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Why are there imprecatory Psalms in the Bible? This is the question that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes up in this sermon on Romans 11:7–10 titled “Psalms.” He says that Scripture never teaches that God creates evil or sin but He does create the consequences of the sinful actions of humans. When Scripture speaks of God visiting judgement upon evil, one should not think that this is God doing something evil but He is punishing the wicked for their evil deeds. The same thing is true in the case of David when he prays for God to judge the wicked. This is not David being vindictive, but rather it is him asking that God act in accordance with His character to protect the righteous and punish the wicked. For God is holy and just; He cannot even look upon evil doers. This is seen in the highest form when Jesus died upon the cross at Calvary. There, God’s justice was fully manifested in His judgement upon sin in Christ but His mercy also was displayed in saving sinners. This is the great truth that God is both the just and the justifier. There is truly no unrighteousness with God.
Humanity living life before God is the theme of Psalm 92 and the Bible as a whole. In this sermon on Psalm 92:1–15 titled “Godly or Ungodly,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes the opportunity to walk through the psalm and observe the life of people before God’s presence. What are the two types of people in this world? Listen to hear the only distinction that truly includes all people in one of two categories—the godly and the godless. The listener is encouraged to stop thinking about themselves and start thinking about the God who made them. Don’t be fooled; God’s wrath is coming and all need to be prepared. “Those planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in His courts.” Christians can rejoice in the Lord always because His promises are always true. There is a strength and joy that is found in the believer. Despite the droughts of life that come, the believer is kept and preserved in the Lord. Flourish by listening to the teaching of Scripture and learn to understand life in terms of God.
Man’s search for happiness may seem like an impossible quest amidst this often tragic life. His pursuit only leaves him hopeless and in despair but Scripture has the answers. In this sermon on Psalm 1:1–2 titled “Man’s Search for Happiness,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones leads through the first two verses in Psalm 1, and explains how God reveals His prescription for true peace and lasting joy. Far beyond the temporal emotion of happiness, there is a lasting joy that characterizes the life of one who follows God's prescribed plan. By contrasting the two alternatives and discussing the theory and the practice (both the negative and the positive), one discovers the biblical view—that humanity always seeks happiness in the wrong place, and that there is no true happiness apart from God.
Where does one begin when they consider their problems? In this sermon, “The Lord is my Light” from Psalm 27:1–14, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells that most often people begin with their problems and then move toward the Lord. However, Christians ought to follow the psalmist’s example and begin with God and heaven, then move to their problems in light of those things. When they pray, they ought not begin with petitions, but begin with praise and adoration of the Lord, gazing on His beauty and excellence. Why? Dr. Lloyd-Jones unfolds through this psalm that God’s unchanging character, His goodness, and excellence changes the perspective. Nothing is so big and so awful when it is looked at in regard to who the Lord is. Then the Christian must make their requests known to the Lord, having full confidence that He is greater than any problem and fully capable of ruling over them.
What is most supreme in life? Can the Christian say with the psalmist that communion with God is supreme in the whole of life and existence? In this sermon on Psalm 84:3 titled “The Sparrow,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones walks through three certain things that are absolute essentials if one is to enjoy life like this. First, in reviewing his first two primary considerations, religion is not simply a matter of living, or of doing good, but rather one of knowing God: “The only thing that brings us into the presence of God is the blood of Jesus.” Additionally, the Christian learns that it is the truth of Christianity that is most essential, while the effectiveness of such a religion is merely an effect of its foundation of truth. Finally, Dr. Lloyd-Jones bring a new consideration, one that declares the Christian ought not only know the truth about God, but that they must realize the truth about themselves. They need a place of rest. No one has ever become a true Christian without feeling restless and homeless. To enjoy the blessings the psalmist expresses in Psalm 84:3 is to be aware of one’s helplessness and defenselessness.
God and God alone is to be praised. Salvation is found only in God. In this sermon on Psalm 107:10–16 titled “Prisoners of Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at the God who delivers every type of person, a God worthy of all the praise of humanity. This psalm is a great picture of both sin and salvation. Sin can take many forms, but is still sin. This is the common root to all the varied problems and ills of humanity. Learn that while there are many symptoms, there is just one essential disease. Be warned of the devil’s subtlety in working, along with the ignorance and arrogance of sin. A common idea is that religion is what makes people slaves, and to become a humanist is to liberate yourself, but this is far from the truth. Sin is what binds. This picture of a prison is a message of sin and its consequences. Sin is rebellion against God and against God’s words—sinners are the rebels. “The life of sin is a hard life.” Complications arise in the life of sin, not a freedom unto sin. First, one chooses sin, then in their persistence, they become victim to it. Be delivered from this power of sin today.
The sinner thinks God is like a human. They believes God will simply forget their sin. They assume God will forget it and not deal with it. But does God overlook sin? Is He not the solemn judge of the heavens and earth? The atheist outright rejects this God and their life is lived accordingly with no contradiction. The atheist believes there is no God and their actions mirror those beliefs. In this sermon on Psalm 50:1–23 titled “Dead Religion,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones sets forth to express how there is a human worse than the atheist: they claim to believe in God yet lives their life as if there is no God. Exploring Psalm 50:1–23, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this person believes that God is like themselves. They believe that God will not deal with sin and they ignore God’s wrath. They deny God’s judgement, assuming there is no hell. They minimize their own sin. This error is not simply doctrinal deficiency, but they have made a god in their own image. On the contrary, God wants people to know who He truly is. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the hearer to rightly know God and see His salvation so that Christians may live lives praising and glorifying His name.
What is the secret to a life of spiritual longevity? How did saints of old overcome the daily battle of temptation and trouble? In this sermon on Psalm 16:8 titled “… Set the Lord Always Before Me,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on this psalm of David to share this secret. It is the daily decision to actively set the Lord always before oneself. This daily spiritual discipline enables the Christian to face the uncertainty of the future without fear as one considers who the Lord is and who they are to Him. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages with a gracious reminder that there are two things the Christian can do to “set the Lord before us.” First, they must make an active decision to consciously remind themselves of God. It is an act of determination to think on the Lord and what He has done; otherwise their lives will be swept into busyness and God becomes secondary in thoughts and affections. Secondly, after one sets their hearts steadfastly on seeking the presence of God, they turn to the means of communion with God. Christians seek Him through prayer and reading Scripture. They are the means of communing with God on days when one feels like seeking Him as well as the days their hearts feel cold and distant from Him. Find encouragement from Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s preaching on David’s resolute desire to battle temptation and find comfort in setting the Lord always before him.
What separates Christians from the rest of the world? How can one know for sure someone else is truly saved? Scripture gives many tests of salvation, but few are as vivid as the portrait painted in this passage. In this sermon on Psalm 1:3–4 titled “The Ungodly Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the vast difference between those who are rooted by the river of life and those who will blow away like chaff. Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents five differences between the godly and the ungodly person. These differences are profound and have eternal consequences. Due to sin, people are no longer as God originally created them to be, but instead they are empty and in desperate need of salvation. Listen and discover why unhappiness characterizes the ungodly person and understand the only remedy is found in Jesus Christ.
In this sermon of Psalm 1:5–6 titled “The Way of the Ungodly,” Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones diagnoses the way of the ungodly and then presents the prescription given by God for the ungodly to be remedied. Listen as he lays out the five aspects of God’s future judgment: the fact, the nature, the terms, the thoroughness, and the consequences. It is a dismal future for the ungodly person. They will not stand amidst the congregation of the righteous. Since God’s law sets the standard for humanity, how can anyone meet that standard? There is only one way and only one secret to happiness and blessedness. Only Christ can remove the fear of death and judgment. As the hymn states, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’s blood and righteousness… On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” A person can stand on nothing else in this world or on the Day of Judgment but on the rock of Jesus Christ.
God is to be praised with one’s whole life because He is God. Sin is the singular cause of all troubles in this world, manifested in various ways. In this sermon on Psalm 107:17–22 titled “The Lie of Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at the third representation of sin—sin as disease. This is the illness of the soul, of humanity, of life. Sin is not only rebellion, but it is also transgression–a deliberate and continual going against God’s indicated will, thus taking the health of one’s soul. People are architects of their own troubles. The extraordinary paradox is that everyone is chasing happiness, but the result is unhappiness because it is not being sought in the right way. People search for the best, but find the worst. Sin always robs people of innocence, refinement, delicacy, judgement, and energy. The craving for evil exponentially continues to increase. Christ came to kill the poison of this disease through His death so that all could be reconciled to God.
What does it mean that salvation is all of grace? Despite the centrality of grace to the Bible, many Christians do not have a good understanding of what it means that God is gracious. In this sermon on Psalm 107:33–43 titled “A Gift of Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches that God gives grace freely so that sinners can be saved. Salvation is a gift of grace; a free gift of God apart from any human merit or works. The work of salvation is a unique act of God wherein God sends His Son into the world to die for sinners. Salvation is accomplished in Christ and given as a free gift to all who repent and believe in Jesus. This sermon shows first and foremost that it is the message that one’s merit and works can never make one right with God. All human striving for salvation is wholly done away with on the cross of Calvary when Jesus died for sinners. This sermon calls all to forsake sin and to believe in God.
What is true religion? Many people say that true religion is whatever makes people feel good, or whatever makes them experience the sense of the divine. But in this sermon from Psalm 84:1–3 titled “The Living God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives a very different answer. He says that according to God’s word, true religion is that which worships and believes the living God. The true God that has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is beyond human comprehension; Christians can only speak of Him because He has revealed Himself in Scripture. God is holy. How then can sinners approach God? The answer is found in Jesus Christ and His death upon the cross. Jesus makes a way for sinners to be forgiven and come to God as children and heirs. Jesus is the new and better high priest that ever lives to intercede for His people as He rules from heaven. The mediation of Jesus Christ is the only way to approach God.
“All the redeemed of the Lord will join in one great anthem.” In this sermon on Psalm 107:1–3 titled “Religion that is True,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this unity despite four different types of experiences people one can encounter. Those wandering in the wilderness in need of habitation, those bound in affliction needing relief, those suffering in ill health and starvation, or those on the sea in great waters and terrible storms—all can experience deliverance. The first characteristic of a true Christian is their gratitude to God. A non-believer may have no thought or care for God, but the Christian will be concerned about God. Christianity is holistic in its combination of the will, intellect, and emotion. It is impossible to be a Christian without emotions involved; Christianity without emotion is just moralism. Great danger comes in the self-righteous person: “The self-righteous is infinitely a greater sinner than the drunkard or prostitute.” A Christian is desperate about themselves and their sin that they don’t know what to do but can come to God.
Repentance prepares the highway for people to come into the presence of the Lord. They need substance and direction for life; not only repentance, but regeneration. From where does such a thing come? In this sermon on Psalm 84:5–7 titled “The Valley of Bacca,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at Christ as the source of encouragement for the believer, despite the circumstances he or she might find themselves in. The result of such a faith is a clear view of life as a whole, and of self in relation to God. Are the pains of life the result of others’ faults or one’s own sin? Find purpose and direction for life, rather than living in a state of selfish chaos. God withholds nothing good from those who walk uprightly. Does one have a road to follow when calamity and trials come? It is in this valley of Bacca, one of tears and sorrow, that this psalmist’s joy springs to life. Learn to rejoice, even in the valley of Bacca. Let troubles make the Christian consider the goodness of God and cause rejoicing; praise Him, He has overcome the world!
Do Christians think? In this sermon on “What is Man?” from Psalms 8:3–4, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserts the wonder of creation and the fact that only the Christian can really perceive. Psalm 8:3-4 shows how the believer thinks differently from the unbeliever. The Christian mind is guided by the Bible, rather than by the media and news. The Christian should marvel and wonder at creation, not just live life from one news highlight to the next. Is Christianity really against the advance of science? Look at the persecution of Galileo and the Protestant Reformation that pushed science forward. There is a difference between accidental happening and intentional creation. Why are order and laws of creation in place? Learn the difference between a thinker and a superficial reactor. Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses the problem, the contradiction, the uniqueness, and the tragedy of humanity. People are worshippers and the only hope for humanity and the world is that this is God’s world. God visited and redeemed this world. The listener will discover the series of “launchings” of the Son of God. There is great urgency to be encapsulated in Christ before one is launched into the presence of a Holy God.
In light of the emptiness of the ungodly life, how can one become godly, blessed, and happy? How can one truly live the “more abundant life” that Christ came to give? In this sermon on Psalm 1:3–4 titled “As a Tree Planted,” many think they are Christians, but in this inspiring discourse, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones distinguishes the person who is unquestionably “in Christ” from those who merely deceive themselves. No one is born a Christian or can make themselves a Christian. A Christian is the work of God through the work of the Holy Spirit in conviction, revelation, repentance, and conversion. It’s God’s doing and one can only experience the new birth into a new life as the result of the operation of the Spirit. Only then will one experience the happiness God intended for people to know in Him. The true Christian has no need to fear whatever comes in life. The true Christian is like a tree. God is the “Planter” of the tree. He selects the location of the tree so that the tree will bear good fruit, in its season, and without withering.
What is sin? In this sermon on sin from Psalm 107:4–9 titled “The Way, the Truth, and the Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses sin and its power but rejoices that hope exists. Sin manifests itself in almost an endless variety of ways, and because sinners fail to recognize this, they often fail to recognize sin when it is right in front of them. Does the Christian recognize sin when it manifests itself in rags but not in an evening dress? This disease has endless symptoms. Sin causes people to lose their way and miss the mark. There is a constant search for the philosophy of life and a need for an outlook that will finally satisfy the question of existence. The city of intellectual satisfaction is immense as is the search for truth and rules for living. Humanity desires security, and in such, provokes law. Listen to the views of modern and classical humanists and discover that there is no hope for the intellect alone. The listener is encouraged to read the autobiographies and biographies of Christians and be convinced that there is no hope of satisfaction apart from Christ. God’s way is simple and humble and it makes all things new.
The most important thing about life is not what one does, but who they know. In this sermon on Psalm 107:32–43 titled “The God of the Bible,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches about the psalmist confessing that God has the power to both save and to judge. The glorious truth of the gospel is that God has sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save it. Vile sinners are called to flee sin and come to Jesus so that they might be children of God, perfect and holy in Christ Jesus. Knowing Jesus is what saves His people, not their works or deeds. The most important question is whether one knows Jesus. To reject Jesus is to be damned before God in the final day of judgment. Dr. Lloyd-Jones pleads with sinners to forsake their sin and to come to the merciful arms of Jesus. Flee from hatred and strife and come to God who is loving and long suffering, not desiring that any should perish. It is only by believing in Jesus Christ that anyone can be saved and made holy before God.
It is not hard to see that humanity is in a state of suffering and evil. Everyone experiences death, sickness, and suffering in their lives, but why is this? Many do not consider this question because they claim that humanity will inevitably progress until all evils have been extinguished and that man is the master of his own destiny. But the Bible presents a very different picture of the world than the triumphalist. In this sermon on Psalm 107:23-32, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that Scripture teaches that humanity is fundamentally sick and weak, and in dire need of salvation. No one is master of their own destiny, but all are subject to what happens in the world. When the gospel comes, it does not make humanity the center of the world, but it restores them to their rightful place as creatures of God. The gospel brings true and lasting peace for all that believe. This sermon calls each and every person to flee from sin and to come to God in repentance and humility to be saved. This sermon brings the vital message that all need salvation and that Jesus is the Savior.
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