Acts 7:1-16, Abraham and Joseph's faith

Acts 7:1-16, Abraham and Joseph's faith

  Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, and faith, and was a man who was well-known and performed great wonders and signs. He is not afraid of death and delivers testamentary sermons with an angel-like face. He declares, “The covenant that God made with Abraham was for the nation and the land, but the ancestors rejected it through disobedience, did not keep the law, and did not properly serve God in the temple given to serve God.”

1. Look at Abraham’s faith (2-8).

 Jesus, who became a temple, compared death and resurrection to a temple. He will die and rise again on the third day. False witnesses accused Stephen of desecrating the temple like Jesus, but he refuted this with the faith of Abraham and Joseph. God promised Abraham land and descendants and he obeyed His command to leave Ur of the Chaldeans. This means that a true encounter with Jesus, the temple will occur.

2. Look at Joseph’s faith (9-16).

 As the son of Jacob, he was sold as a slave to Egypt due to the jealousy of his brothers and suffered tremendous hardships. However, God appointed him as prime minister and served as the Savior of the world. And Joseph hoped to be buried in Shechem, Canaan, the promised land, and it came true 400 years later. Jesus also experienced persecution and death on the cross, but he became the savior of mankind. God gives us eternal life and heaven by believing in him.

 Dear saints, I bless you all to learn the faith of Abraham and Joseph through Stephen's sermon, to meet Jesus as your savior and Lord, and to live as blessed saints who believe and obey God's promises and win through patience. Amen.​.