Rejection and Unbelief
A Sermon on Acts 4:11-12
Originally preached June 27, 1965
Scripture
11This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Sermon Description
Is the world smarter than God? Is religion only for the feeble? Modern humanity likes to think that it is too enlightened to believe in things like the deity of Christ, bodily resurrection, divine judgment and the sinfulness of humanity. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out from Acts 4:11–12 in the sermon “Rejection and Unbelief,” they claim that no one can possibly believe in these things and claim to be rational, sane, or educated. They believe Christianity is nonsense. But, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, those who know and believe in the Scriptures should not be surprised when they hear these objections because the apostles heard the same objections two thousand years ago. The Jews rejected the idea of a crucified messiah, and the Greeks found the cross to be utter and complete foolishness. The objections to the gospel today are really no different from those of the ancients. The modern human is not nearly as progressive and innovative in their rejection of Christian truth as they would like to be. Both the ancient and modern person rejects the gospel for the same fundamental reason: unbelief. They are hardened and calloused in their sinful rebellion against God their creator. They scoff at the idea that they must be saved from the wrath of God that is coming on account of their sins, because they do not believe in sin. This is the heart of unbelief.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon begins by introducing Acts 4:1-12 as the passage that will be examined. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that he wants to focus specifically on verses 1-2 and 5-7.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides context by reminding the audience about the events of Pentecost and the healing of the lame man by Peter and John. He notes that Acts 4:1-12 describes the first persecution of the early church.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that Acts 4 shows the world's rejection of the gospel and the reasons for unbelief. He will examine why people rejected the gospel then and why they still reject it now.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones says there is nothing new about unbelief or the rejection of the gospel. People rejected the gospel immediately, just as some still reject it today. Unbelief is as old as the gospel itself.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that unbelief unites otherwise diverse and antagonistic groups of people. He gives the example of the Sadducees and Pharisees uniting against the apostles despite their differences. Unbelief transcends other differences.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that people today reject the gospel for the same reasons as in the 1st century. They reject Jesus as the Son of God, his death and resurrection, miracles, judgment, and the supernatural elements of the faith. The objections are the same.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that unbelief is not about intellect or knowledge. Paul had the same intellect before and after his conversion, but he changed from unbelief to belief. Many intelligent people are also Christians. Unbelief comes from the state of one's heart, not one's mind.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that the passage describes the Jewish leaders as "grieved" by the apostles' teaching. This shows unbelief is rooted in emotion and passion, not reason. Unbelief and belief are both passionate stances.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the real cause of unbelief is pride. The Jewish leaders were jealous of the apostles' authority and popularity. Unbelief comes from a desire to maintain one's own status and reject those who threaten it.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that unbelief reveals a smallness of thinking. The Jewish leaders missed the miracle of the healing and focused only on the external issue of authority. Unbelief focuses on petty concerns and misses what really matters.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the unreasonable actions of the Jewish leaders show the blindness that comes from prejudice and evil in human nature. Only a perverted nature can hate the truth and rejoice in evil. Unbelief comes from man's fallen state.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by lamenting that people still reject the Son of God and the salvation he offers. He exhorts the audience to believe and enter into eternal life.
Sermon Q&A
What Did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About the Nature of Unbelief?
Why do people reject the Christian gospel according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, people reject the gospel not primarily because of intellectual reasons, but because of the condition of their hearts. He states, "What is it that makes a man an unbeliever and reject the gospel? The answer is that it is entirely due to the state and the condition of the heart and of the spirit. It's not mind, it's deeper. It's in the very center of a man's personality. It's in the realm of feeling, in the realm of emotion."
What did Lloyd-Jones say about the historical consistency of unbelief?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasized that "there is nothing new about the rejection of the gospel, about rejecting the gospel. There's nothing new about unbelief." He pointed out that the same objections raised against Christianity in the 20th century were raised in the 1st century. People in both eras rejected the same elements: the deity of Jesus, the resurrection, and the supernatural nature of Christianity.
How does unbelief bring together different types of people according to the sermon?
Lloyd-Jones observed that unbelief has a remarkable capacity to unite people who otherwise have nothing in common. In Acts 4, the Sadducees, Pharisees, priests, and political figures were fundamentally different and even antagonistic toward each other, yet they united in opposing the apostles. He noted, "One of the greatest unifying forces that the world has ever known has been unbelief," pointing out how throughout history, vastly different types of people have joined together in opposition to the gospel.
What specific aspects of the gospel do unbelievers most commonly reject?
According to Lloyd-Jones, unbelievers consistently reject: 1. The deity of Jesus - that "Jesus of Nazareth was the son of God" 2. The significance of Christ's death on the cross - which was "unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness" 3. The resurrection - "being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead" 4. Miracles and supernatural events 5. Divine judgment and eternal consequences
How did Lloyd-Jones respond to the claim that unbelief is based on intellect?
Lloyd-Jones firmly rejected the idea that unbelief is primarily intellectual. He used the example of the Apostle Paul, who was highly intellectual both before and after his conversion. Lloyd-Jones noted that Paul "was still the same men, he still had the same intellect, the same genius, the same knowledge, the same ability as a writer, as a reasoner, as a logician." This demonstrates that rejection of the gospel is not fundamentally about intelligence or knowledge, since the same intellectual capacity can both reject and accept the gospel.
What emotional elements did Lloyd-Jones identify as underlying unbelief?
Lloyd-Jones identified several emotional elements underlying unbelief: 1. Pride - "It's their pride that's troubled. It's their pride that is wounded." 2. Concern for status and authority - "They're concerned about their own authority and their own position as teachers." 3. Jealousy - "They were jealous because they taught the people and preached through Jesus, the resurrection from the dead." 4. Contempt toward believers - "You notice the contempt with which they speak." 5. Prejudice - "the blindness and the deadness that is ever produced by prejudice."
What did Lloyd-Jones say about the "smallness" of unbelief?
Lloyd-Jones characterized unbelief as small and petty, missing the magnificent for the trivial. Using the example from Acts 4, he noted how the religious leaders ignored the amazing miracle of the healed man while obsessing over questions of authority and regulations. He stated, "Oh, the tragedy of unbelief that misses the glorious fact and in its petty fogging. Legalism is interested only in the trappings and the externals."
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.