30

Acts 7:1-5  GOD A GOD OF GLORY 

 

Introduction: 

 

    The Jewish leaders of several synagogues at Jerusalem got together and

stirred up trouble for Stephen, one of the newly ordained deacons of the church. 

They arrested him and brought him before the Sanhedrin Council and made false

charges against him.  They charged him with speaking against God, against Moses,

against law of Moses and against the temple.

    In our text today Stephen answers that first charge against him --- the

charge of speaking against God.  He seeks to show that he had a very high regard

for God.  In his view, God is a God of great glory. 

 

I.  Stephen questioned by the high priest

 

    V. 1, “Then said the high priest, Are these things so?”  The high priest

asked Stephen if these charges against him were true.  In other words he said,

“How do you plead --- innocent or guilty?” 

    One of the basic principles of justice is that the accused is allowed to

face his accusers and seek to show the fallacy of the charges.  This privilege

is denied a man who is falsely accused by means of gossip and backbiting.  This

is a terrible injustice in society today.  Gossip and backbiting is a sin of

which Christians ought not be guilty

    The sad thing about Stephen’s trial is that he had no chance for a fair

trial.  It was this court that had falsely accused Jesus and was responsible for

His death.  It was this court that had commanded Peter and John not to speak any

more in the name of Jesus.  It was this court that wanted to kill all 12 of the

apostles and had beaten them unmercifully.  They already had their minds made up

about Stephen.  They would allow him to speak in his own defense, but they would

not believe what he said. 

    The Devil has a great host of people who are willing to falsely accuse

Christians.  He has lot of lies which they can use in making the false

accusations.  One of the big lies that the Devil tells is that all Christians

are hypocrites.  How can one defend himself against that kind of lie?  And how

can one defend himself against gossip?  He usually does not know that the lie

has been told on him because it is told behind his back.  Nor does he know who

has accused him.

 

II.  The true attitude of Stephen toward God

 

    V. 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 spoke about God calling Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees

and he referred to God as “the God of glory.”  This expressed Stephen’s true

attitude toward God.  To him God is a God of glory.  Back in Acts 6:8 Luke said

that Stephen was a man of faith in God.  Stephen was not a man who would speak

against God.  He was a man who spoke for God. 

    Stephen further said that the God of glory extended a glorious call to

Abraham.  V. 3, “And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy

kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.”  He does not say how

God communicated with Abraham, but he did say that God did communicate with him. 

God told Abraham to get out of the country in which he lived and to go to a

place which God would show him as he traveled.  In otherwise God promised to go

with him and to lead him every step of the way.  That is marvelous.  In a sense

that is what God does for every Christian.  God has promised to go with the

Christian all through life and God has promised to lead the way. 

    Stephen said that God was glorious in His dealings with Abraham for

Abraham’s disobedience to God.  V. 4, “Then came he out of the land of the

Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he

removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.”  God had told Abraham to

leave his kindred behind, but Abraham took his father with him to Charran

(Haron).  God could have refused to go with Abraham and refuse to lead him

because of that disobedience.  But God went with him and led him to Charran. 

Then God left him at Charran and did not lead him further until Abraham’s father

died.  In this way God patiently taught Abraham to be obedient.  He has that

same kind of patience with all who are saved. 

    Stephen said that God was glorious in His promise to give the land of

Canaan to Abraham and to his seed even before his seed was born.  V. 5, “And he

gave him none inheritance in it, no, not [so much as] to set his foot on: yet he

promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after

him, when [as yet] he had no child.”  Abraham had no children at the time God

made that promise.  In fact, even after a son was born to him by Hagar God

refused that son as an heir, but God still stood by the promise that He had

made.  He would give the land to Abraham and to his seed.  In fact, the heir was

not born to Abraham until Abraham was 100 years old and his wife, Sarah, was 90

years old.  This was long past the usual childbearing age for either of them. 

Then after Isaac, the promised son was born God still did not give the land to

Abraham and Isaac.  He allowed them to live within the land, but He did not

allow them to possess the land.  They only sojourned in the land, but God still

stuck by His promise.  God said that the land of Canaan belongs to Abraham and

to his seed. 

 

III.  God still a God of glory

 

    God is still a God of glory today.  He is a God of splendor, a God of

beauty, a God of might and power, a God of infinite knowledge and wisdom, a God

of matchless love and grace.  The Apostles Peter and John got a limited view of

that glory when Jesus was transfigured before them on a mountain.  The Biblical

record says, “His face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the

light,”  Matt. 17:1-2. 

    God still keeps His promises even though some of His promises are so

marvelous that it seem that it would be impossible to keep them.  He has

promised to cleanse us from all sin if we repent of our sin and trust in His Son

to save our souls.  He has promised to produce within us a new spiritual birth. 

He has promised to save us and to keep us saved.  He has promised to raise our

mortal bodies from the grave and to make them immortal bodies.  He has promised

to melt this old earth and to make it into a new earth.  He has promised to

bring a huge new city down from heaven to the new earth and to sit on His throne

in that city and to dwell forever in that new earth with the redeemed.  He has

promised that He will take all of His enemies and cast them into a Lake of Fire

and Brimstone where they will suffer forever. 

    God is a God of exceedingly great glory and some day all will see His

glory and be judged by Him.  It was said concerning Jesus Christ the Son of God

that every eye shall see Him and that every knee shall bow before Him and that

every tongue will confess that He is God.  But that will be too late for many

people.  Only those who will repent of their sin and trust Jesus in this

lifetime for salvation will get to live with Him in glory. 

    Oh that every man, woman, boy and girl would believe in Him now and trust

Jesus Christ now and serve Him now!  Oh that every saved man, woman, boy and

girl would truly worship Him now and serve Him now!

 

Conclusion:

 

1.  I am going to ask every person present to acknowledge God as the Highest,

most         noble, most powerful and most wonderful being in existence in

heaven and earth. 

 

2.  I am going to ask every person present who has never prepared to meet God by

repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation to get ready now to

meet Him.  Repent of your sin.  Trust Jesus to save your soul. 

 

3.  I am going to call upon every Christian to renew your commitment to God now. 

 

4.  I am going to ask you to come forward during the singing of this hymn and to

present yourself to this church in token of your faith in Jesus and your

commitment to Him.