Made in the Likeness of Man
A Sermon on Galatians 6:14
Originally preached Dec. 22, 1963
Scripture
14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “Made in the Likeness of Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the importance of the cross to the birth of Jesus. He argues that one cannot understand the birth and incarnation of Christ—the reason Christmas is celebrated—without the cross. First, the Messiah’s sufferings are prophesied throughout the entire Old Testament in passages such as Isaiah 53 and Genesis 3. Second, the cross was the real object of Jesus’s incarnation. Jesus was born for the express purpose of being the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. In this way He was born to die, and this makes Him unique among any other person who has been born. Third, only the cross explains some of the audacious things that Jesus claimed and were recorded in the gospels as being said about Him. Additionally, the cross was the lowest point for the Son of God. He was enthroned in Heaven, yet He left His rightful place to come to earth and live the life that no one else has—a perfect one. He did all of this with the knowledge that one day He would die an unjust death for the sins of the world so that those who accepted His sacrifice could have forgiveness from their sins. This is the reason Christmas is celebrated and as Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds, why the cross is central to correctly understanding Jesus’s birth.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul glories in the cross of Christ, not His birth. The world likes Christmas but hates Good Friday.
- The cross is the center of everything - our understanding of ourselves, God, the world, the future, etc. Without it, we understand nothing.
- We can't understand Christmas without understanding the cross. The cross explains the incarnation.
- Before Christ came, His coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, and every prophecy focused on His death.
- The cross was the real object of the incarnation. Christ came to die, to taste death for every man.
- We can't understand Christ's life or teaching without the cross. It explains everything that happened to Him and everything He did.
- The cross is the lowest point of Christ's journey - from heaven to earth to death to resurrection and ascension. That's why Paul glories in it.
- Christ was born to die. He came to go to the depths of the cross, then rise again. The cross touches the lowest depth and highest glory.
- We can't understand Christmas without seeing that Christ came to suffer and die. The cross is central.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Christmas Through the Cross: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Perspective
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones focus on the cross instead of the birth of Christ at Christmas time?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the cross is the central focus of Christianity, not just the birth of Christ. He emphasizes that "the great apostle doesn't say that he glories in the birth of Christ. He glories in the death of Christ in the cross of Christ." The world is ready to glory in Christ's birth but what it hates is the death of Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that we cannot truly understand Christmas except when we view it in light of the cross, as the cross is "the key to the understanding of himself, of man, of life in this world, of God's purposes of the future."
How does the Old Testament point to Christ's death rather than just His birth?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the entire Old Testament points to Christ's death. Even the first prophecy in Genesis 3:15 about the "seed of the woman" bruising the serpent's head also includes the statement that the serpent would "bruise his heel" - indicating the suffering of the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah described the Messiah as one whose "visage is marred" and who would be "led as a lamb to the slaughter." John the Baptist summed up this prophetic message when he pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." All the sacrifices and temple rituals in the Old Testament were pointing forward to Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
What was the real purpose of the incarnation according to Hebrews 2:9?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to Hebrews 2:9 which states that Jesus "was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death." He emphasizes that Christ came into the world with one deliberate purpose - to die. Unlike Adam who was created to live, and unlike all humans who are born to live, Jesus was uniquely born in order to die. The incarnation happened so that Christ could taste death for everyone. This makes Christ's birth entirely different from any other birth in history, as it was always intended to lead to the cross.
Why couldn't Jesus save humanity simply by teaching or providing an example?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones dismisses the idea that Christ came merely to teach or to provide an example. He states: "If the Lord Jesus Christ had done nothing in this world but give us the teaching that he gave to men and women, we would all be damned, every one of us." This is because we cannot keep God's law perfectly. Similarly, Christ as an example only serves to condemn us because we cannot imitate him perfectly. The only way for Christ to save humanity was to represent us, render perfect obedience to God's law on our behalf, and bear the punishment for our sins on the cross.
How does understanding the cross help explain unusual events in Jesus' life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that many mysterious events in Jesus' life only make sense in light of the cross. When Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize Him, He was identifying Himself with our sins. The Mount of Transfiguration featured Moses and Elijah discussing with Jesus "the exodus that He should accomplish at Jerusalem" - referring to His death. Jesus' weeping at Lazarus' tomb was because He was looking at the effects of sin that He would have to bear. His agony in Gethsemane shows He understood what His death would involve. Jesus frequently referred to "the hour" that was coming - the hour of His sacrifice on the cross.
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.