Two Lines of History
A Sermon on Acts 5:29-32
Scripture
29¶ Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and …
Sermon Description
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in this sermon on Acts 5:29-32 titled “Two Lines of History,” history can be divided into two categories: the history of humanity and history of God. In the history of humanity, world peace and cooperation are the ultimate goal. This is to be brought about through human means such as education, government, and moral teaching, and these means seek to bring the world to perfection. The other history is that of God and at the center of His story is the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ. He establishes the kingdom of God by His blood and kingship. He will reign over all history as God’s only begotten Son, the prince of peace. In Christ the futility of all the so-called kingdoms of the world is seen, for they are established on nothing but the vain wisdom of the world. This is in contrast to the kingdom of God that is established by the blood of Christ. All must repent of their sins and believe upon the only Son of God who died upon the cross so that sinners could have life.
Sermon Breakdown
- God has ordained government and given men the ability to govern, but men have abused this power and claimed it as their own.
- There are two types of history: man's history and God's history. Man's history is the history man makes for himself, but it always ends in failure and decline. God's history is what God is accomplishing through Christ.
- Man's attempts at government and order always fail because man has a sinful nature. No amount of laws or regulations can change man's heart. Only the gospel can do that.
- Jesus did not come to reform the world or teach it how to reform itself. He came to establish his kingdom, which starts with individual salvation and reconciliation to God.
- Jesus gives believers a new birth and new nature, separating them from the world to be part of his kingdom. His kingdom will continue to grow until he returns.
- Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, waiting for his enemies to be defeated. He will return, destroy evil, and establish his perfect kingdom over all creation.
- We have a choice between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God. We should vote and be good citizens, but we must give our lives to God's kingdom above all else.
- The real problems of the world cannot be solved by politics or government. They can only be solved by Jesus, who came to save us from sin and reconcile us to God.
The Book of Acts
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.