Saved to Serve
A Sermon on Acts 4:18-20
Originally preached Oct. 24, 1965
Scripture
18And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 …
Sermon Description
When the apostles met the risen Christ, they were transformed and empowered with boldness to proclaim the gospel to all that they could. Before the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, they were fearful and timid but after they were fearless in their mission. In this sermon titled “Saved to Serve,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains this change enabled them to stand against the Jewish leaders when they refused to cease preaching the gospel of the risen Christ. This is no ordinary boldness, but it is a result of the new nature that is brought about by salvation and regeneration. As the gospel transforms Christians, they are given the Holy Spirit and filled with its wisdom and guidance. The apostles in Acts could not stop preaching the glory of Christ. They were no longer the weak and fearful men who were hiding in the upper room. They had received the new life that the gospel brings and they fearlessly proclaimed the gospel message. Christians have a new source of life and wisdom when they are made anew in Christ. They are motivated to bring the gospel to this broken and sinful world. It is this hope in the new life in Christ that compels Christians to share the gospel with all to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- Christianity changes us entirely. It is not something added on but transforms us.
- Christianity controls and masters us. It is not something we manipulate but that takes hold of us.
- When we become Christian, we feel compelled to tell others about it. We cannot keep silent.
- We know with certainty what we believe and are not apologetic about it.
- We rejoice in the Christian message and exalt in it. We are not ashamed of the gospel.
- We feel compelled to share the message because of the glory and wonder of the facts - the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
- We feel compelled to share because of what the message has done in us - brought us joy, peace, insight, and power.
- We feel compelled to share out of compassion for those still lost in sin and ignorance.
- We feel compelled to share because we want all to praise and glorify Jesus.
- Once we see the message, we are willing to die for it. We must obey God rather than men.
- Life is not worth living without the message. To live is Christ.
- We no longer fear death. Death has lost its sting. To die is gain.
- We can defy authorities and powers because we fear God alone.
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.