The Christian Message and the World
A Sermon on Matthew 24:6
Originally preached Feb. 15, 1959
Scripture
6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Sermon Description
Opponents of Christianity will say that the gospel is too narrow and that Christians must conform their worldview. How should Christians respond to this charge and the subsequent challenge? In this sermon on Matthew 24:6 titled “The Christian Message and the World,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches through these issues, showing the incompatibilities of the competing worldviews. The world tends to think of people together in groupings. Yet, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones duly notes, Jesus addressed the individual and not the whole. He preached the gospel to all but He was clear in stating that individuals must make decisions themselves about whether or not to accept His offer of forgiveness since they alone will be held responsible for their eternal state. Another area the world falls short in is that it puts care and worry of the body ahead of the soul. Scripture clearly emphasizes that it is useless to gain anything in this life if the soul is lost in the end. Christianity gives its followers hope because they know that this world is not the end due to the offer of salvation made available through Jesus’s death on the cross. The world tries to rob Him of His glory, but He has already won the war.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon is focused on Matthew 24:1-40 and Jesus' prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times.
- Jesus knew what was coming - his death on the cross and the destruction of the temple.
- The disciples were surprised at Jesus' prophecy of the temple's destruction. They pointed out the temple's apparent solidity and permanence.
- Jesus said that not one stone of the temple would be left upon another.
- The disciples asked Jesus for the signs of the destruction of the temple and of his second coming.
- Jesus' prophecy concerned two main matters: the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world.
- Many people today are concerned about the end of the world due to threats like nuclear war. But most people ignore Jesus' teachings on this topic.
- Most people think Jesus' teachings have failed or are irrelevant today. But this view is tragic and mistaken.
- The gospel does not promise to improve the world. It prophesies that the world will get worse before the end.
- The reason the world continues to experience problems like wars is because of the sin in people's hearts.
- According to Jesus, there is no hope for the world. The world is doomed and will be destroyed.
- Although the world is doomed, individuals can be saved through faith in Jesus. This is the message of the gospel.
- The criticism that focusing on individual salvation is narrow and selfish is mistaken. Individuals are accountable to God.
- Jesus always focused on and spoke to individuals, not nations or groups. His teachings were meant for individual believers.
- Those who focus on improving the world through political and social means put the world before the individual, which the Bible never does.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Teaching on the End Times
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the main focus of Matthew 24?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that in Matthew 24, Jesus is prophesying about two main matters: "The first is the destruction of the temple in the city of Jerusalem, and indeed the destruction of the city of Jerusalem herself. And the second great matter is the end of the world." He emphasizes that Christ gave this teaching just before His crucifixion, when the disciples asked about the signs of His coming and the end of the world after Jesus had prophesied the temple's destruction.
How does Lloyd-Jones contrast the biblical view of the world's future with popular opinions?
Lloyd-Jones contrasts the biblical teaching that the world cannot be reformed or improved in an ultimate sense with the popular notion that Christianity's primary purpose is "to deal with the problems of the world and to improve the world." He states that the Bible teaches "the world, quay world is under the doom and the curse and the wrath and the damnation of God," whereas many believe Christianity is meant to "right the wrongs and lessen suffering, especially to banish war, to give us peace and enjoyment and allow mankind to go on living almost endlessly and improving and gradually developing towards perfection."
According to Lloyd-Jones, what is the true meaning of Christ's death on the cross?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects the idea that Christ's death was merely "the supreme illustration of passive resistance" or simply "a moral gesture." Instead, he explains that the cross was "a transaction between the Son of God and God the Father" where God was "taking these sins of yours and mine and putting them on his own son." He emphasizes that Christ's death was purposeful: "He came deliberately to die. His purpose was to die, because without this death of his, there would be no deliverance, no redemption, no rescue for any single individual."
Why does Lloyd-Jones emphasize the importance of individual salvation?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes individual salvation because he believes the world as a whole cannot be saved. He states, "Though the world, quay world is under this doom and damnation of God and that nothing can save it from that final disaster and end, nevertheless, individuals can be saved out of it." He defends the focus on individual salvation against charges of selfishness by noting that Jesus Himself consistently focused on individuals, even in His most cosmic moments, such as when He promised paradise to the thief while dying on the cross.
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the common misrepresentation of Christianity?
Lloyd-Jones identifies the common misrepresentation of Christianity as the view that it is "just one of a number of great moral teachings and that its primary purpose is to deal with the problems of the world and to improve the world." He argues this misrepresentation presents Jesus as "a kind of political teacher, a social teacher" who was "especially concerned about this question of war, because his great theme was love." Lloyd-Jones considers this a "travesty" of the true gospel message which focuses on eternal salvation rather than temporal social improvements.
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.