Luke — Chapter 9

In this sermon on Luke 9:35 titled “This Is My Beloved Son,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches about the Mount of Transfiguration where God declares who Jesus is. God tells that Jesus is His Son and all must listen to Him. Human merit nor worldly wisdom is at the heart of Christianity, but it is the real historical person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not like many other religious figures because He is a real man of whom we have historical record. What makes Jesus the Savior is that He really lived, died, and has risen from the dead. The Christian faith is grounded not in myths or fables but in the historical Jesus Christ. The message of Jesus is as vital as it has ever been. People are still sinners who are alienated from God and self-deceived. Jesus frees them from sin through His gospel of truth. He not only makes them right before God, but He transforms them and gives them new desires. While people are naturally deaf to the truths of God, Jesus can heal sinful people and give them new life in the Spirit. Those who are saved then must imitate Christ by taking up their cross and following Him wherever He may lead.

Why is the kingdom of God so divisive? It may seem strange to say that Jesus and His message are a source of controversy and division, but in this sermon on Luke 9:57–62 titled “Entering the Kingdom,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that it is just that. Jesus’s call is to follow Him and to become a member of His kingdom. It is a call to put Him above all things and Jesus takes precedence of all earthly comforts, even one’s own family. This is the radical message of the gospel: it tells that Jesus is everything and that His kingdom is now the most important thing in life. All conceptions of the kingdom of God that do not challenge the sinful human conception of power and the meaning of life are not the message that Christ brings. This sermon tells that Jesus has come to save and that nothing one does can bring about the kingdom of God. No amount of good works can bring heaven on earth, for the gospel is the only power of salvation. Only the gospel confronts with the need for salvation and God’s Savior, Jesus Christ.