Jesus standing of the right hand of God!
Walking through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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Jesus standing on the right hand of God!
Jesus standing on the right hand of God!
Jesus standing at the right hand of God!
“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul approved of his execution.”
It was the spring of 1521, when a Roman Catholic monk and professor of theology was ordered to appear before the Emperor Charles V and the Imperial Diet of Worms of the Holy Roman Empire. The Imperial Diet was the general assembly of the estates of the Roman Empire, an ecclesiastical and legislative body. This monk was Martin Luther, whom had fearlessly criticized the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. His strong and direct criticisms had fanned into a flame the long-smoldering resentments, which enrage the German people towards Rome. The Emperor ordered him to Worms, a city in SW Germany, where the Diet would convene so that he might stand trial, and if found guilty, would face execution. Many people warned Luther about attending this meeting, even though he was promised safe passage. They remembered that John Hus was also promised safe passage and was burned at the stake when he would not recant.
Luther said this to those who warned him, “I will enter Worms is spite of the “gates of hell and the powers of darkness,” even if there were “ as many devils in it as there were tiles on the roofs of the houses.” So Luther when, and he stood, and he testified, but he refused to recant any of his writings.
These are his words at his trial:
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me, Amen.
Fifteen hundred years earlier, another servant of God faced a similar challenge as his stood on trial for his life.
Stephen like Luther stood solidly on the Word of God, the rock of divine revelation, and the firm foundation of his faith. For the last three weeks we has unpacked his message to the Sanhedrin and to the rest of the Jewish leadership concerning Christ Jesus, His resurrection and the recounting of the history of Israel.
Stephen ably defended himself, masterful the process of showing them the error of their ways. They accused him of blaspheming God, Moses, the Law, and the temple, yet he turned the tables of them and showed their true hypocrisy. By doing so he showed that they were the ones who were blaspheming God, Moses, the Law and the temple.
These verses before us this morning really takes us beyond the courtroom setting of Stephen and gives us an first hand look at the result of his stance for truth. Unlike Martin Luther where God used his friend Frederick the Wise of Saxony, to recuse Luther and take him to safety. Stephen recuse would come through the fire of death and result in great welcome into the very presence of God. Although he was killed, Stephen should never be seen as a victim but only as a victor. His death merely ushered him into the presence of the Lord.
, “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
There is a stark contrast between Stephen and his murders that is weaved throughout this passage. We see Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Jesus stands…as the people are enraged but Stephen is filled the Holy Spirit. Jesus stands… as the people stoned Stephen but only sees the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Jesus stands…as the people murder him, but Stephen pleas for mercy for the people.
Let us pray…
Jesus stands… as the people are enraged!
, “Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit,”
The Sanhedrin had no doubt listened to the earlier part of Stephen’s speech with interest and agreement. After all, he was merely reciting, recalling, representing the nation’s history—a topic dear to their hearts. But as he moved from a speech to a sermon his meaning became ever increasingly clear, and they began to grow uncomfortable. And when they heard Stephen’s complete, convicting, and concise chastisement of them their reactions changed, look at what is said in verses 51-53.
, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
And because of their guilty conduct and great collusion they found themselves in the same position as they are described in when confronted with the truth.
, “ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart”
The word here for cut is the word “Diaprio” ,which means “cut to the quick,” this literally means “to saw in half.” The very words of truth that Stephen spoke ripped apart the veneer of their spirituality and exposed them for the blasphemous hypocrites they were. They were infuriated rather that broken in repentance as they were that the end of . There Peter’s words of truth brought conviction, but here Stephen’s words of truth of brought more callousness and they began to grind their teeth at him. The act of grinding their teeth expressed their inner rage and frustration,
, “ Like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth.”
, “ The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him.”
These actions are a foretaste of the obstinate sinners to come. When angels pour out the bowls of God wrath and judgment during the Tribulation, sinners them will also stubbornly refuse to repent as well.
, “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.”
, “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.”
These passages teach us that even the most severe judgments to ever hit the earth will not cause obstinate sinners to repent.
Three times in the above passage they show their anger toward God by cursing Him. Stephen’s hearers seem just as resistant and callous toward the truth. This was at least the third time they had heard the gospel of Jesus Christ (4:8ff; 527ff), yet they their anger escalated and they continued to harden their hearts. It is a sobering reality but it is always true. Either the Word of God softens your heart or it hardens your heart.
And if it continues to harden your hearts then God may step in and judicially harden your hearts.
Look at what Paul says later in
, “And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
“‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Look also at Paul’s words in Romans,
, What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written,“ God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”
So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.”
The Sanhedrin had heard the truth. They had heard Jesus’ teaching and witnessed His miracles. They also had heard the preaching of the apostles and seen the miracles they performed. Because of their continual rejection, Stephen did not give them another invitation but an indictment---one that filled them with rage. They gnashed their teeth that day, and perhaps most of them will be doing through all eternity. Jesus repeatedly described hell as place where there is gnashing of teeth.
In , “ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The suffering of hell will include the endless anger and frustration of those people who will forever feel both intense conviction for their damming sin and anger toward God. People who reject God’s grace and love will not feel remorse under His judgment. In fact, that will only make them angrier.
But look at the contrast of the attitude of Stephen; the text says that he was full of the Holy Spirit amid this great trial. He was able to weather this storm because his anchor was Christ.
, “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Stephen remained calm, because he was totally yielded to the Holy Spirit’s control. This phrase “full of the” in the text is the word “Huparcho.” Because Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit in his very being, he didn’t need to make any adjustments in his life when it came to his death. Stephen had decided to honor his savior whether in life or death. Just Paul would later proclaim in , “as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
The Spirit produces the fruit of godly living in believers’ daily lives. But, as God did for Stephen, He also does provide special grace and strength in times of crisis. Jesus says “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and authorities, do not become anxious about how or what you should speak in your defense, or what you should say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” ().
Peter reminds us, , “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”
When we are filled with the Spirit of God we need not shy away for any difficult trial or tribulations but boldly trust in the Holy Spirit power even when we are at our weakest point.
Stephen understood through the Spirit of God even before the words of Scripture were revealed later that he also had this promise,
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” ().
Jesus stands… as the people stoned Stephen.
, “Gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul”
A Spirit-filled believer keeps “seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Stephen right is the midst of this conflict decides not to look at his circumstances, but to look to heaven. He decides to look to the hills, asking where does my help come from, my help comes from the Lord, who has made heaven and earth. Stephen probable thought of and then made it personal, The Lord will not let my foot be moved; he who keeps me will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is my keeper; the LORD is the shade on my right hand. The sun shall not strike me by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep me from all evil; he will keep my life. The LORD will keep me in my going out and my coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
Stephen’s focus was not on the temporary life that we all have experience here, but of the eternal life that is offered in heaven. The text says that he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Stephen joins an elite group of people ever granted a glimpse into heaven.
Isaiah was given a glimpse,
, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Ezekiel was given a glimpse,
, “And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”
Paul was given glimpse,
, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
John was given a glimpse,
, “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
God opened the eyes and Stephen to see His blazing Shekinah glory, the revealed presence of God the Father, with Jesus standing at His right hand.
He was granted the privilege of seeing Jesus in His glorified state after His ascension. And please don’t miss the fact of the very posture of our Savior Jesus Christ during this event.
Everywhere else in Scripture, Jesus is always described as being seated on the right hand of God, (; 24:64; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; )
Jesus is always seated because in terms of His redemptive work it is finished forever.
, “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
But here Stephen sees Jesus standing to show His concern for him and to welcome Stephen into heaven. Isn’t overwhelming to know that our Savior stands in concern for us, in the great moments of pain Jesus is standing with us! When we received a disastrous medical report, Jesus is standing with us! In the midst of trials and tribulations, Jesus is standing with us and even when our time to come home from this pilgrimage, we can count on Jesus to be standing there to welcome us into heaven!
Stephen was so excited, so enthralled and so energize with this vision that his heart spoke as he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
For the Jewish leaders whom were leading his trial this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Their tolerance was totally exhausted. Stephen’s use of the phrase “Son of Man,” might have pushed them over the edge. Why? Because it reminded them of another trial they held with another prisoner; just like false witnesses accused Stephen Jesus of blasphemy. Look at
, “And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
For the so-called blasphemy of claiming to be the Son of God and Son of Man who would sit on God’s right hand, they had executed Jesus. Stephen’s vision and words describing who he saw throws that claim Jesus made right back in the their faces. Jesus claimed He would be at the right hand of God, Stephen now asserts that He is there! They must either execute Stephen too or admit they were wrong when they had Jesus murdered.
The Sanhedrin chose to silence the truth by killing Stephen.
Crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears (so as not to hear any further blasphemy) and they stoned him and they rushed together toward Stephen. Luke uses the word “hormao” (rushed) vividly portrays the Sanhedrin’s fury and anger. It is a word used to describe the frenzied mob that rushed into the theater in Ephesus. These so called leaders of Israel were quickly reduced to a hostile, hateful, horrendous mob of angry men. These blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
They continued their tradition of rejecting like their fathers the prophets and messengers sent to them by God. Having rejecting the very Son of God, it is not hard to imagine their killing and rejection of one of His most faithful servants. The details of Stephen’s death show they attempted to hold on to some features of legality but that their guilt and anger got the best of them.
They began stoning Stephen; the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Look at , “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”
This passage commands that the witnesses be the first to throw stones at the accused. The Romans reserved the right of capital punishment for themselves. Pilate however was still governor, and the Sanhedrin knew they had nothing to fear from him. He had proved his vacillating weakness in permitting the execution of Jesus, whom he knew was innocent. But he had Him killed anyway, because he feared the Jews would cause him to lose his position as governor.
The mention of a young man named Saul marks a major turning point in salvation history. This, of course, was the man more commonly known to history as Paul the apostle. He makes his first appearance here in Acts and becomes a dominant figure for chapter 13 to the end of the book. His position up front gives us some insight that Saul deeply involved in this wicked affair as well. So the mob continue in the grisly work of stoning Stephen and as death quickly approached he is heard to say. As they were stoning him, he cried out in a loud voice, his cry echoed the cry of Christ on the cross, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit”(). Jesus committed Himself to the Father, Stephen committed himself to Jesus; this act again testifies to the deity of Christ who is equal with the Father. Stephen expectation and trusted cry confirms yet again, “Absent from the body is present with the Lord.”
Jesus stands… as Stephen pleas for mercy for the people.
, “And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul approved of his execution.”
You wonder what kind of a world we live in when religious bigots can murder good and godly men like Stephen. But we have similar problems in our progressive, enlightened age as well. People who take hostages, bomb and kill or maim innocent people, assassinations, and all in the name of politics or so-called religion. The heart of man has not changed, nor can it be changed apart from the grace of God.
What were the results of Stephen’s death?
For Stephen his death meant his coronation,
, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
Stephen saw the glory of God and the Son of God standing to receive and welcome him to heaven Stephen was not only tried in a similar manner to Jesus, but he also died with a similar prayer on his lips. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
A person once asked, “Why didn’t God do something for Stephen when they were stoning him?” The answer is obvious! God did do something for Stephen. He gave him the grace to forgive his murderers and pray for them!
For Israel, Stephen death meant condemnation. This was their third murder: they had permitted John the Baptist to be killed; they had asked for Jesus to be killed; and now they were killing Stephen themselves.
When the Jews allowed Herod to kill John, they sinned against God the Father who sent him. , “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.”
When they asked Pilate to crucify Jesus, they sinned against the Son of God.
, “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.”
When they stoned Stephen, Israel sinned against the Holy Spirit who as working in and through the apostles.
, “And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”
, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
The sin here was attributing to Satan what is accomplished by the power of God, and doing this through the flagrant, willful, and persistent rejection of God and his commands.
This sin is committed today only by unbelievers who deliberately and unchangeably reject the ministry of the Holy Spirit in calling them to salvation. Judgment finally came in A. D. 70 when Titus and the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.
God does not call all of us to be martyrs, but He does call us to be “living sacrifices”, , “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
In some respects, it is harder to live for Christ than to die for Christ. But if we are living for Him, we must also be prepared for die for Him.
In 1948, Auca martyr Jim Elliot wrote this in his journal, “I seek not a long life, but a full one, like You, Lord Jesus.” Two years later, he wrote: “I must not think it strange if God takes in youth those whom I would have kept on earth till they were older. God is peopling Eternity, and I must not restrict Him to old men and women.”
Like Stephen, Jim Elliot and his four comrades were called on January 8, 1956, to “people Eternity” as they were slain by the people they were seeking to reach. What has happened to the Aucas since then is proof that the blood of the martyr is indeed the seed of the church. Many Aucas are now Christians.