Trusting: Trusting the God Who Speaks

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. In this week’s lesson we will explore Stephen’s three-dimensional Christianity as he demonstrates his knowledge of God’s Word, his trust in its transformational truth, and his passion to preach the gospel not only with his lips but also with his life. The goal of this lesson is to show how God’s Word affects every aspect of who we are.

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Jesus: The Faithful Servant Who Submits to God’s Word

Consider Christ's perfect response to God's Word through His death and resurrection. Jesus Christ obeyed the Father's word and submitted to His will, even though it brought great suffering and shame. But in Christ's willing submission, He secured our purification from sin and was thus exalted to the right hand of the Father.

1. Christ submitted to the Father's will, even though it brought great suffering (Mark 14:32-36).
2. Christ submitted to the Father’s will, even though it brought great shame (Phil. 2:5-11).
3. Christ’s submission leads to our purification and His exaltation (Heb. 1:1-4).

1. Stephen demonstrated knowledge of God’s Word (Acts 7:2-16).

Tips for committing Scripture to memory:

• Read the Scripture text out loud.
• Highlight verbs. Bracket words and phrases.
• Repeat one sentence at a time, stressing the conjunctions (and, but, or, yet, however, therefore, etc.).
• Illustrate the concepts on a piece of paper.
• Put the Scripture passage to song.

Do you set aside time to spend with Scripture? Do you set aside space where you open your Bible and listen to God from His Word?

2. Stephen demonstrated his trust in the truth of God’s Word (Acts 7:44-51).

Wayne Grudem points out four problems in denying inerrancy:

• If we deny inerrancy, a serious moral problem confronts us: may we imitate God and intentionally lie in small matters also?
• If inerrancy is denied, we begin to wonder if we can really trust God in anything He says.
• If we deny inerrancy, we essentially make our own human minds a higher standard of truth than God’s Word itself.
• If we deny inerrancy, then we must also say that the Bible is wrong not only in minor details but in some of its doctrines as well. 

God discloses His nature and character to us in His Word. It follows that the better we know the Bible, the better we know the God of the Bible. In what ways can our knowledge of Scripture influence the way we worship God, both privately and corporately?

Voices of Church History

“The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.”

3. Stephen spoke the truth with boldness (Acts 7:52-60).

How can we make sure that the Scriptures that come into our hands also come out of our mouths?

How essential to following Christ is “sharing the gospel”? Why is the vocalizing of faith so important for citizens of God’s kingdom?

Respond to the following statement: “Preaching the gospel without words is like sending a text message without letters.”

Voices from Church History

“This is the boldness of speech that belongs to a man who is carrying the cross. Let us then also imitate this. For although it is not a time for war, it is always the time for boldness.”

Conclusion

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.