A New Creation
A Sermon on Acts 2:37-42
Originally preached Feb. 14, 1965
Scripture
37¶ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of …
Sermon Description
Christianity is not a costume. It is not something that is added on top of a life of sin, or in place of previous practices. Christians are not people with refined manners and cleaner conversations. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains in this sermon on Acts 2:37–42, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” All who repent of their sin and believe in Jesus are born again into the family of God. More than a new set of rules, it is a new identity; an entirely new person with a longing for holiness and an increasing hatred for sin. This is life transformation, but it comes at a cost. Christians are often forcibly removed from prior social circles and seen as judgmental and traditionalistic. The gospel opposes humanity’s natural desire, which is to pursue self above all else. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides a correct diagnosis of humanity’s self-perceived free thinking that is either in subjection to the devil or to God. There is no middle ground. What a person does reveals where their faith and hope truly rest. The choice is clear: either serve God and know the joy to true transformation, or serve self and reap the disaster of eternal punishment.
Sermon Breakdown
- All humans belong to the world by nature and are under the control of the devil.
- The world refers to the mindset and outlook of mankind without God. It is opposed to God and makes us what we are.
- We are all born with prejudices against God and inherit a worldly mindset. We think we are free and original thinkers but we are not.
- The devil controls and blinds the minds of those without God. He is the god of this world.
- When the Holy Spirit works in someone, they start to realize the truth about the world and themselves. They see that there is a worldly mindset that controls all of us.
- The worldly mindset started with the fall of man into sin. Man rebelled against God, producing the worldly mindset that is opposed to God.
- The world and man are twisted and perverted without God. Man realizes he is corrupted and a slave to sin without God.
- The world is under God's wrath and judgment is coming. The world will not get better but worse. Only faith in Christ can save us from God's wrath.
- Christ came to start a new humanity and offer forgiveness and new life. We can be rescued from the world through faith in Christ.
- Following Christ means leaving the world behind, even if it means facing misunderstanding from family. Our soul's salvation matters most.
- Becoming a Christian is the most profound change and separates us from the world. It gives us new life, nature, outlook, start, and hope.
- True Christians hate the world and sin, wanting to be delivered and like Christ. They continue in the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.
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.