Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones, But God Will Always Heal Me.

STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES, BUT GOD WILL ALWAYS HEAL ME.

Acts- chapter 7 verse 54-60

Here in these verses Stephen was stoned to death. He was the first apostle that was killed because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Stephen in the first part of this chapter was on trial for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

He was before the same type council that had crucified Jesus. Plus this council had recently attempted to stop the apostles speaking about Jesus.

Stephens’s address before the council was mainly a recital of Old Testament history, climaxing in a stinging rebuke for their murder of Jesus.

As Stephen spoke his face begin to shine as a face of an angel. The people there rushed upon him like wild animals to kill him, to stone him to death.

Let us look at Stephen here for a few minutes and see what the Bible teaches us about the certain passage.

Look in verse 54; The Bible says, “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart”

You see this council had brought false witnesses against Stephen and he tells them of the true witness. He was quoting the testimony of writings they owned themselves to be inspired.

Stephen spoke of the persistent rejection of God and his servants until at last it brought home to themselves and aroused the maddened hatred in their hearts.

The people there could not stand to hear the truth.

Their hearts were boiling over with thoughts their mind could not control.

You see the gospel effects the heart. It will cut you deeper than anything else will. Once you see the truth, you either accept it or you run as fast away as you can.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword,

How many people have you seen that has been living in sin and somehow, somewhere God touches their heart?

Let me tell you, either their face becomes white as snow or red as a fire truck.

I have seen people in services that God has touched that went totally crazy for a moment. It wound them around like a rubber band airplane.

But when they got unwound, a joy came over them like never before. They start to see things in a different light, a different way.

No longer is the world dark and dusty. It has color in it now. There is a new person standing there. Their tears begin to flow as their heart warms to the love that has just been instilled in their heart. It still amazes me, even today to see someone get that touched from God.

But… I have seen the other side, sad to say. It winds them up and when they come back down their heart is hardened so much from guilt, sin, rotten things that they have done, it makes them harden their hearts even harder. Satan has taken his last stab at making the soul believe God surly cannot forgive me of all the wrongs in my life. They become so defensive that they begin to lash out toward God, they curse God and all that He represents. I’ve seen it church, these people have so many demons in them that it is a war inside them.

There is a song I listen too, it is called which one I feed, and the chorus of that song rings loud and clear;

There's a black and a white wolf in me

And I live and I die by which one I feed

It's a war old as time, this fighting inside

And I live and I die by which one I feed

I have seen that battle right in the pews between which one they will feed. It is a battle at times, Satan does not want to lose one of his prized possessions.

And when that person gets so mad they turn away;

This my friend is rejecting the power of the Holy Spirit. How sad to say that heaven was only a heartbeat away.

These words that Stephen spoke to these people was the truth.

Words are strong my friends, use them wisely and use them with respect because someday they will come back to you, either good or bad.

2nd thing I noticed in verses 55-56.

The Bible states, Stephen was full of the Holy Ghost and looked up steadfastly. This just means steady, loyal, unchanging, faithful and firm into heaven.

Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of his father.

I want to tell you something, right then and there, Stephen knew he was heading home.

I think Stephen did not care what was about to happen to him. He was viewing the Almighty God and his son!!!!