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hello everyone welcome to free grace baptist church a reminder it's our lord's supper service this evening so we can look forward to that also for those who don't know Jim's away down in California possibly preaching as we speak starting right now down there at the church in Palmdale so we can remember him again in prayer well let's go to our Bibles for our call to worship and that call to worship will be Daniel in Daniel 7 will read from Daniel 7 verse 9 2 verse 14 Daniel 7 beginning in verse 9 the Word of God I watched till thrones were put in place and the Ancient of Days was seated his garment was white as snow and the hair of his head was like pure wool his throne was a fiery flame its wheels of burning fire a fiery a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him a thousand thousands ministered to him ten thousand times 10,000 stood before him the court was seated and the books were opened I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking I watched till the beast was slain and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame as for the rest of the beasts they had their Dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season at a time I was watching in the night visions and behold one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven he came to the Ancient of Days and they brought him near before him then to him was given Dominion and glory in a kingdom that all peoples nations and languages should serve him his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed amen well let's stand and sing if you'll stand with me and turn in your larger Trinity hymn books to him 582 let's stand and sing 582 you you you you you please be seated let us pray Heavenly Father we gather now a second time on your lord's day Sabbath to worship our great God and we thank you again for this opportunity to gather this privilege and honor we have to come into the presence of God in this place of worship for your worship again we would ask that you would help us by your spirit to hallow your Most High name we pray that you would give us that presence and measure of the spirit that our souls now might be aroused unto high thoughts of our God and of his Christ we do pray that we would now have gathered having a done so in spirit and in truth seeking to rightly and to biblically worship you we thank you that we can do so in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ before we know that our salvation comes not from ourselves but it comes from outside of ourselves from that perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for his perfect life of obedience unto your law in our stead in the stead of all those who believe we rejoice in that perfect workup on Calvary's tree where our Savior died not a death of atonement that was a perhaps or a maybe but rather it was a perfection of atonement a perfection of substitution a perfect sacrifice we thank you that he so died upon Calvary's tree so as to secure the salvation of a multitude that no man can number and we rejoice our God in the resurrection of our Savior He arose on the third day and power and in great victory that he is ascended to your right hand where he now ever lives to intercede for his people we rejoice in our blessed Savior and would ask that you would help us now as we worship to be rejoicing in Christ to be singing the praises of amazing grace we thank you for the forgiveness of sins we thank you for the gift of everlasting life in Christ Jesus the Lord and might this each and every day be our song we always be aroused onto high thoughts of our Savior not just on the Lord's Day when we gather as the Lord's people but each and every day we would be thinking of our Savior we would be dwelling upon for give pneus and the blessèd Gospel and that we would Lord God by your power and for your glory to seek to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of that gospel we do pray that you'd be again with all those who need prayer for physical things that the many sick the many afflicted the many injured we do pray Lord that you would strengthen each and every one of these are dear Saints and brothers and sisters in Christ to help them God to know a healing to know strength and body and we pray as well that you'd be all those mothers with children in the womb we pray that you would watch over them and strengthen them and guard them Lord God both mother and child we pray that you would give both both mother and father much grace and strength and a great anticipation looking forward to the bringing forth of young ones in due time we do pray that you would watch over these young ones and Lord that in due time they would be brought forth without issue or problem and God that they would in due time as well at a young age profess our Creator rejoice in our Redeemer and be found with the forgiveness of sins we do pray God again that you'd be with our brothers and sisters who are persecuted around the world for the cause of Christ and truth we do pray that you'd be near to them I just gird them up and watch over them strengthen them as they endure the wrath and the hatred of of the opposers of Christ and His gospel we do pray that you would just strengthen them in the midst of such opposition and that you would deal with those who persecute them we would ask that you would be with the many missionaries that we know and are reminded of when we come to prayer we would ask that you would be with each and every one of those watch over them as they bring the message of Christ to those who are lost in many nations as strengthen them for the task of preaching the gospel or however whatever capacity they find themselves in we do pray that you give them much grace and strength to to serve in the mission field abroad and we do pray that it would be such that their actions would be for your glory sake and that you would give them daily strength to endure in the in the face of difficult situations we do pray God that you'd be with those who govern over us we are called in the scriptures to pray for kings and those who are in authority that they might that we might live a peaceable life and that we might have opportunity to freely gather for worship and to preach the gospel of Christ we pray that you would deal with those who rule over us and who do so in wickedness who would seek to propagate wickedness in the land to a sanctioned sins and abominations we do pray that you would put them down you might even save them Lord God and cause them no longer to seek after those things which are not right which are not just and which do not follow after biblical equity we do pray that you would put those in power who seek to uphold your will in the land and that you would cause the the disobedient rulers to stumble like drunken men we do pray that you would now be with us in worship as every time we gather Lord we seek to do so in spirit and in truth to be your genuine and joyful worshippers help us now we pray that you would be with preacher as he preaches with hearers as they hear Lord we do pray that this act of a preaching that is upcoming would be done unto the praise of your glory that all are singing and our prayers would be brought except ibly to you through Christ Jesus our mediator we do pray Lord that you would help us to leave this place tonight to go into this upcoming week seeking to live for your glory safe we're reminded as well Lord God of pastor Butler preaching down in palmdale be with him now as he proclaims your word in the evening service help him give him much aid and strength and might you bless that congregation down there with the knowledge of you with rejoicing in Christ Jesus our same Lord we do pray now that you would be with us help us now to worship you are right we pray all of these things in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen well our him before the preaching then we'll be 223 so if you'll stand with me and sing a rise my soul arise 223 let's be seated your turn turn in your Bibles to ax seven remember we announced this morning that morning and evening we'd be looking at the account of the stoning of Stephen this morning under the heading of the Stephen of Christ tonight under the heading of the Christ of Stephen who is this Christ that Stephen preaches remember the book of Acts comes to us and it is the narrative record of the fulfillment of the promise of Christ's words I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it Stephen playing an integral role in that God owning and blessing the occasion of the murder of Steven for the Advancement of the Church of Christ by the proclamation of the gospel of Christ and Stephen preaches Christ that is his whole force or thrust it is to show that Christianity is of God and the delivery or the the performance by which he does that is to set forth Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament religion and so we're confronted in acts 7 with Christology were confronted with the doctrine in the study of Christ quite clearly and so for our Lord's Supper meditation we will note and observe the Christ of Stephen from the text of Acts seven so we'll begin reading in acts 7 verse 44 and finish again at eight for this is ax 7 beginning in verse 44 the Word of God 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 but Solomon built him a house however the most high does not dwell in temples 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 hardened ears you always resist the Holy Spirit as your father's did so do you which of the prophets did your father's 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 and said look I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God then they cried out with a loud voice stop 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 then 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 therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word amen well let us again pray Heavenly Father we do rejoice now and the reading of your scriptures we thank you for this exercise of worship the preaching of the word we do pray that you would help us in this exercise that it might be done unto the praise of your glory me that it might be unto the edification of your people gathered here and Lord God that it might be unto the salvation of those who are here tonight now outside of Christ might you come by your grace and for your glory conquer their hearts and cause them to leave singing the praises of our Christ and it's in his name that we pray amen well we're looking at the Christ of Stephen when we come to the biblical authors Paul Peter the Gospel writers John whichever author inspired author is under consideration they don't present a different Christ but they do deliver to us in their own complex of writings the Christ of Holy Scripture under a number of considerations whether it is Christ in His divine nature whether it is Christ in His human nature whether it is Christ in his State of humiliation going about the work of obedience whether it's Christ on the cross whether it's Christ resurrected ascended these sorts of things we have the authors presenting to us a christology a doctrine of Christ and when we come to this Stephen porreca p remember this self-contained unit of text disclosing Stephen we see disclosing the account of Stephen stoning we see Stephen himself bringing forth glorious Christology glorious doctrine of our Savior that we as Christians ought to take in ought to consider and ought to have our hearts warmed by we want to look at the Christ of Stephen under five headings and those are these first he is the scope of Scripture Christ is second he was foretold by the prophets third he was and is perfect in his righteousness fourth he was betrayed and murdered and fifthly and lastly he was and is risen and exalted helper and judge all these five things come from the text before us so let's explore these things in the hopes that our hearts might be risen to a high-end burning remembrance of our Savior as we partake of the Lord's Supper first off he is the scope of Scripture now we can't read all of it because this is seen in acts 722 ax750 it's a long portion of Scripture remember that we read this morning but remember we summed it up by noting that Stephen is rehearsing Old Covenant Israel and rehearsing it to bring forth this certain truth that all of it was Christo centric in its target and scope when we come to the idea of the scope of scripture that is simply to rehearse what we said this morning that Christ is the glorious intended terminus that is the fulfilling end point of all that came before him the persons the people the places of Old Covenant religion all had a Christ word trajectory on the language of the scope of Scripture and touching upon a term we use this morning that hopefully you're familiar with christo centricity here is Richard Barcelos terms such as Christ centered and Christo centric are used often in our day but what do they mean the older way of describing the concept these terms point to the target or end to which all of the Bible tens is encapsulated by the latin phrase scopus scripture a the scope of the scriptures though scopus could refer to the immediate porreca p it also had a wider redemptive historical focus scopus in this latter sense referred to the center or target of the entirety of canonical revelation or that to which the entire Bible points for the 17th century reformed Orthodox and their reformed predecessors Christ was the scope of Scripture being the primary means through which God gets glory for himself you see when we come to the scriptures again when we come to the Old Testament we don't just have a number of books slapped together for the edification of believers in God but rather we have a complex of literature inspired by God inerrant and infallible all of which points forward to Christ who would come the hero born of woman who would crush the serpent with his heel the blessed and promised Messiah he is Christ is the scope of scripture and we noted that this morning but you can turn there now from Luke 24 hopefully this passage of Scripture is it is one of those passages that you remember well pastor Butler and I returning to it often in order to rehearse this very thing Christ is the scope of Scripture he is the intended target the terminus the trajectory of Old Covenant revelation is Christ's word in Luke 24 what do we have going on but the account of our resurrected Savior what do we first find we first find that he comes to these two disciples on the road to Emmaus and we see him touching upon this reality of he being the scope of scripture first in Luke 24 at verse 25 he's answering now the despair of these two disciples on the road to Emmaus we read then he said to them o foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken ought not the Christ who have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself oh what a what a bible study to be at on that day Christ at just a three days previous was a bloody massacre upon Calvary's tree just three days previously this one had Roman nails hammered into his hands in his feet was put to death upon that Roman jib ative execution but now he is arisen and he peered he appears to them and gives them this bible study and brethren it is not unsafe to assume that Christ would have gone to Genesis 3 15 that first at the beginning promise of gospel Redemption the hero born of woman will crush the serpent with his heel Christ would have said as we noted this morning that's gone through the history of Revelation not just at the prophetic promises but at the types and the shadows of old covenant ceremony all those washings of all of those washings and sacrifices Christ would have said these were typifying me the true of those copies the substance of those shadows what a Bible study to be at but you see it wasn't only there that we had this post resurrection bible study notice in verse 44 the narrative continues then he said to them these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me and he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures a wonderful Bible study to be at notice the threefold summary of Old Covenant revelation the law of Moses the prophets and the Psalms Christ is the scope of scripture in the Old Covenant we do not have or in the Old Testament we do not have a body of 39 books that just contains some divinely revealed a revelation of morality and stories and these sorts of things that are Christ's 'less in their content and substance no but remember the language of Nehemiah cops so in all our search after the mind of God in the Holy Scriptures we are to manage our inquiries after Christ he is the scope of Scripture the glorious intended terminus of all that had come before him another passage that speaks to this reality is John 5 John 5 and in fact this connects well to our passage in acts 7 because remember what's going on there in acts 7 Stephen is being opposed by religious men who should have known Jesus from the Old Testament Scriptures they were to understand what Stephen was saying they weren't the ones that were in the right and Stephen in the wrong in saying that Jesus would come and change the customs of Moses and destroy this temple Stephen was right and they were wrong notice in John chapter 5 at verse 45 do not think that I shall accuse you to the father there is one who accuses you Moses in whom you trust for if you believed Moses you would believe me for he wrote about me but if you do not believe his writings how will you believe my words you see they did not believe Moses Moses wrote concerning Christ Moses wrote Genesis 3 15 brothers and sisters he wrote about the Abrahamic promise which was the gospel in a seed form whose promises added appended if you will to the promise of the hero born of woman who would crush the serpent with his heel you will be a father of many nations here Jesus is saying that he is the scope of scripture if you believed Moses you would believe me for he wrote about me but if you do not believe his writings how will you believe my words Stephen learned that all too well when he came up against religious leaders who read an old testament but did not make conclusions concerning the Lord of glory Jesus Christ whom they betrayed and murdered this is John Owen on the scope of scripture being Christ Christ is the image of the invisible God the Express image of the person of the father and the principal end of the whole of Scripture especially of the gospel is to declare him so to be and how he is so John Owen recognized as our forefathers recognize that the scriptures the scope of the scriptures is Christ he being this one who is the image of the invisible God the Express image of the person of the Father and the principal end of the whole secondly he was foretold by the prophets he is the scope of Scripture and secondly he was foretold by the prophets notice Stephens language if you're not back in stacks 7 find yourselves back there in acts 7 51 to 53 we notice he was foretold by the prophets his indictment to his audience comes with that wholesome severity and we read you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hardened ears you always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did so do you which of the prophets did your father's not persecute and they killed those who note foretold the coming of the just one of whom you have now become the betrayers and murderers Christ was foretold by the prophets you see Christ is not just a character in a narrative or one character in a story among other characters though he is a real character in a real story but unlike everyone who came before him he is both he is both the message and the messenger bringing the message you see all before him the prophets were not the content of the message they pointed forward to Christ and prophesied concerning him but Christ comes upon the scene and he is both the messenger and the content of the message the prophets foretold the coming of the just one back up a little bit in the book of Acts for a wonderful passages that speak wonderful passage that speaks with the raging clarity that the Old Testament was full of foretelling concerning the Lord Jesus Christ his sufferings and the glory that would follow in Acts chapter three notice what we find Peter brings his sermon to a close we find these amazing words with regards to Old Covenant revelation verse 19 of Acts three repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ who was preached to you before whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began now stop for a moment it continues but stop for a moment listen what we read there speaking of Christ whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began old covenant revelation is not absent of Christ it is full of Christ when we come to the 66 books the story of Christ does not begin in Matthew the story of Christ begins in Genesis at the beginning we have here by God has spoken by the mouth of all his Holy Prophet since the world began concerning Christ our Blessed Lord now notice it continues elaborates he elucidates this statement for Moses truly said to the fathers the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren him you shall hear in all things whatever he says to you and it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people yes and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow as many as have spoken have also foretold these days you are sons of the prophets and of the Covenant which God made with our fathers saying to Abraham and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed to you first God having raised up his servant Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities you see Peter like Stephen is an excellent preacher because he knows his Old Testament he knows the scriptures and he knows that Christ is the scope of Scripture and he brings to them this reality to paraphrase why don't you know this we're bringing nothing new to you we're bringing nothing new to you in fact that is what Paul himself says in the end of the book of Acts not the very end but in acts 26 at the message of Peter before him the message of Stephen before him and his own message that is Paul's were not novel in their proclamation of Christ Jesus from the Old Testament notice in acts 26 before he gets to answering festus he's defending himself before Agrippa Paul is and we read in acts 26 at verse 20 oh let's back up to verse 19 therefore King Agrippa I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent turn to God and do works befitting repentance for these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me therefore having obtained help from God to this day I stand witnessing both too small and great saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come that the Christ would suffer that he would be the first to rise from the dead and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles you see here this isn't some sort of radical message Christianity the way this sect of the Nazarene this isn't some radical departure from Old Covenant religion but the natural fulfillment of all of Old Covenant religion notice the text again saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come that Christ would suffer that he would rise again from the dead and proclaim light to the Gentiles stephen is being put to death for simply preaching the Old Testament Scriptures for simply interpreting and applying these rightly to Christ just like Christ Himself instructed his disciples to do on that blessed day of the resurrection this is John Owen on this very reality that Christ was foretold by the prophets the revelation of the person of Christ and his office is the foundation where on all other instructions of the prophets and apostles for the edification of the church are built and we're into they are resolved you see if we're to come to the Old Covenant and have a Christ less approach to it we are as one man has said and I'm paraphrasing wandering around revelation with blind folds not getting the thrust of revelation or the Old Covenant richards we come to the Old Covenant and we leave from it not convinced and not having arrived at the reality that there is a messiah to come the seed of the woman the promised prophet of Moses the promised suffering servant the Promised One of Psalm 22 the Promised One of the prophets in all of Old Covenant revelation if we do not arrive at that reality that we are mad men wandering in a crisis Christianity which is no Christianity at all Christ is the scope of scripture Christ was foretold by the prophets and these two things brothers just to bring introduce something of application these two things ought to enrich our bible reading we come when we come to the Old Testament Scriptures while there is much that we can glean in the way of Christian ethics from the Old Testament let no preacher ever say otherwise we must understand however that morality and ethics is not that the terminating point upon which Old Covenant or New Covenant Revelation ends but rather it is the Christ who has come to die to rise again to be exalted and to intercede for his people Christ is the scope he was foretold by the prophets this is to enrich our bible reading so that when we come to genesis we understand that genesis is not absent of christ but was given by revelation for the purpose of for telling him genesis 3 15 all of those texts throughout the Old Covenant even that that will the scope of the whole the scope of the whole which is to give glory to God and to bring us to a discovery of the only way of salvation which is by Christ Jesus the Lord this is to enrich our bible reading when you come to a book like the book of Esther don't leave it thinking that it's Christ 'less when you come to some books where there seems apparently to be no mention of the Savior know that he's there know that the design of God is to reveal by the Old Covenant that this Christ would come and he would be the glorious Redeemer of men do we have in that the language of Paul to Timothy Timothy from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are what able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus you see the Scriptures at that point were not the old and the New Testaments but the old only Christ is the scope of Scripture he was foretold by the prophets and might our bible reading be enriched by such a knowledge of those things thirdly the Stephen of Christ we see him as this he was and is perfect in his righteousness he was and is perfect in his righteousness notice the statement of Stephen back in acts 7 back in acts 7 at verse 52 which of the prophets did your father's not persecute and they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one what beautiful language he was Christ was and is perfect in his righteousness he is the just one if your Bible has the translation the righteous one that is good as well you see because the thrust of this doesn't necessarily rest upon him being perfect in his justice and equity towards men though no doubt he is for certain he is but rather there is probably a three-fold reality to this language of Christ as the just one and those three things are this first the holiness of his nature second the harmlessness and innocence of his conduct and third the perfection of his obedience that's probably the the force of what's in view with this statement the just one or the righteous one first off the holiness of his nature Christ is holy he is just he is righteous in that sense the holiness of his nature now this does not primarily respect his divine nature though that is most certainly true as God as the second of the Blessed triune that the exact representation of the father is the one who has brightness of his glory the one who is the Express image of the person of the father he is holy in his nature he has holiness of nature he is most holy the confession says but you see holiness of nature at this point pertains to his humanity his human nature is primarily in view when reread of Christ here as the just one or when we consider the aspect of it the holiness of his nature because he came and he took upon himself man's nature with all the common infirmities thereof yet without sin Christ needed to be holy in his humanity so that he could answer the unholiness of our humanity Christ sinlessness is not primarily seen in his divinity that's it so fact oh there's another statement again by virtue of him being gone but you see whenever we consider the sinlessness of Christ in the Holy Scriptures where he was holy harmless and undefiled it rests upon the considerations of Christ as denominated by his human nature Gill or John Owen and speaking of the Holy Spirit's role in the Ministry of Christ is speaking about the Holy Spirit and the glorified Christ but notice what he says with regards to his human nature it was the Holy Spirit that glorified the human nature of Christ and made it every way meet for its eternal residence at the right hand of God and a pattern of glorification of the bodies of them that believe on him he who first made his nature holy now made it glorious Owen is saying that at the high post aticle union the Holy Spirit overshadowed married he made Christ's human nature holy and so the just one as considered in the holiness of his nature is seen in his humanity he was holy and harmless and undefiled he was sinless he was perfect he was a lamb without blemish and without spot John Gill says this with regards to the same idea the same truth the nature he was conceived and born in and which he assumed though without sin yet had all the sinless infirmities of human nature his soul was subject to sorrow grief anger etc in his body to hunger thirst weariness etc it was a nature inferior to angels at least he was for a while through the sufferings of death made a little lower than they Hebrews 29 and who at certain times when in distress ministered to him and relieved him into such a low estate and condition did Christ come in our nature besides if he had not had an human soul he would not have been tempted in all points like as we are since the temptations of Satan chiefly respect the soul all of that to say it's important in our contemplations of christianity to recognize that Jesus Christ is very God and very man in him to whole and perfect nature's come in perfect unity without conversion without confusion and they are perfect both of them his perfection of His divine nature the perfection of his human nature he is the just one the holiness of his nature is seen in the sinlessness of his humanity but of course and no doubt in the perfection of his divinity as he is most holy as such secondly the harmlessness and innocence of his conduct when we see the just one Steven using it here we must note the harmlessness and innocence of his conduct it turn to Isaiah 53 because there is a text that we have clearly setting forth the just one at this very point the harmlessness and innocence of his conduct in Isaiah 53 after we read this we're going to turn to a New Testament scripture that quotes this very text in upholding the same truth notice in Isaiah 53 in verses 7 and 9 Isaiah 53 7 he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before it's Shearer's is silent so he opened not his mouth verse 9 and they made his grave with the wicked but with the rich at his death because he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth the only man the only person the only human that this could ever be set up isn't it first we see it though this is peculiarly attached to his dying in the sense of his a testimony before Caiaphas he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before it's Shearer's is silent so he opened not his mouth and then we have this statement which is absolutely amazing if we know human nature see if we know our biblical anthropology it can only be said of the perfect one the harmless one Christ Jesus the Lord that he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth what an amazing thing what it what an amazing thing to be a disciple of Christ to be in the presence of christ pastor Butler is noted on many occasion at this very point to be one of those intimate three a Peter James and John who would have been with Christ that the entirety of his earthly ministry to know the human heart to know that the man is man's heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it this side of salvation a regenerate man still has remaining corruption whereby they can fall away and bring themselves outside of the light of the countenance of God under his fatherly displeasure yet this one the Lord Jesus Christ the just one the righteous one never spoke ill never had deceit in his mouth never did any violence never answer to never answered a revealing with his own reviling when people spoke you loved him he didn't answer with some sort of unwholesome anger but rather was always perfect from the lips of Christ always came Verity truth certain truth isn't that amazing our Christ always spoke the things of perfection and truth Peter brings Isaiah 53 to an interpretation and of course to an application the lord jesus christ in his First Epistle notice in 1st Peter first Peter chapter 2 this very thing he was and is perfect in his righteousness again holiness of his nature and now harmlessness and innocence of his conduct notice first Peter to at verse 21 for to this you were called that is a patient endurance in the face of in the face of a master for to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that you should follow his steps who committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth who when he was reviled did not revile in return when he suffered he did not threaten but committed himself to him who judges righteously our Christ was wholly in his nature and he was harmless and innocent in his conduct now notice thirdly under the perfection of his righteousness the perfection of his obedience when stephen is proclaiming indicted his audience and preaching this christ and noting this they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one he no doubt would have in his mind this very truth concerning Christ the perfection of his obedience this is that which is imputed to those who believe for our whole and soul righteousness remember our righteousness before God does not come from our works and from our faith but when we talk about justification by faith we know that our righteousness our whole insole righteousness is the perfection of Christ's obedience imputed to us and received by faith alone we're not righteous before God because we're awesome were righteous before God because of the awesomeness of Christ and the perfection of his obedience our works and even our faith don't merit the righteous declaration of God but rather Christ's merits alone worn it for us and win for us a righteousness that avails with god what a blessed truth where do we find this in the scriptures we most certainly find it in Romans 5 Romans after five as as we see there the two representatives the two federal heads Adam in Christ in Adam all die but in Christ all are made alive notice in Romans 5 at verse 18 Romans 5 and verse 18 therefore as through one man's offense judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation even so through one man's righteous Act the free gift came to all men resulting in justification of life the Blessed truth we stood condemned before God but Christ because of the perfection of his obedience because of Christ and the perfection of his obedience we are not condemned but rather justified therefore we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and it comes because of the perfect obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ if you're making notes you could note 2nd Corinthians 5 21 he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him Philippians 3 9 brethren is a place that we ought to often find our minds meditating upon the Blessed rehearsal of another before and after picture with regards to salvation the Apostle Paul this time rehearsing his Judaism prior to conversion and then rehearsing the blessedness of being found with a righteousness not his own notice in verse 7 of Galatia excuse me philippians 3 verse 7 but what things were gain to me these I have counted loss for Christ yet indeed I count I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness which is from the law but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith a blessed truth you see that is the stuff that warms the soul that is the stuff that warms the Christian soul being found in Christ not having my own righteousness which is from the law but that which is from God through faith in Christ Jesus see that is the stuff that Luther glory din imagined the madness of thinking at his time at edun any time but imagine the madness at his time of thinking that something can be gained by giving money for foreign indulgence by paying money to get a sheet of paper saying that the Pope has absolved you of your sins the madness of taping rocks to your knees and climbing up stairs before some sort of idolatrous statue in order to gain a righteousness that would avail before God the madness of these cults and pseudo Christian religions that would fly the banner of Christ Luther would come to the place where he realized that there is nothing that he brings to in the realm of salvation in order to merit everlasting life it's not his righteousness what is it the righteousness of Christ oh the melted heart of Luther when he came to realize that he was found in Christ not having his own righteousness which is from the law but that which is from God an alien righteousness not his own imputed to him and received by faith alone what a blessed doctrine these this is or these things are to bring us to praise God and they are to serve to strengthen us in our walk hopefully your walk as a Christian isn't strengthened by reflections upon your own holiness and growth in grace hopefully the step in your walk and the the jump in your step isn't isn't somehow fueled by solemn recollections of the perfection of your work in the strength of your faith if it is repent you see because when we reflect what is to put the jump in our Christian step is reflections upon the love of God in election and predestination the perfection of the work of christ in his redemption and the perfection of the ceiling and guaranteeing of the Holy Spirit in applying the benefits of the work of Christ to our souls brethren these things serve reflections upon the perfection of Christ and His righteousness they serve to strengthen us in our walk let our Christian walk be strengthened by reflections upon such a blessed Christ fourthly the Christ of Stephen is seen in the text as we find our way back to acts in that he was betrayed and murdered Christ is the scope of Scripture he was foretold by the prophets he was and is perfect in his righteousness and now he is he was betrayed and murdered notice again it's the same text we've been reading 52 which of the prophets did your father's not persecute and they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers he was betrayed and murdered by his own people to whom the promises were delivered what a what a travesty what a cosmic crime the very one to whom the promises were delivered the very ones to whom the promises were given the foretelling by the prophets the very one to whom Christ was promised these ones murder the Lord of glory they put him to death what a cosmic travesty of course this is something wasn't it was promised by price both by promise by prophecy and even by parable on your own time reflect upon that parable in Matthew 21 the parable of the vine dressers the landowner who leases the vineyard out to divine dressers and he sends to them workers to render the fruits in their seasons but they beat them finally he sends his son because surely they'll hear his son but what do they do they murder him and they seek to steal his inheritance the betrayers and murderers of the Lord of glory the promised son of God and son of man he was betrayed and murdered by his own people to whom the promises were made it's moved to ax 3 for a moment just to see this language from verses 14 and 15 notice in acts 3 this very thing Acts chapter 3 verse 14 but you denied the Holy One and the just there's that language again and asked for a murderer to be granted to you and killed the Prince of life whom God raised from the dead of which we are witnesses what uh talk about a travesty and a colossal crime against the honor and the glory of God in His Messenger the holy and the just one is put to death and a murderer is asked to be released in his place surely Stephen is even treating them better than he should when he says you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in arden ears you always resist the Holy Spirit while Stephens words focus on the betrayal and murder by the hands of wicked men Stephens Christology no doubt brings us to the cross though you see because a reflection on the murder and betrayal rests upon the wicked intentions of men but we are to move whenever we discuss the death of Christ we are to move to the perfect and pure and glorious divine intention behind the cross that is to save a multitude of sinners which no man can number you see there is that twofold reality we could say there are two sides to consider with regards to the crucifixion of our Savior the divine intention and the human intention one is perfect one is wicked acts 2 23 him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death you see as much as Stephen is bringing to bear the reality that they were the betrayers and the murderers of the just one and rightly so we are to reflect and glory in the reality that at the cross Christ brethren secured our Redemption our salvation that's why we come tonight to observe the Lord's Supper don't we this is our peculiar focus at the Lord's Supper the perfection of the work of Christ upon Calvary's tree never forget that the Lord Supper is is not a time where we reflect upon our own good doings and wholesome deeds it's not a reward for a week performed in obedience to the law of God it is a solemn and yet joyful reflection upon the perfection of the work of Christ upon Calvary's tree upon that perfect oblation and sacrifice the giving of himself upon Calvary's tree which death brethren was substitution airy and sacrificial he died in the stead of all those who believe and as a sacrifice for the remission the forgiveness of sins but a blessed thing the cross is hopefully hopefully and I'm repeating myself from about 37 previous sermons but hopefully brethren throughout the week you fill your mind with the knowledge of the Christ of Stephen throughout the week dwell upon the glory of this one who is the scope of Scripture full-tilt foretold by the prophets perfect in his righteousness betrayed and murdered but that by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God in order to bring about the perfect salvation of men hopefully your thoughts rest upon and land upon our Blessed Christ certainly at the Lord's Supper that is the purpose that is the design the bread his body broken for us the wine his blood shed for us we are to be brought to a burning remembrance of the just and holy one the one perfect in his righteousness nevertheless put to death for the sins of his people lastly brothers and sisters the Christ of Stephen is seen in that he was and is risen and exalted helper and judge notice that from the text of Acts chapter 7 verse at beginning in verse 55 well we'll pick up reading in verse 54 right now at the point that Christ was and is risen and exalted helper and also judge notice Act 754 when they heard these things that is the unbelieving Jews hearing the preaching of Stephen and his indictment 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 and said look I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of god what a what a kind God and what a kind Savior a moment of absolute torment and trial and affliction Stephen is able by the grace of God full of faith and power to look away from his persecutors and to look upon the risen and exalted Christ a glorious thing here we see that Christ is risen and exalted helper and judge two texts are brought into view two texts are brought into view here and interpreted and applied by Stephen and those two texts are Psalm 110 and Daniel 7 13 because you see here Stephen is using the language son of man Daniel 7 13 and standing at the right hand of God the Lord said to my lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool Psalm 110 and Daniel 7 and all of the applicable that stem from those blessed texts of Revelation are used here by Stephen interpreted and applied to our Lord Jesus Christ he is the son of man who's standing at the right hand of God and this is a double-edged sword you see we said he was and is we noted he wasn't is risen and exalted helper and judge you see this text is a double-edged sword joy for the believer but dread dread for the unbeliever why is it joy to the believer well hopefully you can see who is Steven 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 have you ever been knocked off your feet by what follows after this he says look they're gnashing at him with their teeth they're filled with venom and vitriol and horrible murderous anger he says look see the glory of God the heavens open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God Wow joy to Steven oh but dread dread to these in the Sanhedrin the council the synagogue of the freedmen all of these who had gathered gathered to bring false witnesses false witnesses against this blessed man dread for them this is a double edged sword Carson connects Carson in in his commentary on Matthew 2665 i believe it is where we have the same language Christ using there with regards to his answer to Caiaphas at the trial before his own death in Matthew 26 64 is 64 excuse me not 65 remember what we find there Jesus at well 62 and the high priest arose and said to him do you answer nothing what is it these men testify against you but Jesus kept silent and the high priest answered and said to him I put you under oath by the Living God tell us if you are the Christ the Son of God jesus said to him it is as you said nevertheless i say to you hereafter you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven you see Christ himself the perfect exegete takes Psalm 110 and Daniel 7 13 and he applies them to the to himself no doubt he was thrusting a double-edged sword at that point dread to you Caiaphas if you do not believe in me the glorious one the just one the Holy One the Carson on this text the specifically the Matthew 26 test text says these words writes these words Jesus is not to be primarily considered a political Messiah but as the one who in receiving a kingdom is exalted high above David and at the mighty ones right hand the hand of honor and power this is Jesus climactic self disclosure to the authorities and it combines revelation with threat see that Jesus is threatening wholesome threatening his enemies there specifically those before him the high priest and these putting him to death he's bringing this as both revelation the confirmation that he is the promised son of man and the promised Lord who the Lord says to him that he would sit at the right hand of God and he's delivering it as a threat he's saying dread dread if you know are not found in me believing in my work and in my person what an amazing thing this must have been to consider at that time two thousand years removed brethren I think the import in a sense is lost on us we know the same Christ we rejoice in the same Savior you see if depending on the timing of the book of Acts and the account of the stoning of Stephen it could have been within just a handful of months after the resurrection of Christ or some push it perhaps seven years laters it's a wide range I know but let's let's just suppose that this is within a year after even if it is three or five years but let's just suppose this is within a year after the death and resurrection ascension of our Savior for Stephen to say here look I see this Jesus whom you betrayed and murdered standing the right god wow this one who said to us you mean that that we would see him standing sitting at the right hand of the power coming on the clouds of heaven yeah that's the one you thought you silenced him you thought he was a mad blasphemer and an insurrectionist you hung him upon Calvary's tree you saw him as a bloody mess and you reveled in your abomination but now I see this one he's standing at the right hand of God and he's helping me now he's helping me now by this revelation of him and he will help me momentarily when I say Lord Jesus into your hands I commit my spirit but you see for you its dread for you its dread because he has been given Dominion and glory in a kingdom and he will come again to judge the quick and the dead where will you be where will you be here at this particular theological point we must notice with respect to the Lord's Supper that we remember a savior yes dead but a savior or isn't an exalted see when we remember Christ we're remembering him not in some sort of solemnity of a funeral only a memorial meal but we're remembering him as now the one having yes died is now risen and exalted glorious Christ glorious Redeemer wonderful Savior the brethren will close with this because this text no doubt for stephen was a help to him but no doubt again was dread to those in unbelief and might these words warm the hearts of all gathered here for whom Christ is joy too but anyone here tonight rejects the Savior let him be dread to you and might that dread bring you to a knowledge of him my god by his grace bring you into the fold of Christ malito of Sardis so many years ago speaking about the Son of man standing at the right hand of God the glorious one resurrected and ascended follows his commentary on the death of Christ with this at the point of him exalted but he arose from the dead and mounted up to the heights of heaven when the Lord had clothed himself with humanity and had suffered for the sake of the sufferer and had been bound for the sake of the imprison and had been judged for the sake of the condemned and buried for the sake of the one who was buried he rose up from the dead and cried aloud with this voice who is he who contends with me let him stand in opposition to me I set the condemned man free I gave the dead man life I raised up the one who had been in tuned who is my opponent I he says him the Christ I am the one who destroyed death and triumphed over the enemy and trampled Hades underfoot and bound the strong one and carried off man to the heights of Evan I he says in the Christ therefore come all families of men you who have been be fouled with sins and receive forgiveness for your sins this is the Christ this is the king this is jesus this is the general this is the Lord this is the one who rose up from the dead this is the one who sits at the right hand of the Father he bears the father and is borne by the father to whom be glory and the power forever amen powerful words brothers and sisters if you're here tonight you know this same Christ that Stephen gazed upon saw him and his glory and in his splendor if you're here tonight and you're not a believer plead with you don't be such as who will look upon him in dread at the end of days before he says to you those haunting words depart from me into the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels a horrible place to be believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be with us with as as so many Stevens who look with joy of Joy's upon the risen Christ and in him find our peace in our glory and our salvation let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for your word and we thank you for the book of Acts and this particular text which speaks of our Blessed Stephen but more importantly our Blessed Christ the Christ of Stephen as Stephen is just a trophy of the Grace and the victory of Christ Jesus we are here brought to high thoughts of our Savior in this account of the martyrdom of Stephen and we would ask Lord God that you would help us now as we remember in a peculiar way in the Lord's Supper are Christ's death till he comes again we pray that we would have our hearts worn by a remembrance of a savior dying for the sins of his people and also with the knowledge that that same Christ who died is now risen and exalted to your right end where he even now dispenses his spirit and spiritually nourishes us as we partake in this ordinance we do pray that we would be strengthened in our faith and that we would go from this place having been better for having gathered we might leave and live lives in honor live lives in in performance and service to you that we would in light of such a Christ in such a gospel and such a salvation conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of our calling by grace and it is in Christ's name that we pray amen well if you can turn in your Bibles to Matthew 26 Matthew chapter 26 so we now get to observe yes with solemnity but hopefully as well brothers and sisters with great joy this ordinance of the Lord's Supper in Matthew 26 what do we have but an account of the institution of the Lord's Supper in it falls as they observe the Passover which action by Christ is now bringing an end to Passover observance and inaugurating Lord's Supper observance for the people of God for all those who believe Matthew 26 and verse 26 is where we're going to read but just in a reminder as the juice comes around it the wine comes around the juice is in the outer ring the bread will come around first though but when we get there just a reminder that the juice is in the outer ring at the law it's supper remember what's going on very quickly nothing magical enough there is no priestcraft there is no voodoo but rather we have these blessed tokens these symbol these symbols these emblems of the death of Christ the bread representing Christ's body broken for us the wine representing his shed blood for the remission of sins the blood of the new covenant we come together and we do not offer up any actual or real sacrifice for the sins of the quick and the dead but rather we remember that once for all sacrifice wrought by cross by Christ on the cross perfect in its execution the bread remains bread the wine remains wine as we remember our Lord's death till he comes again this is an observance for Christians alone if you're an unbeliever here tonight a if you're not a Christian you are not to partake of the bread and the wine if you have any questions or been coming to this church and you haven't been taking please come and talk to me this isn't an occasion to to fill your belly if you haven't eaten in a while this is a very serious observance yet a joyful one and is reserved for Christians alone so if you are partaking you must be a Christian now you must also be a Christian who is not presently now harboring sin unrepentant sin remember you are to abstain if you are now at this moment harboring sin and seek to do so throughout the distribution of the elements because we are not to partake in an unworthy manner remember Christ has died so that believers might have the forgiveness of sins so if you are harboring sin now repent of your transgressions if you're living in unrepentant sin now repent of your sins and we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the just one who is alone the propitiation for the sins of his people well if I could ask the brothers to come up and to pass out the bread when we get to a reading of the Holy Scriptures will read from Matthew 26 but if the brothers could come up and pass the bread out we're going to sing a hymn as they're passing that out you can remain seated the him that we're going to sing is him number 704 you can turn in your Trinity hymnals to him number 704 you in Matthew 26 at verse 26 we read the following and as they were eating Jesus took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body let us pray Heavenly Father we rejoice now that we can partake of this bread an emblem a symbol of our saviors body broken for us we rejoice in the cross work of the Lord Jesus Christ and would pray that you would now help us increase our faith strengthened us in our Christian walk as we now partake of the bread might we be rejoicing in our Savior and in the perfection of his saving work and might we Lord leave this place as well after having partaken of the Lord's Supper daily dwelling upon the glories of our Savior his riches his Excellency's we do pray that you would be with us now as we take help us to rightly and biblically partake in Greyjoy and with genuine hearts and we pray in Christ's precious name amen let's take together you can remain seated and if the brothers could come and pass out the wine you can turn in your hymn books to him number 188 there is a fountain filled with blood remain seated in sing 188 you narrative continues in in Matthew 26 27 we read then he took the cup gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins but I say to you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's Kingdom and when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives amen let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you now we partake of this wine and we rejoice in the reality of our saviors blood shed for us what a blessed thing to know that we have the remission the forgiveness of sins through the perfect shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus and might our hearts now be warmed by a reflection upon this truth I might we have a burning remembrance of our Savior at this regard he cried out from the cross it is finished shed his blood for the remission of our sins we rejoice in you we rejoice in our Christ and we rejoice in so great a salvation we pray in Christ Jesus name Amen let's take together well if you'll all stand with me we can sing that wonderful him 175 Man of Sorrows what a name for the Son of God who came let's stand and sing 175 together now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen Heavenly Father we do rejoice in the fact that we were able to gather as the Saints of Christ today to worship you to gather together for a recognition of our Blessed saviors finished and perfect work we pray that you would go with us now we rejoice in salvation and in the forgiveness of sins and would pray that you would help us now to go into this week to live for your glory sake we pray that you would have strengthened your saints tonight and that you would even now do so and that now Lord God because it is possible only with you you would buy Amazing Grace save sinners unto the praise of your glory we pray in Christ's precious name amen we'll have a brief time of prayer and you're dismissed after the piano has finished