Stephen's Message Pt 2, Moses

Stephen’s Message, Pt. 2 – Moses, the Man God Called

Acts 7:17 – 7:37

Jeff Hughes – May 11, 2003

Calvary Chapel Aggieland

I. Introduction

a. Last week, we talked about faith, and we saw last week what a vital thing faith is to us as Christians. Faith is the basis of our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is through faith in Him that we are saved.

b. Stephen’s faith had led him in front of the Sanhedrin, and last week, we saw Stephen give an excellent defense to the charges of blasphemy that he was accused of. Stephen’s message was much more than a legal plea or a rebuttal of the charges brought against him.

c. No, the main thrust of Stephen’s message was one of Salvation, and last week we saw God moving in the lives of two men, Abraham and Joseph. Abraham and Joseph were men of faith. Men of faith in God.

d. Both of them believed God at His Word, both Abraham and Joseph. Both men saw the promises of God come to pass, and both men were blessed of God in their lives.

e. Though they didn’t always see how God would accomplish His promises, they both believed God anyway. That’s the substance of faith.

f. Today, we are going to look at another faithful man, Moses. Moses was called by God, and was certainly used by God. The story of Moses speaks of deliverance, but it also gives us an object lesson in God’s redemption and forgiveness, despite our fallen nature.

g. We will look at Stephen’s narrative of the life of Moses in depth this morning, as we continue our study through the book of Acts. But, first, let’s have a word of prayer, and ask the Lord to come and bless the study of His Word this morning.

II. PRAYER

III. Illustration

a. In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He felt a call of God on his life, and so, he made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to be accepted as a monk and spend the rest of his life in the monastery.

b. "Your Majesty," said Prior Richard, "do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king."

c. "I understand," said Henry. "The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you."

d. When King Henry died, a statement was written: "The king learned to rule by being obedient."

e. When we tire of our roles and responsibilities, it helps to remember God has planted us in a certain place and told us to be a good accountant or teacher or mother or father. Christ expects us to be faithful where he puts us, and when he returns, we will rule together with him.

f. The key is that we have to be obedient and listening for that call of God on our lives.

g. Our study this morning is found in Acts chapter 7, and we are going to look at verses 17 through 37, 21 verses in all, and we still will not finish up with Stephen’s Message to the Sanhedrin, we will finish that next week.

h. There’s a place for you to take notes in your bulletin if you would like, and if you need a Bible, just raise your hand. Acts is right past John in the New Testament, and just before Romans.

i. Follow along with me as we read.

IV. Study

a. Intro

i. 17 "But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. 21 But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. 23 Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ’Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ 27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ’Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.