May 3, 2026

Acts 7

The Big Picture

Sunday Sermons

In Acts 6-7, we meet Stephen, the first Christian martyr, standing before the same religious council that condemned Jesus. Charged with blasphemy and facing death, he doesn’t argue for his life. Instead, he retells the story of a pursuing God. From Abraham to Moses to David, Stephen traces the long thread of God’s initiating grace through Israel’s history, showing how every turn of history has been pointing to Jesus, the true and final Redeemer.

Join Pastor Tommy as we consider the settled confidence of a man who knew to whom he belonged. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit and unshaken, demonstrated a sturdy faith rooted not in religious systems, the law, or a temple made with hands, but in the God of glory who runs after rebel sinners and makes a way to reconcile them in Christ Jesus.

Speaker

Tommy Bailey

Series

Acts of the Apostles

Go to Series

Scripture

Acts 7

Topics
Growth & Discipleship Worldview & Culture

Sermon Notes

Acts 7

The Big Picture

Pastor Tommy Bailey

“I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted…Then I said, ‘I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.’ I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds…”
Psalm 77:1-12

“And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Luke 12:11-12

1. Looking Back: The God Who Pursues

 Blasphemy Charges Against Stephen:

  • God (v. 6:11)
  • Moses (v. 6:11)
  • The Law (v. 6:13)
  • The Temple (v. 6:13)

The Initiative of God in Stephen’s Sermon:

  • Abraham (vv. 2-8)
    • The God of Glory appeared to our father Abraham (v. 2)
    • God removed him from there into this land (v. 4)
    • God spoke…that his offspring would be sojourners in a land (v. 6)
    • But I will judge the nation that they serve (v. 7)
    • He gave them the covenant of circumcision (v. 8)
  • Joseph (vv. 9-16)
    • But God was with him (v. 9)
  • Moses (vv. 20-44)
    • I have come down to deliver them (v. 34)
    • God will raise up a prophet like me from your brothers (v. 37)

“I am not a Christian because I was raised to be one…Nor am I a Christian because I was smart enough to figure it out, good enough to find my way, or lucky enough to meet the right people. I am a Christian because the grace of God found me when I wasn’t even looking. I am a Christian because of God’s miraculous intervention in my life.”
Voddie Baucham Jr., Fault Lines

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-7

2. Looking In: The Heart That Resists

“There are two types of idolatry: (1) Treating things like the true God, (2)Treating the true God like a thing. The first is easy to spot. The second is difficult to avoid.”
Glenn Packiam

3. Looking Up: The Christ Who Stands

“Genesis ends with Joseph’s death. Deuteronomy ends with Moses’s death. Joshua ends with Joshua’s death. The Gospels end with Jesus’s resurrection. And that changes everything.”
Tony Merida

“Look up to Him and love Him! O love, and live.”
Samuel Rutherford, The Loveliness of Christ

Discussion Questions

  • Read the passage together: Before today’s sermon, what did you already know or believe about this passage? Did anything in your understanding shift after hearing the message?
  • Challenge and Reflection: Was there a part of today’s message that was particularly challenging or surprising for you? Why?
  • Unpacking the Message: Pick a quote from today’s sermon notes. Discuss what it means to you.
  • Personal Impact: What’s one specific way you feel called to change or grow after hearing this message?
  • Practical Application: What’s one step you can take this week to put today’s message into practice?
  • Connecting Scripture: Are there other Bible passages or stories this message reminds you of? How do they expand or confirm this teaching?
  • Gratitude: What aspect of God’s character stood out to you in today’s message? How does it inspire praise or gratitude?
  • Pray the Scripture: After hearing the message, is there a specific area where you feel led to pray? How can we pray for one another in light of today’s teaching?

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs:

“This Is My Father’s World“ by Maltbie D. Babcock, Mary Crawford Babcock, and Franklin Lawrence Sheppard
“All My Boast Is in Jesus“ by Bryan Fowler, Matt Papa, Matthew Boswell, Keith Getty
“He Will Hold Me Fast“ by Ada Ruth Habershon and Matthew Merker
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus“ by Helen H. Lemmel
“Jesus What A Friend to Sinners“ by John Wilbur Chapman, Rowland Hugh Prichard, and Matthew S. Smith
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used with permission. CCLI License no. 2003690

Looking for our Hymns of the Week or resources to worship anytime? We’ve curated a playlist of hymns TVC Worship has led on our YouTube Channel!

Call To Worship: Come, Let Us Worship

Come, let us worship God the Father, the Maker of heaven and earth!
Let us worship Jesus Christ, the resurrected King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Let us worship the Holy Spirit, the promised Comforter and Counselor!
All glory and praise be to the one true God, now and forevermore, amen!

Classic Prayer: Theodore the Studite

O Lord, who didst give to Thine Apostles peace, shed down upon us all Thy holy calm; gather together with Thy hand all those who are scattered, and bring them like sheep into the fold of Thy holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Strengthen and confirm me, O Lord, by Thy Cross, on the rock of faith, that my mind be not shaken by the attacks of the enemy. For Thou alone art holy. Thou knowest, O Lord, how many and great are my sins, Thou knowest how often I sin, from day to day, from hour to hour, in the things I do and the things I leave undone. No more, O Lord, no more, O Lord my God, will I provoke Thee; no more shall my desire be for anything but Thee, for Thou alone art truly lovable. And if again I offend in anything, I humbly beseech Thee of Thy mercy to grant me strength to find favor again in Thy sight and to live in a manner more pleasing to Thee.

Confession of Sin:

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

TVC Prayer Ministry

TVC Ministry: Tenants at Covenant Place
Vocation: Students
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Praying for the Persecuted Church: Pakistan

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