... that Christ Died for Us
A Sermon on Acts 8:32-35
Originally preached Feb. 4, 1968
Scripture
32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for …
Sermon Description
Christianity is important to the history of the human race as a whole. In the sermon “…that Christ Died for Us,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones dives into the immensity of the gospel and the dire need to know what the Christian message is and what it concerns. The message spoken in Acts 8:32–35 to the eunuch is the same message that is needed today. This is the only basis of the true understanding of life: no religion can satisfy other than this Christian message. This passage of Scripture offers the picture of a man undergoing tremendous suffering and another man who sits down alongside him to consider the Scriptures. What is the meaning of the death of the Son of God? Not only is this the greatest truth of the gospel, but it is also the greatest obstacle and source of offense to the unbeliever. The Bible is unlike any other—it tells of the weaknesses of its characters and need for Christ. How one answers the question of Christ’s death is life-changing. It was not the death of a pacifist; it was the action of God Himself through the hands of the ignorant. This is the most deliberate event that has ever taken place in history.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text is Acts 8:32-35 which describes Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch.
- Philip began preaching to the eunuch about Jesus based on the passage of Isaiah 53 that the eunuch was reading.
- Jesus' death on the cross is the heart of the Christian message and what Philip preached about.
- Jesus' death was not an accident but was prophesied and foretold throughout the Old Testament. His death was central to God's plan of redemption.
- Jesus himself also foretold his death on multiple occasions, showing that it was deliberate and not accidental.
- Jesus' death was not just the act of men but was ordained by God. God delivered Jesus to die by the hands of men.
- God was acting through Christ's death to reconcile the world to himself. Jesus became sin for us so we could become the righteousness of God.
- We can have our sins forgiven by believing in Jesus and his death on our behalf. We don't have to understand it fully to benefit from it.
- The story of Philip and the eunuch shows how one becomes a Christian - by believing the message of Christ's death and resurrection.
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.