Sermon Tone Analysis

Stephen’s Defense (3): How Moses Points to Jesus (1)

(Acts 7:17-29)

October 17, 2021

Read Acts 7:17-29 – Stephen is on trial for his life, falsely accused of blaspheming Moses, the temple and the Law by preaching Christ.

So Stephen gives a history lesson, showing Jesus is all over the OT, by prophecy, pattern and type.

The lives of OT people, like Joseph, Moses and David all pointed forward like a laser to Jesus – their own lives prefiguring a greater fulfillment to come.

Stephen actually honored Moses, the Law and temple by showing how they point to Jesus with unerring accuracy.

Those who reject Jesus are the ones who blaspheme.

Stephen devastatingly turns the tables on them.

God often uses one historical event to point forward to a yet greater fulfillment.

Key verse: 7:37: “This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’”

So, around 1400 BC, Moses predicted there would be another like him – a deliverer.

Later, around 700 BC when Israel was captive to Assyria bc, Hosea 11:1 reminded Israel of a previous deliverance: “When Israel was a child, I loved him and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matt 2:15 uses this verse of Jesus’ escape from Egypt – thus coming full circle, pointing to Jesus as the greater Moses who would deliver not from Egypt or Assyria, but from sin and Satan.

Over the next 2 weeks we’ll see how Moses and Jesus are linked in a wonderful way showing Jesus as a prophet like Moses, but infinitely greater.

I.

The Promised Deliverer

Moses prefigures Jesus as a deliverer.

The deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt is God’s masterpiece illustration of deliverance from sin provided by Jesus.

God promised to deliver Israel before they even went into captivity.

Acts 7:6: “And God spoke to this effect [to Abe] – that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.

7) ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’”

This is a direct quote from Gen 15:13-14 showing God kept His promise!

God also promised a deliverer in Eden war ward off the death sentence – a “seed” of the woman who would destroy the destroyer, Satan.

Stephen shows Moses to be a type of that Deliverer.

A. A Necessary Deliverer

Israelites had gotten to Egypt during Joseph’s time and were kindly treated for his sake.

But things didn’t stay that way.

17) “But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham [Gen 15:13-14], the people increased and multiplied in Egypt 18) until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph.

He enslaved the Israelis until there was no way out.

Conditions got so bad, their only hope was outside intervention.

In this sense, Israel exemplifies the human race spiritually.

We are enslaved to sin from birth.

When David confessed His sin of adultery and murder, he notes in Psa 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

This is who we are by birth.

We’re not sinners because we sin; we sin bc we’re sinners.

Born that way.

Jer 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” – terminally ill.

We are powerless to keep our most well-intentioned resolutions.

Why? Slaves to sin.

Eph 2:1 we are “dead in trespasses and sins” and are “by nature children of wrath.”

Like Israel, we want out, but we can never get out on our own.

The Greek word for sin means to miss the mark – used of archers in battle.

England had the same concept in a game.

Archers used to shoot at a group of rings.

If you didn’t hit all ten, you were called a sinner.

So I might try 10 arrows and only one goes in – clearly a sinner.

John B. with his eagle eye gets 9 out of ten.

Know what he was called?

Sinner.

Size of debt doesn’t matter.

B. A Beautiful Deliverer

20 “At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight.”

That’s a fascinating statement.

Beautiful in God’s eyes.

He was also beautiful in the eyes of others.

Heb 11:23: “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”

The natural explanation for Moses’ rescue was he was a beautiful baby.

Doubtless had he been an ugly kid, he’d have been thrown back to drown.

His beauty was part of the plan.

But to be beautiful to God – that’s something greater.

I doubt God is too taken with physical beauty.

Listen how He describes Messiah: Isa 53:2b, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.”

That indicates Jesus was a rather average looking individual.

So, what about Moses made him beautiful to God? Heb 11:24) “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25) choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

26) He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

27) By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.”

Moses had everything life can offer -- the best food, the finest cooks, the latest model luxury chariot, a huge bank account, any woman he wanted.

No pleasure denied.

He was Howard Hughes and Hugh Hefner rolled into one.

How would you do with that kind of temptation?

Here’s how Moses handled it.

“He considered the reproach of Christ [the “insult” or “disgrace” of identifying with the Israeli slaves.

He considered that humiliation] greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.”

That’s impossible apart from God’s grace.

Moses had the unique ability few have to look beyond now into eternity.

A lot of us talk about it; few of us live it.

Note in 26b: “he was looking for the reward” – the reward of God.

27b: “he endured as seeing him who is invisible.”

He trusted a God he could not see rather than Pharaoh who could offer him the whole world – for a short time.

He chose disgrace with the slaves rather than wealth with the King – because he saw ultimately the tables would be reversed.

That made Moses beautiful in the eyes of God.

But I know a Deliverer who is more beautiful.

Cor 8:9: “For you know the grace of our LJC, that tho he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

There is true beauty – a Deliverer who left all that heaven had to offer to die as a ransom for us so we might become who He is.

Why? Heb 12:2b: “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Why did He do it?

Bc he also took the long view.

He looked beyond time into eternity.

And there He saw you and me and all who would trust in Him being adopted into the family of God – “heirs of God and fellow heir with Christ” (Rom 8:17b).

That’s a Deliverer who is beautiful in God’s sight.

But is He beautiful to you this morning?

Have you seen the beauty of His dying in your place and accepted by faith His gift of life?

Or are you still insisting on your own way?

Do you still reject the best and most beautiful God has to offer?

Do you still foolishly think your way is better than His?

In Joe Gutierrez’s book, The Heat, about steelworkers, he tells how steel strips would roll over pads in a cooling tower creating silvery flakes that floated to the floor causing “the snow to dance in August.”

Only later was it found to be asbestos which caused many, including Joe, to suffer asbestosis.

He says, “I can’t walk too far now.

I get tired real fast, and it hurts when I breathe.