The Apostles as Witnesses

A Sermon on Acts 4:19-20

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Scripture

Acts 4:19-20 ESV KJV

But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (ESV)

Sermon Description

Christianity is built upon the authority of Jesus Christ and his word. In this sermon on Acts 4:19–20, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows us how this is seen in the teaching and preaching of the Apostles in the early church. When Peter and John stood before the Jewish leaders in Acts 4, they taught and performed miracles all in the name of Christ Jesus. They did not rely on the teaching and authority of great rabbis and wise philosophers, but they proclaimed the Christ and Him crucified as was revealed to them in God’s word. The church in the days of the Apostles, and the church in all days, has no other message than what Christ has given them. It is by His revelation that He is known. It is by the words of the Bible that we know who Christ is and what he has done for us. There is no need to come up with a new message, for it had already been given in Christ and His word. The church of today should stand upon the inspired word of God, and this word is inerrant and true. It is not the product of human ingenuity and knowledge, but it is the word of God breathed out through his Spirit. This is the sure and steady foundation of the God’s church.

Sermon Breakdown

The sermon is based on Acts 4:19-20 which describes Peter and John's trial before the Sanhedrin.
The sermon aims to explain what Christianity really is and what the Christian message is. There is confusion today about what Christianity is.
The message of Christianity is based on the apostles. The church is built on the foundation of the apostles. We know nothing about Christianity apart from what the apostles have said.
The apostles did not preach their own ideas or opinions. They preached what was revealed to them by Jesus. They spoke with authority and boldness because their message came from Jesus.
The apostles were witnesses of the things they had seen and heard from Jesus. Their message was based on facts, not philosophy. They had seen and heard Jesus in person.
The apostles had seen Jesus' life, miracles, death, resurrection, and ascension. They were eyewitnesses of these events.
The meaning and explanation of these events was given to the apostles by Jesus himself after his resurrection. Jesus opened their understanding so they could understand the Scriptures.
The message of Christianity is that Jesus is the Son of God who came into the world to save sinners. He died and rose again to provide salvation. There is no other way of salvation apart from faith in Jesus.
The resurrection proves that Jesus satisfied God's wrath for our sins. The resurrection is God's proclamation that salvation is offered through faith in Jesus.
Jesus will return again to judge the world and establish his kingdom. He will hand the kingdom over to God the Father in perfection.
The question for all people is whether they will accept the apostles' witness and testimony about Jesus. The facts of Christianity are not fables but actual events witnessed by the apostles.

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.