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Sermon #2092

The Golden Calf

A Sermon on Acts 7:39-43

Originally preached June 11, 1967

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Scripture

Acts 7:39-43 ESV KJV
Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become …

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Sermon Description

All Christians must consider their idols and what they worship. Preaching “The Golden Calf” from Acts 7:39–43, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones starts with the ancient Israelites, who after being delivered from their bondage in Egypt, fashioned an idol of gold made in the image of a calf. They then proceed to bow down and worship it, even claiming that it was this was the god that brought them out of Egypt. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that modern humanity is no different. While it is true that most do not make graven images to bow down to, nevertheless they fashion idols out of money, cars, houses, and pleasure. They worship their own humanity and greatness. The consequences for rejecting the true and living God and worshipping idols in His place are most severe. Scripture tells of the great day of wrath that will pour out on all who reject the true God and do not believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no escaping this judgment, for God has commanded that He alone be worshipped and praised. But God has provided a means of salvation and freedom from sin and idolatry. He has sent his only Son into the world to save all who believe and repent. Jesus Christ died upon the cross and rose from the grave so that all may know and worship God as He is.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Stephen was on trial for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Sanhedrin rejected this message and charged Stephen with blasphemy against Moses and God.
  2. Stephen's defense was that the Sanhedrin had misunderstood their own history and the role of Moses. Moses himself had prophesied the coming of Jesus.
  3. The root issue is man's rejection of the word of God which has been the continual downfall of mankind. This is still the issue today.
  4. The world misunderstands the gospel message. The gospel does not promise to reform the world or solve mankind's problems. It promises salvation from the world for those who believe.
  5. Man believes the gospel is about following moral teachings but man is incapable of following these teachings. The gospel says man is opposed to God and unable to please Him.
  6. The ultimate cause of man's troubles is his foolishness and self-deception. Man thinks he is wise but he is a fool.
  7. Man is foolish in thinking he can make God and determine truth for himself based on his own reason and intellect. Man sits in judgment on God's word and determines what is right or wrong.
  8. Man is foolish in thinking he understands himself and how life should be lived apart from God's word. Man rejects God's assessment of his condition.
  9. Man shows he is a fool by what he chooses to worship. He worships the works of his own hands, animals, nature, money, pleasure, and himself. He turns from the Creator to the creation.
  10. Man turns from God's law and truth to lawlessness and license. He rejects God's moral law and pursues sin and unrighteousness.
  11. Man turns from the freedom and joy found in God to slavery and fear. He is enslaved to the rule of sin and lives in fear due to being separated from God.
  12. Man rejoices and finds pleasure in his sin and rejection of God. He congratulates himself for his foolishness rather than mourning over it.

Sermon Q&A

What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Man's Rebellion Against God?

What is the core message of Stephen's speech in Acts 7:39-43 according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Stephen's speech reveals the consistent pattern of human rebellion against God. In analyzing Acts 7:39-43, Lloyd-Jones shows that Stephen was demonstrating to the Sanhedrin that they were repeating the same error their forefathers made with Moses - rejecting God's messenger and God's word. Stephen showed that "in rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ, they're simply perpetuating the ancient era" and that "the trouble with these people has always been that though they are the people of God, they reject the word of God and follow their own devices."

Why does Lloyd-Jones say people misunderstand the Christian gospel?

Lloyd-Jones identifies two main misunderstandings about the gospel:

  1. People wrongly believe "that the gospel is something that promises to solve and to settle all our problems and all our difficulties and to put the world in order." However, the gospel never promised to reform this world. Christ himself said "in the world ye shall have tribulations" and predicted "wars and rumors of wars."

  2. People think the gospel is merely "a teaching, a great idealistic and ethical teaching" that simply needs to be taught and put into practice. This misunderstands human nature, as the gospel actually teaches that "man is entirely opposed to it and is completely impotent in the matter of putting it into practice."

What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the root cause of human problems?

Lloyd-Jones identifies that the root cause of all human problems is "the rejection of the word of God." He states emphatically: "All the troubles of the human race and of the world are due to one thing, and that is the rejection of the word of God." The problem isn't intellectual but is "in the heart," stemming from human rebellion against God's authority. This rejection of God's word is the ultimate explanation for all world crises and conflicts.

How does Lloyd-Jones describe man's folly according to the sermon?

Lloyd-Jones describes man's folly in several key ways:

  1. Self-deception: "The chief way and the greatest way in which it shows itself is this, that man shows his folly in fooling himself in self-deception."

  2. Believing he can make gods: Men have "no hesitation in doing this at all" - whether it's literal idols or creating new concepts of God that suit their preferences.

  3. Thinking he knows truth about himself: Man rejects God's assessment of human nature and "regards it as insulting."

  4. Believing he can run the world without God: "Man thinks he knows how to live, how to run his world."

  5. Rejecting the greater for the lesser: "He rejects God...What does he make? A calf."

What does Lloyd-Jones say happens to people who reject God?

According to Lloyd-Jones, when people reject God, they inevitably:

  1. Turn "from law to license" - abandoning God's moral law for destructive behaviors
  2. Trade freedom for slavery - "when you turn from God, you turn from deliverance and liberty and joy to bondage, to serfdom, to slavery"
  3. Live in fear - "You don't understand life, so you consult the stars" and turn to substitutes like astrology and spiritism
  4. Find themselves without help - "In your agony, in your trouble, in your moment of greatest need...there's nobody there, there's nobody to pray to"
  5. Rejoice in their folly - "They were rejoicing, they were dancing, they were singing" about their self-made gods, not realizing their terrible error

What solution does Lloyd-Jones offer at the end of his sermon?

Lloyd-Jones concludes with a call to awakening and repentance, using the story of the prodigal son. He urges listeners to recognize their folly and return to God: "If you realize that you're there and that you're a fool to be there, that you were made for God and meant for communion with him, I say to you, arise, go home, go back to your father." He assures his audience that God is waiting to forgive them, saying "blessed be his holy name. If you do that, you'll find that he's waiting for you. He'll come to meet you and he'll embrace you."

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.