Moses Chose God
A Sermon on Acts 7:20-29
Originally preached Feb. 12, 1967
Scripture
20In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: 21And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the …
Sermon Description
The life of Moses shows two ways to live. Listen to the sermon on Acts 7:20-29 titled “Moses Chose God” as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that one can live according to God’s way or one can attempt to live according to humanity’s ways. Those who live according to the ways of humanity live in rebellion to their Creator and God. They reject God’s law and His demand for righteousness. This way of living leads to ultimate death and destruction in hell, apart from the presence and blessings of God. But for those who follow God and believe in his Son Jesus Christ, there is life eternal. This is the great dividing line in life. It determines one’s eternal destiny. All will ultimately live forever and are under the condemnation of the God who created everything. It is He who is holy and just and He will not let evil doers go unpunished. But He has sent His only Son, the sinless Messiah, to die a terrible death on the cross for the salvation of sinners. It is only by believing upon the name of Jesus Christ that anyone can be saved from the wrath of God. This is the most important decision anyone can make in their life.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon focuses on Acts 7:20-29 which recounts Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin.
- Stephen uses the story of Moses to show that the Sanhedrin misunderstood Moses, the law, the temple, and Abraham.
- Stephen shows that Moses is a type of Christ as a leader and deliverer. He also shows that Moses is an example of becoming God's people through faith.
- Moses suddenly found himself confronted with a choice to either continue living as the son of Pharaoh's daughter or identify with his people, the Israelites.
- Everyone faces a similar choice between following God or the devil. The choice may come in different ways for different people.
- There are only two possibilities: for God or against God. There is no neutrality. No decision is a decision against God.
- Moses chose God which shows it is possible to choose God. Moses realized who he was - an Israelite, not an Egyptian.
- Moses had a sense of righteousness and justice which led him to defend the oppressed Israelite.
- Moses took the long view and considered the end. He saw the temporary nature of worldly pleasures and the eternal nature of God's rewards.
- Moses looked to the recompense of the reward - forgiveness, peace, joy, purpose, overcoming death.
- Moses endured by seeing the invisible God. By choosing God, Moses joined the company of the saints, martyrs and ultimately Christ.
- We must consider the two alternatives - God or the devil, heaven or hell. We have the choice to follow the truth of God or the lies of the world.
- Following God means becoming a citizen of God, a child of the King of Kings. It is a privilege to belong to Christ and be called His brother.
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.