All of God
A Sermon on Acts 8:26
Originally preached Jan. 7, 1968
Scripture
26And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
Sermon Description
Why are people so opposed to the idea of the supernatural? Why does humanity so quickly reject any belief that says there is something beyond people, matter, and motion? In the sermon “All of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says the answer is because rather than deal with the hard reality of personal sin, humanity chooses to wholly reject the existence of God. Instead of submitting to the one true God, they wrongly believe in a closed universe with no deity that acts outside of time and history to bring about change in the world. The result is that they are left with just humanity, their intellect, and mind. But the word of God tells something quite different from the scientific humanist, for at the very heart of Christianity is the belief that not only does God exist, but He deeply loves this whole world to the point that He sent His only beloved Son to act in history to redeem sinners. Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son, was born into the world in a real place, to real human parents. He died a real death so that sinners could be redeemed from their sin and guilt. There is no other hope for the world. God has provided no other way of salvation other than believing in the name of Jesus.
Sermon Breakdown
- The reality of the supernatural realm. The world knows nothing about the supernatural realm and spiritual forces.
- The world thinks only the material world exists and everything operates by blind, inanimate forces. This view leads to hopelessness and calamity.
- The Bible teaches there are good and evil spiritual forces - God, angels and the devil and demons. They are fighting for control of the world.
- God is all-powerful, all-knowing, holy, righteous and in control of everything. He sustains and orders the universe.
- God has a plan to redeem the world from sin and evil. He sends angels and prophets to accomplish his will.
- God's redemption is always by his initiative. He seeks out individuals and calls them to himself.
- God's plan is personal and individual. He diverts his program to save one person.
- God's provision of salvation and new life is free and unexpected. We just have to believe.
- God cares for his children and leads them through life. He gives them hope beyond this world.
- We must cry out to God in our despair and need. Then we will see his angels and experience his salvation.
- Despite modern learning, God's angels and supernatural forces still exist and are active. We must open our eyes to see them.
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.