December 1959

Do you ever worry about the state of Christianity in today’s world? Many denominations are leaving orthodox beliefs, traditional beliefs are scoffed at, our country seems to be falling apart. Where is God in all of this? In examining Mary’s song of praise, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows us how God is always faithful to His people, although the times may be dark. We are reminded of the promise made to Abram that he would be the father of many nations. Yet did Abram see this promise fulfilled in his life? God’s ways are much higher than ours, a thousand years is like a day to Him. As His bride, the church should be faithfully and eagerly awaiting Jesus’s second coming. Though it has been over 2,000 years since Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, we can be assured that God will keep His promise. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also reminds us that this promise is personal, and that God has promised to keep us in the faith and rid us of all our sin. If you are discouraged today by the sin of others and yourself, find rest in the promise that all sins will be washed away.

Have you come face-to-face with the real purpose of the Gospel? Has it made any vital difference to you? It's meant to change everything. Listen in as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches from Luke 1:46-55 and talks about the dangers of being unaffected by the Gospel, and what response and reaction it ought to invoke. "To be a Christian means that we have had an experience of the grace of God; that is essential Christianity.” Diving into Mary’s Magnificat, we see the recounting of her response to God's work; in a sense this was the first Christian experience. More than an amazement that she would have a child was the realization of what God was doing on a larger scale. Christianity is, “the life of God in the souls of men.” It is about what God does to us, not what we have done. The mark of a Christian is the experience of God’s grace, but this does not look exactly the same for everyone. Search yourself to see if, “The One who made you at the beginning is making you again.” Assurance is not in a feeling of entitlement to be forgiven, but rather in one who is immensely conscience of his own unworthiness. God’s mercy is on those who fear Him.

In this address delivered at the Puritan Conference on the centenary of the 1859 Revival, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones confronts a startling paradox: those who hold most firmly to the doctrines of sovereign grace have largely ceased to think about revival. Surveying the history of revivals from the seventeenth century through the great awakenings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Dr. Lloyd-Jones traces the decline of revival consciousness in the church after 1860 and identifies its causes — the rise of theological liberalism, the influence of Charles Finney's methods, the dangers of intellectualism, an excessive reaction against Pentecostalism, and the silence of the Puritans themselves on the subject.<br><br>Dr. Lloyd-Jones then dismantles the objections raised against praying for revival, including the claim that Pentecost was a once-for-all event and that reformation must precede any outpouring of the Spirit. Drawing on Buchanan, Smeaton, and Jonathan Edwards, he argues that the history of redemption has been carried forward mainly by remarkable effusions of the Holy Spirit at unexpected times and places — and that nothing so demonstrates the sovereignty of God, the irresistibility of grace, and the impotence of man as revival. The address closes with a fervent call to prayer, grounded in Isaiah 64, that God would rend the heavens and come down.

There is a vast difference between the good news of the eternal Son of God taking on flesh to rescue sinners and the vague commercialized cultural Christmas message of good cheer. The authoritative word of God does not present a Christmas message about the brotherhood of humanity and vague encouragement to have the Christmas spirit. In contrast are the facts about the Son of God and the significance of those facts. In this Christmas sermon on Luke 2:7 titled “…Laid Him in a Manger,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls the church to hold firmly to the historicity of the babe, born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, in a stable, and in the manger. Christians must rid themselves of false sentimentality about what Christmas is truly about and tell the truth about the world . The world, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is blinded to their real need. The world is cold and full of selfishness. The Son of God is humble and was born in the lowliest of situations. Even with the facts, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, all should be amazed that God the Son would come at all for such a dark world. Moreover, when one has the facts, they see the love of God which led to the Son of God coming so that sinners might be reconciled to God. Listeners are encouraged to leave behind the philosophy of Christmas spirit and embrace the historical facts of God taking on human flesh.

Is Christmas really that important? Does the story of Christ’s birth really matter? In this sermon on Luke 1:46–55 titled “The Magnificat I,” Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones preaches of the true significance of Christmas. Christmas is not simply to warm hearts, nor only to produce a cheerful attitude. Christmas is a time when believers in Jesus Christ must magnify the Lord their God. Through an explanation of “The Magnificat” in Luke’s passage, Dr. Lloyd-Jones aids listeners with a rich and theologically profound explanation of Mary’s song of praise upon learning she is pregnant with Jesus. One of the first points Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes is Mary’s heart in forgetting herself and praising the Lord. She is humbled and grateful that the Lord would choose her to bear the Savior of the world. She is able to praise God so thoroughly because her praise is based on understanding, not simply emotion. Since she is able to understand a portion of God’s glory, her emotions correspond and she praises God. She praises God’s power, without which not a soul on this earth would be saved. She praises His holiness, without which He would not be worthy of praise. She praises His mercy, without which everyone would be condemned. In God’s precious mercy, He chose Mary to bear Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Listen in as Dr. Lloyd-Jones helps the hearer worship God better.

How does Jesus shatter thinking of what it means to be great? In this sermon on Luke 1:51–53 titled “The Wisdom of Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at Mary’s song of praise and what it tells about Jesus. Worldly people look to what is outwardly strong and impressive. They look to what is grand and dignified. Yet the Bible tells that God uses the weak and the seemingly unimpressive things to shame the wisdom of the world. There is no better example of this than Jesus Christ. He was born as a baby to a family of no reputation in the land of Judea. But it is this Jesus who is the Savior of the world and the Redeemer of humankind. He did this by dying a humiliating death upon the cross of Calvary and rising from the grave three days later. This is a message of salvation, not to those who are prideful and arrogant, but to those that know they are weak and poor of spirit. It is a message for the outcast and the despised. This gospel asks the question of everyone: “do you believe in Jesus or do you trust in yourself for your own salvation?”

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of the most important parts of prayer is thanksgiving. In this sermon on Ephesians 5:20 titled “Giving Thanks Always Unto God,” he says that one of the clearest gauges of spiritual maturity is how much of prayer is spent in thanksgiving. All who know God as Lord and Savior should live lives marked by continual Spirit-filled praise for all that God has done in and through Jesus Christ. It is by God’s loving grace that His people know Him and are partakers of all the blessings of Christ Jesus the Savior. Christians have new life and hope only in Jesus, and only come to know Christ through the grace of God in sending His Holy Spirit. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones elaborates, Christians can give thanks even for the hardships in life. This can be seen in Acts when Paul and Silas are beaten and thrown in prison but continue to sing praises to God. This is because it is God who sovereignly works in and through all things to bring about His purposes for His people. No matter what trials and tribulations Christians are experiencing, and no matter how bad the circumstances are, they can always give thanks to the God who has delivered them from sin, who loves them, and guards them through all of life.

What does it mean to believe in God? There is perhaps no question that is more important to answer in this life. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to do just this in this sermon on belief from 1 Peter 1:20-21. He says that there is a kind of knowledge that is impersonal and vague: it is the knowledge of God that even the demons know. For they know He exists and who He is, but they do not believe in Him in a saving way. The belief of Christians is quite different from this because Christians believe that God both exists and is worthy of praise and worship. They believe that God revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the Jesus that died, rose from the grave, and now rules in heaven from where He will come to judge the living and the dead. They know Jesus as Lord and Savior who loves them and has died for them to make them inheritors in the life to come. To know God is to believe in His Son and to believe in His Gospel. All must ask themselves: do you believe in Jesus Christ and do you know God? There is no more important question.

Having unpacked numerous New Testament passages in the first part of this series, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones moves to an in-depth look at three possible identities of the wretched man: the regenerate, the unregenerate, or the immature Christian. In this sermon on Romans 7:13-25 titled “The Wretched Man Identity (2),” Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that the identity of this wretched man in Romans 7 is not the regenerate man as this is incompatible with other scriptural teaching. But neither is it describing an unregenerate man, as the man is experiencing genuine conviction of sin. He shows an awareness of his own weakness and failure, but there is no mention of the Holy Spirit and indwelling Christ in the text, thus it cannot be an unregenerate man. Having shown he is neither a regenerate or unregenerate man, Dr. Lloyd-Jones turns to the question of whether this can be a description of an immature believer. He emphatically denies this possibility because no matter the situation, it is impossible for a Christian to utter the cry of verse 24. The Christian does not despair. No, he fights sin and uses restraint and care to mortify his flesh. So then how do we identify this man? How are we to understand the meaning of Paul’s words? Dr. Lloyd-Jones directs our attention to Paul’s intent in writing this passage. The intent is to show that the law is not salvific. This is the point Paul is trying to highlight in dramatic fashion. When man tries to keep the law, he falls under conviction, but has no hope. He doesn’t know or understand the truth of the gospel. This, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones is the central meaning of this difficult passage of Scripture. In Dr Lloyd-Jones’s own words, the man described in Romans 7 is “a man who is experiencing an intense conviction of sin, a man who has been given to see, by the Spirit, the holiness of the Law; and he feels utterly condemned. He is aware of his weakness for the first time, and his complete failure” ( D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Exposition of Chapter 7:1-8:4 The Law: Its Functions and Limits, Edinburgh, Banner of Truth, 1973, p.255). Paul is showing us that there is one great and glorious hope for us. What the law could not do, thanks be to God, the grace of God provides.

All worship that is truly Christian must have its final focus in the person and work of Christ Jesus the Son of God. In this sermon on singing from Ephesians 5:19 titled “Singing to the Lord,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states that all who are truly Christians have been united to Christ and are beneficiaries of His death and resurrection by the regenerating and transforming power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in all who believe the gospel. It is only by the Spirit that any can come to a true and saving knowledge of Jesus and partake in the new life that He has provided in His death. Not only this, but Jesus Christ intercedes for all who believe interceding between people and God. Furthermore, Jesus Christ is the great prophet who reveals God and His will for the world. He serves as the final revelation of who God is and what He has done in His Son and through His Holy Spirit. This great person and work of Christ is the center of all Christianity, but this is the very heart of all true Christian worship. For the majesty and glory of Christ should compel and inspire all the children of God to sing and proclaim the praises of God now and forever.

How are Christians to view this world? In this sermon on 1 Peter 1:13 titled “No Hope For This World,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that the Bible shows that the world is passing and temporary. Christians are to seek not to transform this world, but to bring the gospel that alone can transform the hearts and minds of people. The Bible never promises that this world will be made inevitably better as many people believe, but it teaches that salvation comes to take people out of the world. True peace does not come when war ends, or poverty is removed, but when sinful people are reconciled with God and forgiven of their sins. For this reason, the church is to look not to politics to bring about transformation and renewal, but to the gospel. What then is the Christian’s duties in this world? Christians are to seek the kingdom of God by preaching the gospel to the whole world. They are to preach the gospel as the only means of true peace and salvation from sins and the final judgement of God. Christians must put their hope in God above, not this passing world with its sinful ways. The church is on a pilgrimage, looking towards the day when it will arrive fully and finally in the kingdom of God.

Is the apostle Paul’s exclamation of wretchedness in Romans 7:24-25 a description of the regenerate man at his very best in this life? Who exactly is speaking? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores the exact meaning of this well-known and difficult passage in this sermon on Romans 7:25 titled “The Wretched Man Identity.” As the first sermon in a two-part sermon series, Dr. Lloyd-Jones walks us through seeming parallel passages of Scripture to shed light on the question of the identity of this man — is this a regenerate or unregenerate man? Or perhaps an immature Christian? At first glance, these passages seem to describe the same groaning and state of misery as the man in Romans 7:24-25. But after examining 1 Corinthians 9:27, Ephesians 6, and Galatians 5 closely, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that the these passages, while appearing similar on the surface, are different, indeed opposite, of the man we find in Romans 7. These texts are referring to a certainty of triumph and victory because of the role of the Holy Spirit. It is the success of a regenerate man who is sanctifying himself by the Spirit and is thereby able to crucify sin. By laying the hermeneutical foundation of examining other passages, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones prepares his listeners for the second part to this series by teaching that Romans 7:24-25, in spite of every resolution of the man, is a declaration of captivity. The law of sin in his members is too strong and he is sold under sin. Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones carefully exegetes this passage, contrasts it with other New Testament passages, and lays the groundwork to discuss in-depth the identity of this man.