The Supernatural Power of God
A Sermon on Acts 7:17-20
Originally preached Jan. 22, 1967
Scripture
17But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 19The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out …
Sermon Description
The Christian message is God’s intervention in human history. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that through it, God can be seen working in and amongst humanity to bring about the salvation of the world through His Son, Jesus Christ. One cannot reject the supernatural and miraculous aspect of Christianity without rejecting the heart of the Christian faith because at the heart of the Christian religion stands Jesus Christ. He was true man and true God, born of a virgin. He lived a life that was filled with many miracles, supernatural interventions and acts of divine providence. He died a death of atonement upon the cross. He was buried and rose from the dead. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes in this sermon titled “The Supernatural Power of God,” modern humanity rejects the supernatural nature and work of Christ, saying it is unscientific and primitive to claim that God acts in a way that breaks the laws of nature. Yet, it is God who invented the laws of nature and nature itself. He lives outside the boundaries He made for humanity. This message is not one of further explanation of the natural law, but of a confrontation with a supernatural call to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins with an introduction providing context about Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin and how he is recapitulating Jewish history to prove his point.
- The main point Stephen is making is that the Jews have always rebelled against God's messengers, just like they are now rebelling against Jesus.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the sermon will focus on the story of Moses to show the characteristics of the Christian gospel.
- The first characteristic of the gospel is the powerful and omnipotent character of God's ways. The Bible is full of examples of God's supernatural intervention and action.
- The second characteristic is that God acts in a miraculous and supernatural manner. This is shown through the multiplication of the Israelites in Egypt, the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, and the birth of Moses.
- The third characteristic is that God acts with purpose and according to his timing. The Israelites multiplied as the time approached for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham. Moses was born at the exact right time.
- The supernatural element of the gospel is objectionable to humanists and those who deny the miraculous. But this has always been the case, even in biblical times. The gospel must be supernatural by definition.
- The virgin birth of Jesus is a miracle and shows that "with God nothing shall be impossible." Jesus' life, ministry, death and resurrection were also supernatural.
- The day of Pentecost shows the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit enabling the apostles. The miracles done by Peter and John also demonstrate God's power.
- The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira show God's power to both give life and cause death. The book of Acts is full of miracles showing God's control over all things.
- The only hope for mankind is that God has acted supernaturally in Jesus Christ. God can do what man cannot do for himself. This is regeneration, not reformation.
- We must submit to God's work in us and allow him to make us new. This is the essence of the gospel message.
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.