Found: Dr. Lloyd-Jones' Last Sermon at Sandfields
After years of searching, the MLJ Trust has recovered what may be the rarest recording in our entire collection: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' final sermon at Sandfields, Aberavon, preached in 1977 on 1 Corinthians 2:2—"For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
"I've spent the last three years trying every means to track down a copy of this particular message," said Robert Stone, an MLJ Trust volunteer in the UK. "I've asked many times [on social media] if anyone had a copy, but no one ever came forward. So I kept looking, hoping that there was a copy somewhere."
What makes this discovery particularly remarkable is that Dr. Lloyd-Jones preached on this same verse in 1926 when he began his ministry at Sandfields, and again in February 1977 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his call there. Throughout the fifty year interval, his message remained unchanged.
A Ministry Defined by One Message
In 1926, a 27-year-old physician walked away from a prestigious medical career under Lord Horder, the King's physician, to preach the gospel in a struggling Welsh industrial town. Many thought he was throwing his life away. But Dr. Lloyd-Jones knew exactly what he was called to do, and he declared it in his very first sermon: he would know nothing but Christ crucified.
For 51 years—first at Sandfields from 1926 to 1938, then at Westminster Chapel in London from 1938 to 1968—Dr. Lloyd-Jones never wavered from that determination. He preached expository sermons that were doctrinal, Christ-centered, and Spirit-empowered. He rejected the entertainment and social programs that characterized many churches of his era, believing that "the preaching of the gospel was enough."
The Fiftieth Anniversary
When Dr. Lloyd-Jones returned to Sandfields in February 1977, fifty years after beginning his ministry there, he chose to preach on the same verse again. By then, he had become one of the most influential preachers of the twentieth century. Yet Dr. Lloyd-Jones returned to where it all began and preached the same simple, profound truth: Christ crucified.
The fact that it's rare for any pastor to serve faithfully for five decades—much less to maintain the same gospel clarity and power throughout—makes this recording a treasure. It bookends a ministry that transformed thousands of lives and continues to impact the church worldwide today.
A Long Search Finally Rewarded
This recording has been sought for years. Despite repeated inquiries and searches through various collections, no copy could be found. Stone even spoke with the person who was responsible for recording sermons at Sandfields in the 1970s, but "he was not even sure if it was recorded, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones was not interested in having it recorded at all."
The breakthrough came unexpectedly. "This copy was pretty much the last CD at the bottom of a pile from my dear friend Peter Jefferys' last load of media, passed onto me via Lorna his wife, as she found these few remaining CDs in his old study," Stone explained.
After three years of searching, the sermon on the verse that opened and closed Dr. Lloyd-Jones' preaching from the pulpit at Sandfields has been found.
What This Means for the MLJ Trust
Since 2013, the MLJ Trust has worked to preserve and freely distribute over 1,600 sermons by Dr. Lloyd-Jones. These recordings have reached 850,000+ listeners across 200+ countries, with more than 25 million downloads. Each sermon discovered adds to this extraordinary library of biblical preaching.
This particular sermon holds special significance not just for its rarity, but for what it represents: a man who determined to know nothing but Christ crucified, and who never looked back on that decision. From his first day at Sandfields to his final years of ministry, Dr. Lloyd-Jones remained faithful to that calling.
The sermon will be carefully processed and prepared for release in 2026. As Stone noted, it will be "kept back until 2026 for reasons that will become obvious when you hear the opening remarks."
Share This Discovery
If you know others who treasure Dr. Lloyd-Jones' ministry, please share this news with them. The discovery of rare recordings like this one reminds us why the MLJ Trust exists: to ensure that Dr. Lloyd-Jones' voice continues to proclaim "Jesus Christ, and him crucified" to new generations.
For those who support this ministry through prayer and giving, thank you. Your faithfulness makes it possible for volunteers like Robert Stone to preserve, digitize, and freely share these sermons with the world. Stay connected with us as we prepare to release this historic recording in 2026.