Father; Son and Holy Spirit
A Sermon on Acts 4:31
Originally preached Dec. 5, 1965
Scripture
31¶ And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Sermon Description
Christianity is a historical faith. While the world is full of other religions and “spiritual experiences,” Christianity is set apart by the objectivity of events brought about by the Triune God. These events—the history of Israel; the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus; the day of Pentecost; the global spread of the gospel—are objective events that point creation back to God. In this sermon titled “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes the listener back to the early church in this sermon on Acts 4:31 and shows that Christianity is not taken up on one’s own accord or power; rather, it takes the Christian up. The apostles were not well-educated or eloquent men and yet God used these ordinary men to spread the good news and Christianity flourished. Acts emphasizes that this is the work of the Trinitarian God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is the basis of the apostles’ hope and confession and the foundation of great hope. Subjective experiences don’t rule one’s faith, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones. The objective reality of the Christian’s history, as well as the ongoing work of revival, reminds them that their living God actively cares for this world.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by introducing the verse Acts 4:31 which describes the early church praying and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
- The sermon then provides context for the verse by describing the events leading up to it, including Peter and John being arrested and appearing before the Sanhedrin. They were released but told not to preach about Jesus anymore.
- Peter and John report back to the early church what happened. In response, the church prays to God, acknowledging Him as the creator, the one who controls history, and the one who fulfilled prophecy through Jesus.
- The sermon emphasizes that the Christian faith is based on objective facts and events, not just subjective experience. The facts of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection are emphasized.
- The sermon then focuses on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's work in the Old Testament and Jesus's promises about the Spirit are discussed. The day of Pentecost and the Spirit filling the early church is emphasized as an objective fact.
- The sermon argues that the explanation for the apostles' transformation and the growth of the early church is the power of the Holy Spirit, not human ability. The Spirit's work is emphasized as miraculous and supernatural.
- The sermon highlights how the Spirit has worked throughout church history in revivals and reformations, enabling individuals to accomplish what seemed impossible, proving that the Spirit is a living person, not just a force.
- The sermon concludes by emphasizing that Christianity is based on objective facts about what God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have done in history. People will be judged based on how they respond to these facts. The call is to believe in Jesus Christ based on these facts.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Acts 4:31 - Questions and Answers
What is authentic Christianity according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, authentic Christianity is not an institution, philosophy, or religious system, but rather a supernatural, miraculous action of the living God among men. In his sermon, he emphasizes that Christianity is "not our action. It is always His action upon us." He points to the early church in Acts as the authentic model, where believers experienced the power of God in transformative ways. Lloyd-Jones states that Christianity is "the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth," not something we take up, but something that takes us up.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the importance of the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:31?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the Holy Spirit is essential to Christianity and equally important as the Father and Son in the Trinitarian faith. In Acts 4:31, when the believers prayed, "the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." This demonstrates the objective, supernatural action of God in response to prayer. Lloyd-Jones highlights that the Holy Spirit's role is to apply Christ's redemptive work to believers, making the Christian faith not merely theoretical but experiential. He states that the Holy Spirit's coming at Pentecost is "one of these great acts of God" equally important as the incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.
What is the difference between subjective experience and objective facts in Christianity according to Lloyd-Jones?
According to Lloyd-Jones, Christianity involves both subjective experience and objective facts, but the subjective must arise from the objective. He warns against emphasizing only the experiential side (which could be psychological autosuggestion) while ignoring the historical foundation. The objective facts include God's creation, the incarnation of Christ, His death, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Lloyd-Jones states: "This is not merely subjective. It is equally objective. And the subjective arises out of the objective." He emphasizes that Christianity is based on historical events, not merely feelings or psychological experiences.
How does Lloyd-Jones counter the claim that Christianity is just psychological experience?
Lloyd-Jones counters the claim that Christianity is merely psychological by pointing to the objective, historical facts on which the faith is based. He explains that unlike psychological treatments that just make people "feel happier and brighter," Christianity rests on concrete historical events that can be verified. He points to the creation, the prophecies fulfilled in Christ, the resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit as objective realities. Lloyd-Jones also points to historical revivals and reformations as evidence of the Holy Spirit's power beyond psychological explanation. He states: "The answer to the psychological charge is these historical facts and events."
What role does prayer play in the early church according to Acts 4:31?
According to Lloyd-Jones' examination of Acts 4:31, prayer in the early church was not self-focused or merely therapeutic, but was grounded in acknowledging God's sovereignty and requesting boldness to continue His work. When the early Christians prayed, they began by acknowledging God as Creator and controller of history, reciting His mighty acts, and reminding themselves of prophecies fulfilled. Their prayer focused not on personal comfort but on boldness to speak God's word: "Lord, behold their threatenings and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word." God's response was both objective (shaking the building) and subjective (filling them with the Holy Spirit), demonstrating His supernatural power and validation of their faith.
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the Trinitarian nature of Christianity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes Christianity as "trinitarian through and through," emphasizing that all three persons of the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are essential to the faith. He explains that the Trinity cannot be fully understood by human intellect ("If the gospel was something that you and I could understand, it would not be the blessed gospel of the glorious God"), but each person of the Trinity has manifested Himself in history objectively. He outlines their cooperative work in salvation: "The Father planned it before the foundation of the world... the Son volunteered and came and carried out the plan... and then it is the part of the blessed Holy Spirit to apply all that to us." Lloyd-Jones argues that this Trinitarian understanding is what distinguishes true Christianity from other religions and cults.
What evidence does Lloyd-Jones provide for the activity of the Holy Spirit throughout history?
Lloyd-Jones provides several lines of evidence for the Holy Spirit's activity throughout history. First, he points to biblical accounts including the Spirit's role in creation, inspiration of Scripture, and especially Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out. Second, he points to historical revivals and reformations as evidence of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work, specifically mentioning the Protestant Reformation through Martin Luther and the evangelical revival in England through George Whitefield and the Wesleys. He describes how these movements transformed seemingly hopeless spiritual situations: "This is the Holy Ghost. He's living, He's vital, He's not a theory, He's not a force, He's not a suggestion. He is a living person, the third person in the blessed Holy Trinity." Lloyd-Jones sees these historical events as objective evidence of the Spirit's continuing work.
Why does Lloyd-Jones believe many people misunderstand Christianity in the modern world?
Lloyd-Jones believes many people misunderstand Christianity because they view it as an institution with "great buildings, edifices, great hierarchy, different orders, popes, bishops, archbishops, deans and all the rest of it" rather than as the supernatural power of God at work. He observes that Christianity has become "institutionalized" and "fossilized" like Judaism was by the time of Christ. Lloyd-Jones argues that modern people approach Christianity with intellectual pride, wanting to "analyze God" and understand everything before believing, when the very nature of Christianity is supernatural and therefore beyond complete human comprehension. He also suggests that people mistake Christianity for merely psychological comfort or moral teaching, missing its core nature as God's direct intervention in human history.
What does Lloyd-Jones mean when he says "Christianity is not something that we take up"?
When Lloyd-Jones says "Christianity is not something that we take up," he means that authentic Christianity is not a philosophy, viewpoint, or moral system that humans choose to adopt by their own initiative. Instead, it is something that "takes you up" - a divine intervention where God acts upon a person through the Holy Spirit. He states, "if it hasn't taken you up, you're not a Christian." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christianity begins with God's action, not human decision. This distinguishes it from merely adopting a set of beliefs or joining a religious institution. He explains that while experience is essential to Christian faith, this experience must be grounded in the objective work of God in history and His supernatural activity in the individual's life.
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the historical impact of revival in his sermon?
Lloyd-Jones describes revivals as "exceptional work" of the Holy Spirit that demonstrate God's objective intervention in history. Drawing from his Welsh background ("I had the privilege of being brought up in a country which has been known as the land of revivals"), he points to two major examples: the Protestant Reformation and the evangelical revival in 18th-century England. He describes how Martin Luther, despite facing a seemingly invincible Roman Catholic Church with "15 centuries of tradition," was empowered by the Holy Spirit to "shake it to its foundations." Similarly, he cites how George Whitfield and the Wesley brothers transformed England when it was in a "most deplorable condition" morally and spiritually. Lloyd-Jones presents these revivals as evidence that Christianity is not merely psychological but involves supernatural divine power: "No men, no body of men could ever have shaken the Roman Catholic Church of the medieval period. But God, the Holy Ghost, through one man, can do the impossible and he did it."
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.