Jesus Stood Up

In a time of darkness, let us remember that Jesus stands up for us, no matter what the world may throw at us. Let us be bold in proclaiming His Word, trusting in His promise to never leave us.

-Transcript-
During the stoning of Stephen, we see something a little different. Something that doesn’t often happen.In Acts 7:56, Stephen says, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Jesus stood up.

It’s something that I’ve heard most of my life, but it catches me every time.

Jesus stood up.

Throughout Scripture, we see the Messiah seated in the place of honor at the right hand of the Father. In perfect communion with YHWH himself, the person of the Messiah continually makes intercession for us, but…

Jesus stood up.

Stephen proclaimed His descent from Abraham to always, from the prophets to the present, with boldness, with meekness, with surety, with grace. Stephen preached, and…

Jesus stood up.

It wasn’t a popular message. It offended sensibilities. It upset the status quo. It demanded more from the people who heard it. It reminded them that there was nothing they could give to God; he owns it all anyway. It reminded them of eyes that didn’t see, of ears that didn’t hear, of the law they didn’t keep, and the Savior that they had crucified. The crowd raged, but…

Jesus stood up.

Eyes set on heaven, Stephen declared the Word. Tossed bodily from the city by a snarling crowd, Stephen prayed for their forgiveness. Stone after stone rained down as committed his life to the Father one more more time, and under an open heaven with the glory of the Father revealed to Stephen’s tired eyes, the disciple fell asleep, and…

Jesus stood up.

He didn’t rescue Stephen. He didn’t carry him away. Firm, resolute, knowing that Stephen’s testimony would blaze across thousands of years, he didn’t stop the stones from falling, but…

Jesus stood up.

And even now, when much of the World seems dark, we are called to declare the Word like Stephen, to point toward the Father with a hand of love, to proclaim Christ as Messiah and the Word as Truth. It’s not a popular message. It doesn’t always go over well. It requires something of those who hear it. Just remember when the stones start to fall, when persecution arises, when the journey gets hard:

There is no better place to be, no better position that we can occupy, than to have our Word open, our eyes fixed on Heaven…

…in the moment that Jesus stands up.

Till next time, book open; eyes on Him.

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Matt Adams

Liar. Manipulator. Thief. Addict. Matt racked up several titles during the first 2o-something years of his life. All of that was erased the moment that he met his Messiah in the floor of his grandmother's living room. Now, his titles have changed. He is a father, a teacher, a counselor, and a school principal, but the title he most prizes is the one the that required the least amount of work: Redeemed. Matt lives in rural North Alabama with his wife and two daughters. He is currently the principal at West Morgan Middle School and spends his days trying to make a difference in the lives of each of his students. New to Seeking Scripture, having only joined in January 2022, Matt firmly believes in and supports the mission of the fellowship: "to help people read the whole Bible for themselves with no bias for or against any particular denomination or sect of believers.

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