January 1957

When Scripture speaks of believers being indwelt by Christ Jesus, it is referring to a real experience, not simply an emotional reaction. In this sermon on Ephesians 3:17 titled “The Heart Prepared,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings this foundational truth to bear because it is something all believers should experience as they grow in maturity, faith, and understanding of Christ. There is no special indwelling only for ministers and preachers, but this is something all Christians can and should experience. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that this is not an experience of faith, as opposed to true and tangible experience. He looks to many ordinary saints throughout the many centuries of the church as testament to this truth. We see men and women who had a real, life-altering experiences of this indwelling. However, like all aspects of the Christian life, it is not something humans do apart from the grace and power of God. For it starts with salvation and conversion, and is a part of the ongoing work of sanctification in the lives of believers. This great truth should encourage all Christians to seek growth in Christ and to come to know Him more and more as they live in faith and love.

What is Christianity interested in? In this sermon on John 3:5–9 titled “Beyond Understanding,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers that Christianity isn't interested in a person’s actions but instead is interested in a person’s individual relationship with God. That relationship secures eternal life. People come and leave this world individually, he states. And when they depart from this world, they are in two camps. They can be in the world’s, or they can be in God’s. There is only one way to enter God’s camp, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says. A person must be born again to receive eternal life. The New Testament has different names for this: regeneration, made anew, or God’s workmanship. However, the result is still eternal life with God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that this being born again is not of a person’s doing. This spiritual birth is made possible entirely through God. It is a miracle, purely unexplainable and beyond a person’s understanding. In closing, Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to the incredible power of the gospel in the life of Paul; no person is beyond God’s merciful and perfect love.

Is there anyone without sin? What characterizes human nature apart from God? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones outlines Romans 3:9¬-20 as Paul explains human characteristics when they are apart from God. First, there is none righteous apart from God, as He is the only way to salvation. No one fully understands spiritual truth or divine things because their mind has only a secular nature. They lack much understanding when it comes to sin, the wrath of God, true happiness, and their own eternal understanding. Humanity is so lost in its understanding that it naturally strays from God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones illustrates how these natural inclinations are manifested in human behavior, where sin starts in the heart and then to progresses to mouths and feet. While human instinct is to run from God, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows the absolute necessity of God’s way of salvation.

All Christians should seek to know and love God more. In this sermon on Ephesians 3:17 titled “The Indwelling Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that part of this pursuit is what he refers to as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This indwelling should be thought of differently from the sealing of the Holy Spirit that all believers experience when they are saved and regenerated. This experience of the indwelling of Christ is one that comes when Christians seek to cultivate deep and abiding love for Christ and his word. It is not a one-time experience or action, but it should continue throughout the life of all believers. This relationship can be thought of as a mystical union whereby Christ and the believer are united in a special and mysterious way. This is an objective experience that is not simply emotional, but it is born out of a real knowledge of who Christ is and what He has done in His death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones cautions that this great truth should not promote feelings of spiritual superiority in believers, but it should strengthen all believers in their pursuit of Christ in this life. This is not a special experience reserved for the spiritual elite, but it is something that all Christians can experience by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What changes when someone is saved? In this sermon on John 3:1–7 titled “Characteristics of the Kingdom,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones unfolds the difference between those who know Christ and those who merely know about Him. True salvation is a change from death to life, darkness to light. It is to come out of the kingdom of darkness and to enter the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God cannot even be seen by those who are in sin and have a darkened mind. Only a supernatural act of divine grace applied by the Holy Spirit can possibly overcome the fallen nature of humanity and allow them to see God and Christ Jesus. This new orientation causes people to seek the kingdom of God and to continually battle against sin and unrighteousness. This is the truth of the gospel, that those who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ are made inheritors of all the blessings of God. They are transferred from the kingdom of the devil into the kingdom of God, but those who reject this message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ remain in sin and condemnation.

If God forgives sin, then why stop? That is the question asked of the preacher since Paul wrote the book of Romans. In the sermon from Romans 3:3 titled “The Faith of God Without Effect?”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones outlines three arguments that explain how critical repentance is to true saving faith and how that faith leads believers away from a life of entrenched sin. Dr. Lloyd-Jones, preaching about the faithfulness of God, asks: “Did Israel’s unfaithfulness do away with all of the value they had because they had the oracles of God? If the failure of the Jews makes God look more glorious, then why does God punish them? If our sin makes God’s grace and mercy that much greater, then would it not make sense to sin even more?” As Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers these critical arguments, he also reminds the listener that when they test a view of the Lord and His word, they should ask if that view glorifies God. If the answer causes one to question or doubt God in all His faithfulness, righteousness and power, then the view is wrong.

The indwelling of Christ in the hearts of believers that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 3:17 is not referring to Christians receiving Christ in their hearts at salvation. In this sermon on Ephesians 3:17 titled “Christ in the Heart,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says it is Christ manifested in the hearts of those who already believe. This kind of manifestation of Christ is fundamentally different from what happens in regeneration when the believer becomes united to Christ in faith and the Holy Spirit. This is a continual indwelling whereby Christ is always present throughout the life of the believer by comforting and guiding them. This is one of the most important truths of the Christian life, for in it is seen all the working and striving as a result of Christ who Himself is working in and through the believer to accomplish all these things. When the Christian understands who Christ is and what he has done for them, it is vain and fruitless to fight sin and temptation with one’s own strength and power. This comforting truth presented by Dr. Lloyd-Jones both humbles and encourages by showing just how weak people are on their own. It shows how great Christ is who indwells and empowers the Christian to live as He has called them.

In his sermon on “Let a Man Examine Himself,” from John 2:23–25, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tackles the important topic of unbelief. How does unbelief come about, and how does Jesus respond? He offers an explanation to Christ’s actions. In the passage, Jesus performs miracles and many of the crowd believed in His name, but Christ did not give Himself to them, for He knew their hearts. Why did Christ reject them? Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to their unbelief. The people who gathered believed in His miracles, but they did not believe in His teaching. In many ways, they resembled Nicodemus. The Pharisee approached Jesus at night, wondering why He was able to perform such signs and miracles. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that Nicodemus wasn’t interested in Jesus’s teaching, and that is why he never understood. The proper approach to Christ is like that of the disciples. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says all should mimic the disciples’ desire to know God. They saw Christ’s miracles, but also wanted to know where He was staying so they could listen and understand. This is the kind of belief God is interested in, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says. These are the people who will understand God’s love, and His Son’s redemptive sacrifice on the cross.

Is there any advantage to being a Jew? The apostle Paul understands this questioning might come up after all he has said about their guilt. However, his point was to prove that the whole world was condemned by sin before God. In this sermon from Romans 3:1–2 titled “Stewards of the Mysteries,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains Paul’s words that showed that Jews do have one advantage: they were given the divine oracles of God. They were entrusted with the living revelation of God’s word and were tasked with keeping it safe and spreading the truth to others. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that there is no higher privilege for any human than to be spoken to directly by God. God spoke to Moses by giving him the Ten Commandments and Moses brought them to God’s chosen people, the Jews. To have this kind of knowledge should lead to repentance and to seek salvation from God. In the same manner, does the Christian understand what kind of advantage it is for them to have an open Bible? They have the living Word of God in front of them and are entrusted to keep the truth and share it with others.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33 seem simple: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reveals in his sermon on Matthew 6:33 “Seek Ye First,” they are in fact a profound statement on the priorities of the Christian life. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the impact “seek ye first” can have on a Christian’s life and how seeking God and his righteousness can change perspectives for the better.

The idea of Christian hope is criticized by the world as a mere fantasy. It seems foolish to many because of the proliferation of wars, chaos, and political tension across the globe. In this sermon on Revelation 21:1 titled “A New Heaven and a New Earth,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that hope is a main characteristic of the gospel itself and is the message of the Bible. Hope is an anchor for souls in the midst of chaos, not a reason for cynicism and disbelief. It is both optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. It is pessimistic as it reveals to the truth of the human condition. In stark and realistic terms, the Bible gives the diagnosis of the human heart as sinful and separated from God. This condition is true of every leader in the world. This is true but this is not where believers are left. The Bible gives an explanation for the human condition and also gives the hope of a new heaven and new earth where sorrow and sin are no more. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages hearts in this sermon with the reminder that the gospel is immediately pessimistic but ultimately, and gloriously, optimistic. Listeners are reminded to set their eyes on the things of heaven as they await the new heaven and new earth.