READY YOUR HEART STEPHEN DEMONSTRATED HIS TRUST IN THE TRUTH OF GOD S WORD Acts 7:44-51 Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers, until the days of David. He found favor in God s sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built Him a house. However, the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says: Heaven is My throne, and earth My footstool. What sort of house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is My resting place? Did not My hand make all these things? You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit; as your ancestors did, so do you. IF YOU KNOW MUCH ABOUT FOOTBALL, you probably know about quick slants. For the uninitiated, a quick slant is a passing play where a wide receiver runs straight ahead for about two yards, then sharply darts to the inside of the field at a 45 degree angle. The quarterback usually takes three steps backward, and immediately hurls the ball to the receiver just as he is beginning to make the 45 degree turn. It is a very fast passing play that occurs just seconds after the ball is snapped. In fact, it all occurs so fast that the quarterback has to throw the ball before the receiver ever turns to look at the ball. The quarterback has to fully trust that the receiver is going to run exactly two yards and cut inside at exactly a 45 degree angle. If the receiver is off even slightly, then the ball will fall incomplete, or, even worse, be intercepted. So why is this important? It demonstrates the difference between knowing something and trusting in something. It is one thing for both the receiver and quarterback to know the play. It is another thing for the quarterback to trust the receiver is going to be where he is supposed to be. Notice here in our passage how Stephen continues his sermon. As he moves from Bible story to Bible story, mentioning various characters and events, he acknowledges these as real, factual, historical events and people. He doesn t merely know the stories of the Bible, he fully trusts the truthfulness of the stories. He places complete faith in the accuracy of all the events and lives his life in accordance with that faith. This demonstrates a complete trust of God s Word! PAUSE AND REFLECT What is the difference between knowing Bible facts and trusting the truth of the Bible? Why is it important to trust taht the Bible is true? Does your life show that you trust the truth of the Bible? How can we learn to trust the Bible and apply it to our lives? 90 TGP Personal Study Guide
READY YOUR HEART STEPHEN SPOKE THE TRUTH WITH BOLDNESS Acts 7:52-56 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were enraged in their hearts and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled by the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw God s glory, with Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God! Finish the story by reading 57-60 in your Bible. IMAGINE YOU VE BEEN ASKED to serve as the campaign manager for an upcoming election. Think for a moment about what that would entail. First, you would have to know the person and some info about them. It may be common sense, but it would be impossible to be the campaign manager for a person that you don t know. Second, you would have to trust the person. As campaign manager, if you are going to devote your time and energy into getting this person elected, you have to be able to trust the candidate. You have to trust that they are genuinely going to try to solve the issues that they are campaigning on. By agreeing to be the campaign manager, you are putting your name on the line as well, trusting that the candidate will not ruin your name. Finally, you have to proclaim the worthiness of the candidate. This is, after all, your real job. The entire purpose of the campaign manager is to tell the world about why your candidate would be best. You ultimate goal is to figure out the best way possible to proclaim the worthiness of your candidate. Did you notice that in order to do the ultimate job of campaigning for the candidate, you first had to know the person and trust the person? We find this exact same process when dealing with God s word. We cannot proclaim the Word of God without knowing and trusting it. Stephen demonstrated this perfectly. His ultimate goal was to boldly proclaim the gospel of Christ. He was able to make this proclamation because he knew and trusted the Bible. God desires each and every one of us to boldly proclaim the gospel. If we are to be obedient in this endeavor, we must be committed to this mantra: Know - Trust - Proclaim. PAUSE AND REFLECT Why is it important to proclaim God s word? Why do we have to know and trust God s word before we proclaim it? What are you doing to proclaim God s word on a regular basis? What keeps you from speaking about God? FALL 2012 91
We demonstrate our trust in God s word... Stephen s sermon is an example of a redeemed sinner s response to God s Word. We observe from Stephen s sermon that he knew the Bible s content, trusted in its divine origin, understood his place in the story the Bible tells, and then spoke the Bible s truth with boldness. When We Know It. Bible memory is vitally important for believers, and it s not merely because we need to know a few isolated verses. Easy recall of the grand narrative of Scripture is life-transforming. Which of these dimensions (believing in Christ, loving Christ, preaching Christ) do you find easiest? Which do you find most difficult? Why? In Paul s list of spiritual armor (Eph. 6:10-17), why is Scripture compared to a sword? Reflect on Hebrews 4:12. In what ways does Scripture divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow? The Bible is powerful, which is why the apostle Paul likened it to a sword. Jesus turned to the Word when He was tempted in the wilderness. In His moment of trial, when Christ felt the fatigue full force, the Scripture proved energizing. Saul (later Paul) also heard Stephen s sermon. Can you locate similar exegetical elements in Paul s sermons (see Acts 13:13-41)? Also, where might Peter have learned to interpret the Scriptures in this way (see Acts 3:11-26) Discipleship means adherence to the person of Jesus, and therefore submission to the law of Christ which is the law of the cross. 1 Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)
When We Believe It. As Christians, we submit to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to us through His Word. Everything that God tells us in the Bible is true. od discloses His nature and character to us in G His Word. It follows that the better we know the Bible, the better we know the God of the Bible. I n what ways can our knowledge of Scripture influence the way we worship God, both privately and corporately? Because God s Word is inspired, inerrant, and authoritative, you and I can lean hard against it. We can trust the truth we read in the Bible. Like Stephen we can believe that what the Bible says happened really happened. When We Proclaim It Boldly. Knowledge must become trust. Trust must become love. And just as when you love someone, you cannot help but talk about Him. You cannot help but talk to Him. And that is the place where God s pursuit of us becomes our witness for Him, a place where transformation leads to proclamation. How can we make sure that the Scriptures that come into our hands also come out of our mouths? The words of God (Scripture) reveal the Word of God (Christ). Stephen shows us that humility and submission to God s Word are crucial for every believer and that humility and submission are transformed into bold proclamation of the truth. Conclusion As we radically abandon ourselves to God s mission, as we keep pointing to Christ with our lives, we can be confident that through our trust in God s Word, the Holy Spirit will use the Holy Scripture to make us whole and holy. H ow essential to following Christ is sharing the gospel? Why is the vocalizing of faith so important for citizens of God s kingdom? W hich of the these areas is most difficult for you? Knowing God with your head, loving God with your heart or sharing God with your lips? What can you do to grow in that area? H ow can you better demonstrate your trust God s word?
ENCORE TRUSTING THE GOD WHO SPEAKS We demonstrate our trust in God s word... 1. WHEN WE KNOW IT (ACTS 7:2-16). Bible memory is vitally important for believers, and it s not merely because we need to know a few isolated verses. Easy recall of the grand narrative of Scripture is life-transforming. Knowing the big picture of the story the Bible tells is what transforms our worldview so that we are able to look at the world through Bible-shaped eyes. The Bible is powerful, which is why the apostle Paul likened it to a sword. Jesus turned to the Word when He was tempted in the wilderness. In His moment of trial, when Christ felt the fatigue full force, the Scripture proved energizing. In His moment of hunger, the Word of God proved satisfying and sharp razor blade sharp. It was sharp enough to fend off temptations, ward off demons, and even cut the Evil One himself. J. I. Packer once said that Christianity in America is three thousand miles wide and one inch deep. Can the same be said about your knowledge of Scripture? Most of us know the mountain peak passages that rise above the landscape of Scripture. But hidden in the valleys of Scripture in the canyons of the canon are equally powerful truths. So we must go deeper. We must explore the entirety of God s Word because His glory is everywhere, and it brings life to our souls. 2. WHEN WE BELIEVE IT (ACTS 7:44-51). Jesus once compared the Holy Spirit to the wind that blows where it pleases (John 3:8). It was this same Spirit that hovered over the surface of the waters (Gen. 1:2), that breathed life into Adam s lungs, and that inspired the writers of the Bible Men spoke from God, wrote Peter, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). Theologians call this concept inspiration. It s the idea that God divinely inspired His Word. Make no mistake about it, God is the ultimate Author of His Book. But God enlisted a variety of writers to pen His words. As Christians, we submit to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to us through His Word. Everything that God tells us in the Bible is true. We call this the doctrine of inerrancy. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that the Bible is God-breathed. What does this mean? It means that God s Word originates from God s breath. Those who deny inerrancy are saying, in effect, that God has breathed out something false, something impure. Instead, God s breath is pure, holy, flawless, and true. If God breathes something into existence, whether it s a word or a world, in its original form it s going to come out perfect. Because God s Word is inspired, inerrant, and authoritative, you and I can lean hard against it. Like Stephen, we can trust Scripture, believing that what the Bible says happened really happened. 94 TGP Personal Study Guide
3. WHEN WE PROCLAIM IT BOLDLY (ACTS 7:52-60). Stephen shows us how to recover a reverent posture before Scripture. His testimony teaches us that the Bible isn t just another book that sits on our shelves but the greatest love story ever told, one that begins and ends with a gracious God bent on pursuing and redeeming His people. Stephen shows us that knowing God with our heads is not enough. Even the demons know there is one God (Jas. 2:19). Rather, Stephen teaches us that knowledge of God never remains in the abstract. Knowledge must become trust. Trust must become love. And just as when you love someone, you cannot help but talk about Him. You cannot help but talk to Him. And that is the place where God s pursuit of us becomes our witness for Him, a place where transformation leads to proclamation. Some have mistakenly attributed a saying to the twelfth-century preacher and friar Francis of Assisi; it qualified Jesus Great Commission this way: Preach the gospel always, and if necessary use words. Although this statement might have originally been directed to preachers who only spoke about God but did not live out their faith, it is important for us to realize that words are at the core of the Christian faith. The words of God (Scripture) reveal the Word of God (Christ). Stephen shows us that humility and submission to God s Word are crucial for every believer and that humility and submission are transformed into bold proclamation of the truth. CONCLUSION In the early sixteenth century, German artist Matthias Grünewald painted the Isenheim Altarpiece. If you look on the right of the painting, you will see the figure of an austere monk John the Baptist. In his left hand, he s holding the Scriptures. At the end of his outstretched arm is an outstretched finger, and at the end of his outstretched finger is an outstretched Savior hanging on a cross. And in the background are the words He must increase. I must decrease. Stephen also held tightly to God s Word while pointing to Christ. He is an example of a repentant believer who returned to his knees, who bowed down in humility before God. Like Stephen, you and I have the privilege of doing the same thing. We have the opportunity of living life in 3-D: knowing God with our heads, loving God with our hearts, and sharing God with our lips. And as we radically abandon ourselves to God s mission, as we keep pointing to Christ with our lives, we can be confident that through our trust in God s Word, the Holy Spirit will use the Holy Scripture to make us whole and holy. FALL 2012 95