Be Ye Reconciled to God
A Sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:6
Scripture
6Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
Sermon Description
Learn of the calmness and assurance that comes with this Christian gospel. There is a confidence that comes with believing. All things are of God and for God. In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:6 titled “Be Reconciled to God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the first result of this new creation that Christianity proclaims is a new perspective. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims the necessity of this radical reorientation and looks at the example of Paul. Examine the natural view of humanity versus the biblical view of humanity. No one can face the end of life without first accepting this teaching. No one will ever know the comfort of the Scriptures if they do not accept it from beginning to end. Are people merely animals? The world thinks that there is nothing outside of the concrete and material world, but there is an entirely other reality beyond humanity’s comprehension. The world thinks that people are essentially and fundamentally good. Learn to think of them in terms of their relationship to God, and seen in the context of God. No one is the arbiter of their faith. God alone saves.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon focuses on 2 Corinthians 5:16 which says "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more."
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The chapter presents the challenge and case for Christianity, especially in light of the possibility of the end of the world. Christianity claims it can enable people to face death with confidence.
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Verse 17 says "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." To have confidence in death, you must become a new creation through Christ.
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A new creation sees everything differently. The first thing is seeing yourself differently. This is the greatest discovery.
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To understand yourself and the world, you must accept what the Bible says about man. Man's view of himself and the world is either "after the flesh" or "after Christ."
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The view "after the flesh" sees man as essentially an animal, the product of evolution, autonomous, belonging only to this world and time, living for himself, and able to solve his own problems. The ultimate view is man is good and progressing.
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The Bible's view sees man as made in God's image, responsible to God, belonging to the spiritual and eternal realm, living for God, unable to solve his own problems, sinful, and needing reconciliation to God through Christ.
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The view "after the flesh" divides people, emphasizing differences. The Christian view sees all as the same, equally sinful and living for themselves, under God's wrath, and needing Christ.
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Man's troubles are due to sin and God's curse. Man needs reconciliation to God through Christ, not his own efforts. Man sees himself as dying, facing judgment, and deserving eternal punishment.
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The only proof the Christian view is true is Christ coming to die for sinful man who could not save himself. We must see ourselves as the Bible says to have confidence in death.
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The sermon urges people to see themselves as sinful, acknowledge it to God, and believe the gospel that Christ died for their sins and rose again to reconcile them to God.
Other Sermons
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.