Be Up and Doing!
A Sermon on Ephesians 4:24
Originally preached May 18, 1958
Scripture
24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Sermon Description
Just how does a Christian shed the sins that characterize their past? In this sermon on Ephesians 4:24 titled “Be Up and Doing!” listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how this is done by applying the truth of God’s word throughout every area of one’s life. This is one of the reasons why it is so important for Christians to take time to study Scripture and commune with God in prayer. This is to be done in a community of believers, the church, and individually. However, there are many who claim to be Christians and putting off the old self. But as Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns, for them it is nothing more than an external action and a façade. Often, they do it every Sunday so that they will look holy and pious, but it is spiritual hypocrisy and self-deception. For true sanctification and holiness is something that comes from the heart that has been transformed in the gospel, truly knowing Jesus Christ as their Savior. True Christians do not perform good works simply so that they would appear righteous, but they desire to seek God from a new heart that has been filled with love. This spiritual seeking is genuine and true.
Sermon Breakdown
- Putting on the new man is something we have to do ourselves. It is not something we pray for or wait to happen to us.
- Putting on the new man is not an experience we have. Experiences can motivate us to put on the new man but are not the same as putting on the new man.
- Putting on the new man is not something done for us. We have to do it ourselves using the power God gives us.
- Putting on the new man must be done completely and continuously in all areas of our lives. It cannot be done in compartments.
- The essence of putting on the new man is applying truth to ourselves. We must preach to ourselves and convince ourselves of the truth.
- We must use everything that feeds and builds up the new man like reading the Bible, prayer, and fellowship.
- We have no choice in putting on the new man. We have been bought with a price and are not our own.
- We must remember the privilege and dignity of our position as new creations in Christ.
- We must remember the family we now belong to and represent as Christians.
- We must remember that others are watching us and judging Christianity based on our actions. We must represent Christ well.
- We must remember our destiny as Christians to be with Christ and become like Him. This motivates us to put on the new man.
- We must remember that Christ dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. This realization should transform how we live.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Ephesians 4:24
What does "put on the new man" mean according to Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "put on the new man" means to apply truth to yourself consistently and completely. It is not something done for you, but something you must actively do yourself. It's not merely waiting for an experience, but taking hold of yourself and dealing drastically with your own nature. The phrase refers to making the new nature the governing principle of your entire life, controlling everything you do in every circumstance. He emphasizes that it involves "talking to yourself" and preaching to yourself until you've really convinced yourself of the truth about who you are in Christ.
How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish between genuine Christian living and hypocrisy?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that hypocrisy is merely putting on a Christian "mask" temporarily or in certain settings, like wearing a religious cloak on Sundays only. This is the opposite of what Paul means. Genuine Christian living means the new man is "at the center, directing everything and all my activities under every conceivable circumstance." It should never be necessary for a true Christian to suddenly remember they're a Christian, as this new nature should always be governing their behavior. Equally wrong is never showing your Christian identity out of fear of being called a hypocrite.
What practical actions does Lloyd-Jones recommend for putting on the new man?
Lloyd-Jones recommends several practical actions: 1. Reading the Bible - not mechanically but intelligently, asking questions 2. Prayer - both solitary and with others 3. Fellowship with like-minded believers 4. Reminding yourself daily that "I am the new man in Christ" 5. Feeding the new nature through spiritual disciplines 6. Remembering you are not your own but bought with a price 7. Continually recalling your identity as a child of God 8. Being conscious that people are observing your witness 9. Remembering your eternal destiny 10. Being aware that Christ dwells in your heart and the Holy Spirit lives in you
What is Lloyd-Jones' perspective on waiting for feelings versus taking action?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly opposes the idea of waiting until you "feel like" acting as a Christian. He says, "If you wait until you feel like the new man, it'll probably never happen." Instead, he urges Christians to take action regardless of feelings: "This isn't a question of feeling. This is something that is essential to your life and well-being and health. Therefore, do it." He explains that we must "rouse ourselves," "stimulate ourselves," and "shake ourselves spiritually" rather than passively waiting for feelings to change.
How does Lloyd-Jones address the tension between human effort and God's power in sanctification?
Lloyd-Jones resolves this tension by explaining that while we must do the work of putting on the new man ourselves, we do so with the power God provides. He quotes Philippians 2:12-13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God that worketh in you both the will and to do of his good pleasure." He clarifies that "it's not you saying I haven't got the power. You have the power, and what you are exhorted to do is to realize that the power is in you." The power comes from God, but we are responsible for exercising it, much like developing muscles by using them.
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as motivating factors for putting on the new man?
Lloyd-Jones identifies several powerful motivating factors: 1. The fact that we are not our own but bought with a price 2. The privilege and dignity of our position as new creations 3. Our identity as children of God and children of light 4. Our responsibility to represent God's family in the world 5. The reality that we are being observed by non-believers 6. Our eternal destiny and the day of Christ's return 7. The indwelling presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit
Why does Lloyd-Jones believe many Christians fail to live as new creations?
According to Lloyd-Jones, many Christians fail because they don't realize who they truly are. He states, "That's the whole trouble with the christian church today. She doesn't realize that... we are the children of God and we are all together different from the world." He also points to passivity ("waiting until you feel like it"), treating Christianity merely intellectually ("looking at a great truth like this, merely in a theoretical manner"), and compartmentalizing faith instead of allowing the new nature to govern the whole life as major problems.
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.