Where Does God Live?

Acts 6:8-7:53

Introduction

-Last time in our Acts series we looked at the life and death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr

-Today we will examine Stephen’s trial which led up to his execution, looking specifically at:

1) The Prosecution and 2) The Defense

I. The Prosecution (6:8-15)

1)     The Witnesses (vv. 9, 11,13)

2)     The Motivation (v. 10)

3)     The Charges (vv. 11-14)

a.       Blasphemy against the Law/Moses

b.      Blasphemy against the Temple/God

II. The Defense (7:1-53)

1)     Stephen’s Godly Composure (6:15)

2)     Stephen’s Compelling Argument (7:1-53)

a.       Where Should we Worship?

• God met with Abraham in Ur and Haran
• God met with Joseph in Egypt
• God met with Moses in Sinai peninsula
• God met with Israel in the Wilderness
• Main Point:  God is not restricted to a physical building or geographic location (v.48-50)
• Jesus made the same point about the location of worship in John 4:21-24

b.      How Should we Worship?

• Outward religious observance should not be confused with inward transformation (v. 51)
• Receiving the Law should not be confused with obeying it (vv. 52-53)
• Jesus came to fulfill the Law

III. Application Questions

1) How do we respond when people twist our words and misrepresent us?

2) Do we confuse the outward observance of worship with the true heart of worship?

3) Do we live as though God is ‘boxed up’ in a building or physical location?