A Hope for All
A Sermon on Acts 7:30
Originally preached March 5, 1967
Scripture
30And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
Sermon Description
The world makes claims such as religion is only for the weak or that belief in God is irrational and sub-scientific. These claims and many more flow from modern science, philosophy, and even false theologies that repudiate the God of traditional Christianity and the Bible. In the words of the modern person: “God is dead.” Listen to the sermon “A Hope for All” as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones uses Acts 7:30 to explain how this belief system is born out of sinful rebellion against God and his law. It is not a sign of an enlightened mind, but of a mind enslaved to sin and depravity. This slavery to sin accounts for the opposition to God and the rejection of His gospel. This is seen in how the world addresses evil and depravity. The world tries to solve its problems through legislation, education, and social programs, but these efforts can never solve the real issue of sin. God uses the law to expose sin, but it is His Son who gave his life for sins, so that the world could be redeemed. This is the power of the gospel. It is not social reform, but cosmic renewal in the power of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon passage is Acts 7:30 which describes Moses' encounter with the burning bush.
- Stephen uses Moses' story to show how the Israelites rejected God's deliverance and salvation. This is a pattern that has been repeated through history.
- There are three points where humanity goes astray: in their view of God, their view of themselves, and their view of salvation.
- God is outside of us, personal, thinking, and acts in history. He is in control of all things and will judge all humanity. This is a terrifying truth.
- Humanity is enslaved to sin and cannot save itself through good works or positive thinking. Salvation is through God's action and power alone.
- God acts in his own time and way. He allowed the Israelites to suffer for 40 years before delivering them through Moses. God's timing is often mysterious but always purposeful.
- God's deliverance comes when we have lost all hope in ourselves. He comes from outside of us and in spite of us. Our salvation depends entirely on God's grace and mercy.
- The story of Moses prefigures the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as God sent Moses to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt, He sent Jesus to deliver us from slavery to sin.
- The gospel is for all people, no matter how sinful or hopeless. It is the power of God for salvation to all who believe.
- We should find hope in the fact that God will not abandon us, even in our darkest moments of sin and unbelief. Like the "Hound of Heaven" He pursues us with His grace.
- We can cry out to God from our lowest points, and He will come to us as He came to Francis Thompson selling matches at Charing Cross. God meets us where we are.
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.