Unbelief
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A State of Unbelief
What went wrong in the synagogue; unbelief is a state or condition that controls us; bitterness and hatred towards Christ still in evidence today; the manipulations of the devil; unbelief a state of prejudice; unbelief not an act of intellect; unbelief through pride.
Unbelief and Modern Man
Why is the Gospel rejected? the manifestations of prejudice : three examples; the problem of man's understanding; the mystery of God; knowledge an excuse for unbelief; the Cross; a stumbling block.
Facing the Evidence
What does Jesus mean to you? Why was Jesus rejected by the Pharisees? the danger of a detached attitude; victims of prejudice; the need for an open mind; the failure to face the evidence.
The Blindness of Modern man
The Gospel recognises; and is based on; facts not ignorance; man's accomplishments reveal his failure; the error of concentrating on the material; modern man dismisses Christianity without looking at the facts; unbelief is moral; and not intellectual; the eternal significance of of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord of Lords
The Lord confronts His enemies; prejudice; not knowledge; is the reason for unbelief; the example of the Pharisees; the meaning of His death.
The Resurrection; its Relevance Today
Knowledge; man's excuse for unbelief; this attitude not original; the Epicureans and Stoics; their beliefs examined; philosophy still seeking to understand the same questions; the fact of the Resurrection; the judgement to come; God's way of salvation; His Son.
Unbelief and Division
Being religious does not guarantee salvation. Working from Acts 23:6-8, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows how there are many in Scripture who pass themselves off as being deeply religious, but are not saved. This is the condition of the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees that opposed the Apostles, particularly Paul, representing the unbelieving man in many respects. They are well-educated intellectuals who are blinded by their sin from believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This unbelief is prejudiced opposition. They oppose the message of Christ because it contradicts their traditions, for they had no place for a crucified Messiah who had no kingdom and who came from an uneducated family. He was not born into the top of the social pyramid and educated like themselves. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains how modern man rejects the Gospel for many of the same reasons. They think it is backwards and old fashioned. They say it is intellectually ridiculous. But this is prejudice that is the result of sin. For man’s problems with Christianity are never simply intellectual or moral, but at the core of these beliefs lies his opposition to God and his Law. For as all men are dead in trespasses and sin, so they are unable to evaluate the truth claims of Christianity as merely rational thinkers, but they are prompted by their sinful nature to oppose this message. This why the Gospel must be a supernatural message, for without the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit no man would be able to believe and be saved.
Believer or Unbeliever?
The characteristics of the Christian; the two possibilities; what determines the choice; the characteristics of the unbeliever; the final judgement comes to all; the results of the judgement.
About Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.