Acts - The Unstoppable Church - Acts 6:8-7:60

Homiletics                                             Study – Acts & Letter of Apostles

Lesson     5                                             Passage: Acts 6:8-7:60

Content (List of Topics or Events)

Opposition and Charges of Stephen (Acts 6:8-15) a. Stephen full of God’s power and grace (8) b. Jews argue unsuccessfully with Stephen (9-10) c. Accusation blasphemy ploy against Stephen (11) d. Stephen seized and brought before Sanhedrin (12-14) e. Sanhedrin see Stephen’s angelic face (15)

Stephen’s defense - Proclamation of God’s faithful promise   (Acts 7:1-53) a. God’s calling of Abraham and promise and circumcision covenant (1-8a) b. God with Patriarchs leading them to Egypt (8b-16) c. God raised up Moses as leader who his own rejected to save from bondage (17-36) d. Moses told of a like-prophet to come and passed on to us (37-38) e. Ancestors refused to obey and were allowed to perish (39-43) f. Ancestors had tabernacle with them and Solomon built a temple (44-47) g. God dwells in heaven (48-50) h. Like ancestors you reject God and the law (51-53)

Sanhedrin judgment and Stephen home going (Acts 7:54-60) a. Sanhedrin anger in response to Stephen’s defense (54) b.  Stephen full of Holy Spirit sees and tell of heaven  (55-56) c. Sanhedrin refuses to listen and drags Stephen out of city to stone him. (57-58a) d. Saul holds coats – “but wait there’s more” (58b) e. Stephen prays for Jesus to receive him and requests forgiveness of killers (59-60)

Divisions (Main Blocks of Thought)

Opposition and Charges of Stephen	Acts 6:8-15
Stephen’s defense - Proclamation of God’s faithful promise	Acts 7:1-53
Sanhedrin judgment and Stephen home going	Acts 7:54-60

Subject Sentence (Summarizes the contents of the Divisions – No more than 10 words)

Stephen defense proclaimed in God’s faithful word to uncircumcised hearts

Aim (Main Teaching Point of the Passage)

CTATL that God’s faithful provision is for those that dwell in Him.

Specific Application Questions

1	What charges could be brought against you and the way you proclaim the Gospel of Christ?
2	How would you describe your history with Christ?  What is your relationship like?
3	What distracts you from ministry?  How is God calling you to be more faithful?

Principles to Remember

1	Holy Spirit enables us in our faith walk.
2	God does not dwell in things made with human hands.
3	At the end of our journey; home is with our Heavenly Father

Characteristic of God

Faithful Promise Keeper

Theme

Circumcised is a heart thing; it is an inward mark of life centered on walking with God.

God’s Word  - What’s happening?

God’s Heart – What does God care about?

Today’s World – How does this connect to what is happening in my world today?