The Resurrection; its Relevance Today
A Sermon on the Resurrection from Acts 17:18
Originally preached April 2, 1961
Scripture
18Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
Sermon Description
The fact of the resurrection stands at the center of Christianity. The empty tomb is the sign of God’s promise to raise Christ from the dead as a testament to His victory over sin. Yet sceptics scorn the idea of the physical and bodily resurrection. In this sermon on the resurrection from Acts 17:18, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that there is nothing new in their criticisms against the resurrection, for in the days of the apostles there were those who scorned and scoffed at the resurrection. But there is no excuse for rejecting the resurrection because all the evidence is clear: Christ rose from the dead. But it is sin that corrupts and blinds, so humankind is unable and unwilling to believe in Jesus. Humanity’s fundamental problem is that they are sinful. All humanity’s great wisdom and learning is subject to its sinful nature. The only answer to humanity’s problem is the grace of God in salvation. God has appointed His Son as the only way anyone can be saved. The only escape from the judgement of God is through faith in the gospel. This is the most important message that the world can hear. It is the message that Jesus has died and rose from the dead for the salvation of sinners.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon is about the meaning and significance of Easter. Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses how the majority of people today view Easter as just another holiday and have no understanding of its true meaning.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones then discusses the account of Paul preaching in Athens from Acts 17. He notes that the attitude of the Athenians towards the resurrection was the same as that of people today. They mocked it and thought it was foolish.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that Paul preached the resurrection because it was a fact. Paul had seen the risen Christ and knew it was true. The resurrection proves that Jesus is the Son of God.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the Athenians were seeking truth but could not find it. They even had an altar to the “unknown God.” Paul preached to them about this unknown God - the one true God.
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This one true God is the creator and sustainer of all things. He desires worship and obedience. He has appointed a day of judgment where all will be judged through Jesus Christ.
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The judgment will be based on whether we have loved and worshipped God. None of us have done this perfectly, so we are all condemned. But Christ came to provide a way of escape through his death on the cross.
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We must repent of our sins and believe in Christ to be saved from condemnation. If we do, we can have eternal life and peace with God.
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It is hard to believe we will die and face judgment, but we must believe based on Christ’s resurrection. We should not waste time but repent and believe today.
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In summary, the meaning of Easter is that Christ died for our sins, rose again, and will return to judge the world. We must repent and believe in him to be saved.
Sermons on Unbelief
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.