The God Who Judges
A Sermon on Acts 7:1-8
Originally preached Nov. 6, 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’s great plan of salvation is found in Jesus Christ. But as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains through Stephen’s sermon on Acts 7, this plan of salvation was foreseen in the Old Testament and in the sacrificial system. One clear foretelling came when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac upon an altar. While in the end God provides a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead of his son, this looks forward to when God gives His only Son to die upon the cross for the sins of the world. God tells that the blood of bulls and goats will not atone for sins and Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims that it is only the perfect blood of Jesus Christ, true God and true man, that can take away sins and make sinners righteous. This is the whole message of the Old Testament: the need of salvation for all and the need for God to supply the means of this salvation. This is why the Old Testament is so central to Christianity; the Old Testament tells of the need of salvation and of the futility of human means. It is the overarching narrative of Scripture that tells of the fallenness of humanity and the great gospel of Christ that is the only salvation of the world.
Sermon Breakdown
- Stephen begins his sermon by calling the people to listen. He says “Men, brethren and fathers, hearken”.
- Stephen traces the history of Israel from Abraham to the time of Moses. He talks about God calling Abraham out of Mesopotamia and making a covenant with him.
- Stephen talks about the promise God made to Abraham that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land as slaves for 400 years but God would judge the nation they were enslaved to.
- Stephen says God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Abraham then had Isaac and Jacob who had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel.
- Stephen is addressing the Sanhedrin council who have arrested him for blasphemy against the temple and the law. Stephen is defending himself through this sermon.
- There is confusion about what Christianity really is. The only way to know the truth is to go back to its origins in the Bible.
- God appeared to Abraham, a pagan in Mesopotamia, and called him out to start a new nation through which God would save mankind.
- God made a covenant with Abraham to give him the land of Canaan as an inheritance. God gave Abraham a vision of the coming Messiah which made him rejoice.
- The problem is how can a holy God have anything to do with sinful man. Man cannot solve this problem, only God can.
- God revealed the solution to this problem to Abraham. God would send his own Son to take on human nature, live a perfect life and die as an atoning sacrifice for sin.
- The Old Testament sacrificial system pointed to the coming sacrifice of Christ. The blood of animals could never take away sin, only Christ’s sacrifice could.
- God must punish sin because of His holiness and justice. The only way He could forgive sin was to provide the sacrifice of His own Son.
- We need to understand the message of the Old Testament to understand our need for Christ. The Old Testament shows the failure of man and the holiness of God.
- Christ’s sacrifice reconciled God and man. We need to believe in Christ to receive forgiveness and salvation.
Sermon Q&A
What Was the Main Focus of Stephen's Address in Acts 7?
In his sermon on Acts 7:1-8, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that Stephen's address to the Sanhedrin focused on recounting Jewish history to show how it pointed to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God's covenant promises.
According to Lloyd-Jones, Stephen's historical approach was essential because:
"You've got to take the whole story, Old Testament as well as new, if you really want to understand what this is about."
The sermon emphasizes that Stephen began with Abraham not merely as a historical lesson but to demonstrate God's progressive revelation and covenant plan that ultimately led to Christ.
Why Did Stephen Begin His Defense with Abraham Rather Than Jesus?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Stephen began with Abraham rather than immediately defending Jesus because:
- The Old Testament provides the necessary context for understanding Jesus
- Abraham's story introduces God's covenant plan for salvation
- It shows how the Jewish leaders misunderstood their own history
As Lloyd-Jones states: "Stephen, you see, is right. He says it doesn't start here, don't start with Jesus of Nazareth. Go back, go back to Abraham, go back to the beginning of your own story. You'll never understand Jesus until you've got the whole background of your history right in your mind."
What Does Lloyd-Jones Say Is the Central Problem Addressed in the Gospel?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the central problem addressed in the gospel is the reconciliation between a holy God and sinful humanity. He states:
"How can this world be reconciled to God? That's the problem. Men can't deal with it. How does God deal with it? This is the question. How can a God of glory, a God of holiness, possibly have any dealings with sinful, vile creatures?"
Lloyd-Jones rejects the modern notion that God's love automatically eliminates this problem, arguing instead that God's holiness and justice make sin a serious barrier that must be addressed through atonement.
How Does Lloyd-Jones Explain the Necessity of Christ's Death?
Lloyd-Jones explains that Christ's death was necessary because:
- God's holiness demands that sin be punished
- "Without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin"
- The blood of animals in the Old Testament only temporarily covered sin
He states: "Sin has got to be punished. God doesn't remain God if he doesn't punish sin. God can't just say, I forgive him."
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes: "For you to be forgiven has cost God the death of his only begotten son. He's made him to be a sinner. He's laid your sins upon him."
Why Does Lloyd-Jones Reject the Modern View That "God's Love Solves All Problems"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly rejects the modern view that "God's love solves all problems" because:
- It ignores God's holiness and justice
- It renders the Old Testament irrelevant
- It makes Christ's suffering and death unnecessary
He asks pointedly: "Why was the son of God put to death upon the cross? Why had he to die as he said he had to?" The answer, according to Lloyd-Jones, is that "it is the holiness of God. Sin has got to be punished."
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.