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If a Christian does not find the gospel thrilling, they find themselves in the same position as the Galatian church when the apostle Paul wrote to them. In this sermon on Galatians 1:8, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that the gospel is most simply this: the Good News. The gospel is the most simple, most clear, and most thrilling message that has ever existed and we must be careful to speak of and think of the gospel in this way. Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells us that the whole trouble of the current generation, and every generation, for that matter, is that it does not concern themselves with learning the gospel well and being gripped by its thrilling message. God sent his own Son to die in our place and there is no other Good News. When this message is truly contemplated, the Christian will burst with praise and thanks.
God has not abandoned the world and He has not abandoned His children. Rather, before sin ever entered the scene, God set in motion a plan to save His people from the evil of this world. God sent His Son to the cross and raised Him again that they might dwell in His presence. In this sermon on Galatians 1:3–5 titled “Man’s Need: Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches the same truth that was proclaimed to the Galatians who had forgotten their great need for the gospel. Christians today are no different in that they also are apt to forget what God has done for them. When Christians forget the gospel, they forget how desperately they need this good news and to be delivered from evil. God is not passive when He looks on His children’s need; He loves them so much and has created a way for salvation. Consider His great grace, mercy, and compassion and praise Him.
In this series on Galatians, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has presented many reasons why we as people, and specifically as Christians, are to glory in the cross of Christ, as Paul mentions. In this sermo on Galatians 6:14, he presents yet another reason to glory in the cross. It is the cross alone that can produce true unity among men. Men today are striving for unity through worldly measures, but it is not happening. Despite their best efforts, wars and conflicts still run rampant. Only one thing can deal with the tension, war, and strife we are encountering in the world— the cross of Christ. Scripture presents a model for unity, and this is seen from cover to cover as it brought the mighty and lowly together in unity and worship of God. Ultimately, pride is the root cause of this strife. There is nothing in this world that can adequately deal with and address this problem. The cross, however, destroys this pride by showing that everyone is equally sinful and lost. In this way, it levels the playing field because everyone is equally a sinner in the sight of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that in this way, the cross can provide unity that no other efforts of man can accomplish, and this is yet another reason to glory in the cross of Christ.
Sin is often considered as a general problem, but rarely do people stop to consider its personal impact. In this sermon on man from Galatians 1:3–5 titled “Man: His Problem and the Answer,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones sets minds on an eternal track. People are first and foremost souls with eternal life before them, and anything physical in this life is merely temporary. Christians are created with eternal worth and dignity. Do Christians take time to consider themselves and who they are rather? What does God think of them? This ought to be the greatest concern as it is the only opinion that holds eternal value.
In this sermon from Galatians 1:3–5 titled “This Vicious Principle,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the world in its very nature is cursed as a result of sin. All struggle to keep a clean mind and a clean heart on this earth because it is under the dominion of Satan. The world will show all it has to offer, but Christians must remember that this world is committed to death and destruction. Dr. Lloyd-Jones instructs fixing eyes on Christ and what is eternal as one sojourns through this world. He tells that Christians must fight against evil in this life because they belong to God and will never truly be home until they reach heaven.
One day all will be face to face with God. In this sermon from Galatians 1:3–5 titled “God ‘Is’,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares that to believe in God is not enough; one must truly know Him. He tells that to know God is to tremble in His presence, because once one knows God’s character, they understand the depth of their depravity. God has been revealed in Scripture and one can come to know Him because of the death of His Son. Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges knowing God because when one truly knows Him and repents, all of His wrath will turn to mercy and compassion; His terribleness will be seen as holiness. When one truly knows God, they are adopted into His family and are given a hope of everlasting bliss.
When the world looks particularly bad, Christians can begin to worry and become fearful, but that is contrary to what God would have them do. In this sermon on Galatians 1:3–5 titled “Who Gave Himself for Our Sins,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds that the world is already doomed to death and destruction, but Christians do not need to die with it. God gave his Son to bear the entire weight of God’s curse of sin from His final wrath and destruction of the world. When one considers the poor condition of everything around them, they should not focus on how to change the world but how to change their hearts. God provides a perfect way to be saved from all that is around—He gave His beloved Son to die in their place. Trust in that Savior and whoever believes that the Son of God was made a curse for them is delivered from the curse.
Scripture testifies that the cross and blood of Christ speak. In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “A Public Declaration,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the first thing they say is that the souls of people are very precious. This is seen by the fact that God sent His Son to die on behalf of sinful people who couldn’t save themselves. Second, the cross says that the most important thing to people is their relationship with God. How one responds to Jesus’s death on the cross will affect how they spend eternity, either with God or apart from Him. Thus, it is of the utmost importance. Third, the essence of sin is the breaking of a relationship with God. Fourth and finally, the cross and blood say that all need to submit to it so that they can be saved. This, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is the exposition of the cross. In this, it declares that it alone is the way of dealing with one’s sin, and it invites those who don’t know Christ to come and find forgiveness from their sins and be reconciled to God.
What is the Gospel? Paul was forced to defend and expound the Gospel of grace alone in Galatians 1:6-9 because there were those that were preaching a different 'gospel.' Paul says that Christians are those that have been called by God out of the world of sin and evil into the new life of Christ. All those that are called by God will come to Him and they will persevere. While many will hear the Gospel, only those that God effectually calls will come to Him and be saved. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows how this doctrine has great practical significance. It shows us that salvation is a matter of grace, no one can come to God until he enlightens them and draws them to himself. This sermon forces us all to asks ourselves, am I trusting in Jesus? Am I resting in God’s grace alone? The Gospel that Paul defends is one of grace and peace. Only the Gospel of grace can transform us and bring us into a loving relationship with God.
In this sermon on Galatians 6:15 titled “What is Christianity?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones challenges Christians to regain a proper understanding of what the life of a follower of Jesus truly is. He asks a central question to help gauge spiritual health: “is Christianity central to everything in our lives, or is it small and narrow?” In the passage, Paul is addressing a false teaching in the church that did not hold Christianity up as a worldview around which the lives of people should revolve. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also shows how and why people need to come to Jesus in the first place. Before becoming followers of Jesus, anything that one has or has done avails to nothing. Good deeds, intellect, and even baptism does not secure an eternal future. In and of themselves, they are useless in bringing anyone closer to Christ. This relates to why all need to be born again. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds, salvation is humanity’s most fundamental need. Listen as he preaches on the Christian life and why all are in need of being saved.
Christians can suffer from bouts of unhappiness in their faith. One contributing factor may be conflict and confusion due to false teaching within the Christian church. The main problem of spiritual depression lies within the church, not outside. In this sermon on Galatians 4:15 titled “False Teaching,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on the apostle Paul confronting false teaching within the church. Today, false teaching can be very subtle and creep its way into the believer’s life. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that false teaching sometimes detracts from the Christian message. Other times, as in the case of the Galatians, it adds to the Christian message. Either way, false teaching leaves the believer conflicted and confused. Maybe the believer hasn’t thoroughly embraced false teaching, but they are disturbed by it. In either case, the believer has lost their first happiness. How might the church safeguard herself against these dangers? Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the church to embrace and cling to the original apostolic message. It cannot be subtracted from, and nothing can be added to it. There is joy in the Christian message.
The cross is a symbolic picture that has universal recognition. But what is the meaning behind the cross and what does it represent? Does Scripture instruct how to view the cross today? In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “Looking at the Cross,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points to the passage as a way to test (positively or negatively) one’s understanding of the cross. Here the apostle Paul points out two aspects of the cross that are important to understand: he glories (boasts) in the cross and he glories in nothing else. The cross is his boast because of what took place on the cross as Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice. In relation to Christ’s great demonstration of love, everything else in the world fades in comparison. There is nothing left that is worthy of boasting in. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws out the implications for today, he confronts with the question, “Why should I glory in the cross today?” The listener is encouraged to reflect anew on the meaning of the cross, as well as consider the cross and the worthlessness of the world, the deliverance the cross provides from the law, and the beautiful, wondrous character of the cross as the manifestation of God’s love and power.
Why do Christians preach the cross? Why is it that this cruel tool of murder stands at the heart of God’s gospel? The answer is found in the power of the cross for salvation. Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones unfolds the words of Paul that the cross is the means by which God has conquered sin, death, and the devil by dying a cruel death. In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “Glorying Only in the Cross,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains not only the fact of the cross, but also the need. God the Father sent His only Son into the world to die for all because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All are in dire need of salvation and forgiveness and this salvation only comes through Jesus’s sacrificial death upon the cross. Now those that believe are freed from the curse of the law, sin, and death. This is the only way to salvation. This sermon calls each and every sinner to leave their evil ways behind and come to Jesus. Come to the cross and find salvation in God’s Son who has died for sinners.
What is at the heart of the Christian faith? In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “The Means of Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that it is the cross of Calvary where Jesus died for sinners. The gospel shows that the whole life of Jesus looked forward to the greatest act of love and compassion that the world will ever know when God’s only Son died in the place of wicked sinners. This death on the cross is what Christ came to do, and it is the culmination of His earthly life. Also, the apostle Paul shows that it is the cross that brings salvation and forgiveness of sins. It is not the works of human merit or the flesh that make people right with God, but it is God suffering in the place of sinners that brings salvation to all who believe. What does this mean for Christians today? This central gospel message is still the only way of salvation and restoration of God. Human fundamental needs never change; they are still rebels that must be made right with God. The blood of Christ is still the only way that anyone can be freed from sin and made an inheritor in the new life of salvation of Christ.
When people look at the world today, they see a world that is torn apart by much grief, suffering, and loss. And yet, they often fail to see the reason behind the pain that exists. In this sermon on the glory of the cross from Galatians 6:14 titled “The Glory of the Cross,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones works through understanding suffering and the characteristics of the world to help better comprehend the glory of the cross. He says that the world and what it stands for are the causes of all its tragedies. He defines the world as that which is apart from and/or without God. What are the characteristics of the world? The world is driven by an unquenchable lust and desire, such as for money, power, and sex. These have driven people to live for themselves, and this has led to the sin in the world. It can only be overcome through the cross. It does this by showing what the world really is and how empty its pursuits are. In His ministry on earth, Jesus made this a central part of His ministry, emphasizing things that were total opposites from the world. Everything that is opposed to God will suffer eternal destruction, and this is the glory of the cross—it is the only thing that satisfies, and it is the only salvation.
The certainty of the gospel is the foundation for the Christian life. In this sermon on Galatians 6:12–13 titled “Built on Sound Foundations,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows why the assurance all believers can have in the gospel is central to the Christian hope. God reveals Himself and His plan of salvation through His true word, the Scripture. Humanity is not left wondering what they must do to be saved, for holy Scripture says that all who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus will be saved. Christians ought not to be led astray by false teachings that say they cannot know what the gospel is. Scripture stands above all human reason and institutions; it stands above all other sources of authority. Furthermore, Scripture tells facts that really happened. It tells that Jesus of Nazareth lived and died for sinners, but it also tells that He rose from the dead in victory over all sin and death. God’s word calls all to believe in the gospel for the forgiveness of sins as the only path to true and lasting peace with God.
Humanity’s fundamental need is to know the truth about the world, themselves, and God. The gospel provides these truths and thankfully does not merely stop there—it is good news. Not a product of humanity, the gospel is a certain revelation of God’s eternal heart. God has made a way of salvation for the human predicament. In this sermon on Galatians 1:6–7 titled “No Other Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches how God can be one’s Father. “And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior’s blood?” This sermon shows Paul’s urgent concern for the people who had gone wrong on how to become possessors of this blessing. Learn about the truth that changed Luther and many mighty men of God, causing the Protestant Reformation. What is the doctrine of justification by faith? Preaching must explain this particular doctrine. How does one become a Christian? It is not by birth, nationality, circumcision, baptism, diet, or the law. The law is absolute—if one fails in one part, they have broken it entirely. God alone can make a person a Christian. Christ has taken away the sin and clothes His people with His righteousness.
The cross of Jesus Christ must be central to the Christian’s beliefs about God. In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “A New Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones helps the listener understand how Paul’s view of the cross changed how he saw himself and how it applies to lives today. First, those who are not saved see themselves from the world’s perspective—their identity is in their power, pedigree, wealth, intellect, or other similar titles or possessions. Ironically, it is the Lord who ultimately gives those things. Second, a worldview without Christ is incredibly self-centered. Christianity is the polar opposite because it effectively levels the playing field, showing that every single person is just as deserving of God’s wrath as the next person. Third, the cross is a completely new way of life—it changed everything for Paul. Not only does it show people a new way of living, but it also shows how to suffer. For anyone daunted with the idea of trying to follow Christ, Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds them that they have the Lord’s example to follow in everything, allowing them to model their lives after the One who lived perfectly.
Paul tells us that the cross of Christ delivers us from the power of the devil. How? And why are things in this world the way they are? In this sermon on Galatians 6:14, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones helps us to understand the spiritual warfare that is at play behind everything we see and why it is so important to understand this other battle going on behind the scenes. All that is bad in the world today is not due merely to human nature, but also to spiritual warfare. Satan, through sin, has consumed people with a passion of antagonism against God. The whole human race has become slaves of Satan. How? Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows us from Scripture how he dominates and controls the mind. Additionally, Satan works through people’s desires to get them to commit sins and acts of atrocity for their own gain. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages us to see the spiritual battle raging behind the scenes in the events of Scripture, providing many examples. How can one escape from this control? Through the cross. All men are under this power unless saved by the power of the Gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages us to repent from our sins and believe in Christ today to be delivered!
Opening his sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reads from Galatians 1:8. Within, the apostle ridicules the early church for believing another gospel, a gospel from man. But Paul makes himself clear: whoever teaches a different gospel from what Christ revealed, be it an angel or man, let that person be accursed. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that even today, false gospels are preached by men all over the contemporary world. The Bible is put on a shelf, and people forget its sound doctrine. The Christian message is adapted to fit man’s view of the world. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the perilous problem with this practice. When man changes the Christian Gospel, or creates his own, he removes God from the picture. With God gone, man must rely on himself for his salvation and redemption. But, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, the truth of the Bible has revealed that man will never be enough. It is not man who can save his soul but the blood of Jesus Christ. That is the true Gospel. The beauty of the Christian Gospel is that Christ comes to us in our sin, and He offers whoever believes upon Him unmeasurable grace and eternal life.
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