The Living Word
A Sermon on Acts 7:37-38
Scripture
37¶ This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which …
Sermon Description
Preaching the sermon “The Living Word” from Acts 7:37–38, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states that Christianity is a religion based in the living God’s revelation of Himself. It is only in the written word, the Old Testament and the New Testament, that one learns how they may be saved. Only in Scripture does the sinner come to know of Jesus Christ and the great need of forgiveness from sin and rebellion. It tells of His holiness and just condemnation against all sin and ungodliness. God tells of what He has done in His Son so that wicked sinners may be saved. This gospel is not known through psychology, the natural world in science, or philosophy. It is only in God’s divinely inspired Scripture that one finds what He has done for the sinner in Christ. This word comes in the power of his Spirit. It is able to convict evildoers and sinners of their great need for the gospel and deliverance of sins. This is the foundation of Christianity and the church. This is what all who call themselves servants of God and his gospel are standing upon. It is a sure and steady foundation.
Sermon Breakdown
- Stephen is on trial before the Sanhedrin for preaching about Jesus.
- Stephen gives a speech summarizing the history of Israel and how they rejected God's messengers.
- Stephen quotes Moses, who said God would raise up a prophet like him, and who received the living oracles to give to the people.
- The "living oracles" refer to God's word, which is alive, powerful, and able to convict people of sin.
- God's word is the only thing that can properly diagnose the human condition and point to the only two possible destinies: life or death.
- God's word not only exposes our sin but also offers forgiveness and new life through faith in Jesus.
- There will be a final judgment where people will be judged based on how they responded to God's word.
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.