June 11, 2019 -- Acts 7:54-60 -- The Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

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.

Acts 7:54-60 ESV

Stephen is the first martyr for the cause of Jesus Christ. Notice how he withstood the false accusations and the hate of his detractors. More than this, as he was facing death and the rocks and stones pummeled his body, he cried out to God to receive his spirit and that the Lord of glory would forgive his tormentors. How did he endure all of this?

Notice that Stephen is described as a man filled with the Holy Spirit. God the Father and God the Son pour out the Spirit on believers. The Spirit of God is fully God and living in each believer empowering the believer to receive the benefits of Jesus: the forgiveness of sins, new resurrection life in common with Jesus. The Spirit changes the believer from the inside out so that as believers grow and mature the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—become evident in ever greater measure. The Spirit gives the believer words to speak when hostile people are arrayed against him.

So strengthened by the Spirit of God Stephen sees the vision of Jesus—the Son of God and the Person Whom Stephen loves and for Whom Stephen is willing to die. Jesus is at the Father’s right hand in heaven. What a vision of splendor it must have been! Jesus is ruling in power and using all our circumstances, all victories and all sorrows, all joys and all events for His holy purposes so that His people, His Church, will be gathered in. The people who stoned Stephen to death are responsible for their wrongdoing and the Son of God is Sovereign in His purposes aware of every grief, every insult, and all suffering His people endure for the glory of His Name.

Stephen saw the glory of God. At the start of his sermon, Acts 7:2, Stephen spoke of the God of glory. The understanding and knowledge of God that is so powerful and pure, so great and majestic that all the things of the world lose their charm and allure compared to Him. The glory of God is the knowledge of God as a magnet to the soul which inexorably draws joyous worship from believers while simultaneously orienting all their hopes, all their aspirations, all their thoughts to the Sovereign and Omnipotent God.

Here in Scripture we have revealed to us: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all active in the salvation of Stephen and preserving his soul unto glory. God is One. And God is triune--three in one. It is the mystery of Scripture that believers meditate on. There is so much I do not understand, but I believe. How is that possible?

Think about the fact that an atom is tiny—yet it is made up of three parts. Protons and neutrons make up the centre of the atom and the electrons fly around the centre (or nucleus) of the atom. Do I understand it? Not in the least. I can describe it. I can marvel at it. I can ask questions: what makes up a neutron, or an electron? What holds the atom together?

There is so much I can describe and so much I do not comprehend in so many fields: astrophysics, astronomy, sociology, philosophy, geology, biology… And I realize the universe is made by God, the infinitely great, infinitely good, infinitely creative and infinitely glorious. Tiny as I am before His almighty presence, how could I comprehend all He has made or done or is doing? It is the joy of life and glory of any person to explore and seek out and discover all the while responding with worship directed to God—Father, Son and Spirit, Who is Lord over all.

God our Father thank You for Your great love demonstrated to us so exquisitely in Jesus Christ. Thank You that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, removing the stain of sin and giving us access to You, so that we are called beloved sons and daughters of the Most High King. Spirit of the Living God, thank You for taking up residence in the heart of believers, helping us to read the Bible with wonder and hope, joy and awe and to read creation, complex as it is, with the same understanding it is another book of Your glory O God! Deepen our faith. Help us to withstand the onslaught of the world aware that You, Triune God, will preserve us for Your purposes unto the day of salvation. Amen.