The God of Covenants
A Sermon on Acts 7:1-8
Originally preached Oct. 30, 1966
Scripture
1Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 2And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and …
Sermon Description
God will always keep His promises. His great plan of redemption of the whole world through the work of Christ Jesus is enacted through covenants. Listen in this sermon from Acts 7:1–8 titled “The God of Covenants” as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows how these great redemptive events form the background of the work of Christ. This redemptive work is for the salvation of individuals and was planned before the foundations of the earth to glorify His name. This great and sovereign plan is important because it exalts God and humbles humanity. It was this sovereign call that brought the pagan Abram to come and worship the true God and declared him righteous. God has planned both the beginning and the end of all things, and He works in history to bring about His plan. Christians should rest in this great truth; God’s plan will be brought to pass. In this outworking of God’s great plan of salvation, He chooses to make covenants with humanity. He made a covenant with Noah after the flood and promised He would not flood the world again. He made a covenant with Abraham and gave Him the sign of circumcision. It is Jesus who came and brought a new covenant, the fulfillment of all God’s promises. It is this great truth that the early church proclaimed. It is salvation in Christ as the fulfillment of God’s great plan.
Sermon Breakdown
- God has a plan of redemption that he conceived before the foundation of the world.
- God's plan is to redeem the whole cosmos and universe, not just individuals.
- God's plan is detailed and precise. He knows exactly what will happen and when. Nothing happens by accident.
- God's plan centers around covenants or promises that he makes. The covenants are not bargains but free acts of God's grace.
- God's plan is miraculous and supernatural. It cannot be understood by human wisdom or ability.
- God's plan involves preparing a people for himself. He started with Abraham and formed the nation of Israel to teach the world about himself.
- The ultimate purpose of God's plan was to send his Son Jesus Christ into the world. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises and the means by which the world is blessed.
- We cannot understand God's plan and salvation by our own understanding. We must accept it by faith as a mystery ordained by God for his glory.
Sermon Q&A
What Was Stephen's Speech in Acts 7 About According to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that Stephen's speech in Acts 7 was a comprehensive defense against the charges brought against him while simultaneously preaching the gospel to his accusers. The sermon addresses several key theological points:
What charges were brought against Stephen?
According to Lloyd-Jones, "The charges that they bring against him is that they have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Furthermore, they raised up false witnesses who repeated this charge of blasphemy against the temple and against the law. And in particular, they charged him with saying that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this temple and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us."
What was Stephen's primary argument in his defense?
Lloyd-Jones explains: "What he rarely does is to give a review of history. And he does that, of course, for a very definite reason. He wants to show these men that they're not only wrong about the Lord Jesus Christ, but they're equally wrong about their own history. They've misunderstood it. They've misunderstood their own religion. They've misunderstood the law. They're wrong about everything."
How does Stephen present Jesus in his speech?
"What Stephen was really saying, in a sense, was this. He said, why do you object to the preaching concerning Jesus of Nazareth? Why do you regard this as an innovation? You've misunderstood it completely. He is not an innovator, he is a fulfiller. Can't you see? Says Stephen, and this is what he works out in his speech. Can't you see that he is nothing but the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises?"
What important theological concept does Stephen emphasize about God's plan?
Lloyd-Jones highlights: "God has got a plan and a purpose for this world, and he is going to carry it out. There is individual Salvation. There is to be a cosmic restoration of all things to God. There is to be a final renovation, a final regeneration, when the whole cosmos and universe will be restored to the condition in which God originally made it."
How does the covenant concept fit into Stephen's speech?
"This great God of glory not only visited men and appeared to him, but he told him what he was going to do about him and about the world and about the whole need of the human race and of the whole universe. God said that he was going to do it but he goes further. He pledges himself to do it. He went even further. He swore an oath."
Why does Stephen's speech start with Abraham?
Lloyd-Jones explains that Abraham is "pivotal" and "primary in this matter." The reason Stephen goes back to Abraham is that "all the basic principles of the Christian salvation were stated there. And that way at the very beginning to Abraham." Abraham represents the beginning of God's covenant plan that would ultimately lead to Christ.
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.