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The modern church believes that the Bible has value, but is not relevant to this scientific age. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:14 titled “The Faith of the Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that this is foolish. The moment one sits in judgment of it, they pridefully place their own reason above the word of God. Modern teachers say there is no such thing as propositional truth. They say that the Bible is just the record of men’s mystical experiences of God. This is existentialism: nothing matters except the moment of truth where I encounter and accept God. To modern teachers, there is no objective standard to use in forming beliefs. However, the Bible teaches that truth can be known and reduced to actual definitions and statements. Christians have something outside themselves to check their own feelings and opinions of others. When the Bible speaks of mystery, it means truth that is inaccessible to the minds of humanity until revealed by God. Apostolic Christianity is propositional — “this” is the gospel, “that” is not. There is a definite message to measure and test teaching and that message can be found in the Bible alone.
In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:22–24 titled “The Everlasting Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks how the listener thinks about the Christian faith and message. It is a message that one never expects or desires. The cross cannot be removed from this message, yet it is a stumbling block to many. Many think they know what they need and are still looking for a sign, but God gave the message. It is impossible for any to know the truth about themselves while still in sin. Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that everyone not only needs help, but they need complete deliverance. The preaching of the cross is an offense to human ears. Why do they resent the cross? Due to the implications, this message is offensive by nature. It denounces everything that people rely upon. People are proud and self-confident, but listen and learn that even the wisest cannot stand before God justly. The blood of Christ is required. This is the Christian message and there is no other. Christ came to die — this is God’s way of salvation, the everlasting gospel. Believe it and be found in Him.
In this sermon on 2 Timothy 1:12 titled “The Meaning of the Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that many people think they can construct a worldview built from Christianity along with other religions or ways of thought and still experience the same hope as a follower of Christ. But as Dr. Lloyd-Jones illustrates from this Scripture, no one can have the benefits of Christianity without believing and following Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the gospel and its importance for everyone. Jesus, the God-man, entered into time and became God in the flesh. In His living, He showed how one is to live. In His sacrificial death and resurrection, He made a way for people to be made right with God and to have their sins forgiven. All that He claimed to be while alive was proven by His resurrection, showing that He is God and the Lord over all, even death. He established that death is not the end — He has conquered it. One cannot have this hope and confidence unless they trust in Jesus solely as their Savior from sin and following Him as master. He alone can save and give hope.
If a Christian does not find the gospel thrilling, they find themselves in the same position as the Galatian church when the apostle Paul wrote to them. In this sermon on Galatians 1:8, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that the gospel is most simply this: the Good News. The gospel is the most simple, most clear, and most thrilling message that has ever existed and we must be careful to speak of and think of the gospel in this way. Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells us that the whole trouble of the current generation, and every generation, for that matter, is that it does not concern themselves with learning the gospel well and being gripped by its thrilling message. God sent his own Son to die in our place and there is no other Good News. When this message is truly contemplated, the Christian will burst with praise and thanks.
Some people believe that the world is advancing toward perfection. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:18–20 titled “The Mystery of the Gospel (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that this doesn’t fit the observable patterns of reality. The Bible’s storyline of creation, the fall of humankind, and the consequences are the only reasonable explanation for the human condition. People are baffled that if God is all powerful and good, why does He allow pain and suffering? The answer goes back to the first sin at the fall and the Bible goes further. God, in His eternal wisdom, has permitted it. God decided to allow freedom of will to the devil and to people in their initial perfection, giving freedom of the possibility of the broken world as it is known. Though He permits evil, God puts a limit to it. The world thinks God’s way of dealing with this broken world would of necessity be one of gradual improvement and reformation. But the Bible tells that this is not the case. God has chosen to redeem through the cross of His Son Jesus Christ. At His second coming, the current world reality will be obliterated.
What is the only hope for the world? What is the only light that can pierce the darkness of sin and evil? In this sermon on Acts 20:24, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives the one answer found in Holy Scripture: the gospel. There is no hope for this world apart from the electing grace of God in Jesus Christ. God sent His only Son into the world to die upon the cross in the place of sinners and the very enemies of God so that all who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus are saved. All who trust in Christ receive the grace of God. The Bible tells us that all salvation is wholly the result of God’s grace that He gives freely. There is nothing anyone can do to save themselves. God has given the ultimate gift of salvation to sinners who by nature hate God and all His ways. What grace! This sermon calls each and every man, woman, and child to repent of their sins and look to Jesus Christ as their only hope and comfort in this world. There is no other hope than Jesus Christ.
Why is the Jewish nation now outside the kingdom of God? In this sermon on Romans 10:18–21 titled “The Gospel and the Jews,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones analyzes and confirms that it is not because the Jews lack hearing or because there is a lack of plain teaching to them. Paul has made three things very clear thus far in Romans: the way of salvation, the inclusion of the Gentiles, and the exclusion of the Jews. The Jews did in fact receive very clear teaching about this from Moses and other prophets. Moses even explicitly said that the kingdom of God would be taken from the Jewish nation and given to a nation bearing fruit. So if the Jews have heard and received teaching, what are the reasons they are no longer in the kingdom? It was due to their false views on salvation. They thought of it in terms of their nation and the fact that they were circumcised. They had a false confidence in their flesh, holding onto their family lineage, and the fact that they had the Scriptures of the Lord. That proved to be their stumbling block. God requires that believers be not only hearers of the law but also doers of the law.
Who has the answers, God or humanity? In this sermon on 1 Timothy 1:1, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows the error of putting human thinking above the wisdom of God. He shows that all sin stems from Adam and Eve putting their reason above God when they ate of the forbidden fruit. Modern humanity is no different; they look to themselves to solve the problems of the world. This is hopeless because salvation comes not through humanity’s own deeds, but it is a free gift from God. This is how God has shown the wisdom of the world to be utter foolishness. He sent His only Son to die upon a cross in the place of the very people who murdered Him. Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims that it is Jesus who came to die and rise from the grave in order to break the bonds of sin, and to free all from sin’s dominion and condemnation. This sermon will encourage all who are trusting in their own wisdom to turn to Jesus as the only true source of happiness, peace, and true communion with God. The message of the glorious gospel is one that commands people to turn away from themselves and look to Christ as the only Savior sent from God.
What is the nature of true peace? Many say that peace is simply the absence of war or conflict. In this sermon on Romans 10:15 titled “The Gospel of Peace” however, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that there is a better peace that God gives. The Bible says that all are in sin and wholly corrupt. They fight each other because they are sinners who are alienated from God. This wrong relationship with God is the source of all strife and hostility amongst people, and until people are made right with God, they will not be made right with one another. This is why God not only provides a way for all to be redeemed from their sins, but also to restore their relationship with God. This right relationship is what gives true and lasting peace because it gives the knowledge that God loves humanity and has died for all. This peace shows that one can rest in God and not themselves. It shows that while this world is passing away, one has hope in the world to come when Christ returns to bring the new heaven and the new earth. What does this mean for believers now? This means that they should not look to any other source of peace than what God has given in His Son.
Why do people reject the only message of salvation? All throughout Scripture, men and women confront Jesus and His message of forgiveness and absolution from all sins, yet they reject it. In this sermon on Acts 26:55 titled “Why is the Gospel Rejected?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer the question. If one believes the Bible, then they know that all are in sin and enslaved to their selfish desires. They do not love or seek what is good and godly. So even in the undeniable fact of their need for sin and of Christ dying and rising again for the salvation of sinners, people are still unwilling to come to God. Even though all are destined to die, they still refuse to come to their only source of salvation: the gospel. Holy Scripture tells that no one can come to the Father unless Jesus draws them. No one can believe in the gospel because they are enslaved to sin, but in God’s grace they can be saved. God can open the eyes of sinners to believe and receive new life in Christ.
Humanity’s fundamental need is to know the truth about the world, themselves, and God. The gospel provides these truths and thankfully does not merely stop there—it is good news. Not a product of humanity, the gospel is a certain revelation of God’s eternal heart. God has made a way of salvation for the human predicament. In this sermon on Galatians 1:6–7 titled “No Other Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches how God can be one’s Father. “And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior’s blood?” This sermon shows Paul’s urgent concern for the people who had gone wrong on how to become possessors of this blessing. Learn about the truth that changed Luther and many mighty men of God, causing the Protestant Reformation. What is the doctrine of justification by faith? Preaching must explain this particular doctrine. How does one become a Christian? It is not by birth, nationality, circumcision, baptism, diet, or the law. The law is absolute—if one fails in one part, they have broken it entirely. God alone can make a person a Christian. Christ has taken away the sin and clothes His people with His righteousness.
What is the Gospel? Paul was forced to defend and expound the Gospel of grace alone in Galatians 1:6-9 because there were those that were preaching a different 'gospel.' Paul says that Christians are those that have been called by God out of the world of sin and evil into the new life of Christ. All those that are called by God will come to Him and they will persevere. While many will hear the Gospel, only those that God effectually calls will come to Him and be saved. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows how this doctrine has great practical significance. It shows us that salvation is a matter of grace, no one can come to God until he enlightens them and draws them to himself. This sermon forces us all to asks ourselves, am I trusting in Jesus? Am I resting in God’s grace alone? The Gospel that Paul defends is one of grace and peace. Only the Gospel of grace can transform us and bring us into a loving relationship with God.
We live in a world where the Church is losing influence and people are moving farther and farther from the truth. To confront these negative trends people have put forth solutions to how we can “sell” the gospel better and communicate more as a global church. However, in Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ sermon on 1 Thessalonians 1:5, he reveals the true way we should spread the gospel. Many Christians believe that a new message is needed to attract the masses, while others say that huge, concert-like gatherings are the key to spreading the gospel. Many say that the same old message just isn’t working and must be altered. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that the message is not the problem. No, the message was powerful enough to convert the entire Roman Empire, and the Romans had a society of sin and lust, similar to ours. No, the message is not the problem. The problem is the way we present it. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to how the early church spread the gospel by apostolic teaching and by the testimony of their lives. Likewise, Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges us to do the same. We must live out the message of the gospel so that others can see the power of God in us. This was the original way that the gospel was spread, and it is the best method for evangelism, even today. With this said, Dr. Lloyd-Jones confronts another problem that is plaguing the spread of the gospel. He states that churches simply aren’t telling the true message of the gospel. Modern evangelists pride themselves in telling the good news of Jesus Christ, but forget to tell people why Jesus came. Without knowledge of their sin, unbelievers may live life thinking they are Christians, while they continue sinning freely. Like Paul, we should not focus on flattering audiences, cracking jokes, or hosting large events, but instead tell unbelievers that they are sinners in the presence of a holy God. Only when we know we are sinners, do we turn to Christ for redemption.
What is Christianity? Many see Christianity as nothing more than another philosophical or political view. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 4:1–6 titled “The Gospel of the Glory of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains why this is completely wrong. He says that Christianity is about the person and work of Christ. It is about what God has done to save sinners doomed to death. Jesus is not just another religious teacher, but He is the perfect imprint of God’s nature, God Himself. Since He is God, He is glorious and perfect, but as a man He died in the place of sinners so that all who believe in Him might be saved from sin. Jesus is worthy of all praise and glory, and demands all human worship. It is Jesus who is supremely revealed in Scripture, and it is Jesus that will come in glory to judge the living and the dead. This sermon is a call for all men and women to forsake their sin and come to Jesus. He invites all sinners to leave behind their evil ways and come to Him for their righteousness. There is nothing more to do other than to come to Jesus and be saved.
Listen to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Acts 16 to Bridgnorth Baptist Church in 1977 as he considers the account of how Christianity came to the pagan culture of Europe. In this sermon, he tracks the history to see how intellectual and pagan cultures were affected by the Gospel. Why did Paul come to Europe? Who is the message of the Bible for? Listen and understand that the future of the church and the gospel is not up to the Christian – it is all part of God's plan that He has kept for generations before and will continue for generations after. Learn how God works in ways contrary to humanity’s plan. “We must be orthodox, but alone it is not enough,” reminds Dr. Lloyd-Jones. It is dangerous to have a dead orthodoxy, knowing the truth but not living it. Look at the example of Lydia in Acts 16 and remember that no one can convert another; only God can turn a heart of stone into flesh. Dr Lloyd-Jones also warns that it is not enough to merely hear the gospel; people of faith must attend to it. They must not be such experts on the evil powers of this age, but experts on the things of God. The listener is encouraged to have faith in God and what He has purposed, for He will surely bring all to pass.
Does Christianity have a place in today’s modern world, or is it outdated and in need of being replaced by newer ideas? Many people think that Christianity, and especially many of its teachings, are irrelevant because they are from such a long time ago. In this sermon on Hebrews 12:27–29 titled “The Gospel in the Modern World,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that the Christian faith is needed just as much now as it was then. People throughout history have thought that the world would get better with new technology, globalization, and other breakthroughs that would unite the world. However, these man-made solutions have failed to bring about the utopia that many hoped for. Massive empires that once dominated the world are now nothing. Science, philosophy, wealth, and politics have all failed to bring about the change that is desperately desired. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that this is due to human sinfulness. No one is perfect and nothing they build can be perfect. Thus, no one is capable of ultimately fixing the issues encountered in the world. The Bible alone gives an explanation for the state of the current world, and the Bible alone provides a basis of hope for the future. God’s kingdom is the only one that won’t change and that will last forever.
As the modern world jeers at the church’s declining numbers in the West, it also mocks the pronouncement that the future still belongs to God. Christians today might assume such feelings of alienation are a modern phenomenon. In this sermon on 2 Peter 3:1–18 titled “The Gospel and the Modern Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones attests that there is nothing new about the modern world mocking God’s plan. People may think this is only part of the modern world, but it is as old as the fall of humankind. Scoffers have always made grand pronouncements about the Christian message as foolish, wishful thinking. Why should Christians think the future belongs to God? Is the modern world correct? Is there any encouragement for the nervous Christian? Dr. Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer these pressing questions. While taking his beginning point from 2 Peter 3, Dr. Lloyd-Jones surveys the Bible as he argues that the future of every individual, of every nation, in the entire world, is in the hands of God. Interacting with philosophical concepts like God’s permissive will, Satan, the presence of evil in the world, as well as history and prophesy, Dr. Lloyd-Jones maintains that God is still exercising His lordship over the world. The coming Day of the Lord will be like a thief in the night, but for those who hold fast to God’s salvation it will be bright.
If ever there was a time to go back to the first principles of Christianity, it is now. While there are still parts of the Christian faith that pervade Western culture to this day, it can hardly be doubted that the majority of people are not familiar with the basic message of the faith. Paul likewise did not take it for granted that the church at Corinth needed to be reminded of the foundational principles. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones challenges the contemporary church’s preoccupation with the world instead of these first principles. In his sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Dr. Lloyd-Jones lays out the basic content of the gospel. He asks fundamental questions which need to be asked regularly, especially in a biblically illiterate culture: what is Christianity all about and what is the content of the church’s message? Lloyd-Jones follows the biblical text closely, bringing out the central aspects of the gospel: God’s holiness and wrath, sin, Christ’s substitutionary death, resurrection, salvation, and forgiveness.
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.
As time has progressed and the world has become more secular, many charge that the gospel is useless, outdated, and has failed despite being given several centuries to flourish and establish itself. In this sermon on 2 Timothy 1:12 titled “The Age of Reason,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers some of the criticisms of the gospel and helps the listener understand how they can formulate a biblical answer that is intellectually and spiritually satisfying. The first difficulty is the definition of the gospel. While many different people will offer to have their own “version” of the gospel, Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to Scripture and reminds that Paul defined the gospel therein. Second, many feel that the gospel has failed. Yet Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that it has accomplished exactly what it was established to do: to reconcile people to God through faith in Jesus’s atoning sacrifice for their sins. Third, some object that the gospel is of no value because progress has left it far behind. Yet the struggles of people today are no different than they were in the first century — Scripture is still incredibly relevant. So what is the gospel? What is human authority? Does reason have limits? Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers these questions and points to why humans need divine revelation and why Scripture is the best answer to problems today.
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