Resisting the Holy Spirit: A Call to Open Hearts and Ears
We turn our attention to a profound and challenging passage from the book of Acts, a moment of profound spiritual confrontation. Our text is Acts 7:51, where the Spirit-filled Stephen courageously declares: "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!"
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.In this powerful declaration, Stephen confronts the Jewish leaders for their persistent rejection of God's messengers throughout history, culminating in their rejection of Jesus Christ Himself.
The word "resist" that Stephen uses here is not passive; it means to actively oppose, to push back against, to deliberately reject the work and leading of the Holy Spirit. It’s a willful opposition to divine influence.
Stephen further describes them as "uncircumcised in heart and ears." This vivid imagery points to a spiritual insensitivity, a hardened heart, and ears that are closed to the truth. In Acts 7:57, we see the immediate, visceral reaction of those who heard him: "At this, they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him." They physically demonstrated their spiritual resistance.
Today, we will consider this powerful passage and ask ourselves a vital question for our own spiritual lives: When do we resist the Holy Spirit?
We will explore this through two main points, seeing how our own hearts and actions can, at times, mirror the resistance Stephen condemned.
I. WE RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN WE ARE STUBBORN-NECKED
Stephen’s opening accusation is piercing: "You stiff-necked people..."
A. "Stiff-neckedness" is a profound symbol of spiritual rebellion. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel was frequently called "stiff-necked" for having strayed from God's path, for their persistent rebellion and refusal to obey. Think of the incident at Mount Sinai in Exodus 32:8-9, where after receiving the Law, they quickly made a golden calf, and the Lord said to Moses, "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people." They turned aside quickly from the way He commanded them.
• Application: We resist the Holy Spirit when we, like ancient Israel, stray from the right path, ignore the clear directives of God's Word, or stubbornly follow our own desires and impulses instead of His revealed will. It's the attitude that says, "I know what God says, but I'll do it my way."
God, in His grace, even commanded Israel not to stiffen their necks. In Deuteronomy 10:13-21, Moses reminded them of God's goodness and expected response: "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?" They were expected to keep His commandments, to love the stranger among them, to fear God, and to serve Him with all their being.
• Application: Genuine obedience, a heart yielded to God's commands, is the antidote to spiritual stiff-neckedness. It prevents us from hardening our hearts and resisting the Spirit's leading.
B. We resist when we do not submit to God. 2 Chronicles 30:8 urges, "Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever." Submission is the opposite of resistance. It is acknowledging God's authority and aligning our will with His.
C. We resist when we reject correction. Proverbs 29:1 warns: "Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy." The Holy Spirit often brings correction through God's Word, through wise counsel, or through the consequences of our actions. Failing to accept righteous rebuke, stubbornly clinging to our own perceived rightness in the face of truth, is a direct act of rebellion against the Spirit's work in our lives. It's refusing to change course when God is clearly telling us we are headed in the wrong direction.
Conclusion for Point I: When we refuse to obey God's Word, when we defiantly follow our own path, or when we stubbornly reject correction that is clearly rooted in truth, we are actively resisting the leading and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This stubbornness is a spiritual barrier that hinders God's purposes for us.
II. WE RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN WE CLOSE OUR EARS TO THE TRUTH
Stephen's second accusation was equally piercing: "…with uncircumcised hearts and ears!" This speaks to a deliberate refusal to hear God's message.
A. In Acts 7:57, we see the Jews' stark reaction: they literally stopped their ears so as not to hear Stephen's exhortation. They didn't want to be confronted with the truth of their sin, their history of rebellion, and their ultimate rejection of the Messiah. The truth was too painful, too condemning, so they chose to shut it out. This is a powerful illustration of actively resisting the Holy Spirit by refusing to engage with divine truth.
B. The Bible consistently insists on the profound importance of hearing the Word of God:
• In Exodus 19:5, God promised Israel, "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession." Hearing and obeying God's voice brings immense blessing.
• Proverbs 15:31 tells us, "Whoever listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise." An ear that is open to correction is an ear that learns and grows.
• Jesus Himself repeatedly emphasized the importance of hearing, as seen in Matthew 13:9 and 43, "Whoever has ears, let them hear."
• The messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 consistently conclude with the admonition, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The Holy Spirit speaks, and we are called to listen.
• And fundamentally, Romans 10:17 declares, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." If we do not hear, we cannot grow in faith.
C. Sadly, many hear with heaviness, are dull of hearing, or hear with indifference.
• In Matthew 13:15, Jesus speaks of those whose "ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." This is a deliberate closing off from understanding.
• The author of Hebrews 5:11 laments, "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand." They had become "dull of hearing."
• Some simply hear with indifference, allowing God's Word to go in one ear and out the other, never truly engaging with it.
Instead, we must listen willingly, with eager attention, as the crowd did when Jesus spoke in Luke 12:37 (referring to the readiness of servants) and Luke 9:44 (Jesus telling His disciples to listen to His words). When we reject Jesus and His message, we also reject the Father and the Spirit. Jesus Himself stated in Luke 10:16, "Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me." This includes the Spirit who carries that message.
Conclusion for Point II: When we deliberately ignore the Word of God, when we avoid being exposed to its truth, or when we simply listen with apathy and indifference, we are effectively closing our hearts and ears to the Holy Spirit. We are resisting His attempts to speak to us, to guide us, and to transform us.
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Conclusion
My dear friends, Stephen’s powerful confrontation in Acts 7 serves as a timeless warning for all believers. To resist the Holy Spirit is to reject His work, His life-giving Word, and His essential correction.
It is a grave matter to be stiff-necked, to stubbornly refuse to obey God's revealed will. It is equally grave to be closed-eared, to willfully ignore the truth of God's Word when it is spoken to us.
Let us examine our own hearts today. Are we stiff-necked in any area of our lives, refusing to submit to God's clear commands or to accept His correction? Are we closing our ears to any truth the Holy Spirit is trying to impress upon us, perhaps through Scripture, through a sermon, through a wise brother or sister, or through the quiet conviction of our conscience?
May we, by God’s grace, humble ourselves before the Lord. May we cultivate open hearts and eager ears, always ready to hear, to obey, and to be transformed by the blessed work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Only then can we truly walk in the path of righteousness and bear fruit for the glory of God.
Amen.
