Week #20 — STEPHEN’S SERMON PART 2: RULER AND REDEEMER
How would you respond when the chips are down, so to speak? Psychologist and author Dr. Jordan Peterson argues that we might not respond as well as we hope. Take, for example, the evils of Nazism in Third Reich Germany. From our vantage point of generations later, we all tend to think we would have been Corrie Ten Boom or Dietrich Bonhoeffer—ready to take a stand and hold the line. Yet, as Peterson points out, the very fact that so few Christians did so makes it highly unlikely that we would have done so.
In Acts 7:17-41, Stephen reminds the Jewish leaders that their forefathers didn’t stand up when they had the chance. As he walks through the stories of Exodus, Stephen shows how the people of God rejected the prophet sent by God to lead them to salvation: Moses. As he does this, he prepares his hearers to see that they, too, have rejected the True Prophet sent by God to grant them true salvation. All of this leads us to two important questions: Have we received the True Prophet’s salvation? And, are we willing to take a stand and hold the line when faced with evil and lies versus righteousness and truth?
Read the passage aloud, then work through the discussion questions together.
In Christ,
Pastor Ken
Week #20 — Questions
- How does Stephen portray the scope and significance of Moses’ life and ministry, particularly noting that God used him powerfully even later in life (v23, 30)? What does this reveal about God’s timing and purposes in the life of every Christian? Have you seen examples of God’s timing in your own life?
- Stephen notes that the people of God initially rejected Moses (v25, 35). How does this rejection anticipate Israel’s later pattern of rejecting God’s deliverers?
- Read Exodus 3:11; 4:1, 10, 13. Notice how Moses was repeatedly fearful and hesitant when God called him. What does this say about God’s grace in using reluctant servants?
- Moses obeyed God despite his fear and insecurity. When have you sensed God calling you to act or speak, yet hesitated out of fear? What helped—or could help—you move forward in faith?
- Stephen connects the rejection of Moses with the making of the golden calf (v39-41). What does this reveal about the human tendency to reject God’s truth in favor of visible, controllable substitutes?
- What are the modern “golden calves” of our day—beliefs, systems, or comforts that put in the place of God? Share your own temptations in this area. How can believers resist this drift?
- Stephen recounts Israel’s failure to take a stand against idolatry and falsehood. Is passivity toward evil or lies just as dangerous as active rebellion? Why or why not?
- What does this passage teach us about the importance—and cost—of taking a faithful stand against evil, deception, or cultural pressure, even when doing so may lead to rejection? What types of rejection may come in our day?