Stephen's Speech to the Sandhedrin

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DO NOT FORGET TO UNMUTE

It’s the 14th day of October— Wednesday

Yesterday and the other day right here at “The Message” we learned history of the early church with Stephen as the focus of our conversation— Stephen was among the chosen seven to do ministry so that the apostles can focus on praying and preaching—

THE PRIMARY MINISTRY OF PASTORS IS TO PRAY AND PREACH

THE CHURCH MUST CHOOSE QUALIFIED PEOPLE TO DO THE MINISTRIES

After hands was laid over Stephen when he was prayed for, he began to preach about Jesus and when he did so, he encountered opposition that smeared him with wrong accusations by false witnesses— they arrested him and he was brought to the Sanhedrin [the powerful Jewish ruling council] where he was interrogated—

I MUST BE READY FOR OPPOSITION AS I DO THE WORK OF THE LORD

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL GIVE ME WISDOM THAT NO ONE CAN STAND AGAINST

While everyone sitting in the Sanhedrin looked at Stephen very intently— they saw that his face was like the face of an angel— Let’s see what happened during that hearing at the Sanhedrin— Open your Bible to ACTS 7:1-16— once you get there, type “let’s what happened in the Sanhedrin!”

When reading in advance, whenever you’re studying God’s Word— look for words that defines that CHARACTER of God, COMMANDS to obey, PROMISES to claim, good EXAMPLES to follow and bad examples to avoid, ENCOURAGEMENTS & CHALLENGES to keep you going, reasons to be THANK GOD for, PRAYERS to pray

READ ACTS 7:1-16

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Acts 7:1–16 NIV

1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?” 2 To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. 3 ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ 4 “So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. 5 He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6 God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. 7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’ 8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs. 9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. 11 “Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. 12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. 13 On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14 After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 15 Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. 16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

WHAT: Speech of Stephen before the Sanhedrin

WHERE: Sanhedrin in Jerusalem

WHEN: The days of the early church

WHO: Stephen [First martyr of the church], Sanhedrin [SHOW IMAGE], Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia [accusers of Stephen]

Note: The following people are referenced by Stephen in his speech but they are not in this event: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob [Israel], 12 Patriarchs [leaders of the 12 tribes that includes Joseph], Pharoah of Egypt.

WHY: To hear the accusations against Stephen

LOOK

THEN THE HIGH PRIEST ASKED STEPHEN, “ARE THESE CHARGES TRUE?”

The specific charges was based on what he said that Jesus said in — ACTS 6:14, JOHN 2:19

They misinterpreted Jesus and they misunderstood Stephen, hence, this accusations was leveled against him at the Sanhedrin

Now, do not be confused— there are people mentioned by Stephen in his defense as reference, but these people lived in a different time [they were not in this event]— Stephen very wisely started his defense referencing to their forefathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Patriarchs]

Let’s see how his speech came on.. He started with our father Abraham..

LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR PEOPLE,GOD SAID, AND GO TO THE LAND I WILL SHOW YOU

When God told Abraham to leave his country, he did not know where he was going— God simply said, “I will show you”— not knowing what is up ahead of him, Abraham obeyed God by faith

The place where God was taking Abraham was Jerusalem.. listen..

GOD SENT HIM TO THIS LAND WHERE YOU ARE NOW LIVING

Stephen pointed out the land where God was taking Abraham was the land where they were— Jerusalem

Although Abraham did not set his feet in Jerusalem— he was given no inheritance there— but..

GOD PROMISED HIM THAT HE AND HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM WOULD POSSESS THE LAND

And they did— the 71 members of the Sanhedrin are elders of Israel led by the high priest

God made this promised to Abraham at the time when he and Sarah [his wife] was childless

He was foretold about the 400 years slavery of God’s people in Egypt— they will be enslaved but mistreated— but God said he will punish that nation [Egypt] and they will be taken out from there

GOD SAID, AND AFTERWARD THEY WILL COME OUT OF THAT COUNTRY AND WORSHIP ME IN THIS PLACE

Stephen did not mention the name, but he was referring to Moses that led the people out of Egypt and into the land promised to them— Jerusalem, Israel

HE GAVE ABRAHAM THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION

It was a practice[custom] in the Old Testament as physical sign of membership in the people of God— Surgical removal of the foreskin of the male reproductive organ— In the Bible times was the seal of Gods covenant with Abraham

Abraham became the father of Isaac who circumcised on the 8th day after his birth— later Isaac became the father of Jacob [Israel], who became the father of the twelve patriarchs [12 tribes— GENESIS 49]

BECAUSE THE PATRIARCHS WERE JEALOUS OF JOSEPH

They sold him as slave into Egypt— GENESIS 37:11

But God was with Joseph and He rescued him from all his troubles— God gave Joseph wisdom and enabled to gain the goodwill of Pharoah king of Egypt

PHARAOH MADE HIM RULER OVER EGYPT AND ALL HIS PALACE

You can find the life story of Joseph in GENESIS 37

A FAMINE STRUCK ALL EGYPT AND CANAAN, BRINGING GREAT SUFFERING

Their ancestors could not find food— so when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he send his sons [brothers of Joseph]

On their first visit, they did not recognized Joseph their brother— it was on their second visit to Egypt when Joseph reveled his identity to them— with Pharaoh’s approval, Joseph sent for his father and their whole family to come to Egypt where they died..

THEN JACOB WENT DOWN TO EGYPT, WHERE HE AND OUR ANCESTORS DIED

What a very wise and smart way to open his defense before the Sanhedrin— Stephen brought their memory back in the history of Israel

The biblical principles that we can use as application that we can apply in our lives are from the facts cited by Stephen in the lives our patriarchs...

TOOK

GOD USES PEOPLES’ EMOTIONS TO FULFILL HIS WILL

Because the patriarchs [his brothers] were jealous of Joseph

GOD USES CRISIS TO CARRY OUT HIS PLANS

Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan

SING

Jada Miranda — God of miracles