Be Prepared to Give a Defense
Pastor: Steven Lewis Series: The Book of Acts Scripture: Acts 7:1–53
Be Prepared to Give a Defense
Acts 7:1 - 53
Five Observations
- The God Defense (2 - 16)
- The Moses Defense (17 - 37)
- The Law Defense (38 - 43)
- The Temple Defense (44 - 50)
- The Verdict (51 - 53)
Three Applications
- Be Prepared to Give a Defense
- Study the Old Testament
- Your Life Is Not Your Own
MC Questions
Opening Question: Has there ever been a time when you have been falsely accused of something?
Read Acts 6:11 - 14. What are the four things the people accused of Stephen?
1) The God Defense:
- How does Stephen’s response show that he honors and reveres God? (Acts 7:2 - 16)
- How does Stephen show that the patriarchs REJECTED God? (Acts 7:9)?
- How does rejecting Joseph equate to rejecting God?
- Can you think of a time when you too rejected God or truth when someone shared it with you?
2) The Moses Defense
- How does Stephen demonstrate that he respects Moses?
- How did he communicate that the people of Israel had rejected Moses? (Acts 7:17 - 37)?
- Read Acts 7:37. What are some significant similarities between Christ and Moses? What are some significant differences?
- How can we grow in our love and respect for Moses and the Law?
3) The Law Defense (Acts 7:38 - 43)
- How is it clear in Stephen’s sermon that the Israelites rejected the Law?
- Instead of keeping the Law, what did they turn to instead? (Acts 7:39)
- Why do you think they turned to Egypt in their hearts?
- Has there been a time when we’ve turned back in our hearts to sin and desired things we should not have desired
- What three things does the Law reveal?
4) The Temple Defense (Acts 7:44 - 50)
- The Jews believed that the entirety of God dwelled in the temple. Why is this wrong and bad?
- Where is the temple of God today? (1 Cor. 3:16)
5) The Verdict
- Read Acts 7:51 - 53
- What is Stephen’s verdict?
- Was he too harsh? Was he mean? Was he too direct? Should he have been more “loving” in his accusation?
- How would you feel if you heard a Christian say this to others?
- How would you feel about saying this to others?
other sermons in this series
Feb 9
2025
LIVE AS WITNESSES (ZÍSTE OS MÁRTYRES)
Pastor: Roman S. Ortiz Scripture: Acts 7:54–60 Series: The Book of Acts
Jan 26
2025
The Gospel of Offense
Pastor: Steven Lewis Scripture: Acts 6:8–15 Series: The Book of Acts
Jan 12
2025
Healthy Church Growth
Pastor: Steven Lewis Scripture: Acts 6:7 Series: The Book of Acts