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Sermon #2074

The Futility of Humanism

A Sermon on Acts 7:17-20

Originally preached Jan. 15, 1967

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Scripture

Acts 7:17-20 ESV KJV
“But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph. He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that …

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Sermon Description

If the world’s problems could be fixed by legislation, moral reform, and education, there is no doubt humanity would have done it. However, as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches from Acts 7:17–20 in the sermon “The Futility of Humanism,” while humans claim to be progressing, there is no end to worldwide conflict, war, poverty, and strife. Instead of turning to God in repentance, the world wants only to find relief from the symptoms of sin and the common struggles of humankind. The world wants to believe that there is nothing beyond matter and motion. This is the failed humanistic thinking of the enlightenment idea of religion that holds God and sin as nothing more than intellectually dubious at best, and destructive to humanity at worst. But as Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims, there is nothing new about the humanist unbelief, or this so-called scientific worldview. For all unbelief is really nothing more than the outworking of a sinful heart. All rejection of the historical facts of Christianity are not the result of intellectual reflection, but of blind and prejudiced unbelief. As history has shown, human endeavors to bring about moral transformation and world peace always end in abysmal failure. This is no less true in modern times, for without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of fallen sinners, no lasting and true transformation can take place.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Stephen is addressing the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council. He is defending himself against charges of blasphemy for preaching Jesus.
  2. Stephen uses examples from Jewish history to show how the Sanhedrin has misunderstood God's purpose. He starts with Abraham, then Joseph, and now Moses.
  3. Stephen says the Sanhedrin, like the Israelites in Egypt, do not understand God's purpose in history. They reject the Messiah, like the Egyptians rejected Joseph.
  4. Stephen recounts the Israelites' slavery in Egypt. A new Pharaoh oppressed them and ordered all male babies killed.
  5. The story of the Exodus illustrates God's salvation. The Israelites were helpless slaves, but God delivered them by His power.
  6. Likewise, mankind is enslaved to sin and helpless. But God sent Jesus to save us by His power, not our own.
  7. The humanists believe man can save himself through knowledge and willpower. But man cannot overcome sin on his own.
  8. The humanists do not understand the depth of the problem - sin, Satan, and man's helplessness. They have no solution for the average person struggling with sin.
  9. God delivered Israel in His timing and by His power. Likewise, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8) by God's grace.
  10. The gospel is "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). It is not based on man's power or wisdom but on God's.
  11. Throughout history, God has saved notorious sinners by His power. No one is beyond His ability to save.
  12. We must recognize our helplessness in sin and cry out to God, who can deliver us as He delivered Israel.

Sermon Q&A

What is the Main Criticism of Humanism According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in this sermon on Acts 7:17-20, humanism fails fundamentally because it doesn't understand the depth of the human problem. His main criticisms include:

  1. Humanism denies the supernatural and excludes God's intervention in history, making man's mind the measure of everything.

  2. Humanism views religion as merely a human invention that may have had value in the past but is now outdated.

  3. Humanism falsely believes that man can save himself and society through knowledge and willpower alone.

Lloyd-Jones states: "Why is it people reject Christianity and trust in humanism? The first answer is because their thinking is so superficial that they've never even seen the depth of their problem."

Why Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones Say History Cannot Be Explained by Humanistic Terms?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the great facts of history cannot be explained by humanism because:

  1. Biblical history presents concrete events and facts, not just theories or philosophies.

  2. The existence and persistence of the Jewish people throughout history cannot be explained by human ideas alone but by God's intervention.

  3. Notable figures in history like Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and Jesus Christ cannot be explained in mere humanistic terms.

  4. The survival of the Christian church despite persecution throughout centuries testifies to God's intervention rather than human effort.

He states: "There's only one explanation of the persistence of the church. It is God's repeated intervention in what is called revival."

How Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones Describe Man's Condition Under Sin?

According to Lloyd-Jones, man's condition under sin is characterized by:

  1. Complete slavery and bondage: "Sin is a slavery. You can't dispute that."

  2. Total helplessness: "Man's not only become a slave, he is completely helpless."

  3. Darkened mind and enslaved will: "His very mind is darkened, his will is in a state of bondage."

  4. Inability to save himself: "Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law demands."

  5. Subjection to the power of evil: "The power of the devil. The power of hell."

Lloyd-Jones uses the illustration of Israel in Egyptian bondage to depict humanity's helpless condition under sin, saying: "We are helpless in the bondage, the captivity, the serfdom of Egypt."

What Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones Present as the Only Solution to Man's Problem?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents God's intervention as the only solution to man's problem:

  1. The solution comes entirely from God's side: "The only hope for an individual, for the world, is in the intervention of God, God's salvation."

  2. It is based on God's power, not human effort: "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ... for it is the power of God unto salvation."

  3. It comes through Jesus Christ: "God, by sending his own son to the cross on Calvary... has opened for you and for me a way of salvation."

  4. It is motivated by God's love and mercy: "God is moved by one thing only, and that is his own eternal love, his mercy, his compassion."

Lloyd-Jones concludes: "All you've got to do is to admit that you're a failure... just cry out unto him, and he will hear you and he will deliver you in his own miraculous manner."

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.