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Sermon #2062

The Church and Her Message

A Sermon on Acts 6:1-7

Originally preached July 10, 1966

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Scripture

Acts 6:1-7 ESV KJV
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give …

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Sermon Description

The primary task of the church is to preach the message of the gospel. In this sermon from Acts 6:1–7 titled “The Church and Her Message,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how easily the true nature of the gospel is forgotten; it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. People try to reduce the gospel to the level of modern humanity. Energy is expended on new methods, new messages, or new approaches that strip out the offensive supernatural aspects; new translations that try to make the message more attainable; and new entertainment to make the gospel more accessible and palatable. What is the method of the true gospel? Its whole emphasis is the proclamation of the word which is truth. The method of the gospel is reliance on the supernatural power of the Spirit of God. Anything else is of no value. Someone is made a Christian by nothing less than the Spirit of God himself. The moment a person becomes a new creature,” they desire a greater knowledge of the truth and become a student able to receive it. Disciples are learners, showing the lie that belief in methodologies is necessary for conversion to and comprehension of the gospel. The glory of the gospel is the sufficiency of the power of God for salvation.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The church met a temptation that if succumbed to, would have made a great difference to the whole story of Christianity.
  2. The temptation came in looking after the widows. The numbers had increased and it was difficult.
  3. The apostles established that the primary task of the church is to preach the gospel, not to change social conditions or do acts of kindness.
  4. The message is the proclamation of a word, which is truth. The method is the supernatural power of the Spirit of God.
  5. Stephen was full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles. The opposition could not resist the wisdom and Spirit with which he spoke.
  6. The gospel does not care about antecedents. It makes brethren of all types and conditions of men.
  7. The gospel gives a desire for truth and the ability to receive it. It gives the power of discrimination.
  8. The gospel reforms men and makes them men of character.
  9. The gospel can fill men with the Spirit, giving gifts like wisdom, faith, miracles, and healing.
  10. Stephen's face looked like an angel's face. God was shining through him.
  11. The gospel is invincible. The church has faced opposition from the beginning but continues to triumph.
  12. The gospel will triumph because it is the word and truth of God. God must prevail.
  13. The opposition is feeble. They could not resist the wisdom and Spirit with which Stephen spoke. There is no real answer to the gospel.
  14. The gospel triumphs through the power of God. The power that raised Jesus from the dead.

Sermon Q&A

What Was the Primary Task of the Early Church According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Acts 6, the primary task of the early church was to preach the gospel, not to change social conditions or perform acts of kindness and mercy. This is clearly established in the chapter when the apostles say, "It is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables."

Why did Dr. Lloyd-Jones consider Acts 6 a turning point in church history?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones considered Acts 6 a turning point because the church met a temptation and could have taken a different direction. If the apostles had abandoned their primary task of preaching to focus solely on social welfare (caring for widows), it would have fundamentally altered Christianity's mission. As Lloyd-Jones states: "The church here met a temptation and if she had succumbed and fallen to the temptation, it would have made a very great difference to the whole story of Christianity. Indeed, it's doubtful whether there would have been a story at all if they had fallen to the temptation."

What are the two main components of the gospel method according to this sermon?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the gospel method consists of two main components:

  1. The proclamation of a word which is truth: "It is a teaching, it is an instruction, it is an enlightenment, it is the imparting of knowledge." The gospel puts its faith in the character of the message itself.

  2. Power: "Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people." This is the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes: "The method of the gospel is the method of the supernatural power of the spirit of God."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe what happens when someone becomes a Christian?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes becoming a Christian as a complete transformation by supernatural power. He states: "A Christian is a man who has been born again. Our Lord taught it to Nicodemus. We mustn't reduce this. Nothing less is of any value. You don't decide to be a Christian, you are made a Christian. And you are made a Christian by nothing less than the spirit of God himself."

This transformation includes: - Becoming part of a new family ("brethren") - Developing a hunger for spiritual teaching ("disciples") - Character transformation ("men of honest report") - Being filled with the Holy Spirit and receiving spiritual gifts

What is Dr. Lloyd-Jones' critique of modern approaches to sharing the gospel?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones critiques modern approaches to sharing the gospel that focus on:

  1. Catering to modern preferences: "Many start there, and this is the thing that controls all their thinking, modern men."

  2. Changing the message to suit modern audiences: "This is the great emphasis amongst the intellectuals... trying to work out a new gospel."

  3. Relying on new translations or entertainment: "Once you come down to their level and do things that they normally do and slip in your gospel, as it were, that's the way to succeed."

His main criticism is that these approaches "have never seen the greatness of this gospel" and have "reduced this glorious gospel to the level of modern men." He argues they're "making something small of it, something ordinary, something cheap, something easy," whereas the true gospel is "the power of God unto salvation" that doesn't need to be modified to suit human preferences.

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.