So we're reading from verse 35, so Acts chapter 7,
starting partway through Stephen's speech,
which is his response to being accused of blaspheming Moses
and the temple.
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.
This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt
and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for 40 years.
This is the Moses who said to the Israelites,
God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.
This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness
with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai and with our fathers.
He received living oracles to give to us.
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.
And they made a calf in those days and offered a sacrifice to the idol
and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.
But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven
as it is written in the book of the prophets.
Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices during the 40 years
in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your God, Rephan,
the images that you made to worship,
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.
Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness
just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it
according to the pattern that he had seen.
Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua
when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers.
So it was until the days of David who found favour in the sight of God
and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
But it was Solomon who built a house for him.
Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands,
as the prophet says.
Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
Did not my hand make all these things?
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 when they heard these things,
they were enraged and they ground their teeth at him.
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.
And he said,
Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.
But they cried out with a loud voice
and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him.
And the witnesses laid down their garments
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
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.
Why don't we pray as we come to God's word?
Lord,
we always need your help to understand your word.
And Lord, I need your help to speak it truthfully and clearly.
So I pray for your help.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, our focus in Stephen's speech today
is about the temple.
Now, temple.
You might be thinking,
what on earth do I care about the temple
when I'm not sure
when my marriage feels like it's on the rocks,
when I feel like my family is falling apart,
work is just overwhelming and deeply unfulfilling,
and I feel like my mental health is failing me,
I feel like my body is failing me,
I fear for the health of my family.
What has an ancient Jewish building
got anything to do with what I'm struggling with today?
I'll forgive you if you're thinking that.
Em and I have been watching Grand Designs transformations.
I don't know if only a few people will be into this kind of show,
but these homeowners spend incredible amounts of money
going well over budget every time
and devoting more than a year of their life.
And like husbands and wives,
one of them was asked at the end,
it's like, well, we still like each other.
Like the stress they're under is enormous
that they're going through.
And what are they doing it for?
They're doing it for the beauty,
the permanence of a family home to dwell in
or something to retire in.
That perfect place to rest,
to thrive as a family.
Now that show, it is rated G or PG.
I don't know why it jumps up to PG sometimes,
but there's no swear words.
There's no violence in it,
unless you call knocking down a wall violence.
But there's nothing inappropriate.
But I reckon it's got to be one of the most dangerous shows.
It's feeding one of the biggest idols in our society.
I can just feel it.
Like I'm starting to look at my house differently.
We could put a fireplace.
It is dangerous.
It is fueling this desire for the perfect dwelling.
And then I came across this week that some new tech people know that Apple are releasing Vision Pro.
Reading the room here.
Okay, I got a few nods.
Okay, this illustration will benefit one or two of you.
So Silicon Valley is promising the capability to create your own rest and glory.
Like Vision Pro, you put on these goggles, you can create the perfect work environment.
You're not limited by your desk and a screen.
You can stretch it however big you want.
You can put it there.
You can put it wherever you want.
You can create your perfect place.
You can immerse yourself in movies and memories and you can go wherever you want.
You can...
The sound, it surrounds...
Technology is telling us we can create our own world.
I think there are two examples in our society with our own hands,
with our own capabilities, we want to create the blessings of the kingdom of God,
just without a king.
With our own hands, we can create Eden, just cast God out.
Even unbelievers, though, critique our attempts at creating rest or anything beautiful that lasts.
Some of you will know Woody Allen, filmmaker, actor, comedian.
Just think about his accomplishments in his field.
He's won four Academy Awards, ten BAFTAs, two Golden Globes and a Grammy and heaps of other nominations.
Pretty good.
And he said in an interview,
the fundamental thing behind all motivation and all activity
is the constant struggle against annihilation and against death.
It's absolutely stupefying in its terror.
It renders anyone's accomplishments meaningless.
I think he's right.
If, if there's no temple.
You're probably thinking, what's that got to do with temple?
We are...
He's right in the sense that we are.
Aren't we living in a broken world?
It's not just this constant struggle against a world that's under curse.
It's just this constant struggle.
We're all longing for rest and glory because we were made for it.
And this is where temple comes in.
We were made for it.
The opening pages of scripture,
God says the purpose of his creation on the seventh day,
the goal was rest.
God wants to rest with his people.
And we saw last year when we went through it,
Genesis 2 is this picture of rest and glory.
God living with us.
Safety.
Abundance.
Joyful obedience to God.
Harmony relationally.
Harmony with the world.
Everything in perfect order.
Eden.
Paradise.
The best thing about it is God is there.
That is what the temple pictures.
The temple says,
God is determined to redeem the rest and glory we were made for.
You'll read about Solomon's temple in 2 Chronicles.
Gold is everywhere.
It is everywhere.
It's the altar was gold.
The lampstands were gold.
The snuffers,
the snuff out the candles were gold.
Like you've got stainless steel tongs.
He had gold.
It's just everywhere.
Why?
Because it's picturing Eden.
Because Eden was just the place of abundance.
And gold is in,
is overflowing in that place.
It's picturing this Eden.
The curtain to the most holy place.
Purple and crimson,
royal colours,
embroidered with angelic cherubim.
The ark of the Lord brought in behind the curtain to the most holy place.
Why?
Because the king of heaven is present.
That's Eden.
He's here.
The palm trees engraved on the walls of the temple.
Picturing that garden,
remembering what was lost.
The fact that the temple is in the middle of Israel
and Israel encamped around it.
God is dwelling with his people.
He's redeeming paradise.
But it's not an easy way back.
And that's where the temple also pictures it.
But God is providing a way back.
The temple pictures the atonement we need,
the forgiveness,
the mediator we need
to bring us back to God.
We've been excluded from Eden
because we've all believed the lie that Adam and Eve believed
that we don't need to depend on him.
We can control our lives by our own wisdom.
We can create paradise without him.
The temple shows he's made a way back.
A sacrifice that will cleanse us of all that.
A high priest who will go into the holy place
and bring us in, represent us for him, for us.
When Solomon dedicates the temple,
the theme running through his Solomon speech
is that when they look to this place
that you, God, will hear and forgive.
The temple is a place of forgiveness.
Look to the temple and you will find forgiveness.
When Solomon finishes his prayer,
fire came down from heaven
and consumed the burnt offering
and the sacrifices.
And the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
And the priest could not enter the house of the Lord
because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house.
It's rest.
God is here.
He's accepted the sacrifice to bring us back.
Living in the presence of God,
restoring Eden,
restoring paradise.
This is the temple that Stephen is charged
with being against,
being blaspheming,
of saying that Jesus will destroy this place.
It is a serious accusation.
So as we come to Acts 7,
picture where Stephen is standing.
He is in the promised land.
He's in the holy place.
He's in Jerusalem,
the place where God has put his name,
where you can meet him.
They're either meeting in the temple
or very close to the temple.
And he's standing before the high priest,
the one God has chosen
to represent him to the people
and bring the people to him.
Stephen is standing on holy ground.
So is he blaspheming God's holy place?
Well, as we go through his speech,
and I'm just going to
very quick helicopter fly over here.
Is he blaspheming the holy place?
He believes that the God of glory
appeared to Abraham
in Mesopotamia.
The glory that filled the temple,
he believes.
The glory of God appeared to Abraham.
He believes the promise to Abraham
that he and his descendants
will be brought into this promised place.
And we're told in verse 7,
and the purpose of that,
they'll come out of Egypt
and worship me in this place.
He believes that.
He believes that God
is the God of Isaac and Jacob.
Jacob, whom God appeared to,
if you remember that dream
that Jacob had,
where God met him
in the dream of the angels
ascending and descending
and in Bethel.
And he wakes up and he says,
surely the Lord is in this place
and I did not know it.
This is none other
than the house of God.
He believes in the God of Jacob.
He believes in the God of Moses,
that he appeared to Moses
at the burning bush.
Take off your sandals
from your feet
for the place where you are standing
is holy ground.
He believes God appeared to Moses.
Holy ground.
He believes,
verse 44 onwards,
that Moses set up the tabernacle
just as God commanded.
It was God's command
to set up the tabernacle.
He believes that God gave
the land to worship him in
through Joshua.
He recalls the history
in language of the covenant
with David,
verses 46 and 47.
David found favour
in the sight of God
and asked to find
a dwelling place for him.
So David had created peace
in the land.
He subdued all the enemies.
There's safety now.
And he looks at his house
of cedar
and looks at the tent.
The tabernacle was just a tent.
This isn't right.
God needs a permanent place
with his people.
He says,
God,
can I build you
a permanent house?
And God goes,
no,
I'm going to build you
a permanent house.
Your son,
he shall build a house
for my name
and I will establish
the throne
of his kingdom
forever.
The forever king
will create my house.
Stephen is no blasphemer
of the holy place.
He's no blasphemer
of the holy place.
I'm not fully sure
what this means
but even the council
they looked at Stephen
and they could see
that his face
was like the face
of an angel.
Whatever that looked like,
I'm not sure
what that looked like,
but everyone in that room
could even see
in Stephen
that God was showing up
right now
as Stephen speaks.
God was here
in this moment.
He's not blaspheming
the holy place.
God has set a place
for us to meet him.
That is the good news
of scripture.
I want to meet you.
a couple of years ago
Emma and I
or a number of years ago
now,
but Emma and I
had
the privilege
of going to London
and we went
to Westminster Abbey.
Beautiful cathedral.
the architecture
is just amazing.
It's designed
to feel like
you're connecting
with the transcendent,
really.
And we went
to Evening Song
where the choir
was singing
and in Latin
I didn't understand
a word
but wow,
wow,
it is beautiful.
It just felt like
it felt transcendent.
I think that's probably
something of the feeling
that Jews would have had
for the temple.
When you're in this place
you're connected with God.
From his very first words
Stephen exposes
their willful restriction
of where God's glory
is found.
The God of glory
appeared to our father Abraham
when he was in Mesopotamia.
You're saying
the glory of God
is found here.
Do you remember
our history?
He is not restricted
to this place.
He met Abraham
in Mesopotamia
near Babylon
of all places.
Was it the ground
of the burning bush?
Was it the dirt
that Moses was on
that made it holy?
Was it the dirt?
Of course it wasn't.
He was to take off
his sandals
to remind him
he is of the dirt
and he's in the presence
of the divine.
What made the ground holy
was God turned up there.
Wherever God turns up
that
is holy ground.
God's glory
was with Israel
in a tent
in the wilderness
all that time.
You're restricting it
to this place
but
God was with our people
all that time
in the wilderness.
Verse 48
the most high
does not dwell
in houses
made by hands.
When Solomon
dedicated his temple
he says in
2 Chronicles 6.18
Will God indeed
dwell with man
on the earth?
Behold
heaven
and the highest heaven
cannot contain you
how much less
this house
that I have built.
Even Solomon
knew that
God is not
restricted to here.
and he quotes
Isaiah 66
heaven is my throne
and the earth
is my footstool.
What kind of house
will you build for me
says the Lord
or what is the place
of my rest?
Did not my hand
make all these things?
I love Lockie's
picture of the Lego
like
a father
with his feet up
on a footstool
and
his son
creating this
little Lego house.
All our
beautiful cathedrals
they're like
Lego.
What are you
going to build
for God?
He made it all.
Not even heaven
the highest heaven
can contain God.
Stephen is saying
you're the one
against the prophets
by saying
that God
is restricted
to this place.
He is not
restricted
to this place.
He's never
been restricted
to the temple
or the land.
He met
Ezekiel.
Remember
Ezekiel's vision.
Those in exile
that God
turned up
he is not
restricted.
You're the one
not listening
to the prophets.
Now
that is
such an
obvious truth.
Why
didn't
these experts
in God's word
why didn't
they believe it?
Surely
surely
they understood
this.
I think
we
Stephen
very cleverly
I suppose
inspired
by the Holy
Spirit
of course
he
plays on
the words
of
the works
of their
hands.
They seem
to be
rejoicing
in the work
of their
hands.
All their
temple worship
appears religious
but
he's
subtly
charging them
with idolatry.
So back
in verse
41
their
fathers
were out
in
Egypt
they
were
out
of
Egypt
they
were
saved
but
their
hearts
were
still
there
because
verse
41
they
made
a
calf
in
those
days
and
offered
a
sacrifice
to
the
idol
while
Moses
was up
the
mountain
and
were
rejoicing
in the
works
of
their
hands.
They
exchange
the
glory
of
the
immortal
God
who's
above
the
ravages
of
death
and
decay
and
they
prefer
a
calf
something
mortal
something
they can
control
They
exchange
the
glory
of
the
invisible
God
beyond
any
limitations
and
they
prefer
something
they
can
see
worship
the
stars
and
he
quotes
the
prophet
Amos
there
was a
lot
of
offerings
going
on
but
God
says
through
Amos
was it
really
for
me
was it
God
can't
be
mocked
he
knows
that
from
day
one
their
fathers
were
worshipping
created
things
why
did
God
send
Israel
into
Babylon
why
did
God
destroy
Solomon's
temple
because
Solomon
led
the
people
into
idolatry
king
after
king
there
was a
few
kings
who
tried
to
reform
but
it
was
never
enough
it
was
just
trajectory
into
idolatry
the
exile
proves
that
Israel
repeatedly
turned
back
to
rejoice
in
the
work
of
their
own
him
lots
of
worship
going
on
but
if
it's
not
listening
to
God's
word
then
it's
idolatry
he
quotes
Isaiah
66
at the
end
and the
context
there
if you
keep
reading
Isaiah
66
is that
God
is making
all
things
new
their
idolatry
shows
that he's
going to
have to
do
something
new
something
special
and it
goes on
to say
he who
slaughters
an ox
is like
one who
kills
a man
he who
sacrifices
a lamb
like one
who breaks
a dog's
neck
he who
presents
a grain
offering
like one
who offers
pig's
blood
these
have chosen
their own
ways
and their
soul
delights
their
abominations
but this
is the
one to whom
I will
look
he who
is humble
and contrite
in spirit
and trembles
at my
word
God is
saying
through Isaiah
I'm going
to make
all things
new
and in
that day
to keep
clinging
to the
old
is
idolatry
do you
listen to
my word
do you
and so
Stephen
charges
even the
high priest
before him
your worship
of this
temple
that your
own hands
have made
with all
the offerings
that your
own hands
are bringing
all the
garments
that your
own hands
are putting
on
it's
abomination
in God's
sight because
he's done
something new
you're not
listening to
the prophets
who predicted
these days
you're not
looking to
the true
son of
David
it's not
Solomon
who gave
us the
temple
remember the
end of
Solomon's
life
it's the
true son
of David
who would
lead his
people in
worship
in spirit
and truth
and he
uses a
phrase
that must
have just
got to
the heart
of these
people
you are
uncircumcised
in heart
and ears
you are
not God's
people because
your heart
and ears
you're not
listening to
God's
prophets
you're
rejecting
what God's
hands have
made
take off
your sandals
and remember
you are
of the
dust
well Peter
had already
pointed this
counsel to
what God's
hands have
made
if you want
to just
listen or
you can
flick back
to chapter
4 verse
11
this Jesus
is the
stone that
was rejected
by you
the builders
which has
become the
cornerstone
the
capstone
the
capstone
wasn't
what I've
read about
it isn't
about
it wasn't
weight
bearing
it was
picking the
perfect
stone
perfectly
shaped
and putting
it in
the
perfect
position
so that
the rest
of the
building
could take
its
pattern
from it
and be
built
from that
point
on
but
this
picture
is
they
looked at
this
stone
Jesus
and
it
just
isn't
the
shape
they
were
expecting
or
wanting
it's
jagged
edge
it's
not
the
Messiah
we're
looking
for
and so
they
throw
it
away
but
even
the
prophets
this
is
quoting
Psalm
118
said
this
would
happen
those
whom
they
rejected
God
has
made
the
capstone
his
whole
house
is
built
on
this
rejected
one
his
resurrection
proves it
as we
look at
Stephen
and how
he
responds
we see
what the
Lord's
hand
has made
in Stephen
because of
Jesus
we see
the rest
and glory
that Stephen
has
he's
losing
everything
visible
everything
external
his own
brothers
and fathers
are gnashing
their teeth
at him
he's
losing
the land
he's
out of
the city
he's
excluded
from the
temple
and he's
about to
lose
his own
body
he's
losing
everything
and in
that moment
of death
and annihilation
he could
access
heaven
itself
he could
look
and see
the glory
of God
and Jesus
standing at
the right
hand
of God
he believed
he was in
the holy
of holies
he believed
he had a high
priest who was
standing at
God's right
hand
not in a
man-made
temple
but in
heaven
itself
he believed
that the
one who
was rejected
his sacrifice
is all
he needs
he prays
towards
Jesus
Lord Jesus
receive my
spirit
Jesus is the
one who
receives prayer
now not the
temple
he's praying
towards Jesus
knowing that
the father
hears him
the glory
that appeared
to Abraham
he sees it
I can see
the glory
of God
when Solomon's
temple was
filled with
glory
no one
could go
in
not even
the priest
Stephen
has a glory
of God
filling him
by the
Holy Spirit
and yet
he's losing
everything
external
that is
incredible
rest
and peace
and safety
even in the
face of
loss
that's what
God's hand
has made
Jesus
you can
lose all
the externals
and still have
rest and glory
with the
promise of
so much
more to
come
wow
that's what
God's hands
have made
so did
Jesus say
he would
destroy
this temple
he did
speak about
this temple
but
the main
thing he said
was in
John chapter
2
destroy
this temple
and in
three days
I'll raise
it up
but he was
speaking about
the temple
of his body
John tells
us
he was the
one who
would be
destroyed
so that
we can
come in
Solomon's
temple was
built on
the mountain
where
Abraham
almost
sacrifice
his
only son
Isaac
as
Abraham
reached
for the
knife
the angel
told him
to stop
then he
sees the
ram
bought
in the bush
and that
place
and that
place
that's
where the
temple
was built
I like how
Tim Keller
puts it
let me quote
him
the knife
of God's
justice
that did
not come
down on
Isaac
and later
came down
on animal
after animal
finally came
down on
God's
son
that's
the
sacrifice
we need
many
priests
were told
did turn
to Jesus
but
this
council
they couldn't
let go
of what
their own
hands
have made
their whole
identity
and purpose
would have
to come
crashing
down
they blocked
their ears
they drowned
out God's
word
with their
own voices
they were
unwilling to
go into
eternal life
empty handed
I think we
see in their
example that
we can only
share
in the
peace
and the
rest
and the
hope
the glory
of God
if we
first
confess
that
we
like
them
prefer
what
our
own
hands
have
made
aren't
I
great
because
of
blah blah
whatever
you fill
that in
we've got
to confess
that
our hearts
are prone
to that
God
why would
we cling
to what
we know
will one
day be
destroyed
God
offers us
a place
in his
house
and we
see in
Stephen
a new
passion
that
drives
him
this
peace
this rest
and the
hope of
glory
he doesn't
just keep
it to
himself
it creates
something
new in
him
Jesus
creates
a kingdom
of
priests
I'm
sure if
you think
of yourself
as a
priest
you're a
believer
but that's
how the
New Testament
describes
us
what does
a priest
do
they go
into the
holy place
not for
their own
sake but
on behalf
of others
they bring
people in
to God
we see
that in
Stephen
even while
he's losing
all the
externals
he's so
sure that
he's got
rest and
peace
and glory
and he
knows he's
going to
get much
more
very very
soon
matter of
minutes
for him
what does
that do
in him
it creates
a priestly
spirit
he prays
on their
behalf
Lord do
not hold
this sin
against
them
he wants
them
forgiven
he wants
them in
he doesn't
hold this
peace to
himself
he says
behold
look
look at
Jesus
he got
arrested in
the first
place because
he just
kept
annoying
people
by trying
wanting them
to come
into the
rest and
glory he's
found
he goes
into the
holy place
on behalf
of even
those who
condemn him
that's the
kind of
people that
Jesus
creates
that's what
rest and
glory creates
priestly kind
of spirit
in the context
of Isaiah 66
that he quotes
God says
the sacrifices
he wants
once he
creates
everything
new
he says
they shall
bring all
your brothers
from all the
nations as an
offering to the
Lord just as
the Israelites
bring their
grain offering
in a clean
vessel for the
house of the
Lord
they're the
sacrifices
so I think
Woody Allen
was wrong
brothers and
sisters who
trust in
Jesus even
in loss and
perhaps especially
in loss you
can point
people to the
rest and glory
you've found
and in doing
that
God uses
us as
instruments
to create
a building
a living
temple that
will never
be destroyed
will you pray
with me
let's pray
Lord I
pray that
all the
blessings you've
given us
because of what
you have done
in Jesus
I pray that
you might
press those
blessings into
whatever each of
us are struggling
with right now
so that we
won't look to
what the world
promises to
comfort whatever
sorrows we're
struggling with
but so that we
would be filled
with peace and
hope and joy
that we
might
even see
what we're
going through
as a way
to point
people to
you and
life in
you
pray this in
Jesus name
amen
so
you