THE GLORY OF GOD AND JESUS
[p. 386] THE GLORY OF GOD AND JESUS
We all recognise the great interest which attaches to the Acts of the Apostles. It has sometimes been said that the book might have been called, ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit’, but I do not quite think this is just, for the reason that the work of the Holy Spirit lies in a sense underneath what is recorded. The Acts of the Apostles presents the work externally, that is, the outward effects of the testimony — the work of the Spirit lay in what was underneath in souls.
God’s work in souls is not done by instruments: it is His own. He does use instruments to communicate light, but the actings of the Holy Spirit lie underneath.
There is a good deal recorded in Acts of the effect of the testimony which did not probably eventually stand. We read, for instance, that a great company of priests were obedient to the faith: that was the outward result of the preaching, but much of that probably fell away; the real operation of the Spirit of God in souls would not. We see nowadays great outward efforts made in the gospel and apparent results produced by the word, but that is not necessarily the measure of the Spirit’s work. The work of the apostles was carried out in the power of the Holy Spirit, but even their work and the Spirit’s work in souls were not commensurate. The parable of the sower would prove the same point. The Lord Himself was the Sower, sowing the seed — the word of God. And yet only the seed which fell on good ground brought forth fruit.
The object of the Acts of the Apostles is to shew the transition from judaism to christianity by the testimony of the gospel. The book begins with Jerusalem and ends with Rome.
My object in taking up a few points in this book is, as [p. 387] I have already said, to shew the true character of christianity. We need to go back to what was from the beginning to see this, and we thus get light as to the divine thought and intent in the gospel. If we go back thus it will lead us into a narrow, and in a sense exclusive path, because in the light of the truth we cannot go on with things in christendom which are not according to the first and divine thought, but are in principle unrighteousness. It has been said, that the purest water if it falls on the earth becomes mud, and therefore we want to go back to the fountain to find out what the pure water was.
We have had before us the subject of the house of God. God dwelling here by the Spirit. We saw that the establishment of the house was dependent upon the fact of Christ having taken His place in heaven as the last Adam. The tabernacle in Israel was the figure of what God was going to establish here — His house. Now it is established, for the question of responsibility has been settled, and Christ has taken His place as last Adam in the presence of God in subsisting righteousness. Now I may remark that we do not find in Scripture the idea of a church formation or organisation. There was a company who believed in Christ and had been gathered by the testimony of His resurrection, and the advent of the Holy Spirit necessarily constituted that company the house of God. Church formation was the subsequent work of man, but it is a great thing for us to get back to what was from the outset in the power of the Holy Spirit. When decline had set in the apostle Paul sought to bring the servant back to what were the first principles of christianity — the glory of the Lord, and the Spirit of God down here. You may say, were there not such offices as elders and deacons? Well, there were men full of the Holy Spirit, and they were appointed to this work on account of their spiritual qualifications. So real was the presence of the Spirit that in the first instance of discipline recorded the sin is said to be lying to the Holy [p. 388] Spirit. We have a poor conception of the power that was connected with the church at the outset, for all was spiritual. When the Holy Spirit came down the house was formed, and every office and all that was to characterise it was in the power of the Holy Spirit. Even a deacon who dispensed the bounty of the saints was full of the Holy Spirit. The house depended entirely upon the presence of the Holy Spirit, not upon human formation.
Now I come to another feature of christianity. The earlier chapters in Acts just leave room for the possibility of the restoration of Israel, and yet at the same time the church was being formed by the Spirit. But in Acts 2 all hope or thought of the restoration of Israel was coming to an end, and this opens the way for the true power of christianity to be brought to light. There are two things which come out in the end of chapter 8. (1) The true significance of baptism. (2) The formative work of the Spirit in the saint. But it is interesting to refer to one or two points in the earlier part of the address of Stephen (see verses 14 - 16). The Jews boasted in the fathers, and they boasted about themselves. They assumed that they were the people of God, but they did not take to heart the fact that the patriarchs themselves never really came into the enjoyment of the promises. If Israel was to enjoy the promises it must be with those to whom the promises were made. Therefore their going into the land could only have been provisional; resurrection must come in, for it was not possible that the children could come into the enjoyment of the promises without the fathers, and the latter had been laid in sepulchres. The Jews boasted in the fathers; but these had died, and never got the promise. They boasted in Moses, and they had rejected him, both as a deliverer and as a prophet. (See verses 27, 39): “Who made thee a ruler and judge over us?” “To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them”.
And the ground of boast was in the land of Canaan, and yet they had forfeited the land before they got into it ([p. 389] see verses 40 - 43). God had already said in His mind, “I will carry you away beyond Babylon”. I believe that this refers to their present dispersion, and this is put down to their worshipping the golden calf in the wilderness. God visits upon them the original sin. Another boast was in the house of God, and yet they had made it a den of thieves; but “the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?” They had material ideas of God’s house, but God is not to be limited to a material house. The Jew had forgotten that heaven was His throne, and that the earth was His footstool.
Now to sum up these things. In their thoughts they were to enjoy the promises without the fathers, they had refused Moses, they boasted in the land but forfeited it by idolatry, and they brought the thought of God’s house down to a material temple. Now I ask what was left to a man like Stephen — whose eyes were opened to all this? What value was there for faith in the people who took the place of God’s people here? Stephen charges them with unvaryingly resisting the Holy Spirit; they had broken the law, persecuted the prophets, and slain the just One.
Now in contrast to all this we get the light which was vouchsafed to Stephen (see verses 55 - 60). Stephen looked up steadfastly to heaven; he was full of the Holy Spirit, and a man who is so always looks to heaven; and he saw the glory of God and Jesus (not Israel), and he apprehended that every purpose of God was established in heaven in the Person of Jesus. The counsel of God had in no wise failed; all was established in a scene where sin and death and Satan’s power have no place. It was the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. When the glory of God is displayed when Jesus comes, the effects of sin will be put away. Death will be swallowed up in victory. But what a man who is full of [p. 390] the Holy Spirit sees now is that all is accomplished in Jesus; it is no longer a poor patriarch having the promises, but dying, and his body laid in a sepulchre.
Now in heaven the glory of God and Jesus are seen together and all has to come from heaven for the setting right of things here; but a power has already come, the Holy Spirit, by which we can look up, and see all accomplished, and established in one Man, and that one Man is a life-giving Spirit, so that He can quicken millions. It is not only that righteousness has been established in Him, but that He being a life-giving Spirit has power to quicken, and therefore every purpose of God stands steadfast in Him.
Here this comes out in the way of-testimony, and Stephen says, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God”.
Now another point comes to light, and that is, the formative work of the Spirit in the believer, the life of Jesus was manifested in Stephen’s mortal body. We see the character of Christ coming out in him; he was formed in moral likeness to Christ. The expression recorded here, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”, indicates the life of Jesus, and this was the effect of the formative work of the Spirit. And we get also the true significance of baptism. Stephen was stoned to death, he was literally baptised unto death. He left the earth, where there was no place for him. Do we desire now to get out of sight here? Are we content not to be prominent here; to be identified with Christ’s death? If you get out of sight in identification with His death, you will come into sight, but in the likeness of His resurrection. When He comes into sight we shall come into sight. Our life now is hid with Christ in God, but when He who is our life is manifested we shall appear also with Him in glory. Stephen was completely identified with Christ in death; he gets out of sight, but the answer in him will be when Christ shall appear.
The real work and purpose of the Spirit of God is to conform us to Christ’s likeness; that the life of Jesus might be manifested in our mortal body. Stephen fell asleep; his work was done, but he will be awake when the Lord comes.
It is the mighty power of the Holy Spirit which we see effective in Stephen.