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Sermon #5493

Face to Face with Christ

A Sermon on Acts 9:6

Originally preached Nov. 28, 1954

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Scripture

Acts 9:6 ESV KJV
But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” (ESV)

Sermon Description

“Lord, what will you have me to do?” This reveals the very heart of Paul. In this sermon on Acts 9:6 titled “Face to Face with Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones presses that the beliefs of a Christian’s heart will be proven by what they practice. Before his salvation, Paul, previously known as Saul, went about persecuting Christians. But at salvation, just as every true believer must, he surrendered his will to God instead of arguing against the gospel or searching for loopholes to avoid obedience. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the powerful peace one receives when they are finally ready to listen and to learn. Just as a child is curious to understand the world around them, so are new believers hungry to understand their Savior. At salvation, Paul saw the utter failure of his efforts. His self-reliance vanished and he turned to God, humbly asking “Lord what wilt thou have me to do?” He surrendered his will to the one glorious Father who died for him and for all. The proof of salvation is in a willing and eager heart to do the will of the Father.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon focuses on Acts 9:6 which says "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?". This verse shows that Paul's will was engaged in his conversion experience.
  2. A Christian is someone whose entire personality - mind, emotions and will - are involved with and engaged in their faith. Many people think being a Christian is just intellectual belief or emotional experience but it requires surrender of the will.
  3. God made humans for Himself and to glorify Him. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Sin is disobedience to God. To be reconciled to God, we must surrender our will to Him.
  4. The surrender of the will is essential to prove we are truly Christian. Without it, we do not understand sin or repentance. We cannot accept Christ as Savior without accepting Him as Lord.
  5. The surrender of the will means:
  6. Ceasing to oppose or argue with God
  7. Being eager to listen to and learn from God
  8. Believing in Christ and His work, even without full understanding
  9. Being ready to obey Christ no matter the cost
  10. Telling Christ we submit to Him
  11. Proving our surrender through action and obedience
  12. Paul surrendered his will because:
  13. He realized his own failure and inability. He lost confidence in himself.
  14. He was overwhelmed by Christ's love, mercy and forgiveness
  15. He realized Christ had bought and ransomed him. He belonged to Christ.
  16. He was humbled by the glory and wonder of Christ's person. He wanted to follow Christ forever.
  17. We must see Christ by faith, know Him, and be captivated by Him. Then we will lose ourselves in Him, submit to Him and say "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?". The proof we believe Christ is our Savior is that He has become our Lord.

Face to Face with Christ

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.