Stephen’s Sermon
Part 2: The True Tabernacle
Acts 7:44-56
44 Our
fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed,
speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he
had seen. 45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with
Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face
of our fathers, unto the days of David; 46 Who found favour before
God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But
Solomon built him an house. 48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in
temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49 Heaven is my
throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord:
or what is the place of my rest? 50 Hath not my hand made all these
things? 51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do
always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain
them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been
now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the
disposition of angels, and have not kept it. 54 When they heard
these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their
teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly
into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of
man standing on the right hand of God.
Introduction:
Review: Acts 7
Reminder: The historical and theological significance of this
event
Outline:
I. The Questions of God Related to the Temple in
Jerusalem (7:48-50)
II. The Accusations of Stephen Directed to the
Leaders in Jerusalem (7:51-53)
Transition: Let us focus on the conclusion of Stephen’s
sermon. In our consideration of this
sermon we may well ask whether this is a Gospel sermon or not. Where is the “Romans Road” in the words of
Steven? Where are the “Four Spiritual
Laws”? Would this be recognized or utilized as a Gospel sermon among modern
American evangelicals? Would you want
these words to be your last on earth to an unregenerate audience? How can God use such a sermon containing
nothing of “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”?
I. The
Questions of God Related to the Temple in Jerusalem (7:48-50)
Three Spiritual Questions from God Himself to His
People:
These Questions Address the Inappropriateness of Human
Construction with Created Materials
48
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the
prophet, 49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what
house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 50
Hath not my hand made all these things?
1. The Question
of Building God’s House (7:49c)
What house will ye build me?
1) The Anacronistic Strangeness of this Question
This is a strange question, or at least it should have
come across to Israel in Isaiah’s day as strange. The strangeness lies in the fact that a
tabernacle had already been constructed at God’s command, and David’s desire to
build God a temple had already been fulfilled by his son Solomon. Might not the Jewish leaders have a ready
answer in their mind based on their devotion to the Jerusalem Temple of their
day? Why would the question in that
verse from the prophet have any relevance to those who viewed the Temple as the
house of God?
2) The
Varied Vocabulary Related to this Question
Different words
are employed by Stephen from Scripture for tabernacle,
temple, house, and place.
43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and
the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will
carry you away beyond Babylon. 44 Our fathers had the tabernacle
of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto
Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. 45
Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the
possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers,
unto the days of David; 46 Who found favour before God, and desired
to find a tabernacle
for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him an house.
48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples
made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house
will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what
is the place
of my rest?
3) The
Critical Emphasis in this Question
What
house will YE
build ME?
2. The Question
of Placing God’s Rest (7:49e)
Or what is the place of my rest?
1) The Geographical Emphases in the Sermon
Two weeks ago when we considered the entirety of this
sermon we took notice of the many geographical place names catalogued in Stephen’s
exposition from Israel’s history.
God located in Stephen’s Sermon vs. “the place of His
rest”
Verse
|
Place
|
Remark
|
2
|
of glory
|
|
2
|
in Mesopotamia
|
|
2, 4
|
in Charran
|
|
3-5, 7
|
into the land, into this land, in it, in
this place
|
|
6
|
a strange land
|
|
9, 12, 15, 17,
34 (2x), 36, 39
|
into Egypt, in Egypt, in the land of Egypt
|
|
15
|
into Sychem
|
|
29
|
in the land of Madian
|
|
30
|
in the wilderness of mount Sinai
|
|
30, 35
|
in a flame of fire in a bush, in the bush
|
(33) holy ground
|
36
|
in the Red sea
|
|
36, 38, 42, 44
|
in the wilderness
|
|
38
|
in the mount Sinai
|
|
43
|
beyond Babylon
|
|
45
|
into the possession of the Gentiles
|
|
49
|
Heaven is my throne
|
(55) the most
High dwelleth not in temples made with hands
|
49
|
earth is my footstool
|
|
49
|
the place of my rest
|
|
55-56
|
into heaven, the heavens opened
|
(55) the glory of God
|
55-56
|
the right hand of God
|
(55) Jesus standing,
(56) the Son of man standing
|
2) The Divine Modifiers in the Sermon
God not identified with any of the earthly places
referred to in the sermon, but with His
1) nature, and 2) titles, and 3) people.
(2) the God of glory
(32) the God of
thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob
(46) the God of Jacob
(48) the most High
(51) the Holy Ghost
(52) the Just One
(59) Lord Jesus
3) The Specific Example in the Sermon
One of those episodes is of particular interest in light
of this question from God:
30 And when forty years were expired,
there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a
flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto
him, 32 Saying, I
am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob.
Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the Lord to
him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the
affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their
groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into
Egypt.
35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a
judge? the same did God send to be a
ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in
the bush.
Before we leave
this question, I must leave you with a question: Does God ever “rest”? This is an appropriate question, based on a
sound theology proper, the Scriptural doctrine of God. In other words, is it proper to think of God
“resting”, and if not, then would it not be absurd to contemplate a place for
His “rest”? Should we not consider,
therefore, that this question from God focuses on two theological absurdities:
1) the spatial
limitation of God to a “place”, and,
2) the notion of
a “resting” God?
Otherwise perhaps
we should reconsider the words of one of our hymns sung earlier today:
“Unresting,
unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.”
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.”
Walter C. Smith, “Immortal, Invisible”, Hymns of Christ and the
Christian Life (1876).
3. The Question
of Creating for the Uncreated Creator (7:50)
Hath not my hand made all these things?
Might we not paraphrase God’s question along the lines of
the following:
“I made all this stuff.
Where did you ever get the idea that you could take some of the stuff that
I made, and make me a house that I would call “home”?”
Or: “I am the
Creator. You are created. All of the materials that you employ to build
your homes were made by me, the Creator.
Is there any difference between what you have constructed for a Temple
and your own homes that would do justice to who I am and what I am like?”
The issue raised by Deacon Stephen’s quote from Prophet
Isaiah is our creation’s versus God’s, and our buildings versus His. We must look elsewhere than what man creates
to answer the questions God asks through the prophet: “What house will ye build
me?”, and “What is the place of my rest?”
And so the issue comes down to three things:
1) Who, as in who does the building,
understanding that we are peremptorily ruled out by the implied answer to God’s
first rhetorical question;
2) Where, given the lack of a sense of
“place” for the building, clearly eliminated in the implication of God’s second
rhetorical question; and,
3) What, due to the fact that any
materials employed by humans to attempt to “house” God were all in the very
nature of the case made by God, and therefore exhibit an attempt to contain God
in created things
Remember from two weeks ago:
The Homeless God
The Packaged God
The Tamed God
The God of Glory reduced to an
Idol among idols
The Creator boxed up in a
creation
“God in a box theology”
The God of Glory with no where
to lay His head murdered by his kinsmen
“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Mt. 8:20; cp. Lk. 9:58)
The Temple as an idol -
“templeolatry”.
The Transcendant and Immanent
God transcends the Temple created by human hands.
Their devotion was to the shadow
versus the reality.
Transition: The religious unregenerate do not react in
humility and worship to questions such as these. They are incapable of
understanding the questions of God, or of answering truthfully and
worshipfully.
II. The
Accusations of Stephen Directed to the Leaders in Jerusalem (7:51-53)
Three Spiritual Charges from God’s Word Against the
Unregenerate:
These Charges Address the Necessary Elimination of the
Unregenerate from God’s Blessed Work
51 Ye
stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy
Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have
not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of
the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and
murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of
angels, and have not kept it.
1. The Characterization of an Unregenerate
Nature (7:51a)
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears
8 And he gave him the covenant of
circumcision: and so Abraham
begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat
the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold
Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
2. The Rebellion of an Unregenerate
Nature (7:51b)
ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so
do ye.
3. The Manifestation
of an Unregenerate Nature (7:52-53)
52 Which of the
prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which
shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the
betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the
disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Conclusion:
If we understand the relationships between the Questions
and the Charges above then we should not be surprised at where God was going
with this through His martyr Stephen.
What is the true Temple?
1) Who is doing the building?
Mt. 16:18 - I will build my Church
2) What is the building composed of?
19 Now therefore
ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints,
and of the household of God;
20 And are built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all
the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye
also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
(Eph. 2:19-22)
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise
masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But
let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare
it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's
work of what sort it is.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the
temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
(1 Cor. 3:9-17)
See also: 6:19; 2
Cor. 6:16 - Ye are the temple
1 Wherefore
laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all
evil speakings,
2 As newborn
babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 If so be ye
have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 To whom coming,
as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and
precious,
5 Ye also, as
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also
it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone,
elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you
therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the
stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of
stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being
disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that
ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light:
(1 Pet. 2:1-9)
3) Where is the place of His rest?
1 Wherefore, holy
brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High
Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
2 Who was
faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his
house.
3 For this man
was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded
the house hath more honour than the house.
4 For every house
is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
5 And Moses
verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those
things which were to be spoken after;
6 But Christ as a
son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and
the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
(Heb. 3:1-6)
Heb. 3-4 - enter into His rest
In our
consideration of this sermon we asked whether this is a Gospel sermon or
not.
Where is the
“Romans Road” in the words of Steven?
Where are the
“Four Spiritual Laws”?
Would this be
recognized or utilized as a Gospel sermon among modern American
evangelicals? Would you want these words
to be your last on earth to an unregenerate audience?
How can God use
such a sermon containing nothing of “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for
your life”?
[Sermon preached 3
NOV 2013 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown,
PA.]
Resources:
G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old
Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp. 513-606.
Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, eds. Robert W.
Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007)
F. F. Bruce, The
Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 2nd
ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1951, 1952).
I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction And
Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New
Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint).
David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentaries,
gen. ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009).
John B. Polhill, Acts, Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary, gen. ed.
David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers, 1992).
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts, Vol. 5 in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament, gen. ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).
William H. Willimon, Acts, in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching,
series ed. James Luther Mays, New Testament ed. Paul J. Achtemeier (Louisville,
KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).
No comments:
Post a Comment