In his sermon on Acts 8:4-5 "Facing the Facts" Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounded on the fact of the Gospel and proclaiming it, refuting the tendency even in his day, the preaching of one's "experience". The Gospel is not "your experience" of it. The Gospel message is the Word, and a very particular word at that. It is a set of facts which, as ambassadors commanded to deliver the exact message we are given, is to be proclaimed. It is not how happy we've become through it. The message is not how our lives have changed from it. The message is not about how abundant our lives have been since hearing it. It is a message resting on particularly unique historical facts and heavenly bread, given us to speak. We do have experiences from God and through God. However the experiences we have are not the message. We should never preach ourselves, but Jesus only.Here is Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones refuting experience AS the Gospel.
One's experience is not a defense of the truth. That is what the cults say. It is what psychology says. Proclaiming the Gospel is answering the questions, Who is Jesus Christ? how have these things happened? What are the historical events? And what is their relationship to me? That is what these men spoke about.
They certainly had an experience. It was such an experience that they were ready to suffer for it, and be persecuted for and to be driven out of their homes for it rather then deny it. But that wasn't what they talked about.
I don't apologize for the intolerance of the New Testament. Let me put it like this to you, I would not be in this pulpit if I haven't got an intolerant Gospel. If I were not certain that this and this alone is the word of God, I wouldn't be in this pulpit. I'm not here to express my hopes, my fears, my anticipations, my thoughts, my desires..no! no! I'm here to proclaim to you, to tell you. It is because I am certain of it, sure of it, not because of my experience, but because of what it IS.
