God "Is"
A Sermon on Galatians 1:3-5
Scripture
3Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5To whom be glory for ever …
Sermon Description
One day all will be face to face with God. In this sermon from Galatians 1:3–5 titled “God ‘Is’,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares that to believe in God is not enough; one must truly know Him. He tells that to know God is to tremble in His presence, because once one knows God’s character, they understand the depth of their depravity. God has been revealed in Scripture and one can come to know Him because of the death of His Son. Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges knowing God because when one truly knows Him and repents, all of His wrath will turn to mercy and compassion; His terribleness will be seen as holiness. When one truly knows God, they are adopted into His family and are given a hope of everlasting bliss.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is explaining the gospel to the Galatians who have become confused about the Christian message.
- In explaining the gospel, Paul reminds us of certain fundamental truths we should never forget.
- The first question is why should we listen to the gospel at all? The gospel has a unique authority as it comes from God, not man.
- The gospel answers charges against it. It says the world is evil and we are all evil, needing rescue and redemption. Our thinking about ourselves is wrong.
- The real trouble with the world is that it doesn't believe in God. The world doesn't know God. Many say they believe in God but don't know Him.
- We need to know God's character, not just that He exists. The Bible reveals God's character.
- God is eternal, majestic, glorious, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, holy, just, and righteous. He hates evil.
- God is also loving, merciful, compassionate, and unchangeable. His attributes cannot be separated.
- How can we be just before such a God? We must see our need for forgiveness and cry out for mercy.
- When we do, God provides a way through Jesus to pardon us while upholding His righteousness and holiness.
- We must face God now. Whether or not there are wars or we live long lives, we must meet God. Are we ready?
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.