Questions About Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Psalm 73:25-26

What is the central message of Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Psalm 73:25-26?

The central message of Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon is that the ultimate goal of salvation is to desire God Himself above everything else. The psalmist's declaration "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee" represents the highest level of Christian experience—worshipping and adoring God not for His gifts or what He does, but for who He is. Lloyd-Jones describes this as the "goal of salvation" and "the test of Christian profession."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the spiritual journey of the psalmist?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the psalmist's journey as a step-by-step recovery from spiritual sickness. The psalmist had nearly fallen into unbelief when observing the prosperity of the ungodly, but was held back by God. His understanding began when he entered the sanctuary of God, where he saw the truth about the ungodly, about God, and about himself. He then moved through stages of self-condemnation, repentance, discovering God's continual presence, gaining confidence for the future, and finally arriving at this pinnacle of worship and adoration of God for His own sake.

What does Lloyd-Jones say about desiring God versus desiring what God gives?

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that mature Christian experience means desiring God Himself rather than His gifts. He states: "The ultimate test of the Christian is that he desires God even more than he desires forgiveness." He points out that the psalmist's original problem stemmed from focusing on what God gives rather than God Himself. The highest spiritual state is when we long for personal communion with God, not just His blessings. As Lloyd-Jones says, "We often desire power, don't we? Ability, various gifts. It's right in a sense, to desire them. But if we ever put those things before God again, we are showing we're very poor Christians."

How does Lloyd-Jones address the comparison between Old and New Testament saints?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenges the tendency of Christians to depreciate Old Testament saints. He points out that some Christians believe they are on a superior level because they are "in Christ" and have received the Holy Spirit. However, he challenges this by asking if modern Christians can honestly use the language of total devotion expressed by the psalmist. He states firmly: "These Old Testament saints were children of God exactly as you and I are," and suggests that reading the Psalms should often make us "feel rather ashamed" when comparing our spiritual experience to theirs.

What does Lloyd-Jones mean by "God is the rock of my heart"?

Lloyd-Jones explains that the original word translated as "strength" in "God is the strength of my heart" is actually "rock." This imagery conveys that God is the immovable, unshakable foundation upon which believers can rest confidently regardless of circumstances. When our "flesh and heart faileth"—whether through aging, sickness, or death—God remains stable. Lloyd-Jones describes it as knowing God in such a way that "even when my physical frame is dissolving, and when heaven and earth are passing away, God the rock will still sustain me and I shall never be moved." He connects this to other biblical images like the "everlasting arms" underneath us and the "sure foundation stone" upon which believers stand.

What warning does Lloyd-Jones give about depending on Christian activity rather than God?

Lloyd-Jones warns against living on one's own Christian work, busyness, or activity rather than on God Himself. He shares a tragic example of "a man who'd been engaged throughout a long, busy, active life in Christian work dying for months and apparently having nothing to fall back upon. He had without knowing it but he'd been living on his own activity—a terrible state to be in." Lloyd-Jones urges believers not to trust in experiences or activities which will eventually fail, but to stand on Christ alone as the solid rock, concluding with the hymn lyrics: "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the true object of desire in heaven?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that what we should most look forward to in heaven is not the peace, rest, joy, or freedom from troubles, but the vision of God Himself. He quotes "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" and Paul's statement that to die is "to be with Christ." He explains that we are told relatively little about the details of heaven because "it is an idle curiosity that desires to know more." For the true believer, heaven is defined by Christ's presence: "What is heaven for me? 'Whom have I in heaven but thee?' says this man. I don't want anything else. Wherever thou art, that is heaven—just to look at thee."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones differentiate between looking forward to death versus looking forward to heaven?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes an important distinction by saying, "We are never told in the scriptures that we should look forward to death. But we are told very frequently in the scriptures that we should look forward to heaven." He explains that looking forward to death simply to escape worldly problems is "not Christian at all. That's pagan." The Christian perspective is to positively anticipate heaven—not merely the absence of suffering, but primarily the presence of God and Christ. This represents a focus on the positive vision of being with God rather than merely escaping current difficulties.