Acts 7 Highlights

When you read Acts 7, you might feel a little lost in it because of the length of the chapter. Perhaps what I gleaned this morning in my reading will be a help to you.

Stephen points out that the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt (verse 9).

He goes on to say that Moses was misunderstood by his Jewish brothers (verse 25).

Stephen continues by saying that they rejected Moses (verses 27, 35, and 39).

The Jews turned into idolaters (verse 40 and following).

The climax of Stephen's defense and sermon comes in verse 51. He has said that the Jews were jealous, did not understand, rejected God's appointed leader, and turned into idolaters. Stephen now drops the main point of his message: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you." Stephen's audience of the high priest and his council are just like their fathers! Their forefathers persecuted the prophets and killed God's messengers. Similarly, they persecuted and killed Jesus.

The account ends with their continued hard-heartedness as they kill Stephen before he can even tell them of God's grace in extending an offer of salvation.