Dwell in the Word: Acts 7:1-53

Consider these questions as you dwell in Acts 7:1-53:

1. How does Stephen's recounting of Israel's history highlight the recurring theme of rejection towards God's message throughout the story of redemption? What parallels does Stephen draw between the actions of his audience and those of their forefathers?

2. Stephen uses the term "stiff-necked" to describe the attitude of his audience. What does this agricultural term signify, and how does it relate to their unwillingness to heed the Word of God? In what ways can we examine our own receptiveness to God's guidance and direction?

3. Reflecting on Stephen's message, how can we apply the lesson of being open to the leading of God's Word in our own lives? What practical steps can we take to ensure that we are not allowing stubbornness or resistance to hinder our spiritual growth and obedience to God?

Transcript:

 As I said, that was a long one, but you can also see why I didn't want to break it up. It tells one long story and makes one very big point. The point is that throughout the story of redemption, The truth of God's word has been rejected by the people. They turned away from the words of Moses. And as Stephen said here, Which one of the fathers, of which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?

Who didn't you kill?  And that's his point here. You are coming after us for proclaiming this truth of what Jesus Christ has done. And you were doing the same thing that your fathers did. The same thing that you would look down on. them for. And he asked, Why do you resist the Holy Spirit? Now he uses an interesting phrase here in verse 51.

You stiff necked people now, for us, a stiff neck is something that we might, you know, try to rub out or, you know, go see the chiropractor to have fixed. But what this means is this is actually an agricultural term. The stiff necked, uh, item is not a person necessarily when it's being referred to as being stiff necked.

It's like a donkey, uh, a donkey or a horse that will not be led. You can't pull on it to get it to go a direction. It's stiff necked and it goes. the direction that it wants to go. And so that is what Stephen is saying about them. They're not listening to the Word of God. They're not looking at what they're seeing with the miracles that are being done to witness to the truth of Jesus.

Instead, they are making their necks stiff, and they are going where they want to go instead of listening to the Word of God. So, the application for us today is, are we a stiff necked people, or are we being, or are we allowing ourselves to be directed by the Word of God? Are we taking it in? Are we listening to it?

Are we letting our lives be conformed to it? Are we letting the Holy Spirit work in us through the power of the Word? So, the question we have to ask ourselves, are we stiff necked, or are we letting God's Word lead us?