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Sermon #2054

Spiritual Blindness

A Sermon on Acts 5:33-42

Originally preached May 15, 1966

Scripture

Acts 5:33-42 ESV KJV
When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to …

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Sermon Description

Can one reject the gospel and still be a good person? Many, even in the church, would say that one can reject the message of Jesus Christ as Savior and still be good and virtuous. However, in this sermon from Acts 5:33–42 titled “Spiritual Blindness,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows just how wrong this notion really is. The book of Acts shows that all those who rejected the apostles rejected God Himself. Even Gamaliel ultimately rejects the message that the apostles proclaimed. Because the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way anyone can be saved, all who reject it make themselves enemies of God. What does this mean today? It means that all must believe in the gospel to be saved. It means that each and every one that has been confronted with the person and work of Jesus can reject this message and die in their sins, or they can believe and become children of God. One must ask: “Do I trust in Jesus or am I like so many that rest only in what I have done and in my goodness?” Only by believing in Jesus can anyone be saved. This is the message of the apostles and it must also be the message today.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The gospel is something which is to be obeyed.
  2. The essence of sin is disobedience to God. Sin is breaking God's law and not conforming to the mold in which God made man.
  3. The gospel is a command from God as much as the ten commandments. God commands men to believe the gospel.
  4. The first command is to repent. Repentance means stopping and thinking again about your life, realizing you've rebelled against God, and confessing your sins.
  5. The second command is to believe the gospel. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, died for your sins, and rose again. Believe that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone.
  6. Proof of obeying the gospel is turning from sin to God, confessing Christ, joining the church, being baptized, and desiring to know God's word.
  7. Not obeying the gospel is calling God a liar and rejecting His offer of salvation.
  8. Obeying the gospel brings forgiveness, new life, losing fear of death, strength, becoming a child of God, and hope of heaven.

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.