Without Christ
A Sermon on Ephesians 2:12
Scripture
12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Sermon Description
The greater one understands the depths of their sin, the more they understand the greatness of God’s mercy. For the Christian there is a reciprocal relationship between looking to their life before Christ and the amount of praise they offer to God. If the believer never examines their state of being without Christ, thanksgiving to God for salvation will unlikely mark their life. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:12 titled “Without Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones follows Paul in challenging what it means to be without Christ in order to see just how astounding salvation really is. The worst condition of a person is that they are without Christ. But what does this really mean? Dr. Lloyd-Jones walks through the biblical text in order to show what it means to be a stranger towards God’s covenant people, to be an alien to the commonwealth of Israel. This alienation from God and His covenant people will undoubtedly lead to a life without hope. Soberly listen and contemplate a state without Christ and then rejoice that one can flee to him and find new hope.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul wants the Ephesians to understand their position before they became Christians in order to fully appreciate their salvation.
- To be "without Christ" means to be outside of a relationship with Christ. This is a terrible position to be in.
- Being without Christ means being "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel." This means being outside of God's chosen people and His special interest.
- Being without Christ means being "strangers from the covenants of promise." This means not having God's promises and revelations. The Bible does not speak to those without Christ.
- Being without Christ means being "without hope." There is no hope in this life or the next for those without Christ. Life is meaningless and ends in death.
- Being without Christ means being "without God in the world." Those without Christ do not know God or have fellowship with Him. They do not have His comfort and strength.
- In contrast, those in Christ have hope, know God's promises, have His special interest and care, and have fellowship with Him. They can face any circumstance with His strength.
- The only solution for those without Christ is to come to Him in faith and repentance. He will reconcile them to God and give them new life and hope.
- For those in Christ, they should rejoice in their position and relationship with God. There is nothing greater.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.