神应许的故事
公会即犹太人的统治委员会，其中的许多人视司提反为外人。他来自希腊。他们控告他说话糟践圣所、摩西和摩西的律法。
司提反为了辩护，总结了以色列人的历史。他宣告说亚伯拉罕，犹太人的先祖是他们的信心之父。司提反使用了“我们的祖宗”这样的词，把他自己的信仰和故事放进神为亚伯拉罕的后裔所应许和成就的故事里。
司提反说出神怎样持守祂对亚伯拉罕的应许。祂应许赐后裔给这对没有孩子的夫妇。祂应许赐国土给连一块土地都没有的人。随着时间的推移，亚伯拉罕的家族在许多代中壮大，但最终在埃及被奴役。
司提反重述这个故事，显明他尊敬所有走在他前面的人。亚伯拉罕后裔的故事着重在神所成就的事；神的工作是这个故事中最重要的部分。神在亚伯拉罕、雅各、摩西和所有其他人的生命中工作，来成就祂的应许。
在司提反对约瑟的描述中，我们发现一个可以总结整个故事的主题：“神与他同在，救他脱离一切患难。”
亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神啊，我们转向你，祈求你继续持守你的应许。求你藉着对基督的信，使我们成为你的百姓。阿们。
使徒行传 7:1-22
1大祭司就说：“这些事果然有吗？”
2司提反说：“诸位父兄请听！当日我们的祖宗亚伯拉罕在美索不达米亚，还未住哈兰的时候，荣耀的神向他显现，
3对他说：‘你要离开本地和亲族，往我所要指示你的地方去。’
4他就离开迦勒底人之地，住在哈兰。他父亲死了以后，神使他从那里搬到你们现在所住之地。
5在这地方，神并没有给他产业，连立足之地也没有给他；但应许要将这地赐给他和他的后裔为业，那时他还没有儿子。
6神说他的后裔‘必寄居外邦，那里的人要叫他们做奴仆，苦待他们四百年’。
7神又说‘使他们做奴仆的那国，我要惩罚。以后他们要出来，在这地方侍奉我’。
8神又赐他割礼的约；于是亚伯拉罕生了以撒，第八日给他行了割礼。以撒生雅各，雅各生十二位先祖。
9先祖嫉妒约瑟，把他卖到埃及去。神却与他同在，
10救他脱离一切苦难，又使他在埃及王法老面前得恩典、有智慧。法老就派他做埃及国的宰相兼管全家。
11后来埃及和迦南全地遭遇饥荒，大受艰难，我们的祖宗就绝了粮。
12雅各听见在埃及有粮，就打发我们的祖宗初次往那里去。
13第二次约瑟与弟兄们相认，他的亲族也被法老知道了。
14约瑟就打发弟兄请父亲雅各和全家七十五个人都来。
15于是雅各下了埃及。后来他和我们的祖宗都死在那里，
16又被带到示剑，葬于亚伯拉罕在示剑用银子从哈抹子孙买来的坟墓里。
17及至神应许亚伯拉罕的日期将到，以色列民在埃及兴盛众多，
18直到有不晓得约瑟的新王兴起。
19他用诡计待我们的宗族，苦害我们的祖宗，叫他们丢弃婴孩，使婴孩不能存活。
20那时，摩西生下来，俊美非凡，在他父亲家里抚养了三个月。
21他被丢弃的时候，法老的女儿拾了去，养为自己的儿子。
22摩西学了埃及人一切的学问，说话行事都有才能。
The Story Of God’s Promises
“As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.” — Acts 7:17
Many members of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council) saw Stephen as an outsider. He was from a Greek background. They charged him with speaking against the temple, Moses, and the law of Moses.
In his defense, Stephen summarized the people’s history. Stephen stated that Abraham, the patriarch of the Jews, was their father in the faith. Stephen used phrases like “our people” to place his faith and his story within the story of all that God had done and promised for the descendants of Abraham.
Stephen showed how God kept his promises to Abraham. A couple with no children was promised descendants. One who did not even own a patch of ground was promised land. Over time, his family grew throughout many generations but were eventually enslaved in Egypt.
Stephen’s retelling of those stories shows that he had respect for all who had gone before him. The history of Abraham’s descendants focuses on what God accomplished; God’s work was the most important part of the story. God worked in the lives of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and all the others to fulfill his promises.
In Stephen’s description of Joseph we find a theme that summarizes the whole story: “God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles.”
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we turn to you and ask you to continue keeping your promises. Make us your people by faith in Christ. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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