A Blind World
A Sermon on Acts 7:8-15
Originally preached Dec. 4, 1966
Scripture
8And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. 9And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10And delivered him …
Sermon Description
The New Testament repeatedly points back to individuals from the Old Testament to demonstrate a life of saving faith. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues the study of Acts 7 with the sermon “A Blind World,” it is in Joseph that a kind of Christ is seen. Joseph was hated and betrayed by his brothers for no other reason than their jealousy and anger. But in a few years’ time, it was his brothers that came to him seeking help and relief from the famine. In a similar way, Jesus was persecuted, betrayed, and ultimately murdered because the Jewish leaders were jealous. The great irony is that the Jewish leaders murdered their own long-awaited Messiah, the very one who came to save them from their sins. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that this rejection of God and His will demonstrates the spiritual blindness and rebellion that propels opposition to the gospel. It is not clear and rational thought but blind prejudice that has its source in sinful hearts that will not submit to God’s ways. This must always be in mind when unbelief and opposition to the gospel is seen. It is not a matter of intelligent and reasonable methods that prompt people to harden their hearts when they hear of Christ and his death and resurrection but it is sin and unbelief. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that anyone can come to true knowledge of God.
Sermon Breakdown
- Stephen is addressing the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court that put Jesus on trial.
- Stephen is arguing that the Sanhedrin's rejection of Jesus is consistent with how their ancestors rejected God's messengers.
- Stephen uses the story of Joseph and his brothers to illustrate this. Joseph's brothers rejected him out of envy and prejudice, just as the Sanhedrin rejected Jesus.
- The grounds for rejecting Joseph and Jesus were their claims to authority and uniqueness. But the real cause was moral blindness, prejudice, and envy.
- The enormity of rejecting Joseph and Jesus is clear in how unjustly and cruelly they were treated. Joseph was sold into slavery and Jesus was crucified, even though they were innocent.
- Yet despite this rejection, Joseph and Jesus end up saving those who rejected them. Joseph provides food during the famine and Jesus provides salvation.
Sermon Q&A
Why Did Joseph's Brothers Reject Him? A Reflection on Human Nature and Christ Rejection
What does Stephen's speech about Joseph reveal about the rejection of Christ?
Stephen's speech about Joseph in Acts 7 reveals a profound parallel between how Joseph's brothers rejected him and how people reject Christ. The rejection was not based on intellectual reasons but on moral blindness and envy. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, "Stephen is really only making one point... he is really dealing with the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Sanhedrin." Just as Joseph's brothers rejected him because of his claims about himself (through his dreams), people reject Christ because of His claims to be the Son of God - not because of any intellectual barrier to belief.
Why do people reject the Christian message according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, people reject the Christian message primarily for three reasons:
- Moral blindness and prejudice - "The man who rejects Christ is blind... blind to spiritual truth."
- The state of their hearts - "Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil."
- Envy and pride - "The patriarchs moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt," reflecting how people are motivated by their passions rather than clear reasoning.
It's not an intellectual problem but a moral and spiritual one. As Lloyd-Jones states, "I can prove it's not a matter of intellect... that there are intelligent, intellectual, knowledgeable men in the modern world who believe this."
What similarities does Dr. Lloyd-Jones draw between Joseph and Christ?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out several key similarities between Joseph and Christ:
- Both made claims that others found offensive - Joseph through his dreams suggesting others would bow to him; Christ through His claims of divinity
- Both were rejected by their own people - "He came unto his own, and his own received him not"
- Both were sold for pieces of silver - Joseph for 20 pieces, Christ for 30
- Both were handed over to Gentiles - Joseph to Egyptians, Christ to Romans
- Both suffered affliction and indignity
- Both ultimately became the saviors of the very people who rejected them
As Lloyd-Jones states, "Joseph is a type of Christ. There is no question of this at all. He was rejected by his brethren, and yet he turned out to be the one who saved them from starvation and death."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize the importance of understanding our sinful nature?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes understanding our sinful nature because without this knowledge, we won't see our need for Christ. He states, "No man comes to Christ until he's desperate... until he sees his desperate need of him, until he sees the truth about himself." Our rejection of Christ reveals our true condition - "There is nothing that shows mankind its evil nature so much as its rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ."
He explains that we must understand the law before we can appreciate the gospel: "You've got to preach the law before you preach the gospel. You must know the message of the Old Testament before you'll appreciate the message of the new." This understanding of our sinful nature explains why Christ had to come into the world in the first place - to save us from our sin and its consequences.
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.