Acts 9
THE DAMASCUS ROAD

• This story is referred to 3 times by Luke (Chapters 9, 22 & 26)

1 Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

• In spite of his great learning (Acts 26:24), Saul was spiritually blind (2 Cor. 3:12–18) and did not understand what the Old Testament really taught about the Messiah.
• Like many others of his countrymen, he stumbled over the Cross (1 Cor. 1:23) because he depended on his own righteousness and not on the righteousness of God (Rom. 9:30–10:13; Phil. 3:1–10).
• Damascus had a large Jewish population, and it has been estimated that there could well have been thirty to forty synagogues in the city.
• The fact that there were already believers there indicates how effective the church had been in getting out the message.[1]

3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus,

• Paul and team had to be getting pumped up right before they arrived.
• It’s almost game day!

a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

• Jesus closely associated His disciples with Himself.

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said.

• Lord was said out of respect.
• Paul had no idea it was the voice of the one who had come to persecute.

“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied.

• I would’ve had to change my shorts at that moment.
• When did Paul’s conversion actually happen?

6 “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

• The Hebrew of the Hebrews would become the apostle to the Gentiles;
• the persecutor would become a preacher;
• and the legalistic Pharisee would become the great proclaimer of the grace of God.
• Up to now, Saul had been like a wild animal, fighting against the Shepherd’s rods; but now he would become a vessel of honor, the Lord’s “tool,” to preach the Gospel in the regions beyond.
• What a transformation!
• Paul lost his religion and gained the righteousness of Christ.
• His salvation is certainly a great encouragement to any lost sinner, for if “the chief of sinners” could be saved, surely anybody can be saved![2]

7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one.

• Paul was the only one to hear Jesus.
• Paul’s team heard the sound of thunder.

8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9 He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.
 
SAUL’S BAPTISM
10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”
“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.

• Had to have been a Jew who converted and was a leader of the Church in Damascus.

11 “Get up and go to the street called Straight,”

• Bab Sharqi Street (show map)
• One of the oldest church buildings in existence today
• Orthodox Armenian Church

the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

• Ananias’ first thought is resistance.

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

• This verse is a summary of Paul’s ministry.
• The one who once was the church’s most vehement persecutor would now be the one who would willingly accept persecution for the sake of the name.
• This is the core point of the Pauline conversion narrative.
• It reappears at its conclusion as Paul is shown persecuted by the Jews both in Damascus (9:23) and in Jerusalem (9:29).
• Paul’s conversion more clearly illustrates his transformation from persecutor to persecuted.[3]
• Paul was chosen to stand before kings and proclaim the Gospel.
• This is the first reference of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles.

17 Ananias went and entered the house.

• Have you ever walked into a place you didn’t want to?
• Ananias knew all about Saul and his history.
• Saul was a celebrity.

He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul,

• That touch and those words right there were brought comfort to Saul.

the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength.

• What actually energized Paul?
• Ananias?
• Food?
• Filling of the Holy Spirit?

 
SAUL PROCLAIMING THE MESSIAH
Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”

• Paul used this term many times in his letters but this is the only time Luke refers to Jesus as “the Son of God.”

21 All who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man in Jerusalem who was causing havoc for those who called on this name and came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?”
 

• Galatians 1:15-20 - 15 But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus.
• Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you. [4]

22 But Saul grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plot. So they were watching the gates day and night intending to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall.

• How humiliating it must have been for Saul to be led into Damascus as a blind man and then smuggled out like a common criminal (see 2 Cor. 11:32–33).[5]

 
SAUL IN JERUSALEM
26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple.

• This was not the “apostles”
• They were afraid he was sneaking into their small groups to arrest them.

27 Barnabas (same one from Acts 4), however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

• Barnabas was Saul’s encourager throughout his ministry.

28 Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

• Similar to Stephen.

29 He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the brothers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

• Paul’s original home town.

 
THE CHURCH’S GROWTH
31 So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
Once Saul stopped persecuting the Church and causing it to scatter… it began to grow again.

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 439). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 439). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 237). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 1:15–20). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 441). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Acts 8
THE RESPONSE OF SIMON
9 A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed (astounded, confounded, bewitched) the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.

• It is a basic principle in Scripture that wherever God sows His true believers, Satan will eventually sow his counterfeits (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43).
• This was true of the ministry of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:7ff) and Jesus (Matt. 23:15, 33; John 8:44), and it would be true of Paul’s ministry also (Acts 13:6ff; 2 Cor. 11:1–4, 13–15).
• The enemy comes as a lion to devour, and when that approach fails, he comes as a serpent to deceive.[1]

10 They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, and they said, “This man is called the Great Power of God.”

• Whatever else might be said of Simon, he seems to have made some claim to at least embody the very power of God.[2]

11 They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed.

• There is no object given for his believing—no “kingdom of God,” no “name of Jesus Christ.”
• In fact, the only response connected with his baptism was his following Philip everywhere, totally entranced by his miraculous signs.[3]
• His faith was like that of the people of Jerusalem who witnessed our Lord’s miracles (John 2:23–25 - While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all 25 and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.[4]),
• or even like that of the demons (James 2:19 - You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.[5] ).[6]

 
SIMON’S SIN
14 When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 After they went down there, they prayed for them so the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit because he had not yet come down on any of them. 16 (They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

•  It is important to note that the Samaritans did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when they believed.
• It was necessary for two of the Apostles, Peter and John, to come from Jerusalem, put their hands on the converts, and impart to them the gift of the Spirit.
• Why? Because God wanted to unite the Samaritan believers with the original Jewish church in Jerusalem.
• He did not want two churches that would perpetuate the division and conflict that had existed for centuries.
• Jesus had given Peter the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16:13–20), which meant that Peter had the privilege of “opening the door of faith” to others.
• He opened the door to the Jews at Pentecost, and now he opened the door to the Samaritans.
• Later, he would open the door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 10).[7]

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”

• Though a complete misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit, Simon’s behavior was completely in character for a professional magician.
• Tricks of the trade were often exchanged among them in financial transactions.[8]

20 But Peter told him, “May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God.

• A form of excommunication from the Church
• Also seen as protection of the flock.

 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart’s intent may be forgiven. 23 For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by wickedness.”

• Throughout Acts human greed is always depicted as a most destructive force.
• It certainly was so for Judas (1:18) and for Ananias and Sapphira (5:1–11).
• It would continue to be so in many subsequent episodes in Acts.[9]

24 “Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon replied, “so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

• The question is whether Simon did in fact repent.
• His response may express a degree of remorse but hardly the sort of complete turnabout of will and mind that marks true repentance.
• In fact, Simon expressed no repentance.
• Instead, he asked the apostles to intercede for him.
• There was no prayer of contrition from Simon, just the fear that Peter’s predicted judgment might come down upon him.
• Luke gave no further information on Simon the magician. Luke, however, made his point.
• Christianity has nothing to do with magic; magic is powerless before the genuine power of the Holy Spirit.
• God’s Spirit can neither be manipulated nor bought.[10]

25 So, after they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they traveled back to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

• Not only did they endorse the Samaritan mission, but they also enthusiastically participated in it.
• A new stage in the Christian mission had been reached—the witness to Samaria.
• Begun by the Hellenist Philip, it was embraced by the entire church.[11]

 
THE CONVERSION OF THE ETHIOPIAN OFFICIAL
26 An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.)

• the last watering place before the desert on the route to Egypt.[12]

27 So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury.

• Not to be confused with today’s Ethiopia.
• In the ancient world slaves were often castrated as boys in order to be used as keepers of the harem and the treasury.
• Eunuchs were found to be particularly trustworthy and loyal to their rulers.
• So widespread was the practice of placing them over the treasury that in time the term “eunuch” became a synonym for “treasurer” and did not necessarily imply that the one bearing the title was castrated.
• His physical status was then highly significant for the story. He had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was in all probability, like Cornelius, one of those “God-fearing” Gentiles who believed in the God of Israel but had not become a proselyte, a full convert, to Judaism.
• In his case, as a eunuch, full membership in the congregation of Israel was not even possible because of his physical blemish (cf. Deut 23:1). He could visit the temple in Jerusalem, as he had done; but he could never enter it.[13]

He had come to worship in Jerusalem 28 and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.
29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.”
30 When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

• The letters on ancient manuscripts were often crowded and difficult to decipher, and reading aloud was the customary manner in that day.[14]

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:
He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb is silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will describe his generation?
For his life is taken from the earth. (Isaiah 53 – The Suffering Servant)
34 The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?” 35 Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.
36 As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?” 38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away,

• The Spirit had led him to this encounter. Now, the witness completed, the Spirit closed the scene and transported Philip to further witness in the coastal cities to the north.[15]

and the eunuch did not see him any longer but went on his way rejoicing.

• Ever been to a ballgame where the home team won a big game and everyone is leaving the stadium?

40 Philip appeared in Azotus, and he was traveling and preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.[16]

• The same Caesarea that Peter would come to and present the Good News to Cornelius.

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 435). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 215). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 217). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 2:23–25). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 2:19). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 435). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 435–436). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 219). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 219). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 220–221). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 221). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 223). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 223–224). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[14] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 224). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 227). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[16] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 8:1–40). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Acts 8
SAUL THE PERSECUTOR
1 Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3 Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house (probably more of the Helenistic Jews because they were easier to distinguish from native Jews), drag off men and women, and put them in prison.

• The Book of Acts and the epistles give sufficient data for a sketch of Saul’s early life.
• He was born in Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 22:3 - …“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia[1]),
• a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (2 Corinthians 11:22 - Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the descendants of Abraham? So am I.[2]),
• the “son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6 - When Paul realized that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part were Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees.[3]),
• and a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25–28 - As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondemned?”
• When the centurion heard this, he went and reported to the commander, saying, “What are you going to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”
• The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes,” he said.

• The commander replied, “I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul said. [4]).

• He was educated in Jerusalem by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3 - …but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors.[5])
• and became a devoted Pharisee (Acts 26:4–5 - “All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.[6]).
• Measured by the Law, his life was blameless (Philippians 3:4-6 - If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.[7]).
• He was one of the most promising young Pharisees in Jerusalem, well on his way to becoming a great leader for the Jewish faith (Galatians 1:14 - I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.[8]).
• Saul’s zeal for the Law was displayed most vividly in his persecution of the church (Galatians 1:13–14 - For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.[9]).
• He really thought that persecuting the believers was one way of serving God, so he did it with a clear conscience (2 Timothy 1:3 - I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience[10]).
• He obeyed the light that he had and, when God gave him more light, he obeyed that and became a Christian!
• In what ways did Saul persecute the church? He “made havoc of the church,” and the verb here describes a wild animal mangling its prey.
• The stoning of Stephen, which Saul approved, shows the lengths to which he would go to achieve his purpose. He persecuted both men and women “unto the death” (Acts 22:4 - I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail[11])
• entering both houses and synagogues. He had the believers imprisoned and beaten (Acts 22:19-20 - “But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten. 20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval and guarding the clothes of those who killed him.[12]).
• If they renounced their faith in Jesus Christ (“compelling them to blaspheme”) they were set free; if they did not recant, they could be killed. - Acts 26:9–11 - In fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them. 11 In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme. Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.[13]),
• He was a man with great authority whose devotion to Moses completely controlled his life, and almost destroyed his life. He did it “ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13-14 - even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.[14]),
• and God showed him mercy and saved him. Saul of Tarsus is the last person in Jerusalem you would have chosen to be the great apostle to the Gentiles![15]
• 1 Timothy 1:15-17 - This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen[16]

 
PHILIP IN SAMARIA
4 So those who were scattered went on their way preaching (evangelism – tell the Good News) the word. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria (half Jews/half Gentiles) and proclaimed (announced) the Messiah to them.

• The apostles were instructed not to go there. (Matthew 10:5-6 5 Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.[17]

6 The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing.

• Philip was one of the 7 chosen men that was to fulfill the administrative duties in the Church at Jerusalem (deacon). - (Acts 6:3 - 3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty.[18])
• Philip not only preached but demonstrated God’s power first hand.
• Now Philip is doing the same miracles the Apostles were doing in Jerusalem.

7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

• The Gospel had just been multiplied to a city that was once ignored because of the persecution taking place back in Jerusalem.
• Was God responsible for the persecution in Jerusalem? Absolutely not.

Romans 5:1 – I have been justified (completely forgiven and made righteous) and am at peace with God.

Romans 8:1 – I am forever free from condemnation.

Romans 8:14,15 – I am a son of God (God is literally my “Papa”) (Galatians 3:26; 4:6).

Romans 15:7 – Christ has accepted me.

1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19 – I am a temple (home) of God; His Spirit (His life) dwells in me.

1 Corinthians 6:17 – I am joined to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – I am a new creation.

Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I am now living is Christ’s life.

Ephesians 1:1 – I am a saint (1 Corinthians 1:2; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2).

Ephesians 1:5 – I have been adopted as God’s Child.

Ephesians 2:19 – I am a fellow citizen with the saints and a member of God’s household.

Philippians 3:20 – I am a citizen of heaven.

Colossians 1:13 – I have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Christ.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 22:3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Co 11:22). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 23:6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 22:25–28). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 22:3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 26:4–5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Php 3:4–6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 1:14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 1:13–14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Ti 1:3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 22:4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 22:19–20). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 26:9–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[14] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (1 Ti 1:13–14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 434). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[16] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (1 Ti 1:15–17). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[17] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 10:5–6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[18] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 6:3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

​Acts 7
STEPHEN’S SERMON
1 “Are these things true?” the high priest asked.
2 “Brothers and fathers,” he replied, “listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham

• Stephen’s address opens with “the God of glory” and closes with the glory of God (Acts 7:55); and all the time he spoke, his face radiated that same glory!
• Why? Because Israel was the only nation privileged to have the glory of God as a part of its inheritance
• (Romans 9:4 - 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises.[1])[2]

when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 3 and said to him: Leave your country and relatives, and come to the land that I will show you. (Genesis 12:1)
4 “Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this land in which you are now living.

• Abraham was the founder of the Hebrew nation, and his relationship to God was one of grace and faith.
• God had graciously appeared to him and called him out of heathen darkness into the light of salvation, and Abraham had responded by faith.
• Abraham was saved by grace, through faith, and not because he was circumcised, kept a law, or worshiped in a temple.
• All of those things came afterward (see Rom. 4; Gal. 3).
• He believed the promises of God and it was this faith that saved him.[3]

5 He didn’t give him an inheritance in it—not even a foot of ground—but he promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he was childless. 6 God spoke in this way: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country (Egypt), and they would enslave and oppress them for four hundred years. 7 I will judge the nation that they will serve as slaves, God said. After this, they will come out and worship me in this place. (Genesis 15:13-14) 8 And so he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.

• The Jews prided themselves in their circumcision, failing to understand that the rite was symbolic of an inner spiritual relationship with God (Deut. 10:16; Jer. 4:4; 6:10; Acts 7:51; Gal. 5:1–6; Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11–12).
• Over the years, the fulfilling of ritual had taken the place of the enjoyment of reality.
• This happens in churches even today.[4]

After this, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
 
THE PATRIARCHS IN EGYPT
9 “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his troubles. He gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over his whole household. 11 Now a famine and great suffering came over all of Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors could find no food. 12 When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there the first time. 13 The second time, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. 14 Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five people (Greek Septuagint – Greek translation of the Old Testament - included Joseph’s 5 grandchildren. Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew) in all, 15 and Jacob went down to Egypt. He and our ancestors died there, 16 were carried back to Shechem (between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee – Palestinian territory), and were placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
 
MOSES, A REJECTED SAVIOR
17 “As the time was approaching to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt 18 until a different king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt. 19 He dealt deceitfully with our race and oppressed our ancestors by making them abandon their infants outside so that they wouldn’t survive. (Jewish genocide) 20 At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God’s sight. He was cared for in his father’s home for three months. 21 When he was put outside, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted and raised him as her own son. 22 So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions.
23 “When he was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24 When he saw one of them being mistreated, he came to his rescue and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He assumed his people would understand that God would give them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. 26 The next day he showed up while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them peacefully, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’
27 “But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying: Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me, the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday? (Exodus 2:14)
29 “When he heard this, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. 30 After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he was approaching to look at it, the voice of the Lord came: 32 I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. (Exodus 3:6) Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look.
33 “The Lord said to him: Take off the sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. And now, come, I will send you to Egypt. (Exodus 3:5-10)
35 “This Moses, whom they rejected when they said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge? (Exodus 2:14)—this one God sent as a ruler and a deliverer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
 
ISRAEL’S REBELLION AGAINST GOD
37 “This is the Moses who said to the Israelites: God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters. (Deuteronomy 18:15) 38 He is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us. 39 Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him. Instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron: Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what’s happened to him. (Exodus 32:1, 23) 41 They even made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and were celebrating what their hands had made.

• As God was giving Moses the Law… the Israelites were breaking the first two.

42 God turned away and gave them up to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

• As compared to Romans 1:24-28 – (24 Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
  26 For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 The men in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.
• And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right.[5])

House of Israel, did you bring me offerings and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness?
43 You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship.  So I will send you into exile beyond Babylon. (Amos 5:25-27)

• This included the worship of sex, religious prostitutes and even child sacrifices.

 
GOD’S REAL TABERNACLE
44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 45 Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before them, until the days of David. (Exodus 40:34-38) 46 He found favor in God’s sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 It was Solomon, rather, who built him a house (1 Kings 8:10-11), 48 but the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says:
49 Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me?
says the Lord, or what will be my resting place?
50 Did not my hand make all these things? (Isaiah 66:1-2)
 - The Jewish defense of their temple was both illogical and unscriptural.
 
RESISTING THE HOLY SPIRIT
51 “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also. 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. 53 You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.”

• You refused to submit to God and obey His Laws.
• Even though you memorized the prophets words, you didn’t obey them and you eventually even killed them.
• By the time Jesus came to earth, the truth of God was encrusted with so much tradition that the people could not recognize God’s truth when He did present it.
• Man’s dead traditions had replaced God’s living truth (see Matt. 15:1–20).[6]

 
THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR
54 When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

• Stephen’s coronation.

57 They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

• The men who had witnessed against Stephen, ch. 6:13, were required by the law (Deut. 17:7) to cast the first stones on the transgressor.
• In order that they might not be impeded in the act by their wide and flowing upper garments, they laid these aside, and entrusted them to the care of the young man who was named Saul.
• Then they and the rest of the people hurled stones at Stephen.[7]

59 While they were stoning Stephen, he called out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he died.[8]
Stephen died a similar death to Jesus and similar last words.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 9:4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 430). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 431). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 431). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 1:24–28). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 432). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Gotthard, V. L., Gerok, C., & Schaeffer, C. F. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Acts (p. 135). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 7:1–60). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.