The God of Glory - Part 2

MAY 25, 2022 STUDY NOTES ACTS 7:20-43 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES “THE GOD OF GLORY”—PART 2 INTRODUCTION Our title for the message comes from, Act 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, Stephen’s message to the Sanhedrin Court was: The God of Glory appeared to Abraham (vss. 2-8) The God of Glory appeared to Joseph (vss. 9-19) The God of Glory appeared to Moses (vss. 20-43) The God of Glory is the God of the Tabernacle (vss. 44-46) The God of Glory is the God of the Temple (vss. 47-50) The God of Glory is the God Israel rejected (vss. 51-53) The God of Glory is the God of Stephen (vss. 54-60) Stephen begins his message with the beginning of the nation of Israel, God’s call to Abraham He uses the history of Israel to show how God worked through Israel to bring forth their Messiah, Jesus He used their history to show how often Israel had refused to believe God and obey His word And now they are as guilty as their fathers were because they had rejected Jesus as the Messiah Stephen was teaching and preaching Jesus because he believed God and accepted Jesus as the Savior The point of Stephen’s message is, “to God be the Glory, because He is “The God of Glory” THE GOD OF GLORY IS THE GOD OF MOSES (Acts 7:20-43) Stephen had been accused of speaking blasphemous words against Moses (Acts 6:11) Stephen now presents the truth of Moses according to the Old Testament scripture He also shows the Sanhedrin the truth of how Israel rejected God’s chosen man, Moses God’s hand was upon Moses at the time of his birth, God miraculously delivered him (20-21) The king had ordered the death of every male Hebrew baby, Exo 1:22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. Moses’ parents believed that their son was a gift from God They knew that if that was true, God’s protective hand would be upon him They protected him for three months from the hands of Pharaoh’s soldiers Then they placed Moses in a basket and put him in the river, God honored the faith of Moses’ parents Through the hand of God, Pharaoh’s daughter found him and took him as her son Moses’ own mother was hired by Pharaoh’s daughter to nurse the baby Moses grew up in Egypt, his education prepared him to be a prince in Egypt, but he was not an Egyptian In his heart he knew that he was an Israelite, he knew that God had a purpose for his life (22-23) Stephen had a purpose in mind when he said Moses “was mighty in words and deeds” Throughout his message Stephen is pointing to the truth of Jesus, compare the description, Luk 24:19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: Moses knew that his brethren was the children of Israel, and that he was called by God to help them Moses proved his calling by protecting an Israelite and expected his brethren to understand why (24-25) Page 1 of 5 He thought that by killing the Egyptian they would know God sent him to deliver Israel from bondage Stephen’s point is that Israel had rejected the one God sent to deliver them (26-28) They should have been reminded of Israel’s rejection of Jesus when Pilate presented Him to them, Joh 19:14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! Joh 19:15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Joh 19:16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. Moses had to leave Egypt and was gone for 40 years, Israel continued to suffer in Egypt Moses became the father of two sons (29) their names are interesting and significant The first son, Exo 2:22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. The meaning is he was a child born while Moses was an alien in a foreign land The second son, Exo 18:4 And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: THE GOD OF GLORY APPEARS TO MOSES Act 7:30 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. The account of Moses and the burning bush experience is found in Exodus 3:1-10 It was a holy experience, Exo 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Acts 7:33) Most conservative Bible scholars agree that this was an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ No wonder Moses marveled at that which he saw, and then he heard the “voice of the Lord,” Act 7:32 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. God assures Moses that He had not forgotten or forsaken His chosen people, Act 7:34 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. Forty years earlier Moses had in mind the deliverance of his brethren from Egyptian bondage Now God says, “I will send thee into Egypt,” God would deliver His chosen people through Moses Stephen is continually presenting OT truths that have NT applications God saw the affliction of sinful man and sent His Son to deliver them, Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: Israel refused their God-sent deliverer, they could have been delivered 40 years earlier They denied Moses, but God had prepared Moses to be their deliverer (Acts 7:35) None other than the one they had earlier rejected is the one God used to bring them out of Egypt Act 7:36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. Stephen covers a lot of years and events in this verse, he does not detail those years and events But the Jews knew the story well, they were educated in the work of God through Moses They also knew the truth of what Stephen then tells them, Act 7:37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. Page 2 of 5 They knew that Stephen quoted from a Messianic prophecy, Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; Stephen spoke clearly, this Moses, rejected by Israel, the one who delivered Israel from Egypt He is the one who gave us the great Messianic prophecy, Peter had already told them the same thing, Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. The Sanhedrin accused Stephen of blaspheming Moses, now he is telling them they dishonored Moses They refused to believe his prophecy, they failed to believe that Jesus fulfilled his prophecy The Jews were looking for that prophet, they questioned John the Baptist, Joh 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? Joh 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. Joh 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Philip identified Jesus as the Prophet of Deut,18:15, Joh 1:45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. When Jesus fed the 5,000, He was identified as the Prophet of Deut, 18:15, Joh 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. The Jews knew what Jesus had told them in the temple, Joh 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. Joh 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. Joh 5:47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? Stephen continues his charge against the Jews, Act 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: His reference is not that the NT Church existed in the days of the OT, Jesus promised the NT church, Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The birth of the NT Church was on the Day of Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) The word “church” means a called-out people, Israel in the wilderness was God’s called out people God manifested Himself to them, “our fathers,” through Moses they received “living oracles” Those living oracles were the 10 commandments which Moses received from God Which Moses “gave unto us,” guiding the way of life for Israel and pointing out the must of Jesus Stephen continues to make his main point, “our fathers would not obey,” Act 7:39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, Stephen is preparing them for his coming accusation, Act 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. The heart of our fathers would not obey the words of Moses, their heart was turned back to Egypt They knew of the Abrahamic Covenant and God’s promises to them, but there was no faith in God Word, Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. They could not get their mind off what their eyes could see, their heart was set upon what Egypt provided That which Satan provides through a life of worldliness, 1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1Jn 2:16 For all that Page 3 of 5 is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Satan’s path leads to the decision of the children of Israel that had a desire for Egypt, Act 7:40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. Here is an example of sin’s blindness, “make us gods (plural) to go before us,” Satan is doing that today 2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Israel turned away from the one True God who led them, Exo 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: Exo 13:22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. Since the Garden of Eden, when Satan influenced Eve to doubt God’s Word, he still uses the sin of doubt Israel was filled with doubt, they said we don’t know what has happened to Moses Faith would have trusted God, God had promised them, Exo 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Instead of following the promises of God’s Word they followed the sinful desires of their heart, Act 7:41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Moses had led them out of Egypt, but Egypt had not come out of them They “rejoiced in the works of their own hands,” they celebrated their sinful ways Christians take heed, we all need daily encouragement, Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. The need is great today, we must take advantage of our opportunity to encourage one another today Satan is taking advantage of his day of deceitfulness of sin, making it look good and feel good Israel turned from God, “then God turned,” Act 7:42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? God turned them over to their hearts desire (Romans 1:18-32) What a fearful state, “God gave them up” (verse 24, 26, 28) they could freely serve their idols Is that where America is today? Worshipping the host of heaven, which describes the worship of idols Israel would not submit to God’s authority, they rejected the Word of God and the will of God Act 7:43 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. Israel was attempting to worship God and the idols made by their own hands at the same time They were guilty of worshipping the gods they had made for themselves, does that sound familiar? Consider the endless list of American idolatry, pleasure, hobbies, sports, leisure, and no time for God America, give attention to God’s Word, 1Jn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. 1Co 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. America may soon hear God say, “I WILL CARRY YOU AWAY BEYOND BABYLON” Page 4 of 5 Israel experienced the judgment of God known as the “Babylonian Captivity,” Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Israel’s experience in Babylon is not the end of the story, Dan 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. The beginning of Daniel 9 sounds like Daniel is speaking of America today Don’t miss the study beginning next Wednesday night, the “Bible Prophecy Conference” Page 5 of 5