Sermon for MHBC (21 March 2021). You can listen on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, or our website. Live at 11:00am on Sundays.
One of the most breathtaking claims of the NT, really the entire Bible, is that God’s presence and glory aren’t found in a sacred temple. It is found in Christ and now resides in the Church—the people of God. A really helpful storyline for the Bible is this. God’s presence is in the Garden of Eden. Then his presence is found in the Tabernacle—this tent that the Israelites erect according to certain instructions. Those instructions intentionally reflect creation with the colors and depictions. Then a more permanent structure comes about under King Solomon with the Temple. Again, the design reflects creation and the Garden of Eden. But God never intends to be confined to the Temple. And so there’s this promise that God is going to do something new, specifically his presence is going to invade time and space, his Spirit is going to inhabit people, and all creation will be permeated with his presence as it was always intended to be.[1] All of that is accomplished through Christ, who is the exact image of the invisible God. Scripture puts it this way, “In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven” (Col 1:19–20a).
Look there are a lot of ideas about God and religion floating around. Unfortunately, in the church it’s even quite common to have some outlandish ideas about God or at the very least some bad theology. The thing we must get right is beholding the glory of God in Christ. That’s what we are going to see from this episode in Acts. Stephen clearly sees the glory of God in Christ and this seeing enables him to suffer and even die with boldness. Beholding the glory of Christ is the only means of satisfaction, hope, joy, and transformation in this world.
Listen to this amazing and piercing quote by the Puritan John Owen:
Only a sight of his glory, and nothing else, will truly satisfy God’s people. The hearts of believers are like a magnetized needle which cannot rest until it is pointing north. So also, a believer, magnetized by the love of Christ, will always be restless until he or she comes to Christ and beholds his glory. The soul which can be satisfied without beholding the glory of Christ, that cannot be eternally satisfied with beholding the glory of Christ, is not a soul for whom Christ prays.[2]
Until we gaze at Jesus, grasp him with a heart of faith, and are enamored by him, we are just playing at spirituality and Christianity.
Let’s get into our passage. It’s a lengthy passage and for that reason, it will be necessary to summarize much of it, but it’s really a brilliant argument. Let’s start at the beginning in 6:8: And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. We have Stephen preforming signs and wonders that attest to Jesus as king. The religious leaders don’t like this. Verse 9: Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit. He has beheld the glory of Christ. He is not relying on his own talent or smarts. Verse 10: But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
So what do the religious leaders do? They plan to frame him. Verses 11–14:
Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”
Look at what these religious leaders are fixated on. They are fixated on the Temple, which they refer to as the holy place. They think as long as they have the Temple, they have God in their pocket and on their side. They think following the rules, observing the law, being good, religious, respectable people is what matters. And they accuse Stephen of being against those things because they can’t see that Christ is the fulfillment and glory of those things.
I can’t help but think of how easy it is for Christians in our day to get obsessed with lots of things—like being a good citizen, holding certain political views, following certain rules, being fixated on traditions. But none of those things matter. None of those things will satisfy us or transform us. Only Christ can do that.
So they make these accusations, then Luke turns our attention to Stephen. Verse 15: And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. What is the typical human response to accusations? It’s not to look like an angel. It’s to furrow our brow, to grit our teeth, clench our jaw, narrow our eyes, harden ourselves. But Stephen looks like an angel. Now why is his face like an angel? Because he has been transformed by beholding the glory of God in Christ. Do you remember when Moses was on the mountain meeting with God? When he came down they had to cover his face because it radiated the glory of God. But the NT reality is that this experience is no longer restricted to Moses. Paul says when we behold Christ, we behold the glory of God. Second Corinthians 3:18: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. How is Stephen transformed? Through beholding the glory of God in Christ. The reason his face looks like an angel is because he has beheld the glory of Christ.
What can change the very core of who we are? What can transform us so that we radiate goodness and beauty? Gazing upon the glory of Christ. Until we do that we are spinning our wheels. We may do religious things. We may be nice people, but we won’t be angelic. Stephen has been caught up into the heavenly throne room with Christ, which is possible for each and every one of us. Do you want to change? Then you must seek to behold the glory of Christ.
The reason we must seek to behold the glory of Christ is because Christ is the culmination of God’s plan for all creation. That’s the point Stephen is going to make in chapter 7. When the high priest asks him, Stephen launches into a summary of the OT. While this section seems involved and complicated, it’s really not. His whole point is that the presence of God can’t be confined or controlled and that the glory of God has been made known in Christ.
So he recites Israel’s history. Look how he begins in v. 2: Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. Let’s just slow down and pay attention to where he starts. Remember they are saying the Temple is a huge deal. But Stephen reminds them that the God of glory isn’t controlled and he’s not confined by a temple. He says, “The God of glory appeared.” That is, God made this decision unilaterally. He reviled himself without any help from Abraham. And he did it when he was in Mesopotamia, not Jerusalem. God’s glory won’t be put into a box.
And then he goes through the promise. And then there’s the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery. Notice Joseph was rejected, but Joseph was God’s plan. Look at v. 9: And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him. There’s no manipulating or controlling God. God was with Joseph. As Genesis says, “What Joseph’s brothers meant for evil, God meant for good.”
Then Israel is in slavery in Egypt. But God sends Moses. Look at v. 20: At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And remember the story. Moses kills an Egyptian man, but Israel is angry at him for it. Verse 25: He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. Verse 29 tells us Moses became an exile. So again, God’s chosen one is rejected.
But God unilaterally reveals himself. Verse 30: Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. The God of glory has a plan of salvation. Verse 34: I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt. And this plan is through Moses, in spite of the fact that Israel rejected him. Verse 35: This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
Do you see the pattern so far? Israel has consistently rejected the leadership of God. They have tried to confine him. They even rejected Moses. But God has continued to act. Now Stephen’s next point is even more important. He’s going to tell them that these stories aren’t ultimately about Abraham or Joseph or Moses at all. They are about Jesus. Look at v. 37: This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. There’s a promise back in Deuteronomy 18 that a prophet greater than Moses will come to deliver Israel. That prophet, Deuteronomy tells us, will have the words of God placed in his mouth. But we know from the pattern that God’s word will be rejected.
Stephen continues with that point. Despite the fact that Moses had received the living word of God on the mountain, Israel still rebelled. Verses 39–40: Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.
Why would they make a golden calf? Because it’s something they can control and confine. Most OT scholars believe that this calf was intended to represent the LORD. After all, they say, “Behold this calf brought you out of Egypt.” The impulse is to confine the living God who unilaterally reveals himself to a god that can be controlled, confined, and manipulated.
And what does God do? He does what Romans 1 tells us. He turns them over to their lusts. Look at v. 42: But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven.
So they lapsed into idolatry. But Stephen tells them there was a proper form of worship. God gave them a pattern that reflected creation. And then there was a temple. But still the point is not the temple. The temple only points to the glory of God. It should never be confused with the glory of God. Verse 48: Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
But here’s the issue. The religious leaders have consistently chosen religion over the glory of God. As a result, they have ignored the commands of God. They have ignored those God has appointed. They ignore Scripture. Look at how Stephen concludes his argument. This is the mic-drop moment. Verses 51–53:
You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.
Now this doesn’t win him any awards. They are outraged. But notice what happens for Stephen in v. 55: But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Pay attention. This is an important point for us. The Spirit enables us to see the glory of God in Christ. Full of the Holy Spirit, Stephen can see what the religious leaders cannot see. They don’t want to see it because they resist the Holy Spirit. They plug their ears, rush at him, and kill him. But Stephen is still beholding the glory of Christ.
Look what vv. 59–60 say: And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Prayer is the means by which we apprehend the glory of Christ. John Owen counsels that the most important tool we have for beholding the glory of Christ is “fervent prayer.” He writes, “Pray with Paul that ‘the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened to behold’ the glory of God in Christ. Pray that the ‘God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirt of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.’”[3] That is what we must pray.
Can you imagine what might happen if we would behold the glory of Christ in this way? So many churches are busy doing activities and putting on shows. So many preachers are busy telling stories and trying to be clever and giving shallow advice that they never talk about the glory of Christ. Just imagine how it might upend your life to behold the glory of Christ. To see who he is. To grasp what he has done. To know your inheritance in him. To know your identity in him. To understand the plan of God, not just intellectually but in your bones.
There’s a video making the rounds on the internet of Jordan Peterson. Peterson is a prominent public figure. Professionally he’s a clinical psychologist, but he’s something of a rock star as a public intellectual. Recently, he has been exploring Christianity. Listen to this one-minute clip of him talking about Jesus.
Start at 1:10 in the video:
He speaks with more fervor than I’ve heard from pulpits. This is like something out of Scripture. In fact, it’s like something out of the book of Acts. We read in Acts 8:1 that Saul approved of his execution. Now we will learn more about Saul later. He’s a man who was gripped with the glory of Christ. He beheld the glory of Christ on the way to Damascus. And we know what happened. What about you? Have you beheld the glory of Christ? Pray for it. Seek it. It is more important than anything else.
[1] For the best summary of this argument, see T. D. Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem.
[2] The Glory of Christ, 2.
[3] The Glory of Christ, 23.