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The Ethiopian Eunuch

Acts 8:26-31

What is so significant about the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26–31? This is an interesting story of how God, in His providence, arranges for Philip to meet this man and share the message of Jesus with him. It also shows that even the religious must repent and believe in the gospel as the only means of salvation. This Ethiopian man went to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, yet he had not received the Holy Spirit. He knew of the sacrifices in the temple, but not of the sacrifice of Christ. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that only a religion that is based on and focused on Christ can have any saving power. Only true religion gives any satisfaction in this life. Many people fill their lives with worldly wisdom and vain religion, but the gospel tells that all is for nothing if one does not have Christ. This sermon asks one the question: “what religion do I have? Am I following a dead religion that has no power to save and transform me?” All must turn to Christ Jesus as the only true center of true religion and worship.

I Will Plead With You

Jeremiah 2:9

How bad is sin? While many look at sin as something trivial and light, God does not. In this sermon from Jeremiah 2:9, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the great truth of God’s judgement against sin, but also God’s great love for sinners. The great truth of the Gospel is that though man is sinful and abominable before God, God is patient and slow to anger. This is seen in the history of Israel. They continually rebel against Him and spurned His love. Yet He still comes to them and offers grace and forgiveness. Though He has every right to condemn them, He extends grace and mercy. As Dr.Lloyd-Jones proclaims, Jesus Christ gives mercy to all, not only the people of Israel! For God has made a way of salvation for all who believe in Him and repent of their sins. Jesus is God’s ultimate display of mercy towards sinners. Do you know the grace of Jesus Christ? Are you forgiven of all your sins? In this sermon, you will hear the glorious truth of the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins.

Dawn that Never Leads to Day

1 Corinthians 2:6

Let no one glory in humanity as the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. The unusual confidence in human intelligence is the leading cause for rejecting the gospel. People deem the gospel useless and foolish. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:6 titled “Dawn that Never Leads to Day,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines two positions of life and the true knowledge of the meaning of life. The achievements of civilization and discoveries of humanity are so small in comparison to the grandeur of this universe. Listen to the message of the Bible and consider the Tower of Babel, King Herod, the flood, and Job. The wisdom of this world can only understand a portion of life, and nothing beyond. God’s knowledge is far beyond humanity’s finite comprehension. Listen as history is explained as the progressive scientific discovery of the Medieval Ages, Renaissance, and the Enlightenment, which ultimately pressed God into the background and exalted humanity. Humanity is always dawning a new era, but never arriving. In God’s divine wisdom, He gives people great ability, but all of humanity’s achievements will ultimately come to nothing.

You Are Christ's

1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses the greatest tragedy of all – the rejection of the Gospel. Apart from this, the world would not know tragedy. The trouble with man is that he is by nature a fool. We must not glory in man; we must not rely upon him with all our trust. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, learn about the cult of personality and the fundamental lack of fitness man has to hold the allegiance of other men. Man’s powers are altogether given to him; he is a created being. Men are selfish and always changing. To glory in man is to be enslaved, furthermore to glory in self is to be enslaved. “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” Do not be deceived, life is a master to you, you are not a captain of your soul. Discover the wisdom of glorying in Christ! The Gospel is a call to glory in Christ alone. Christ voluntarily takes a place of subordination and humiliation to work out God’s great plan of redemption. Christ wasn't mastered by life, He conquered death. See the world in a different way — see it as a work of God’s hands.

A New Birth

1 Peter 2:2

What makes a Christian? If one listens to what God has to say in His Word, they will see that it is not a result of anything that humanity does or can do. Christians are those that are born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as no one contributes to their natural birth, neither do they contribute anything to their supernatural birth. This affects a profound change in those that are born again; it wholly reorients their life, desires, and wills. Christians now desire to live a life that is marked by obedience to God and love of fellow people. Salvation, then, is a result of God’s grace apart from anything one can do. This sermon tells of the only hope in this life: the gospel. There is nothing that anyone can do to save themselves, but God has acted in His grace to redeem sinners and bring them to a true knowledge of Him. In this sermon on 1 Peter 2:2 titled “A New Birth,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims the only true and lasting message of hope in this world, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What Makes a Christian?

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

What does it mean to be a Christian? Many believe that being a Christian is about the family of origin, or the church of one’s baptism. But in the sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1–6, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows why this is wholly opposed to what Scripture says about the nature of Christianity. To be a Christian is to be born again; it is to receive a new nature through faith in Jesus Christ. Just as God spoke in the beginning and there was light, it is also with salvation, God speaks through His Spirit to make dead sinners new. Christianity is not about social change, but it is about the miracle of the salvation of souls. The Church must proclaim the gospel to all so that they might know Jesus as their Savior. Only Jesus can free humanity from their sin and immorality, and only Jesus can free sinners from their ignorance and make them children of God. This message asks the question: Do you know Jesus? Have you received new life in the gospel or are you still in sin and death? This sermon is a call to believe in the only savior, Jesus Christ.

What is Man? Part 1

1 Peter 2:9-10

People are not highly-developed animals. Neither are they enlightened products of evolution. In this sermon on 1 Peter 2:9–10 titled “What is Man?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how God made humanity. In the Bible, humanity is made in the image of God, naturally upright. Yet they chose to sin, and are now condemned as a slave to sin and immorality. This is why the world is filled with so much wickedness; this is why there is war and suffering. It all goes back to the sinful nature of humankind. What hope is there for sinful humanity? The answer is found in God’s free gift of salvation. God sent His Son to die in the place of sinners, for all those that believe in Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus into the world because He loved the world, not because of anything in it. The gospel calls all to forsake their sinful ways and flee from darkness. For it is only the gospel that gives people truth concerning themselves, the world, and God. God commands all to flee from themselves and come to the light of Jesus Christ.

The Right Diagnosis

2 Timothy 1:12

The Gospel is what enables living well in the midst of difficulty. In this sermon on 2 Timothy 1:12, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones poses these questions: what is the Gospel, and how does it impact the Christian? Paul’s main principle in this passage is that everything must be examined, including our lives, in the context of the whole collection of Scripture. Just as a doctor would want to address the root cause of an issue instead of merely trying to fix the symptom, so too, the Christian must look to Scripture and see the roots of the sin and seek to weed it out instead of attempting to merely fix the outward manifestations of the issue. Our framework for understanding this depends on our view of life. Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts the biblical view with the unbiblical, which is based on the principle that everything is constantly in flux and that life is a random accident. In contrast, God’s plan has a purpose and is not based on blind chance — it provides hope and rest, and best accounts for the condition of the world today. For Christians, this provides the hope and foundation needed to face difficult times.

The Inward Man

2 Corinthians 4:16

How do Christians live in an evil world that opposes God? This is not a new question for Christians, and Paul himself addresses the early church in 2 Corinthians 4:16. Christians must always seek to live according to the gospel and the mission of Christ. In the midst of an evil world, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims, Christians must share the gospel. Christians living in the world must seek to make Christ known in all that they do. And even as Christians are seeking to be a light to the world, the Bible says that believers are still wasting away, but the inward man is being renewed within. Jesus transforms all who believe in Him and makes them holy. In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:16, Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches this great truth of the hope of transformation in Christ. This sermon is a call for all to flee sin and come to Jesus, for Jesus alone can transform sinful bodies of death by making all things new. Only Jesus can make whole again and give true and lasting peace with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.

What Is a Christian?

Acts 24:14-16

Many in modern times say that Christianity is the kind of belief that is undefinable and unexplainable: it is not about propositions, but feelings. In this sermon on Acts 24:14–16 titled “What Is a Christian?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains why this is the wrong conception of Christianity. The apostle Paul says that at the center of Christianity is the resurrection of Christ. Because Christianity is a religion based in God’s revelation, it is God who defines what it means to be a Christian. God has told that to be a Christian is not merely a subjective feeling, but it is a belief in the truth of the gospel. It is a belief that Jesus has died upon the cross for sinners, and rose from the dead so that all who repent of their sins and believe in Christ are forgiven of all their sins. This sermon contains the message that everyone needs to hear; it is the message that all can have peace with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the message that Christianity is about both subjective feelings and the objective news of what God has done. This gospel is truly good news for all sinners.

Raised - God's Declaration

Acts 5:29-32

First, the resurrection is what fueled the disciples with courage and boldness to go out into the world and proclaim the gospel. It was what made them realize the importance of Jesus’s message and gave them a desire for everyone to be transformed by the gospel as they were. Second, the resurrection establishes the fact that God sent His Son to save. Jesus’s act of rising from the dead was proof that God was satisfied in His Son, and that salvation can be found in the work of Jesus Christ. It also shows that Jesus has delivered His people from the law. Before Jesus’ work on the cross, all were under the law. However, the resurrection is proof that Christians are no longer held in bondage to the law. Lastly, the resurrection gives assurance of salvation and the knowledge that power and strength come through Christ. It is the resurrection that shows that Jesus defeated death and the devil and hope is found knowing that His resurrection points forward to a day when He will come again, and those who believe in Him will live forever in His presence.

That Christ Died for Us

Acts 8:32-35

Christianity is important to the history of the human race as a whole. In the sermon “…that Christ Died for Us,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones dives into the immensity of the gospel and the dire need to know what the Christian message is and what it concerns. The message spoken in Acts 8:32­–35 to the eunuch is the same message that is needed today. This is the only basis of the true understanding of life: no religion can satisfy other than this Christian message. This passage of Scripture offers the picture of a man undergoing tremendous suffering and another man who sits down alongside him to consider the Scriptures. What is the meaning of the death of the Son of God? Not only is this the greatest truth of the gospel, but it is also the greatest obstacle and source of offense to the unbeliever. The Bible is unlike any other—it tells of the weaknesses of its characters and need for Christ. How one answers the question of Christ’s death is life-changing. It was not the death of a pacifist; it was the action of God Himself through the hands of the ignorant. This is the most deliberate event that has ever taken place in history.

Submission in the Spirit

Ephesians 5:21

The life of the Christian is Spirit-filled and Spirit-guided. In this sermon on Ephesians 5:21 titled “Submission in the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones exhorts the believer not to live like the world because the inward transformation gives new desires and new dispositions. This means that all Christians are to relate to one another as a new people who have been transformed and brought together in the gospel to make a new community of like-minded individuals. No Christian is to seek their own good first as one who is self-centered and worldly, but all are to seek the good of their brothers and sisters in Christ above their own. When Christians see themselves in this new kind of community, they begin to see relationships differently. For Christians, this is the new way of understanding how they are to interact with one another and how relationships are to be viewed. Christians relate to believers in a spiritual way as fellow heirs of the gospel and salvation. They are to love one another as God loved them in Christ, and they are to submit to one another in love and respect.

The Sheep and the Shepherd

Acts 8:30

The gospel is not just another philosophical school of thought for the wise and intellectual, but it comes to the weak and the outcast. It comes not through conquest and war, but through the death of a man upon a cross. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones boldly proclaims in “The Sheep and the Shepherd” from Acts 8:30, Jesus Christ came into this world to die a criminal’s death upon the cross of Calvary so that many would believe and be saved. This is contrary to the thinking of many modern people. They expect the world’s problems to be solved through clever plans and lofty ideals not known to previous generations. But the gospel of Jesus Christ contradicts this notion, for it says that the only means of salvation is a crucified Messiah who was not trained in the great philosophical schools of the day. He came to fulfill all that had been said of Him in the Law and the Prophets. His disciples were not of the Pharisees and philosophers, but were fisherman. It is this message that confounds worldly wisdom; it is this message alone that can save people from their sins and the judgment awaiting them.

The Knowledge of the Glory of God

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

What is the power of Christianity? The Bible is clear that it is not human wisdom or ingenuity, nor is it found in anything that people do. The power of the gospel is found in Jesus Christ alone. When Paul came to the Corinthians, he says that he came preaching Christ and Him crucified. By preaching in the power of Christ, the Christian shares the light of the knowledge of the glory of God and not their own efforts. When Christ is preached, Christians preach the only hope for this world because God can only be known through His Son. In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1–6, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells of the great need for Christ, and that it is Christ alone who can make the world right. Jesus alone is the power of God to save sinners and bring them to God. This sermon forces the question: do I know God? Do I seek to glorify God above all things? For there is no greater need than to know God and to know that all sins are forgiven. This gospel is the only true and lasting hope in this world, and it is this hope that Jesus gives.

Revival Sermon: Where is He?

Isaiah 63:7-9

What does the prayer of Isaiah teach about God and the church? Isaiah prays to God in a time of dire need and crisis. In this sermon from Isaiah 63:7–9 titled “Revival Sermon: Where Is He?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks to this prayer as an example that the church ought to follow. The church must recognize that they pray to a just and holy God who hears their every prayer. God is not a God who is far off. God calls His people to trust in His holy name and to believe that He will uphold them through the midst of the greatest trials and temptations. But when the church does not trust in God and His power, they turn to worldly and vain philosophies. This is the greatest danger to the church in every age: reliance on everything other than God. The history of the church shows how destructive this is. The answer is always to trust that God will do what He has promised to do through Jesus Christ in the gospel. This sermon convicts and encourages the church in its God-given mission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth for the glory of Christ.

The Essentials of Salvation

Romans 7:4

What is different about the Christian life from every other life? In this sermon on Romans 7:4 titled “The Essentials of Salvation”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states that it is no external matter. He says that the Christian life is one that has been totally reoriented because the Christian has passed from death into life by believing in the gospel. The Christian is not simply one who acts differently, but they have been renewed in Christ and made a new creature. This radical change is brought about because Jesus did not come to improve behavior, but to make new men and women. All must ask if they have been transformed in Christ. Only by believing in the person and work of Christ can anyone be saved. Christ stands at the center of life and it is Christ who calls all to believe in Him. He came and died in order that sinners might be saved and brought to life. He rose from the dead as a testament to the power of His message and gospel. This message of Christ is the most important message one can ever hear for it is the words of eternal life.

In the Spirit or in the Flesh?

Romans 7:6

What does it mean to be in the Spirit? In this sermon on Romans 7:6 titled “In the Spirit or in the Flesh?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares that it means the Christian lives in a totally new way than before. He says that to be in the Spirit is to live in Christ and renewed daily in His power. He contrasts the new life with the old life of sin and bondage under the law. The law was good, but because of human sin and depravity, it brought only condemnation. Jesus is better than the law. Jesus died for His people and makes them new creatures in Christ if they believe in His gospel. Jesus brings commandments that are not burdensome, but rather they are freeing. The glory of this new life is in living in the Holy Spirit as children of God. Christians are no longer slaves to sin and immorality. The most important question then is how does one live this life? The answer is by believing in the gospel of Christ, and in His death, burial, and resurrection as the only means of salvation and peace with God. This message is the only way of true peace and joy with God.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

Revelation 21:1

The idea of Christian hope is criticized by the world as a mere fantasy. It seems foolish to many because of the proliferation of wars, chaos, and political tension across the globe. In this sermon on Revelation 21:1 titled “A New Heaven and a New Earth,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that hope is a main characteristic of the gospel itself and is the message of the Bible. Hope is an anchor for souls in the midst of chaos, not a reason for cynicism and disbelief. It is both optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. It is pessimistic as it reveals to the truth of the human condition. In stark and realistic terms, the Bible gives the diagnosis of the human heart as sinful and separated from God. This condition is true of every leader in the world. This is true but this is not where believers are left. The Bible gives an explanation for the human condition and also gives the hope of a new heaven and new earth where sorrow and sin are no more. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages hearts in this sermon with the reminder that the gospel is immediately pessimistic but ultimately, and gloriously, optimistic. Listeners are reminded to set their eyes on the things of heaven as they await the new heaven and new earth.

Judged According to Truth

Romans 2:1

It is easy to identify sin in other people but rationalize one’s own sin. That is the very problem of the Jews that Paul explains in this sermon on Romans 2:1. Titled “Judged According to Truth”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones warns the listener to be careful passing judgement on others because the same measure will be used on them. Dr. Lloyd-Jones walks through the condemnation of sin and how this gospel applies to everyone. Both the Jews and the Gentiles are without excuse and in danger of God’s wrath. Severe sins may be explained in the law and yet one may feel that condemnation does not apply to them since they are not “that bad.” Instead Paul warns that God’s judgement is always based on truth and His standard never changes. No one can measure up to that standard on their own and it is only by the gospel that Paul is preaching that can save and Christ brought that salvation. Instead of putting the condemnation on others and their sin, each should turn their own eyes to the truth of the Lord and make sure they are always aligning their truth with God’s truth.