Stephen preached a powerful sermon in Acts 7 - so powerful in fact, and so stinging, that it brought about his murder. The incensed mob rose against Stephen, and stoned him to death. What were the charges Stephen made against the people? Concerning Israel,

-they had misunderstood their own spiritual roots (vv. 2-8);

-they had rejected God-sent deliverers (vv. 9-36);

-they had disobeyed their law (vv. 37-43);

-they had misunderstood their Temple (vv. 44-50);

-they had stubbornly resisted God and His truth (vv. 51-53).

Can we learn from Stephen's sermon? Yes, for many of the same sins are committed today.

1. THEY MISUNDERSTOOD THEIR OWN SPIRITUAL ROOTS. There are many in the religious world who do not understand New Testament Christianity at all. Our foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11) and our guide (2 Timothy 3:16-17) are simply ignored. Man goes his own way, does his own thing, oblivious to New Testament doctrine and practice. Our spiritual roots must be firmly anchored in God's Word.

2. THEY REJECTED GOD-SENT DELIVERERS. Jesus promised the apostles they would be guided into all truth (John 14:25-26; 16:12-13), and indeed they taught and wrote guided by God (1 Corinthians 2:13; Galatians 1:11-12). But are there not those today who reject those God-sent men? Unfortunately so! There are some who flatly reject what the inspired writers wrote in the Bible.

3. THEY DISOBEYED THEIR OWN LAW. Space wouldn't permit the recitation of all the specific ways the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) is being disobeyed and disregarded. The name Jesus may be familiar and popular, but what He taught in detail on numerous matters is not generally known or sought.

4. THEY MISUNDERSTOOD THEIR TEMPLE. Under the New Covenant today, the Temple of God is His saved people, the church (Ephesians 2:20-22). But many in our world do not understand the nature, design, purpose, or necessity of the Lord's church. We hear so much drivel about the church doesn't matter...the church doesn't savejoin the church of your choice and like comments, all which betray a complete ignorance of what the Bible teaches about the New Testament church.

5. THEY STUBBORNLY RESISTED GOD AND HIS TRUTH. Yes, Israel did and people do today as well. There are people who frankly couldn't careless what God's Book teaches. They have turned aside unto vain jangling (l Timothy 1:6) people who are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7), folks who will not endure sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3).

Let us learn from the sermon of Stephen, to ever avoid the errors of the past.

John M. Brown