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Sermon #4222

Food and Drink

A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-13

Originally preached Nov. 5, 1961

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Scripture

Ephesians 6:10-13 ESV KJV
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against …

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Sermon Description

Christians over the centuries have found solace in the fact that this world is not the end. Realizing the things in heaven that await God’s people is an incredible source of encouragement. Believers have no need to be troubled by this life because they know that their real life is still to come. And yet, they are still called to live as Christians in this world until then, remembering that they are representatives of God. At times, this can seem impossible. How can they become stronger in the Lord and in the power of His might so that they can live as Christ calls them? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “Food and Drink,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on practical steps the Christian can take to grow in the Lord. Just as infants need food to become strong, so the Christian must eat spiritual food regularly so that they can grow in the Lord. Jesus said that He is the bread of life and the drink that will cause Christians to never thirst again— the greatest longings are only satisfied in Him. He alone must be the sustenance, and they must run to Him over and over again to gain the strength that they need to live. How can one do this? Dr. Lloyd-Jones implores to spend time talking with Him and reading His word. This, he says, is how Christians can strengthen themselves for the daily spiritual battles they face.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. We must have assurance of our relationship with God and our salvation. This gives us strength and power.
  2. We must remember what awaits us - our eternal destiny. This gives the proper perspective on life and strengthens us.
  3. We must remember that God's honor is in our hands as his representatives. This gives us responsibility and strength.
  4. We must feed on Christ through faith and communion with him. This gives us life and power.
  5. We must feed on God's Word. This gives us knowledge, wisdom, warning, and strength.
  6. We must pray - commune with God. This gives us fellowship, sustenance, and power.
  7. We must participate in the sacraments, especially communion. This helps us feed on Christ and be strengthened.

Sermon Q&A

Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Ephesians 6: How to Be Strong in the Lord

What does Lloyd-Jones teach about the meaning of "be strong in the Lord" in Ephesians 6:10?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might" doesn't mean passivity or simply "letting go and letting God." He emphasizes that Christians must be "active and very active, but that we are enabled to be active by the power of the Lord and the strength and the might which he imparts to us." He rejects both extremes: we can't fight the battle in our own strength, but we also can't do nothing. As he quotes from Philippians, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you."

How does Lloyd-Jones explain the importance of assurance in spiritual warfare?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that assurance is "the first and first vital thing, and in many ways the most important of all." He says there's "nothing that is more paralyzing than for any individual to be uncertain as to whether he or she is a Christian or not." A person who is uncertain about their relationship to God is "already defeated by the devil." He quotes from Ezra that "the joy of the Lord is your strength," and explains that "a realization of who we are and what we are in itself enables us to go most of the way towards victory."

What role does our future hope play in spiritual strength according to the sermon?

Lloyd-Jones teaches that "there is nothing that is so strengthening as the realization of what is awaiting us and coming to us as God's people." He emphasizes that the Christian is one who "has his eye on the glory to which he is going," quoting 1 John 3:2-3: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall see him as he is, and we shall be like him. Every man that hath this hope in him purifyeth himself even as he is pure." This future hope changes our view of what the world offers and helps us to purify ourselves in preparation.

How does Lloyd-Jones describe the "seed of new life" in believers?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "what makes a man a Christian is that a seed of new life is put into him." He quotes 1 John 3:9: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin... for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin... because he is born of God." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this seed or principle of eternal life has power in it and changes everything. He rejects the notion that a Christian remains what he always was but just relies on God's power. Rather, "the Christian is a man... who has this seed of eternal life put into him. He is born of God. There's something new in this man that is bigger than the whole men."

What practical ways does Lloyd-Jones suggest for growing stronger in the Lord?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines several practical ways to grow stronger:

  1. Drawing life from Christ: Like eating his flesh and drinking his blood (spiritually), we must depend completely on Christ as our source of life.

  2. Reading Scripture: "If we want to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, one of the first things we've got to do is to read and to take in and to masticate again this book." He warns against merely skimming through daily readings without truly digesting them.

  3. Prayer: Not just petitions but "communion and fellowship with him." He quotes Revelation 3:20 and explains that prayer is "having a conversation with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit."

  4. The Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper help us "take of him" spiritually. Especially in communion, "we feed on the bread of life. He is the heavenly manner."

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.