God Has Raised Up Christ
A Sermon on Acts 5:29-32
Originally preached Feb. 27, 1966
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
What was the message of the early church? Why were believers willing to be beaten, imprisoned, and even killed? The answer is found in the person of Jesus Christ. In this sermon on Acts 5:29–32 titled “God …Has Raised Up Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the message of Christianity as proclaimed by the apostles in the early chapters of the book of Acts. This is not a message of general cultural transformation, but it is a message of divine salvation. It is not simply an answer to all of humanity’s social ills and physical troubles, but it is the message of a God who is working through His Son to make all things new. The world has always rejected this message because it is in contrast to everything that they believe. The gospel says that no one can save themselves but must trust wholly on God’s free mercy. Jesus Christ is God’s only appointed Savior. This sermon asks the questions: “what do I believe? Where is my hope in this world?” The gospel of Jesus Christ tells that salvation is only through the grace of God. This is a timeless message that the whole world needs to hear.
Sermon Breakdown
- The world is seeking salvation and deliverance but in its own way and through human means. The world looks to men for salvation rather than God.
- God raised Jesus as the way of salvation. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's plan of redemption.
- The world rejects Jesus because it does not know its real need. The world thinks its needs are political, social or economic rather than spiritual.
- The world rejects Jesus out of ignorance. The world fails to understand scripture and repeats the same errors.
- The real need of the world is God. Without God, there can be no peace or satisfaction. Man needs salvation, forgiveness and deliverance from sin.
- The world rejects Jesus because it does not recognize His glory and the glory of His salvation. The world prefers temporal pleasures to the blessings Jesus offers.
- The world rejects Jesus because in doing so it opposes God and His power. Though the world rejects Jesus, God has raised and exalted Him.
- The fate of those who reject Jesus is to be broken and ground to powder. All human attempts at salvation will come to nothing when Jesus returns.
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.