Spiritual Blindness
A Sermon on Acts 5:33-42
Scripture
Gamaliel’s Counsel
33But when they heard this, they became infuriated and nearly decided to execute them. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. …
33¶ When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. 34Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the …
Sermon Description
Can one reject the gospel and still be a good person? Many, even in the church, would say that one can reject the message of Jesus Christ as Savior and still be good and virtuous. However, in this sermon from Acts 5:33–42 titled “Spiritual Blindness,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows just how wrong this notion really is. The book of Acts shows that all those who rejected the apostles rejected God Himself. Even Gamaliel ultimately rejects the message that the apostles proclaimed. Because the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way anyone can be saved, all who reject it make themselves enemies of God. What does this mean today? It means that all must believe in the gospel to be saved. It means that each and every one that has been confronted with the person and work of Jesus can reject this message and die in their sins, or they can believe and become children of God. One must ask: “Do I trust in Jesus or am I like so many that rest only in what I have done and in my goodness?” Only by believing in Jesus can anyone be saved. This is the message of the apostles and it must also be the message today.
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.