Death is not the End
A Sermon on Acts 17:1-4
Originally preached April 18, 1954
Scripture
1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3Opening and alleging, that Christ must …
Sermon Description
How has God overcome death? All people know that eventually they will die, either from disease or some other way. Death is a universal human experience. God’s word teaches that death is not a part of the original creation, but exists only because of sin. In this sermon on Acts 17:1-4 titled “Death is Not the End,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the great truth of God’s conquest over sin and death, and the life that all who trust in God will have. God has overcome sin and death by dying upon the cross to remove the power of sin and its curse, death. All who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ will be forgiven of all unrighteousness. In the last day, when every human who has ever lived will be resurrected, those who are in Christ will not suffer any judgement, but they will be made perfect by the grace of God. The sermon points all true believers to the great hope of the future life with Christ in the new heaven and the new earth. But to those that do not trust in Jesus now, this sermon calls them to repent of their sins and flee to Jesus, the friend of sinners. Christ is the only salvation from death and sin.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul preached the fact of the resurrection - the historicity of Jesus' resurrection.
- The apostle Paul preached why the resurrection was necessary. It was necessary to fulfill Old Testament prophecies. Jesus himself predicted his resurrection. The resurrection proves Jesus' deity and godhead. The resurrection proves Jesus satisfied God's law and demands. The resurrection proves Jesus conquered all enemies of man: sin, the devil, the law, and death.
- The meaning and message of the resurrection is that Jesus is the only savior and king. He is the king of kings and lord of lords. He is the judge of all the earth. Our eternal fate depends on our relationship to Jesus.
- Nothing matters except your relationship to Jesus. He alone can satisfy and save. We should praise God for the work of Jesus on the cross and resurrection.
Other Sermons
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.