Someone has said – “The eyes are the window of the soul.” He was thinking that when we look into someone’s eyes we sometimes can see his heart. But there are two sides to most windows – there is a way of seeing in – and a way of seeing out.
Where people look – and how they look – may say much about their spiritual condition. For example, Lot spent too much time looking longingly down into the valley of the Jordan. Lot’s wife turned and looked back with loving eyes at the great loss of Sodom and Gomorrah. Achan and Eve looked with lust upon possible deity and property. Ananias and Saphira did the same sort of thing. Paul encourages all of us, to “set our eye and affections on things above, not on things on the earth.” Christ said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God… and all these things shall be added unto you.” Our conversation is in Heaven, from whence we should be looking for the Saviour’s return.
Let’s consider this evening a man with 20/20 vision – he had very good spiritual eye-sight. The window to his soul was polished to an unusual luster and the curtains were pulled back. Not only had God opened his eyes and he had been turned from darkness to light, but now he was looking straight into the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. What are the lessons to be found in here for us?
Stephen shows us where to look when in times of trouble.
Everybody gets into difficulty from time to time. No matter where you put your kayak into the water, there could be some rapids down stream. Every time you raise your kite there are trees or power lines reaching out to grab it. Sometimes these difficulties are present by the order of Jehovah. Sometimes they may be there by the permission of God, as in the case of Job. In Stephen’s case the Lord may have been saying, “Stephen, come up hither, I want you home.”
Most people think that THEIR problems are worse than others. In the flesh, Stephen might have said that his was worse than Job’s, and vise versa, but each was personal. Sure that failing gall-bladder looks serious, but not same as imminent as a descending stone. Do you have a stack of bills brought on by things beyond your control? Yes, but doesn’t your Father in Heaven own the cattle on a thousand hills? Do have car troubles? People problems? Job difficulties? I hope that you don’t, but I am realistic enough to know that such things happen. I would love to preach theology every service, but some people have a hard time translating theology into daily living. It’s one thing to speak of the omnipotence or the omniscience of God, or of His great love. But that won’t necessarily keep a person from worry. Did Stephen, after the first rock hit him, need a lesson on the love of God? Stephen was facing the world’s worst problem, but he didn’t appear to be disturbed in slightest.
Ah, but where was he looking? It was not to the Apostles and his friends back at the First Baptist Church. It doesn’t appear that there was a single one of them there to help in his day of trouble. Perhaps, later, they wished that they could have been there, and we certainly can’t accuse them of neglect. But isn’t it true – a fact of reality – that 90% the time sufferers suffer somewhat alone? Can anyone really feel your pain? The Psalmist cried out in anguish, “there is no one who cares for my soul.” But Stephen was not really alone.
Where was he looking? He might have tried looking to Rome, in order to plead his right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What was happening to him here was thoroughly illegal. But Stephen didn’t bother; that was a waste of his time. Where was Stephen looking? Towards the place where his treasures had been laid up. That was where his heart was – “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.”
Come on you atheists, prove to me that there is no Heaven; convince me if you can. Atheism is a sham and a shame; completely without a single redeeming feature. Name some dying soul that it has comforted. Sure they say, “No one has ever seen heaven.” But the fact is they are wrong, and they refuse to listen to people like Stephen, John, Isaiah and others. But had Stephen ever seen the glories of Heaven with his physical eyes before? I seriously doubt it, but he recognized it immediately. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you.” Stephen simply believed the Lord, and that is all that any of us can do. Until such a time as the Lord opens His windows, and opens our eyes, so that we can look in.
Isaiah saw that same divine throne room about 775 years earlier, close to the beginning of his ministry. Now Stephen was viewing it at the close of his. Together they convince me that “this world is not my home; I’m just a-passin’ through.” When you find your life surrounded by the enemy, look up; that is what Stephen did.
What did Stephen see – but not consider?
“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” There may have been a big, heavy stone heading straight for his face, but Stephen looked passed it. He had no concern about those people or the missiles they were throwing. He knew that the Lord could take care of these if He chose to do so. The Lord could have called ten thousand angels to catch those stones. Like the enemies of Elisha, they could all have been struck with blindness when they tried kill him. The houses of Israel in land Goshen were sheltered when hail stones where rained down on the Egyptians. Rahab’s house sat on the wall of Jericho, but somehow God spared it when walls collapsed. Stephen isn’t concerned about these stones, for “all things work together for good to them that love God.”
Think with me about Isaiah’s sight of this throne room, back in Isaiah 6. Much of what Isaiah reveals dealt with the glory of the place and the angels ministering there. He spoke of the Seraphim and their different pairs of wings. He remembered how they sang antiphonal praises to Jehovah, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.” Isaiah spoke of the smoke, the quaking, the noise and the glory. Perhaps Stephen saw and heard the same things, but if he did, he chose to ignore them all. It was only the Saviour that he had any eyes for. It is said that when the theologian John Owen lay dying, he had just completed writing a book. His final words referred that book, but they actually spoke of his service to the Lord throughout his life. He simply said, “Put the ‘Glory of Christ’ in print.” All Stephen could see or think about was the Glory of Christ. He could see the glory of Christ better than Isaiah ever could, because had New Testament spectacles. He listened for moment to angels who rejoicing over that single repenting soul. He ignored David, Moses and Abraham who may have been watching him. The Shekinah glory of Lord burned His eyes. But none of those things moved him, positively or negatively.
And by the way do you remember Isaiah’s reaction to seeing God’s Glory? “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Stephen too might have been overcome with immodest pride or an abhorrence for his sin. But these things didn’t bother him for a split second. First, he was covered with the Passover blood – the grace of God enveloped him. But then he was so living his life, that there was no room be ashamed. “And now little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” There was no tobacco in his life, no pornography, no gambling, swearing, hatred, neglect. As you look at the hands of Stephen they are not filled with blood. In other words, Stephen was ready to face the Lord. There was nothing between his soul and the Saviour.
What Stephen saw and deeply considered was the Lord Jesus.
Notice what the Saviour was NOT called on this occasion. He was not described as “Christ,” for example. That is an important title, not to be ignored – it means Messiah, anointed of God. But Stephen simply called the Lord Jesus – “the Son of Man,” as Jesus did Himself. That links the Son of God to us. “Son of God” links Jesus to the Father; “Christ” links him to the promises of God. “Son of Man” links Jesus to me who also is a son of man. “We have not an High Priest that cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities…” We can cast all our cares upon him for indeed he does care for us.
Notice the obvious – that Jesus was at that time in Heaven. Mr. Secular party-goer, he is not in a manger or cradle today. Mr. Religionist, he is not hanging on a cross. Mr. Priest, my Saviour is not entombed in some holy wafer, wine or holy water. Mr. Agnostic/Atheist, the Lord Jesus is not in a Palestinian tomb; He arose. After His great humiliation, Christ is now enjoying His re-glorification. After the Father turned His back on the Son as he was bearing my sin, He is now fully accepted. After thirty-three years of walking among sinners, He enjoying the perfection of Heaven.
But He has not turned His back upon us. Mark says, “So then after the Lord has spoken unto them, he was receive up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” A throne can be very nice, ornate, expensive; but it has one primary function – sitting. Even today, the Son is sitting at the right hand of the Father on high. But what was the Saviour doing as Stephen died? He was standing. What does that imply? It was as though He wanted to be of service and assistance. He knew what it was to be alone when death came, but He doesn’t want it for any of us. When important visitors come to your home what do you? Jesus was standing to receive His friend. “Come on in, take off your coat, have a seat here beside me.” What an illustration of grace that Christ Jesus should stand for a sinner such as I. Was that because Stephen was special? Because he died as a martyr? Because he was a preacher? No, Stephen was well received simply because he was a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
There one other thing that Stephen saw – the needs of the malefactors about him.
“And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” The man who sees the Lord Jesus aright, will never forget what brought Christ to earth in the first place. “He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.” “He gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from the present evil world.”
Stephen saw these murderers as nothing more than ordinary sinners – stumbling and bumbling their way to Hell. The religion of these people wasn’t stopping them; their priests, their ceremonies did nothing for them. The wages of sin is always, and ever, eternal and spiritual death. It’s not a matter of how much sin, how big the sins happen to be. These men were not sinners above anyone else, nor were they beyond the redemptive scope of Christ. The word had been preached unto them – the gospel had been presented by word and life. And now the preacher Stephen, could do nothing more than to pray for the salvation of these men.
So Stephen was praying, living and even dying that the grace of God would come upon these sinners. And do you know what? It produced fruit in a man first known as “Saul of Tarsus.” This is one of the great aspects of our Christian lives, the redemption of souls – not ours, but others. To what lengths would you go to see the redemption of your most hated enemy? Stephen went to death, praying to see the salvation of his enemies. It was similar but not quite the same as Christ dying to provide salvation. Were all those men throwing the stones saved? Probably not. Are all our children; are all the people here tonight saved? Probably not. But Stephen was not going to be a hindrance to the salvation any of them. The man saw Christ, and he saw the needs of others.
This is how we ought to be.