B. Prayer is an important part of the life of a believer.

     1. Stephen continued his prayer in the mist of adversity.

 C. Forgiveness is an important attitude of a believer.

     1. We ought to be able to forgive the worst of the worst.

     2. Our prayers should not be selfish.

         a. Our prayers ought to consider the ignorance of others.

         b. We ought to be concerned about the salvation of the worst criminals.

 D. Notice, they did not kill Stephen, he fell a sleep.

    1. Only God can end a life on earth.

    2. Nobody can take your life. Only God can end life here and begin life new in

        Heaven.

 

V:8:1. "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles."

A. The church of Jesus Christ began in persecution.

    1. The persecution of the Saints caused the spread of the Gospel outside of

        Jerusalem.

    2. Jesus had given the apostles the great commission to take the Gospel to the ends

        of the earth. Mark 13:9-10

B. Sometimes God has to allow us to face adversity to force us in the right direction.

    1. We have to be careful that we do get to comfortable in our progress in the Church.

    2. God does not want us to be at a standstill.

    3. All our life we ought to be growing in the Spirit.

    4. As long as we have breath, we should serve God in some capacity.

C. Sometimes God has to break up the cliques to get us moving in the right direction.

   1. Our testimony is needed every where we go.

   2. Somebody somewhere has not heard the Gospel.

   3. Everywhere we go is an opportunity to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.