← Back to sermon library

Well, you can turn to the book 
of Acts. We're in Acts chapter 7, bringing to a conclusion Stephen's 
speech before the Sanhedrin. It's the longest speech recorded 
in the book of Acts, and essentially what Stephen is doing is using 
their history and their scriptures to show that he is not guilty 
of the false charges that have been brought up against him. 
He has been accused of being anti-Moses, he's been accused 
of being anti-Temple. He spends a bulk of his time 
defending the charge of anti-Mosesism in verses 17 to 43, and here 
in verses 44 to 50, specifically, he is countering the charge that 
he is anti-Temple. So, I want to read this section, 
chapter 7, beginning in verse 44. Our fathers had the tabernacle 
of witness in the wilderness, as he appointed, instructing 
Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 
which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with 
Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove 
out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, who 
found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God 
of Jacob. Solomon built him a house. However, 
the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as 
the prophet says. Heaven is my throne and earth 
is my footstool. What house will you build for 
me, says the Lord? Or what is the place of my rest? 
Has my hand not made all these things? You stiff-necked and 
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 foretold 
the coming of the just one, of whom you now have become the 
betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the 
direction of angels and have not kept it. When they heard 
these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at 
Him with their teeth. But He, being full of the Holy 
Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God. And Jesus, 
standing at the right hand of God, said, Look, I see the heavens 
open, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Then 
they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at 
Him with one accord. And they cast Him out of the 
city and stoned Him. And the witnesses laid down their 
clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned 
Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive 
my spirit. And he knelt down and cried out 
with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And 
when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting 
to his death. At that time, a great persecution 
arose against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were 
all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, 
except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen 
to his burial and made great lamentation over him. As for 
Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house and dragging 
off men and women, committing them to prison. Amen. Well, let 
us pray. Father, again, we thank you for 
the written word, and we need the ministry of the Holy Spirit 
to illumine our minds and our hearts. We need his aid to teach 
and guide us, to direct us to what Moses pointed forward to 
and what the temple pointed forward to. even our Lord Jesus Christ. 
God, I pray that we would not miss the message of Stephen's 
sermon here, that these things in the Old Covenant were types 
and shadows of the Christ who was to come. And now that He's 
here, we don't go backwards in redemptive history. We go only 
to Him and to Him alone. And our Father, I pray that You 
would forgive us again for our sins and what it does in terms 
of our understanding. Give us the grace and the blood 
of Jesus Christ so that we may receive, with thanksgiving, Your 
Word. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, as we have seen over the 
last several weeks, Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin again 
is designed to show that he is not the one guilty of being anti-Moses 
and being anti-Temple. The council or the Sanhedrin 
to whom he's speaking have actually demonstrated the fact that they're 
anti-Moses and they're anti-Temple. They rejected Jesus Christ. Moses 
wrote about Jesus. So if they reject Jesus, then 
they, by implication, are rejecting Moses himself. The tabernacle 
in the temple existed not as an end in itself, but rather 
as a type, as a shadow, pointing forward to the one who became 
flesh and dwelt among us, the Son of God, the second person 
of the Trinity, the one who took on our humanity. That temple, 
that tabernacle, pointed forward. Now that Christ has come, to 
maintain attachment to the temple is to be anti-temple. In other 
words, the temple simply pointed them to Jesus. In their rejection 
of Jesus, they are demonstrating their rejection of the temple 
itself. Paradoxical, but Stephen, I think, really shows this throughout 
his message. So we've been looking at verses 
44 to 50. Last time we saw the tabernacle 
of witness in verses 44 and 45. Remember that the tabernacle 
was ordained by God, was instituted by God. It was appointed by God. 
It was the means by which sinful Israel could approach a holy 
God. And the way that sinful Israel could approach a holy 
God was through sacrifice. It was through blood. It was 
through atonement. And so that is the purpose for 
which the tabernacle existed. Now we're going to turn our attention 
to the temple of the God of Jacob, and then finally the testimony 
of the prophet Isaiah. But notice the temple of the 
God of Jacob in verses 46 and 47. Notice, after saying that God 
had instituted the tabernacle, he says that the fathers had 
the tabernacle in the land possessed by the Gentiles. And then in 
verse 46, it speaks of David who found favor before God and 
asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. Now, we're 
going to spend a bit of time here with reference to what's 
called the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7, but I want us to 
understand that David was a man who found favor in the eyes of 
Yahweh. Now, when we consider that, it's 
a glorious statement, not concerning David, but concerning Yahweh. 
God the Lord received David unto himself by virtue of the righteousness 
of Jesus Christ. God the Lord had announced to 
Saul that he was going to give the kingdom to a man after his 
own heart in 1 Samuel chapter 13. David was that man after 
his own heart. Was David a perfect man? Absolutely, 
positively not. David committed gross sin before 
a holy God, but David exalted in, that means rejoiced in, the 
imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. In Psalm 32, David counts 
himself blessed as one to whom the Lord has not imputed iniquity. 
David knew his status, his standing, his acceptance with God was not 
based on David's performance, but on David's greater son. In 
other words, God, in His grace and in His mercy, received David. 
God, in His grace and in His mercy, showed that favor to David. In fact, there are two instances 
in the life of David where he celebrates the goodness of God 
to him. In 2 Samuel 4, at verse 9, he 
says, "...as the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from 
all adversity." It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? As the Lord 
lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, we could 
admit the same sorts of things. We could celebrate the same realities, 
the times that we should have died, the times that we should 
have gotten sick, the times that we should have ended up in a 
hospital or perhaps a prison. We can reflect upon the reality 
that God has redeemed us from all our adversity, but even more 
so in the spiritual realm. He has delivered us from the 
power of sin. He has delivered us from the power of the devil. 
He has released us from the power of the world. The other time 
that David makes this comment is in 2 Kings, and this is after 
his long life. This is prior to him going to 
the grave. So 2 Samuel 4.9, when he admits 
this, he's middle-aged, probably middle to late age, but in 1 
Kings, he's on the verge of death, and he's nevertheless able to 
say the same thing. 1 Kings 1.29, as the Lord lives, 
who has redeemed my life from every distress. When he says 
it in 2 Samuel 4, he probably means Philistines, he probably 
means Saul, he probably means the entity of the nations around 
him as the king of Israel. When he says it in 1 Kings 1.29, 
maybe he's got in his head Bathsheba. Maybe he's got in his head Uriah 
the Hittite. Maybe he's got in his head the 
more spiritual things in terms of the redemption that God has 
wrought out and brought him out of that adversity, that adversity 
of sin, that adversity of rebellion, that adversity of enmity, not 
with the nations around, but with the God of heaven and earth. 
But in these two instances, David demonstrates that he was, in 
fact, one who received the very favor of God Almighty. It truly 
is a blessed thing and a blessed sort of incentive for you, if 
you're a sinner, not saved by grace, to consider Christ. Christ 
justified David. Now, I don't care how bad you 
are, I would guess that you didn't commit murder or adultery within 
the last days or months. Maybe you have. Maybe you actually 
have. This is the glory of the gospel. 
There is forgiveness with thee. David says in Psalm 130 that 
thou mayest be feared. When David cries out in distress 
in Psalm 130 verse 1, it's not the distress of the temporal 
enemies. It's sin that affects David. When he says, out of the depths 
I have cried to thee, O Lord. Lord, hear the voice of my supplications. He goes on to specify what the 
nature of his sorrow is. He says, if thou, Lord, shouldst 
mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? There's none of 
us in here. There's nobody who could stand 
before a holy God. But he goes on, he says, but 
there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared. David 
rejoices in the forgiveness of sins. And if you are a sinner 
here this morning, go to the Lord Jesus Christ and rejoice 
in the forgiveness of sins. There's nothing better. Ask any 
believer in here, after the service, I challenge you, I encourage 
you to do that. Find some believer and say, are you sad that you 
came to Jesus? Do you sort of rethink that decision? I don't mean it in an Armenian, 
Pelagian way. Just grant me the use of the 
language here. Do you regret that decision in having come 
to Christ? No one's going to say, oh yeah, you know, my life 
was much better before when I was a slave to sin. My life was much 
better before when I cared about what this world thought. My life 
was much better before when I was subject to the very devil himself. 
None of them say that. He who believes will never be 
disappointed. He who believes will never be 
put to shame. It's a glorious thing to be a Christian. It's 
a wonderful thing to be a believer. It's a wonderful thing to know 
that you will never die. You may pass through the physical 
trial of death, but it's the portal into heaven itself. That's 
in the future for God's people. And if God's people are not happy 
about that, God's people need to repent. We need to be a people 
that have this understanding of what lay in our future, and 
we need to communicate that to others. What's David say as a 
man forgiven by God's grace in Psalm 51? Which Psalm 51 is his 
psalm of repentance. He talks about his sin, he talks 
about God's mercy, and he talks about having received that. He 
says, then I will teach transgressors your ways. Who better to preach 
the gospel of Jesus Christ than a man conquered by the gospel 
of Jesus Christ? Who better to say, come to Jesus 
for the forgiveness of sins than a David who was guilty of the 
sins of murder and adultery? Now go back to 2 Samuel chapter 
7 for a moment so we can see what Stephen is talking about. 
Remember, another reason why we're spending a lot of time 
in this defense of Stephen in Acts 7 is because it's a window 
by which we can survey the Old Testament. We can piece together 
an understanding of what's happening in the Old Testament and how 
all of it leads us to the Lord Jesus Christ. The background 
for Stephen's statement there in Acts chapter 7 is not only 
2 Samuel. It's in Psalm 132 that I read 
at the outset of worship. In fact, the closest parallel 
of Stephen's language is with Psalm 132. But Psalm 132, Psalm 
89 that we just sang, all are based on 2 Samuel 7. And this 
is called the Davidic Covenant. This is God's covenant with David. It's a covenant of kingdom and 
kingship. It's a promise to David that 
from David's line, one is going to rise up and going to occupy 
that throne forever and ever and ever. And so 2 Samuel 7 is 
very important when it comes to considering not only the tabernacle, 
but the temple, because it's a temple that David wants to 
build for God. And that's what's in view in 
2 Samuel 7. The word house is being used in three different 
ways in 2 Samuel 7. David is sitting in his house, 
marveling that he's in this beautiful palace, and the tabernacle of 
God, or God rather, is dwelling in tents. House is also used 
as dynasty. God says, I'm going to make a 
house out of you. I'm going to make a dynasty out 
of you. And then the final way that house is used is a temple, 
a place for God to occupy among the children of Israel. So you 
just need to understand that. The word house is used in a couple 
of different ways. But notice, with reference to 
the desire of David, 2 Samuel 7 verse 1, Now it came to pass, 
when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given 
him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said 
to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, 
but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains. You get the idea. David's been victorious. God's 
given him blessing. God has redeemed his life from 
every adversity up to this point. The enemies of Israel have been 
vanquished. David now has this beautiful 
palace. We read about it in 2 Samuel 5. It's been built. He's sitting 
there. He's saying, wait a minute. You 
know, I've got this great palace, I've got this great house, I've 
got all the great benefits from all the battles that Yahweh has 
granted to us, victory, and yet God doesn't have a permanent 
dwelling place. God doesn't have a temple. God 
doesn't have a house. We still have this tabernacle 
that is mobile, this tabernacle that you put up in the wilderness. 
Now, notice what God does with reference to David. He highlights 
the promise given through covenant in verses 5 to 9, and then later 
in verse 17. We see that what Nathan says 
to David is the word of the living God. And it concerns this request 
that David has presented, but God takes this request and gives 
an explanation to David. Notice, we see the promise given 
specifically in verses 10 and 11. Notice, verse 10, So let 
me just give you the crib notes here, or the cliff notes. Is it cliff notes or crib notes? 
I think it's cliff notes. I'll just tell you what David 
is hearing from God. God says, I have been in a tabernacle. I have been in this mobile tent 
because Israel has been mobile, because Israel hasn't been stationary. Israel has moved from place to 
place, so God has moved from place to place. So in verse 10 
of 2 Samuel 7, he is saying, I want Israel to be planted in 
the land. I want Israel to be stable, and 
then they can build a house for me. Isn't that the way parents 
function? They make sure their kids are 
provided for, and then they can be looked after? It's the way 
the Father deals with Israel here. He says, while they are 
moving about, I'll move about with them. But I want to plant 
them securely and stably in the land, and then they can build 
for me this temple, this stationary place. There'll no longer be 
this tent that has to be thrown up in the wilderness, but rather 
there'll be a central sanctuary where they can come to worship 
through sacrifice and praise. So the Lord God here provides 
for his people before he gets provided for. That's a beautiful 
thought, isn't it? In fact, Dale Ralph Davis makes 
the observation. He says, how can he, God, settle 
down when they, Israel, are unsettled? Perhaps we glimpse now why Yahweh 
wants no cedar temple yet. He must make a secure place for 
Israel first. He will not rest till he gives 
rest to his people. It's a beautiful thought. You've 
ever met those people that say, oh, the Old Testament, it's filled 
with wrath and judgment and blood and destruction and genocide. It's just a horrific thing. It's 
filled with grace and compassion and mercy and kindness and goodness 
and love. We sang in Psalm 89 that he broke 
Egypt. And we think, horror of horrors, 
the breaking of Egypt was necessary for the preservation of his people. 
For God's people to ultimately flourish, all of the enemies 
of Christ must be put down. Now, let's not be 21st century, 
quickly triggered and offended people, but get our minds and 
hearts wrapped around the concept of righteousness and justice. 
and realize that in this world, there are those who are with 
Jesus Christ, and there are those who are against Jesus Christ. 
And with reference to those who are against Jesus Christ, it's 
not the case that he doesn't deal with them harshly and severely. He most certainly does. Every 
few years, there's a new book denying the doctrine of hell. I've always wondered why. I think 
it's because psychologically, persons have a tough time with 
the concept. But in terms of our own life, 
in terms of our own experience, if you knew that a man was convicted 
of grievous crimes, he had hurt children, he had abused people, 
he had murdered, we'd all want him to be punished, wouldn't 
we? Oh, no, not me, pastor. Well, then you're not thinking 
biblically. Because we image God and the foundation of his 
throne are justice and righteousness, and we need to think God's thoughts 
after him. So you see, with reference to 
Israel, God is functioning as a father to them. While they 
are transient people, he will be a transient God. He will dwell 
in the tabernacle. But once he stations them securely 
in the land, then the temple can be built. This is what David 
hasn't seen. This is what David needs to be 
educated about. This is what David needs to be 
instructed on. And that's precisely what God 
is doing with David. So there's a promise for the 
people of Israel in verse 10, and then notice in verse 11. 
Since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, 
and have caused you to rest from all your enemies, also the Lord 
tells you that he will make you a house. Again, a dynasty of 
kings will come from David. And that's where he goes now. 
Notice, he highlights the presence of the kingdom and the perpetuity 
of it. Verse 12, when your days are 
fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed 
after you who will come from your body and I will establish 
his kingdom. Now this has an immediate sort 
of application and a distant one with reference to David. 
immediately in the life of his son Solomon, who builds this 
temple for God. That's what Stephen says in Acts 
7, 47. Solomon built him a house. But there is a distant application. It's to the son of David, who 
is our Lord Jesus Christ. So the King Solomon, the succession 
of kings that would come from him, is David's dynasty. But 
it's that last Davidic king that comes, namely the Lord Jesus 
Christ, that will do or achieve all that is written here in 2 
Samuel chapter 7. Is everybody with me? I think 
if you get this, it helps you in life. How is this practical 
for me, Pastor? It shows you the faithfulness 
of your God. How does this help me on Thursday, Pastor? It shows 
you that God can be trusted. It's a beautiful thing. You know, 
we don't always need a sermon, you know, 15 things on how to 
be a better you. We need sermons on how glorious 
God is. Because once we understand how 
glorious God is, we will, I think by implication, be better us's. 
If there is even such a thing, a better us. But notice back 
in the text, God tells him it's going to be a son that builds 
a house. Verse 13, he shall build a house for my name and I will 
establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father 
and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will 
chase him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons 
of men. but my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it 
from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and 
your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne 
shall be established forever." Now again, this has immediate 
application to Solomon and his sons, but it has a distant application 
from David's vantage point in Jesus Christ. And God says, with 
reference to this promise, that even sin will not annul it. It 
says, if you or your son sin, which Solomon did, how does Solomon 
end his life? Solomon ends his life by multiplying 
marriages, a thousand women, and he is led astray by their 
gods. So Solomon sinned. Every king 
descending from him by ordinary generation sinned. But God says 
sin will not annul this promise the way it did with Saul. When 
God makes this promise to David, it's going to come to fruition. 
Now, of course, the Lord Jesus never sins. The others did sin, 
but as God stipulates here, their sin is not going to sidetrack 
the very promises of God. It's going to come to pass. It's 
going to come to fruition. And it does in the person and 
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. So sin's not going to mess it 
up. Time isn't going to mess it up. Even death's not going 
to mess it up. God can be trusted. Now, when 
you look at 2 Samuel 7, verse 13, and you think about the annunciation, 
the promise concerning the birth of our Lord Jesus in Luke 1, 
30-33, the language is so similar. It is this Mary who is going 
to give birth to this son of David that is going to reign 
over the kingdom of God forever and ever and ever, world without 
end. The beauty of the nativity scene finds its taproots historically 
in the covenant made with David. You see why this is important? 
Today, I think with New Covenant Christians, we don't think a 
lot about the Old Testament. We don't read the Old Testament. 
We don't hear sermons on the Old Testament. So we don't really 
think much about it. If you don't think much about 
the Old Testament, in some ways, the New Testament doesn't make 
as much sense. It's not as glorious. Not to 
say it's not glorious, but it isn't as glorious when you see 
that the birth of Jesus Christ has its tap roots in history 
to the promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7. I don't know. For me, that just makes me happy. 
Makes me happy to see how the Bible works together as a whole. That it's a forest. And while 
it's good to investigate individual trees, it's nice to see how the 
whole functions. And to see that in that whole 
function, it is God reconciling the world to himself by Jesus 
Christ the Lord. This is where we would have an 
amen if we were a black church in Southern California. Notice 
the promise concerning David's son. John Gill commenting, he 
says, that is, both his family and his government should be 
perpetuated, or he should always have one of his family to sit 
upon his throne. The accomplishment of which, 
in the beginning of it, he saw with his eyes in his son Solomon, 
and with an eye of faith in his greater son, the Messiah, in 
whom only these words will have their complete fulfillment. Just 
like we saw that promise of God made to Moses in Deuteronomy 
18 about a prophet like Moses. There was immediate application 
in every prophet subsequent to Moses, but the final realization 
of the fulfillment of it was in the prophet Christ. In the 
same way, this line of Davidic kings begins with Solomon, but 
it's ultimately realized in Jesus. He is the son of David after 
all. And Stephen is highlighting the 
reality that he wanted to build a house for God, but God wouldn't 
let him. And if we ask the question, why 
didn't God let him? Because David was a man of blood, 
a man of war. Now don't interpret that this 
way. Well, he was icky and defiled and God would have no truck with 
him. Not at all. God enabled David to vanquish 
his enemies. God enabled David to lower his 
foot, as it were, on the necks of his enemies. He was too busy 
killing people and extending the kingdom of God on earth to 
build the temple. That's the point. He was a man 
of blood. He was a man of war. He had a 
primary calling to stabilize the kingdom. Now that the kingdom 
is stabilized under David, it's his son Solomon that would build 
the house. It's his son Solomon that would 
construct the earthly temple. It's his son Solomon enjoying 
the peace secured by God through his servant David that would 
make that mobile tabernacle into a stationary and permanent facility 
occupying Jerusalem. So that's the connection. Don't 
ever read that and say, well, David was a man of war. God doesn't 
like men of war. And therefore, David couldn't 
build the temple. God gave the victory to that man of war. That 
man of war was successful because of his God. You get that, right? No, oh, God's displeased. God's 
absolutely pleased with David and his mission. But there's 
a division of labor thing. And it was Solomon that would 
build the temple. And that is precisely what Stephen says in 
Acts 7. David found favor before God 
and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob, but Solomon 
built him a house." Now, the Old Testament background for 
this, 1 Kings 5. You can turn there. 1 Kings chapter 
5. Again, I'm hoping that through 
this window of Stephen's sermon or Stephen's defense or speech, 
we're getting intrigued with the Old Testament and we're wanting 
to understand the Old Testament. and see that what Stephen is 
doing is citing their scriptures and history to make his case. 
Again, Stephen's not informing the Sanhedrin. They knew their 
history. But the way that Stephen weaves together his defense is 
showing that their history and scriptures are the ones that 
substantiate the reality that Stephen is not anti-Moses and 
he's not anti-temple. Notice in 1 Kings 5.3, you know 
how my father David could not build a house for the name of 
the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against 
him on every side. Now notice this, until the Lord 
put his foes under the soles of his feet. So again, it's not 
that God's got a problem with David as a man of war. It was 
God that gave David the necks of his enemies. David says in 
Psalm 110, Yahweh said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till 
I make your enemies your footstool. See that language of the greater 
son of David. It was employed previously with 
reference to David himself. Solomon says, you know how my 
father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord 
his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every 
side until the Lord God, or until the Lord put his foes under the 
soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given 
me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor 
evil occurrence. And behold, I propose to build 
a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to 
my father David, saying, Your son, whom I will set on your 
throne in your place, he shall build the house for my name. 
See, Stephen knows his Bible, Stephen knows his history, Stephen 
knows the scripture, and Stephen is using this for good effect 
and good purpose to vindicate himself of these false charges. 
But you know what I think is even more imperative in the mind 
of Stephen? I don't think it is in the first place to make 
sure they know he's not anti-Temple and he's not anti-Moses. I think 
Stephen's chief desire is to let them know that they are anti-Temple 
and they are anti-Moses. I think Stephen knows precisely 
what is going on, and he wants to convict them, he wants to 
show them their sin. That's why at the end he says, 
you stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart, you always resist the 
Holy Spirit. What is he doing? I've shared 
with you in the past that commentators think that he didn't finish his 
speech. He most certainly did. He lays 
it out in beautiful detail up to verse 50, and then he brings 
it home via applicatory preaching in verses 51 and following. You 
stiffneck, you uncircumcised, you always resist the Holy Spirit. 
The way your fathers did with Moses is the way you do now with 
Jesus Christ, the one you betrayed and murdered. He brings it to 
a conclusion with a view and a hope, I think, for them to 
be cut to the heart, and instead of trying to murder him, saying, 
men and brethren, what shall we do? See, there's two instances 
that I've seen in the book of Acts where people are cut to 
the heart. In Acts 2, they're cut to the heart, and they say, 
men and brethren, what shall we do? And Peter says, repent, 
let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for 
the remission of sins. Well, Stephen brings the heat 
to bear upon them, they're cut to the heart, but instead of 
crying out to Stephen, what must we do? They gnash at him with 
their teeth, they drive him out of the city, and they murder 
this man of God. They understood the implications 
of what he had said, they just rejected it wholesale. And as 
a result, they shed the blood of this man, this just man, this 
righteous man that simply preached their scriptures to them. So 
this is the background. Chapters 6 and 7 essentially 
have the construction of the temple. And then in chapter 8, 
you need to turn there, you see the dedication of the temple. Now we're going to get real practical 
as to why Stephen is doing this with reference to his speech 
and the testimony of the prophet Isaiah. In Israel, they had become 
accustomed to the temple as sort of their source of national pride. 
As long as the temple was standing, everything was good. That meant 
God was good with them. It meant that they were secure 
with reference to their enemies. And in that particular process, 
it became an idolatrous thing for them. Their attachment to 
the temple overrode the design of the temple. In other words, 
if the temple was to serve as a type and a shadow, it was never 
supposed to be permanent. It was never supposed to be that 
which they claimed to. It was always going to be the 
case that it would give way to that which it typified, namely, 
the Lord Jesus Christ. So they had become idolatrous 
with reference to the temple, and I think that's Stephen's 
point with reference to the Sanhedrin at this particular point. But 
their scriptures cautioned them against such an approach. He's 
not saying tabernacle and temple were wrong. He's saying tabernacle 
and temple did what God intended for it to do. What's wrong is 
man's response to these things. To trust in the tabernacle or 
the temple instead of the God of heaven and earth. Do you get 
it? So when he appeals to the testimony 
of the prophet Isaiah, it's very clear. God, through Isaiah, says, 
heaven's my throne, earth is my footstool, where's the house 
that you will build for me? But even prior to the testimony 
of Isaiah, Solomon recognized that. At the very dedication 
of the temple, Solomon admits that. There's a caution given 
to the people, by implication, to never set their affections 
upon the temple to the neglect of God. Don't set your affections 
upon the temple to the neglect of the one that the temple is 
pointing us unto. Notice in 1 Kings 8, at verse 
27, But will God indeed dwell on 
the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven 
of heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which 
I have built. You have to appreciate that Stephen's 
defense here is masterful. They're accusing him of being 
anti-temple. He's saying, no, you guys are, 
because you have believed the idea that God of heaven and earth, 
or the God who dwells and inhabits eternity, is now confined in 
this space. Solomon didn't see it this way. 
Solomon didn't admit this. Solomon realized the limitations 
of earthly temples. So he cites this fact that Solomon 
built, and as I direct you to this, consider, how much less 
this temple which I have built. It is a glorious, glorious defense. The Geneva Bible has here, Solomon 
built a temple according to God's commandment, but not with any 
such condition that the majesty of God should be enclosed therein. 
Do you get it? Solomon built this temple. It's 
a beautiful, lavish thing, by the way. I mean, if we spent 
time going through chapter six and seven, we'd be here all day 
and you'd probably get upset. But as well, you would see that 
the hinges were made of solid gold. It was a glorious dwelling 
place. Again, it didn't contain God. It was a visible, symbol, representation 
of the dwelling place of God. But it didn't house God. It didn't 
contain God. God was not locally present there, 
and Solomon knew that at the dedication. What's Stephen's 
point? You guys should have known that 
too. You should have known that this attachment to the temple, 
over and above attachment to the promises of God that are 
yea and amen in the Lord Jesus Christ, is wrong. It's idolatrous, 
and what you have done is to reject the very purpose for the 
temple. So that's why he invokes David 
and Solomon concerning the temple. Now back to Acts chapter 7, we 
finish up with the testimony of the prophet Isaiah in verses 
48 to 50. So Solomon built him a house, 
verse 47, and then in verse 48, however, the Most High does not 
dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says. There's 
this distinction, temples made with hands and temples not made 
with hands. Right? Temples made with hands 
and temples not made with hands. An example of a temple made with 
hands is the very temple that was standing at the time that 
Stephen is preaching. Jesus himself makes this distinction 
between temples made with hands and the temple not made with 
hands. He makes this distinction in John 2. Destroy this temple, 
and in three days, I will raise it up. They marveled. They said, 
it took us 46 years to build this temple, and will you raise 
it again in three days? John says he was talking about 
the temple of his body. This distinction is drawn out 
by the Apostle in the book of Hebrews as well. Stephen's speech 
in Acts 7 is very similar to the Apostle's argument in Hebrews 
as a whole. And specifically, Hebrews makes 
this distinction between temples or places made with hands versus 
those not made with hands. So Stephen is pointing out to 
them something they should have known based on Solomon's testimony 
of the dedication of the temple and based on the prophetic testimony 
of the prophet Isaiah which he will now cite to show them that 
they again are the ones that have missed the point of the 
temple that he rather has accepted it. Notice the recognition By 
the prophet of the testimony of the prophet verses 49 and 
50 heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool What house will 
you build for me says the Lord or what is the place of my rest? 
Has my hand not made all these things sounds exactly like what 
Solomon says at the dedication You see, for any and all that 
would think that God is somehow confined or contained in an earthly 
structure, the prophet's testimony here obliterates that thought. 
Heaven is God's throne. Earth is God's footstool. Where 
will puny creatures ever get the wherewithal to build a house 
for God? The building of the physical 
structure, in terms of the tabernacle and temple, again, were typical, 
pointing forward to the Lord Jesus. They weren't the end. 
They weren't the antitype. That wasn't everything. They 
serve for a period of time, as the author tells us in the book 
of Hebrews, until the time of Reformation, when Jesus would 
come. Not when Luther and Calvin would 
come. Reformation, in Hebrews 9, is 
the new covenant. It's not the 16th century. And 
so that's what's going on here. And he points to the prophet 
Isaiah, and he tells them that this is in fact the reality. So, Just to kind of bring this 
to a finer point, I feel like we've covered a lot of material 
this morning. Some of you are looking a little 
bit dizzied and wearied going, wow, is there going to be a test 
on this? I sure hope not. But I think that if you get Stephen's 
speech and you use it as a window to appreciate what's happening 
in the Old Testament, you need to know what's happening in the 
Old Testament. You need to know, because Paul says, all the promises 
of God are yea and amen in Jesus Christ. What promises of God 
that are yea and amen in Jesus Christ is Paul most likely talking 
about? 2 Samuel 7, 1 Kings 8, Isaiah 
60, 66. All of the prophets and all of 
the promises and all of the testimony of the Old Testament are yea 
and amen in our Lord Jesus. So how can we fully appreciate 
all that if we don't understand what's happening? So with this 
window, you ought to take it home, and you ought to use Stephen's 
speech in the same manner. Investigate a bit more fully 
tabernacle. Investigate a bit more fully 
temple. Investigate a bit more fully 
the conquest of Canaan under Joshua. Investigate the life 
and the ministry of Moses, and to see how he functioned typically, 
pointing forward to the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the Old 
Testament is all about Jesus, and that's what Stephen's telling 
them. Just like Jesus does in John chapter 5, you search the 
scriptures for in them, you think you have eternal life. These 
are they which testify of me. If you're not reading your Old 
Testament, you're not hearing sermons on your Old Testament, 
not thinking through the implications of the Old Testament, you're 
going to be awkward in terms of your Christian experience. 
You need to be people of the book, the entire book. I'm not 
saying don't read the New Testament. I'm not saying don't, you know, 
investigate that. Lloyd-Jones thought it was, you 
know, travesty to just print New Testaments. I don't know 
if travesty. I know he wasn't thrilled about 
the prospect of just printing New Testaments. My brethren, 
it's not bad to give somebody a New Testament, but you're kind 
of giving them half a book. If you're only reading the New 
Testament, you're only reading half a book. And if you understand 
how the Bible holds together, you will see that Christ is the 
consistent, cohesive glue. It all terminates in Him. All 
roads lead to Jesus, even the Old Testament roads. And to neglect 
those roads is to do disservice to your God and to your own soul. 
Now, as we go back to this particular section, notice God describes 
heaven as His throne and earth as His footstool. Now, Gill says 
these things are not to be literally understood, but are images and 
figures representing the majesty, sovereignty, and immensity of 
God. He says, what house will you 
build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? 
Has my hand not made all these things? In other words, there 
is nothing created that can contain God. He is infinite, eternal, 
and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, 
goodness, and truth. You cannot box God in. I grew 
up as a Roman Catholic, and I know that a couple others did as well. 
Do you know what was on the altar? There was what was called the 
tabernacle. At least in my Catholic church, 
it was a gold box that, under lock and key, is where they put 
the hosts. The bread that we would say rightly 
represents the body of our Lord. They say, of course, that the 
bread is the body of the Lord after it goes through their hocus-pocus. But that was called the tabernacle 
as if that little place could confine or contain the deity. That's at least how I grew up 
thinking the tabernacle, that's where God is, because that's 
where the bread is kept that's going to be trotted out and used 
in the supper. Brethren, that is faulty. I mean, 
notwithstanding transubstantiation and the abomination of the mass 
itself, but the idea that we can, with, you know, a cheap 
little lock and a cheap little key, put God in a box? The whole 
Old Testament said that you're not supposed to treat the temple 
that way. You're not supposed to treat 
the tabernacle that way. It may be the place where God 
visibly represents or demonstrates his presence among the people, 
but it's not that that place could ever contain the immensity 
of God. Our God is great. Our God is 
glorious. Our God is magnificent. Our God 
is not like us. As we often point out in our 
church, there is a creator-creature distinction. It's not the case 
that we go from lower forms of creation to God. It's not the 
case that we start with a bug, and then we move to a cat, and 
then we move to a dog, and then we move to a man, and then we 
move to an angel, and then we move to God. God is not man writ 
large. God's not a super version of 
us. God is God. He alone occupies that being, 
that creatorship, He is not confined or contained by the creature. 
That could never be. Now, we try, we attempt, we want 
to domesticate God, we want to un-God God of certain of his 
attributes or perfections so that he's more manageable for 
us. We want to put him in a box, we want to locate him presently 
in a temple or a tabernacle, we want to have dominion ultimately 
over him. But according to the prophet 
Isaiah, heaven is his throne, earth is his footstool. Where 
is the house that you'll build for God? You puny creatures, 
you actually think you have it in you. Now God's not like saying 
it like this, but I think this is the way we're supposed to 
understand it. Who do you think you are to actually think you 
can contain God? Remember when God answers Job 
out of the whirlwind? He says, where were you when 
I laid the foundations of the earth? Where were you, Job, when 
I told the waters thus far and no further? You see, God is silencing 
Job at the end of the book of Job with an appeal to God's sovereignty, 
His majesty, His excellence. And that's what Stephen is doing. 
You guys have fixed your attention and your affection and your love 
and your devotion to this building. God transcends the building. 
Heaven is his throne. Earth is his footstool. There's 
no house that you could ever build for him. To suggest that 
Stephen didn't complete his sermon is to completely misread Stephen's 
sermon. He finishes it and he's going 
to bring it home to a very heartfelt, convicting conclusion when we 
look at that in verses 51 to 53. That's why they respond the 
way they do. That's why they get so upset. 
That's why they want to drive him out of the city and execute 
him, because he has indicted them. Now, I think we have sufficiently 
dealt with the defense of Stephen in terms of our application. 
I want to just, by way of concluding thoughts, consider the covenant 
with David, the promise that a son of David would build a 
house for God. realized typically by Solomon, ultimately realized 
by Jesus Christ. Now, G.K. Beale has a really 
excellent book called The Temple and the Church's Mission. And 
in that, he makes this observation. The fact that Isaiah says what 
Isaiah says where Isaiah says it, means that Isaiah understood 
that the temple built by Solomon did not ultimately fulfill the 
promise made by God to David. Let me just say that again. The 
fact that Isaiah says what Isaiah says indicates that Isaiah did 
not believe that Solomon's construction of the temple exhausted the promise 
that God had made to David. In other words, Isaiah says this 
not only to indict the people of Israel at the time, not only 
to call them to heartfelt true religion, but also to anticipate 
greater glory. Most persons have seen that section 
of Isaiah points to new covenant realities. The new covenant reality 
is that Jesus Christ comes. Jesus Christ is the temple. Jesus 
Christ is both house of God and the way to the house of God. 
Jesus Christ fulfills all that tabernacle and temple stood for. And so I think Beal's absolutely 
right. That Isaiah does what Isaiah does shows that Isaiah 
does not think that Solomon exhausted that promise. Now turn one final 
passage to Matthew 16. I just want you to see the ultimate 
fulfillment of the final realization, however we want to deem it, of 
the promise of God to David. Remember that God says to David 
that a son of God would build a house for God. That's in essence 
what 2 Samuel 7 promises. A son of God will build a house 
for God. Notice in Matthew 16 at verse 
13, when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, 
he asked his disciples saying, who do men say that I, the son 
of man, am? So they said, some say John the 
Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 
He said to them, but who do you say that I am? Don't you love 
Jesus? He makes you feel real uncomfortable. 
What's the general consensus out there? They answer, okay, 
well, what do you guys think? Jesus does that, doesn't he? 
He asks you questions like, do you believe this? He asks you 
questions like, who do you say that I am? So he moves from the 
broad generic, what's the report on the street concerning who 
I am, to them, but who do you say that I am? It's very important 
that we see this. Simon Peter answered and said, 
you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Remember, 2 Samuel 
7, it's going to be a son of God that builds a house for God. Simon Peter answered and said, 
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered 
and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh 
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is 
in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on 
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall 
not prevail against it." See, Jesus is the temple. Jesus is 
the house. Jesus builds the church, which 
is a house, which is that living, dwelling place of God Most High. See, this is the ultimate realization. This is the fruition. This is 
the fulfillment of that Davidic covenant. Jesus builds a house 
for God as a son of God, and he does so consistently with 
2 Samuel 7. Now, one final thought, and then 
we close. You're probably saying, wasn't 
that one fun? No, I said that was the last 
text. You don't have to turn to the text I'm gonna cite. I 
can just read it for you. Stephen only mentions a part 
of verse 2 in his citation. The rest of verse 2 in Isaiah 
66 is beautiful. Not that 1 and 2a aren't, but 
what God goes on to say through the prophet after heaven is my 
throne, earth is my footstool, where is the house that you will 
build for me? He stresses his transcendence there. In theological 
language or theologically, that means God is removed from us. 
It's the point. Transcendence means God is removed 
from us. He is the transcendent God. Temples 
don't contain Him. Tabernacles don't hold Him. He 
is immense. You cannot domesticate the living 
and the true God. So Isaiah 66, 1 and 2a highlight 
that transcendence. But God's not only transcendent, 
God is imminent. And that means God is with us. God is present. God is nigh unto 
his people. Just like in that 2 Samuel 7 
passage. While they're transient, I'll 
be transient. Once I secure and stabilize them, 
I'll be secure and stabilized in a temple. God identifies with 
His people, not sin and wickedness and lawlessness and all that 
sort of thing. But God identifies with His people the way a father 
identifies with his son. Psalm 103 rehearses the glory 
of God when it says that He is our Father. He pities us. He 
knows our frame. He knows that we're but dust. And He doesn't cut us off. He 
doesn't throw us away. Rather, He shows us mercy and 
grace and love and kindness. So if we go back to the prophet 
Isaiah and we continue to read after that heaven is my throne 
statement, God goes on to say, for all those things my hand 
has made and all those things exist, says the Lord, but on 
this one I will look, on him who is poor and of a contrite 
spirit and who trembles at my word. See, that transcendent 
God is one who dwells with his people. That transcendent God 
is one who does commune with his people. That transcendent 
God is present in new covenant worship when the church of Jesus 
Christ gathers together. That's Ephesians 2. At the very 
end, we have access to the Father through the Son in the power 
of the Holy Spirit. If you're thinking biblically, 
when you enter into this place, as long as we're not offering 
up strange fire to the Lord, as long as we're not in rebellion 
against the Lord, God is in this place. This one who says, heaven 
is my throne and earth is my footstool, where is the house 
that you will build for me? Nevertheless, he dwells with 
his humble and his contrite of spirit people. He looks upon 
those who tremble at his word. In other words, people who by 
grace have been humbled, people who by grace have been given 
faith and repentance to come unto Jesus. He is transcendent, 
but he's our God. He is removed, but he's present. Isaiah 57, the prophet says this, 
57, 15, for thus says, the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, 
whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy 
place. with Him who has a contrite and humble spirit to revive the 
spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Solomon recognized this too. 
When Solomon's praying in 1 Kings 8, I think it's around verse 
30, he says, hear the prayers of your people from heaven. So 
God is in the heavens and yet he hears the prayers of his people 
as they come up to him. He hears those prayers and he 
answers those prayers. And one other thing that Solomon 
intimates with reference to the dedication of the temple in 1 
Kings 8 is that it's going to be universal in its scope. Universal 
in its scope, all the nations will come to this temple and 
they will see the glory of the God of Israel. Well, that's realized 
and achieved in our Lord Jesus, isn't it? The promise of God 
that all, every tribe, tongue, people, and nation would come 
unto Israel's God. It's achieved through Christ. 
And that's particularly noteworthy with reference to this place 
in Acts. Acts chapter 1, we are told, 
they're supposed to witness for Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, 
to the uttermost parts of the earth. Up to Acts chapter 7, 
they're only locally present in Jerusalem. What happens in 
chapter 8? I read the first few verses. After Stephen is stoned to death, 
which was a horrible, wretched deed, but nevertheless God brought 
good out of it because the people left Jerusalem, they scattered 
throughout the countryside, and they were preaching the gospel 
of Jesus Christ. You see the gospel movement from 
Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the 
earth. All of that again to say, if you do not know this Lord 
Jesus Christ, the way is by grace through faith in Him. There is 
forgiveness to be had with Christ, there is a righteousness to be 
had with Christ, wherein God will ultimately accept you. True 
temple, true dwelling, true communion, true blessing is only realized 
through the gospel of our salvation. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Father, we thank you for your word, and we thank you 
for Stephen's defense, and I pray that we would appreciate what 
your word says concerning both your transcendence and your eminence 
with your people, that we would see that you are a God who is 
creator, that you are a God who cannot be contained in things 
built by hands, but as well, you are a God who is pleased 
to condescend, a God who is pleased to dwell where his people are. May this encourage our hearts 
as we gather together for worship. We confess at times a coldness, 
we confess at times a weariness, we see all around us people defecting 
from the church. Help us to see the church in 
your redemptive plan as that place where you've promised to 
be with your people in this new covenant era. And God, may this 
indeed elevate our thoughts of the church, and may it cause 
us to get up on Sunday morning and have glad hearts as we go 
to the house of the Lord. We thank you for Jesus Christ 
and the salvation in him. We thank you for forgiveness. 
We thank you for that righteousness that you impute to us that is 
received by faith alone. We do long to see others come 
out of darkness into marvelous light. We long to see you saving 
sinners, and we pray that you would do this for your glory. 
And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
Well, we'll close by singing