
SERMON NOTES
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Acts 7:1-16
1 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. 5 Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. 6 And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. 7 ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. 13 And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. 14 And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. 15 And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, 16 and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
1. The God of glory calls us to a life of faith.
2. The God of glory rescues us from a life of failure.
GROUP STUDY
READ
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MEMORIZE
John 4:14
…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
REVIEW
What were the two reasons given for Abraham being called a “friend of God?”
What does Jesus ask His friends to do for one another?
What were some difficulties Joseph encountered? (Joseph of Genesis)
What are some important events that occurred at Shechem?
REFLECT
Is there a difficult section or concept in this passage or sermon for you to understand? Discuss.
Is there a particular blessing you received from the lesson? Share it.
How would you say our love for the brethren is evidence of our life of faith to which the God of glory has called us to live?
How does Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well (John 4) illustrate that the God of glory wants to have dealings with you and give you a gift?
RESPOND
Think about something specific you have sensed God calling you to do. Are you doing it? If not, why?