Things to Avoid
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-13
Scripture
The Armor of God
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and …
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
Faith means believing the word, and therefore, acting. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “Things to Avoid,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives this strong call to action and urges Christians to rid themselves of passivity. Spiritual health includes positive and negative aspects, including taking in what is beneficial and avoiding what is not; avoiding dissipation of energy such as zeal without knowledge, talking too much, or vain arguments; and acknowledging that activities must be thoughtful, disciplined, governed, and directed. A person must sit down to determine what can be done and what can’t. Through too much talk, people find themselves in spiritual trouble. However much one argues about truth, if one is not growing by it, do it less. The test of everything must be: is it profitable to one’s own soul and to other people? He calls the listener to avoid enervating atmospheres, including spending too much time in worldly, unspiritual company will dull one’s spiritual edge and waste vitality. He also encourages avoiding foolish talk and jesting, bad company, and polluted reading; making no provision for the flesh to satisfy its lusts; keeping watch over thoughts and imaginations that can be evil; and avoiding Christians who don’t believe that the Bible is the authoritative word of God. A life will go wrong if the doctrine is wrong and this is a main cause of decay in the church today.
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.