Turning Up the Heat

We’re following Stephen’s defense before the Sanhedrin

He’s been building his case block by block, as a skilled craftsman would build a wall; layer upon layer of information they cannot refute—even if they could predict where he was going with the lesson

He focused first on Joseph, rejected by his people—and the savior of his people

Now building the parallel with Moses, also rejected by his people…multiple times during his years of leading—and the savior of his people

Here, he begins to get very pointed about the way Moses had been treated—he is turning up the heat under the frying pan

Next week, it’ll be “into the fire” as he wraps up his argument with a scathing indictment of how the Jewish hierarchy had responded to God’s one and only Son

In so doing, he will have sealed his fate; but for today....

We will look at the peoples’ rejection of Moses, God’s selection of Moses. and God’s direction for Israel

But first, some technical/textual issues

Technical and Textual Issues

#1 “this Moses” “this man” in v. 35; similar use to Peter’s statement about “this Jesus” in Acts 2:33

Acts 2:23 ESV

this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

Stephen’s listeners had not liked Peter’s statement either and would have caught the parallel pattern

#2, was the Law given by angels? The OT text has the LORD giving the Law

Best scholarship is that the thought was in the common knowledge of the Jewish people, found its way into some of the extra-Biblical literature of the culture

Stephen was using culturally accepted information

#3, if you read the text in Amos 5 26-27, which is quoted in vv. 42-42, you’ll see “exile beyond Damascus,” not Babylon; you’ll also find different names of gods—but referencing the same deities (language issue)

Amos prophesied against Israel, the northern kingdom, which was taken captive by Assyria; the folks to whom Stephen spoke were dominantly the descendants of those taken captive by/to Babylon

Stephen was dialing it in to make it more relevant to his audience; preachers do that regularly

#4, the angel in the burning bush—best to understand it that Moses saw God’s glory and heard His voice; but other information/direction given by the angel (angellos—messenger)

#5, “typology;” we’ve discussed it, not named it;

A literary hermeneutical device in which a person, event, or institution in the Old Testament is understood to correspond with a person, event, or institution in the New Testament.

Joseph and Moses were both “types” of Christ in that they both performed saving activities on behalf of their people

The Peoples’ Rejection of Moses

“Who made you ruler and judge?” when he was trying to intervene in a dispute—before his exile to Midian

It would become something of a pattern as Moses led the people to the Promised Land

Then, when he was on the mountain, they forgot about him and about the God he was serving, having Aaron make the golden calf…and engaging in idolatrous and depraved worship to that man-made god…and the pattern would continue throughout the time in the wilderness

Despite the miraculous work of God, at the hand of Moses, they wanted to go back to Egypt—things were better there (gag) while enslaved by Pharoah

God’s Selection of Moses

He was chosen and sent by God himself, empowered to do signs and wonders in Egypt, at the Red Sea and in the Wilderness

He received “living oracles”

Side note on this: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, observed that when we fail to obey the command of God it is not the law we deny, buy God himself!

God’s Direction for Israel

God Promised to raise up a prophet like Moses in the future

In fulfillment of that promise, as Moses had been with—the leader of— the “congregation (ecklesia) in the wilderness” Jesus…the foretold prophet...would be the head of the church (ecklesia) of the NT

There is no more “typology” Jesus came to fulfil the law, moreover, He came to

…save His people from their sins… (Matt. 1:21)

Moses, like Joseph before him, was used to save his people from a bad situation…but it was a temporal situation...

Jesus came to save us from a permanent situation—the eternal consequences of sin

John 1:11–12 ESV

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

God had selected Jesus; the Jewish people had rejected Him

God set the direction, that the message of salvation would then go to the Gentiles—the setup for that we’re seeing as we approach the introduction to Paul in a couple weeks

Those listening to Stephen should have been getting a bit nervous by this point

WITFM?

Take note that the work of salvation has already been done—the death of Christ on the cross was sufficient to pay the price for all sin of all time

The selection of the Jesus and the entire process was totally in the hands of the sovereign God—from before the beginning of time

The message of salvation is as plain as day---and still Jesus is rejected

Many reject Him totally; some reject Him temporarily—or so they think; “I’ll get saved later…too busy now,” “…it just doesn’t fit my lifestyle right now...”

Others come to Christ, but back away from His commands

So let’s ask that question: Are you rejecting Jesus?

Maybe you’ve never come to Him at all 2 Cor 6 2

2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)

...behold, now is the day of salvation.

There is no better time

Maybe you are trusting Him for salvation, but don’t think it’s necessary to grow and develop in your Christian walk

Now is also the day to set that straight

To paraphrase Bonhoeffer, it’s not the development we’re resisting, it’s Jesus himself

As God set the direction for the Church with Christ as its head, let us let Christ set the direction in our lives, in all facets: work, home, church activities, leisure time

We can read the OT account of Israel’s situation in slavery in Egypt and observe the insanity of wanting to return to the bondage there

BUT, once freed from the power of sin by placing our trust in Christ, why do we continually return to the bondage of sin in our world?