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Sermon #2119

The Sheep and the Shepherd

A Sermon on Acts 8:30

Originally preached Feb. 25, 1968

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Scripture

Acts 8:30 ESV KJV
So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (ESV)

Sermon Description

The gospel is not just another philosophical school of thought for the wise and intellectual, but it comes to the weak and the outcast. It comes not through conquest and war, but through the death of a man upon a cross. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones boldly proclaims in “The Sheep and the Shepherd” from Acts 8:30, Jesus Christ came into this world to die a criminal’s death upon the cross of Calvary so that many would believe and be saved. This is contrary to the thinking of many modern people. They expect the world’s problems to be solved through clever plans and lofty ideals not known to previous generations. But the gospel of Jesus Christ contradicts this notion, for it says that the only means of salvation is a crucified Messiah who was not trained in the great philosophical schools of the day. He came to fulfill all that had been said of Him in the Law and the Prophets. His disciples were not of the Pharisees and philosophers, but were fisherman. It is this message that confounds worldly wisdom; it is this message alone that can save people from their sins and the judgment awaiting them.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Man is guilty before God due to sin.
  2. Sin is defined as transgression (breaking God's law), iniquity (unrighteousness), and rebellion against God.
  3. The whole world is guilty of sin according to the Bible.
  4. Man's guilt is evidenced by grief, sorrow, and man's unhappiness.
  5. Man is lost without God like sheep without a shepherd. Man has no purpose or direction without God.
  6. Man is miserable, sick, fainting, and unable to stand up to life without God.
  7. Man is perverted and depraved, even rejecting God's offer of salvation.
  8. Man did not recognize Jesus as the Son of God and even despised Him.
  9. Man chose to free Barabbas instead of Jesus, showing man's condition.
  10. The law cannot save man because man cannot keep the law. Man is too sinful.
  11. Teaching and example cannot save man. Man's case is too desperate.
  12. Only Jesus' death on the cross for our sins can save us from our hopeless condition.

Sermon Q&A

What Did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Why Jesus Had to Die on the Cross?

Why did Jesus have to suffer and die according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Jesus had to suffer and die because of the state and condition of mankind by nature. He explains that the cross was necessary and God would never have allowed Christ to endure such suffering "if the salvation of mankind could have been procured or affected in any other way." The terrible suffering of Christ was required because of human sin and our desperate condition before God.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe mankind's condition that necessitated the cross?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes mankind's condition in several ways:

  1. Man is guilty before God - "The whole world lieth guilty before God." We have committed transgressions and iniquities, deliberately flouting God's law.

  2. Man is lost - "All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way." Humanity is wandering aimlessly without direction or purpose.

  3. Man is sick and miserable - We experience "griefs and sorrows" because we are like "sheep without a shepherd," lacking proper spiritual nourishment and protection.

  4. Man is perverted and depraved - Even when offered salvation, mankind tends to reject it. "Who has believed our report?" Most people refuse the gospel message.

  5. Man is helpless to save himself - We cannot keep God's law because of the weakness of our flesh, making self-salvation impossible.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about human attempts to save themselves?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects the idea that humans can save themselves through:

  1. Following rules or laws - "What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh." He notes that even the Ten Commandments could not be kept.

  2. Education or teaching - "Man can never be saved by teaching. He's been given the opportunity."

  3. Imitating Christ - "There is no greater folly in the universe tonight than the whole notion of the imitation of Christ." Our condition is too desperate to be fixed by trying to follow Christ's example.

How does Lloyd-Jones explain the offense of the cross?

Lloyd-Jones explains that the cross is offensive because it confronts us with the reality of our sin and inability to save ourselves. The cross reveals that we are in such a desperate state that the Son of God had to die in our place. This offends human pride and self-sufficiency. As he states: "The cross is always an offense... Why did he have to endure all this? And the answer is in a little word which is so vital in the biblical message. It's the world word sin."

What is the ultimate solution according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

The solution is found in Christ's substitutionary atonement: "He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement, the punishment which we deserve was put upon him. And so we have peace."

Rather than trying to save ourselves through impossible efforts, the gospel calls us to simply believe and receive what Christ has done: "It simply asks me to say this: 'Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.'" This is why the Ethiopian eunuch "went on his way rejoicing" - he understood and accepted this truth.

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.