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The world cannot be changed, but “The only way Christianity helps is it changes us.” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes a different view of oneself and of humanity as a rebel against God. The most important question to ask is, “what do you think of Christ?” Christianity is Christ and Christians are called to be ambassadors for Christ and will be held accountable for their lives. Christians cannot take risks as “your eternal destiny depends on your view of Christ.” In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:16 titled “Flesh or Spirit?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses how the Spirit of God must unveil one’s eyes to their standing before God. No one can come before God justified on their own; they are but a child before Him. Rejoice that God humbled Himself to come to this earth. It is not the mere death of a martyr. Jesus died in our place. Christ alone triumphs in His shame. How can anyone become righteous before God if their best works are but filthy rags and damnation? Be reconciled to God in faith.
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.
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.
What does it mean to reflect the glory of Christ? In this sermon from 2 Corinthians 3:18, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on this question. He says that man was created good and in the image of God. But man was tempted to sin by the serpent and rebelled against God. While man is still in the image of God, he is nevertheless full of sin and immorality. But in the Gospel, God has sent His only Son in order that the grip of sin upon all of creation might be destroyed and sinners would be adopted into the family of God. God is recreating humanity according to the image of Christ Jesus. What does it mean to reflect the glory of God? It means to be conformed to the image of God. It means to turn away from oneself and trust wholly in Christ. It means that all who believe now seek righteousness and holiness in all aspects of their lives. Do you seek the glory of Christ, or are you still in sin? This sermon calls each and every one of us to ask ourselves this question.
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.
Learn of the calmness and assurance that comes with this Christian gospel. There is a confidence that comes with believing. All things are of God and for God. In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:6 titled “Be Reconciled to God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the first result of this new creation that Christianity proclaims is a new perspective. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims the necessity of this radical reorientation and looks at the example of Paul. Examine the natural view of humanity versus the biblical view of humanity. No one can face the end of life without first accepting this teaching. No one will ever know the comfort of the Scriptures if they do not accept it from beginning to end. Are people merely animals? The world thinks that there is nothing outside of the concrete and material world, but there is an entirely other reality beyond humanity’s comprehension. The world thinks that people are essentially and fundamentally good. Learn to think of them in terms of their relationship to God, and seen in the context of God. No one is the arbiter of their faith. God alone saves.
In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1–6 titled “In the Sight of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks of Paul’s concern to defend both his ministry and his calling as an apostle of Jesus Christ. There were those in the church at Corinth that opposed Paul and thought he had a weak presence. According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, it is important that Paul defends his apostleship as God used the apostles to give the Scriptures, and they were foundational to the early church. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, Paul is not only defending his ministry, but he is also fighting for the validity of the gospel message that confronts the world. When Paul does defend his ministry, he appeals to the calling that he received from the risen Lord. Paul makes it clear that his authority does not come from people, but from God. Therefore his message is also from God. The church would do well to look to the example of Paul who defends his message not by boasting in himself, but by boasting in Christ Jesus.
What is the foundation in this life? Is it personal possessions or sense of security? People put their hope and base life on many things. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:11 titled “Christ the Foundation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that any foundation in life that is not Jesus Christ is doomed to fail. All other foundations are passing and transient; they satisfy, but only temporarily. Jesus Christ is an eternal foundation that can never be shaken. He is a foundation that never leaves His people wanting for more. Christ alone can satisfy one’s deepest needs and desires. It is only Christ who can take away sin and make one a child of God. The greatest tragedy is that many reject Christ as their hope, and turn to everything else that is vain and passing away. Christ calls His people to turn away from the world and trust solely in His work on the cross for salvation. All other foundations are like sinking sand, but Jesus Christ is God’s appointed means of salvation as the only sure and steady foundation for all who believe.
In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:22–24 titled “The Everlasting Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks how the listener thinks about the Christian faith and message. It is a message that one never expects or desires. The cross cannot be removed from this message, yet it is a stumbling block to many. Many think they know what they need and are still looking for a sign, but God gave the message. It is impossible for any to know the truth about themselves while still in sin. Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that everyone not only needs help, but they need complete deliverance. The preaching of the cross is an offense to human ears. Why do they resent the cross? Due to the implications, this message is offensive by nature. It denounces everything that people rely upon. People are proud and self-confident, but listen and learn that even the wisest cannot stand before God justly. The blood of Christ is required. This is the Christian message and there is no other. Christ came to die — this is God’s way of salvation, the everlasting gospel. Believe it and be found in Him.
What is the Christian’s hope in life? Is it that the world will get better through social change or that humanity will get better and better until all evil is eradicated? In this sermon titled “Christ the Only Hope,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the apostle Paul’s great doctrine of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians. For Paul, the Christian hope is not found in any worldly change, but in the future and final salvation of the people of God. This final salvation includes the physical and bodily resurrection of all believers when they will be made just as Christ is. While this earthly body is passing away and slowly dying, God in His power is able to make all things new and whole once again. Even though many in modern times scorn the idea of heaven, the resurrection, and salvation, the holy Scriptures are clear that there will be a day when Jesus comes again to judge the living and the dead. All will rise from the dead. Those that believe in Jesus will go to live in the new heaven and the new earth, for it is only through faith in Jesus that anyone can be saved from sin and the wrath of God.
Do you know the power of the Holy Spirit and what it means to walk according to the Spirit rather than the flesh? This is the all-important question that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks in this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1-7. He says that the Holy Spirit is what enables all believers to live a life that pursues Christ Jesus and holiness. It is the Spirit that breathes new life into unbelievers, making them new creations in Christ. It was the Holy Spirit that transformed the first Christians from fearful disciples of Jesus into bold preachers of His death and resurrection. Sadly, many men and women live a life devoid of the power of the Holy Spirit. They live a life of lust and passion for what is unholy and profane. They do not care about their souls, but only the temporary pleasures of this world. This life of the flesh leads only to death and destruction in hell. In contrast, the life in the Spirit leads to forgiveness in Christ and eternal life in His presence. Those that believe in Christ Jesus are forgiven from all sin and judgment, and are made children of God in the power of the Spirit.
The gospel is essentially practical. The Christian life is one where we walk by faith. Listen to this sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:1–7 as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that a Christian is strikingly different because they know why the world is as it is, while the nonbeliever cannot understand it. Any human is foolish to think that they could be “God.” Conceit has always been one of humanity’s greatest issue. The Christian knows this is not the only world; it is a brief life that prepares them for the one to come. Does Christianity take a pessimistic view of humanity? Look at the condition of today’s world: should people be concerned about the pleasures of this world? Learn what it means to live “concerned for the glory of God” and be willing to be absent from the physical body to be present with the Lord. The earnest expectation of all creation groans in pain until Christ returns to renew all. Hope cannot be based not on this world and life, but on the one to come. This sermon on walking by faith encourages the listener to see how the world looks under the mighty hand of God and become a citizen of God’s eternal city.
What is Christianity? Many see Christianity as nothing more than another philosophical or political view. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 4:1–6 titled “The Gospel of the Glory of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains why this is completely wrong. He says that Christianity is about the person and work of Christ. It is about what God has done to save sinners doomed to death. Jesus is not just another religious teacher, but He is the perfect imprint of God’s nature, God Himself. Since He is God, He is glorious and perfect, but as a man He died in the place of sinners so that all who believe in Him might be saved from sin. Jesus is worthy of all praise and glory, and demands all human worship. It is Jesus who is supremely revealed in Scripture, and it is Jesus that will come in glory to judge the living and the dead. This sermon is a call for all men and women to forsake their sin and come to Jesus. He invites all sinners to leave behind their evil ways and come to Him for their righteousness. There is nothing more to do other than to come to Jesus and be saved.
Why does the resurrection matter? Christians can be confused about how significant the bodily resurrection of Christ is for their lives. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 5:17 titled “The Meaning of the Resurrection,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the resurrection and how it is at the heart of the Christian faith. Because Christ rose from the dead, all who believe can be assured that they too will rise from the grave. Jesus Christ is the first of the new creation who rose from the dead as the final and ultimate proof that He has overcome death, sin, and Satan. The resurrection matters because it is the hope of every believer. This resurrection is not a spiritual resurrection or a figurative resurrection, but every believer will rise from the dead with their own body just as Jesus Christ did. Just as Jesus’s body after the resurrection was a better body, so also believers will be given a new body by God. This is because the new creation is not only a restoration of what sin has corrupted, but it is also a perfection of the original creation. For in Jesus Christ, God has overcome all sin and evil for those that trust in Jesus and what He has done.
Listen to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones as he preaches this sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:20 and the ease with which humanity drifts from the primary principles and why are they here on earth. Look at the picture of an ambassador – someone appointed and called by God to bring the news of the gospel. This is a person who has been given a brief and important message; they are not bringing their own opinion or ideas. What does the gospel say about this great responsibility? Learn of humanity’s exceeding need to be reconciled to God: “If One died for all, then all are dead.” All are in need of this reconciliation because of who humanity is and who God is. Learn that all humanity is spiritually dead under the wrath of God, and unless this is changed, they will not reap the blessings of God. There is hope and God offers this needed reconciliation through His only Son. The Lord’s Supper displays this incomprehensible sacrifice God made to satisfy His own wrath. Today is the day of salvation; nothing else is needed but to believe and accept. Sin is put on Christ and His righteousness imputed to those He calls, giving hope for reconciliation with God.
What Paul preached determined how he preached it: the nature of the gospel in the glory of God provides the power. Look at the biggest problem confronting humanity today in considering how Christ was treated on earth: why is the Son of God rejected? In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses the vital urgency of proclaiming the message of the gospel and the various groups who have rejected Christ as the Messiah over the years. Both an able person and a fool are ignorant of the gospel and reject God. There is no new knowledge. “The gospel is revelation; it is not man’s straining to try and discover.” The world cannot know God by seeking; He must reveal Himself. If the God of this world has blinded people, the gospel is hid from the unbeliever. The gospel alone explains the state of this imperfect world today. Unbelief is always a result of prejudice, and a refusal to face the facts. Do not boast in ignorance and glory in shame. It is never clever to reject this message. There will be eternal punishment without relief. Be amazed by His glory — God in the flesh. Turn to the Lord, He alone gives sight.
How can finite people know the infinite God? As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims in this sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:18–19, there is no question more important to answer in this life or the next. Humanity was created to know their creator and to love Him, but because of sin and rebellion, they are alienated from God. Some say that the answer to this dilemma is to use reason to know God, as this has been the answer of the many wise people and philosophers over the ages. Others recommend mysticism where humans commune with God through religious practices and experiences. However, the biblical answer is found in the nature of God’s revelation as God spoke through the prophets and apostles in Scripture. This means that humans cannot rely on themselves to know God, but by looking to what God has said concerning Himself. There is no place for humanity’s autonomous reason or immediate religious experiences once they understand that God has made Himself known in Scripture and in His Son, Jesus Christ. God must be looked to not only for knowledge of Himself, but also to know Him as Savior and Lord.
How can one know God? In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:1–16 titled “Revealed by God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how this seemingly simple question has immense significance for one’s life. If God could not be known, how could anyone understand the gospel and be saved? Thankfully, God has revealed Himself to humanity. No one has to discover God through science or philosophy, but God made Himself known in Scripture and in Jesus Christ. In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows the great need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Science cannot give this knowledge because it only tells about this world. Christians then have nothing to fear from modern humanity and its claims of intellectual superiority, because true knowledge of God is a gift through His Word, not simply another truth to be discovered. The story of Nicodemus illustrates this well. The Lord Jesus says that it is the Spirit that shows God. It is a supernatural act of God that allows fallen sinners to come to a knowledge of a holy God. There is no more important truth than the gospel of salvation from sins.
What does the Apostle Paul mean when he says that the kingdom of God consists not of word, but of power? This is the question that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer in this sermon from 1 Corinthians 4:20. He says that Paul was not like many of his contemporary wise men in that he did not have a great appearance, nor did he speak with power. For Paul was not concerned with these things because he trusted not in himself, but in the power of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones continues to show that the kingdom of God is not about clever words or gifted speakers, but the kingdom of God is about the power of God, namely Christ Jesus and His gospel. How is the power of God seen? If the Christian looks to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they will see men and women who were totally transformed by the power of God. This new power that they received was not their own doing, but it came from God empowering His people in order that they might serve Him. This God-given power is what enables Christians to fight sin, boldly proclaim the gospel, and live a life that seeks the kingdom of God.
Christianity is always contemporary since Christians live in this world too. What differentiates the Christian? People have mastered many things in this life, but they cannot master the lust in their own life and mind – all are failures, none are righteous. People proclaim what they are by what they glory in. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached this sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:31 titled “To Seek and to Save” after the first man had gone into space. One can hear the boasting of humanity over the course of history. What does the Christian glory in? Christianity is not just an intellectual knowledge; it is an actual boasting in the Lord. Learn that to glory in any person is merely self-worship. There cannot be two things glorified because to glory in one is to crucify another – God and self cannot both be exalted. There is nothing special about a person in themselves, but there is every reason to glory in Jesus Christ alone – He is not an ordinary man. The world is as it is because it is not glorying in Christ. People come from earth and go to heaven; Christ was sent from heaven and came to earth. Learn of the purpose of His coming and rejoice in Christianity’s message.
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