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How can one make sense out of the awful state of the world? In this sermon on Ephesians 2:1–3 titled “Original Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings much needed clarity to today’s chaos, showing how humanity’s sinful nature is behind the wickedness seen all around. Since human nature is wholly given over to sin, one is unable to do good and obey all that the law of God requires. Those, like the humanist, that claim sin is simply an outdated religious superstition that can be replaced by modern psychology fundamentally misunderstand the extent of humanity’s sin and corruption. The sinful nature is not something that people lack within, but it is active rebellion against God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that sin dominates the very will and the orthodox doctrine of original sin accounts for this sinful nature. It says that when the first man, Adam, sinned, all fell into sin and inherited the corrupt nature. This is why moral reform as a way of salvation is hopeless. If people could keep the law then there would be no need for the gospel and death of Christ. It is only by the saving grace found in the death of Christ that anyone can be delivered from sin and made righteous before God.
Why is there so much sin in the world? In this sermon titled “Adam’s Posterity and Original Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines the biblical teaching that Adam’s sin affects all. When Adam rebelled against God, he brought the whole human race into sin. Now everyone is born into a state of sin and alienation from God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones examines some different theories of exactly how it is that Adam’s first sin brought all of humankind into sin, but the important thing to remember is that the Bible teaches that all are affected by sin. Paul is clear that all are guilty before God, not only because they have broken the law of God, but also because of Adam’s actions. This doctrine explains why the world is full of sin and evil. But this doctrine is also important to understand in order to have a right view of what Jesus has done. Scripture says that Jesus is the new and better Adam who has come to reverse the evil actions of the first man.
Suffering and pain surround humanity. In this sermon on the fall, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains what God’s word says about the fall and sin. Contrary to many erroneous contemporary views, sin and evil are not eternal principles, nor is sin simply the lack of good. Rather, sin and evil are the result of humanity’s willing rebellion against God. This rebellion brought sin into a perfect world. The Bible gives this story in the first chapters of Genesis in which the serpent deceived Adam and Eve and lured them into temptation. This is not simply a myth used to illustrate the human fall into sin, but it is God’s revelation of a true historical event. In their original state, people had no natural desire to sin, but sin entered from outside through the temptation of Satan. This fall did not change the essence of people, but it changed their relationship with God. Now that humanity has fallen and is estranged from the fellowship of God, all have lost their original righteousness, and their nature has been utterly corrupted. This is why humanity and the world are in such a dire need for the Savior, Jesus Christ.
How has the fall of Adam affected all of humankind? In this sermon on original pollution, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer this question as he expounds on humanity’s state after the fall. He speaks of how the sin of Adam has not only rendered all guilty, but it has corrupted their very soul. This pollution does not change the substance of the human soul, but it bends and inclines it to evil continually. This does not mean that people do not conform to any notion of good, but it means that they do no spiritual good. While people have knowledge of God, it is not a saving knowledge and is suppressed in unrighteousness. This sinful nature alienates all from the righteousness of God. The principle of sinful humanity, the flesh, is not something that merely marks the body, but it corrupts both the soul and body. All are born in this darkness and iniquity. Though they are polluted and totally opposed to spiritual good, God promised that He would provide a savior that will redeem His people from sin. Though all are guilty and polluted, God in Christ is reconciling the world to Him in order to bring about a new people and new creation.
In this sermon on Colossians 1:14–20 titled “God and Sinners Reconciled,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speak of how Paul writes about a believer’s redemption through the blood of Christ and the reconciliation he or she has with God. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones is interested in God’s side of this reconciliation: how is it possible that He would redeem humanity? By its very nature, humanity exists as separate from God, ever since the original sin in the garden. Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines holiness as it pertains to God in that God is without blemish, totally perfect and utterly true. So then, how can the perfect God interact with imperfect people? Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that God sent His Son in order to reconcile people in their sin, and that Christ’s death on the cross would cover those who put their faith in Him. Humanity is then restored to their original image of God. When God looks upon believers, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, He does not see the sin. God sees the likeness of His Son. And as a result, God’s righteous wrath, His holy judgement, is withheld, and humankind’s relationship with Him is restored.
In this sermon on John 1:17 titled “The Answer to the World’s Problems,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues for the contemporary answers of the Christian gospel to the common problems of humanity. Why listen to this message of the gospel? It is God’s message. The world is waiting for a message, but there is not much confidence or satisfaction in the conferences of people. Learn of the origin of the world’s problems and the sin that makes all people fools. “The real and only reason to be afraid of death is that to which death leads.” People fear this life, but what about the next life to come? No one should be afraid of people, but of God who can destroy both body and soul. God, who is eternal and all powerful, has given the law, revealing certain things about Himself and humanity’s sin against God. Humanity is polluted and finds prayer a hard task; not only do they sin, but they want to sin. God hates sin, but offers grace upon grace at Calvary: “Grace is undeserved favor...it’s the very thing you and I need.”
How has God overcome death? All people know that eventually they will die, either from disease or some other way. Death is a universal human experience. God’s word teaches that death is not a part of the original creation, but exists only because of sin. In this sermon on Acts 17:1-4 titled “Death is Not the End,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the great truth of God’s conquest over sin and death, and the life that all who trust in God will have. God has overcome sin and death by dying upon the cross to remove the power of sin and its curse, death. All who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ will be forgiven of all unrighteousness. In the last day, when every human who has ever lived will be resurrected, those who are in Christ will not suffer any judgement, but they will be made perfect by the grace of God. The sermon points all true believers to the great hope of the future life with Christ in the new heaven and the new earth. But to those that do not trust in Jesus now, this sermon calls them to repent of their sins and flee to Jesus, the friend of sinners. Christ is the only salvation from death and sin.
Sanctification is an essential and inevitable part of life for all who are truly regenerate and saved. In this sermon on Ephesians 5:25–27 titled “Purification of the Bride,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes it is a lifelong process by which the believer is conformed to the image of Christ and grown in love and knowledge of God the Savior. It is the outworking of the justification and forgiveness of sin that all Christians receive at salvation by becoming partakers of the gospel of Christ Jesus. The word of God is essential to sanctification. However, this is not the belief that Christians are to “let go and let God,” but rather it is the recognition that the word of God is the means that the Holy Spirit uses to grow Christians in knowledge and love of Christ. Another erroneous view of sanctification and salvation is that of baptismal regeneration. This is the view that at baptism Christians are cleansed of original guilt and the stain of sin. Biblically, baptism is a sign of the transformation and new life that one has in Christ, not the means of acquiring it. Another essential aspect of sanctification is the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit. The word of God, particularly the Ten Commandments, can be used to further sanctify and bring Christians closer to God.
What is humanity’s problem? What is it about people and the world that accounts for all the ills and trials of human life? The question is present all through human history, yet modern humanity has no answer. In this sermon on Jeremiah 2:14–17 titled “Man, A Slave,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches the biblical truth that each person’s problem is that they have fallen from original righteousness and purity into sin and despair. All are slaves to sin and twisted desires. Scripture tells us that no one is evolving toward a better future, but rather are getting worse. What then is the answer to this seemingly hopeless state? The answer is found in God’s infinite grace given in Jesus Christ. While it is true that humanity can do nothing to help themselves, the gospel is the message that God has acted for humanity. God has sent His Son to die upon the cross as the ultimate price for sin and peace. All who believe in Jesus are freed from sin and made children of God, righteous inheritors of the new heavens and earth. There is no other response to the gospel than to repent of all sins and come to Jesus who calls all to enteral life in His death.
In the Old Testament is the story of a man named Naaman who had leprosy and was healed by God. In this sermon on 2 Kings 5:1, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on the truths that can be found in this story and its relation to sin and people today. First is that sin, like a spiritual leprosy, can eat away at lives until it has complete control. It robs of the fullness and perfection of life that God originally intended for His people. Not only that, but no human can cure sin, just as no human was able to cure Naaman’s leprosy. Too often, people look to all the wrong places to solve this problem, but the things they do find are inadequate and fail in solving anything. They become so busy searching for something to heal them that they lose sight of the one true person who can: the humble carpenter who came down from heaven to bring salvation. Just as in the story of Naaman, the healing came from a humble person that the world would least expect to have success. Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by stating that once the Christian has received this salvation, they must waste no time in sharing it with the rest of the world.
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.
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 the acceptable year of the Lord? In this sermon on Luke 4:19 Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at the year of jubilee in the Old Testament where every seven years slaves were set free and land was returned to its original owners. He shows that this looks forward to the day when God’s chosen would be redeemed in Christ and set free from sin. People in sin are like those in bondage and awaiting the year of jubilee to set them free. It is Christ Jesus who is the ultimate fulfillment of this promise and it is by His death, burial, and resurrection that salvation comes to all who believe. This shows clearly that salvation is not brought about by one’s good works or even initiative, but salvation is wholly something God has done for His people. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, this is what it means for salvation to be a work of God’s grace apart from human merit. This is why it is a grave error to reduce Jesus Christ to nothing more than a moral example, because Jesus came to die for the sins of many, not simply to provide an example to follow. Christianity is fundamentally about what God has done, is doing, and will do by His grace.
Will this world ever get better? In the sermon “A New Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings the hard reality from God’s word in Acts 8:5–12 that the entire world lies in darkness and under the control of the evil one. This is because the original man, Adam, was deceived and fell into sin. This fall has poured throughout every aspect of creation. This is why the world of today is as it is, filled with sin and suffering. As a result of this sin, humanity is blinded and spiritually dead. It is unable to hear and believe the good news of the gospel. This is why the only way one can be saved is through the regenerating grace of God in the Holy Spirit. This is a miraculous work by which God gives new life to dead sinners who hate and reject Him. This is the greatness of the gospel; it is something God does for those who are not even able to hear the good news without grace. By their very nature, all people know of the need for salvation. They know that they will continue to live once this life has ended. Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that while eternal life is offered to all who believe, all who reject Jesus Christ have no hope in eternity.
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 on John 3:17 titled “Man and His Need of Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches how the Bible not only tells what the gospel is, but it also tells why the gospel is needed. Often times people jump straight to the message of the gospel without looking at why people need the gospel. God’s word is clear on why Jesus had to come and Scripture tells that humankind loves darkness rather than light, and for this reason the whole world already lies under the judgment of God. But the light of the gospel pierces even the darkest cloud because it tells that despite humanity’s sin, rebellion, and evil, God sent His Son into the world. God so loved the world that He came and died in the place of sinners and rose from the dead so that they might have new life. God has overcome the power of sin and the devil so that all who believe in Jesus are not only restored to their original state of righteousness, but they are made even higher. This sermon calls all to believe in Jesus, repent of sins, and trust Him in order to become children of God, pure and holy. This gospel is truly good news.
We often hear the phrase “child of God” and consider it another term for simply being a Christian, but what is the true meaning of this phrase, and how do we become one? In Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ sermon on 1 Peter 1:1-25, he discusses how being a child of God becoming a slave to Christ rather than sin. We are all born originally as sinners and cannot escape this bondage on our own. The only way to escape this slavery to sin is to become a “child of God”. But how can we do such a thing? Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that to accomplish this task, we must first be redeemed. We must realize our wretched state, and ask for forgiveness. Only after we do this, can our sins be reconciled by Christs sacrifice on the cross. However, being redeemed is only the first step to becoming a child of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that we must accept Christ as our new master, because he bought us. We are not made free by Christ, but we are made free from the power of sin. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones puts it, “We are bought by the precious blood of Christ.” Jesus is our new master, but instead of us being his slaves, we become more like his children. God is righteous and just, and he cares for us. He cared for us so much that “He sent his one and only son” to save us from our sinful state (John 3:16). Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes his sermon by saying, “If Christ died to set us free, then we are his. Take up your cross and follow Christ.”
What is the source of suffering and misery in this world? In this sermon on Jeremiah 2:6 titled “A Ruined Mansion,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this question and more. Humanity is like a ruined mansion, a dark shadow of what it once was. People were made to be a friend of God, but now they live in sin and filth. Humanity has sinned and fallen from the original state of happiness and peace into despair because it has willingly rebelled against God. They are now an enemy of God and subject to the wrath of God. What then is humanity’s hope? It is certainly not in itself. Hundreds of years of human history has only shown that people cannot save themselves. This is why God had to send His own Son into the world to die in the place of sinners. Jesus Christ suffered and died a bloody death on the cross for all. All that trust in Him are saved and made children of God. God’s answer to the plight of humanity is to take their place. This sermon calls all to forsake their sins and flee to Christ. There is no guarantee that anyone will live another hour; for this reason all must come to Christ this day.
In this sermon on Ephesians 2:14–16 titled “He is Our Peace,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the main purpose of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is to encourage the church in the peace of Christ. Christians have been saved and are in the body of Christ and as such, they have been redeemed and the war with God is over. They now have the peace of Christ that governs them. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that the realization that Christ is the peace of believers is one of the most significant and meaningful encouragements to the soul. Only when people understand the true nature of sin do they understand the true nature of salvation. Additionally, Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses some who would discount the first few chapters of Genesis. Dr. Lloyd-Jones stresses that without the beginning of the Bible, people will not understand why the world is as corrupt as it is, nor will they witness the roots of the gospel. Without understanding the sin that originates in Genesis, people will be confused about the lack of peace in the world. Unbelievers will never have peace with each other unless they have peace with God in salvation. Thankfully Jesus made a way to have peace with God through His death on the cross. Through Christ, all can have lasting peace.
On one hand, people fail to realize the depth of sin. On the other hand, they fail to see the height and glory of the gospel. The problem with the church today is that it fails at both of these points. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:4–7 titled “Risen with Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares what makes one a Christian: their union with Christ. In this union, the Christian has been raised together with the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoicing in the heights of one’s own resurrection makes sense only when the believer understands their original state of death. By nature they were children of wrath. Jesus died for them and their old nature died with Him. In dying with Him they are also raised with Him. Starting at this point of human depravity, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explores the goodness of union with Christ. Christians, he declares, are dead to the law and no longer under the curse of sin. Christians are alive unto God. The new person thinks in terms of eternity. They care not only for their body but also for their soul. They seek to share Christ with the lost and want to please God. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks, “Have you been raised together with Christ? Do you know God?” Rejoice as one risen with Christ.
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