The Mystery of the Death of Christ
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:18-20
Originally preached Nov. 22, 1964
Scripture
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20For …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Ephesians 6:18–20 titled “The Mystery of the Death of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the two natures of God and man in one person. Having considered the mystery of the person of Christ, he now considers the mystery of His death. This aspect of Christ’s person is central to the message of the gospel. Because of how crucial it is, this is another point at which the devil concentrates his attacks. False teachings about the death of Christ have plagued the church since the very beginning. Many evangelical teachings communicate misunderstandings about His death. Even the disciples were confused by His death as it didn’t fit well with their understanding or experience of His Messiahship. It seemed to contradict His power and purposes. They didn’t understand that Jesus’s purpose in coming was to die, even though He continually told them it was His great aim. This all had been planned by God before the foundations of the world. The only way to deal adequately with sin is through the perfect sacrifice of the death of Christ. This was, and is, God’s way of providing a way of salvation for sinners. This is the mystery of the cross: He came that He might bear the sins and guilt of humanity, satisfying the wrath of God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The death of Christ is a mystery that cannot be fully understood by human reasoning.
- Even Christ's disciples did not understand his death and were confused by it.
- The mystery stems from the apparent contradiction between Christ's power/authority and his death in weakness.
- Popular modern explanations remove the mystery and wonder from Christ's death.
- Christ himself taught that his death was necessary and preordained. He willingly laid down his life.
- Christ's transfiguration shows his death was known and discussed in heaven.
- Christ wept at Lazarus's tomb because he knew death entered the world through sin, and he would have to die to conquer it.
- Christ agonized in Gethsemane because he knew he would be temporarily separated from the Father in order to save humanity.
- At the Last Supper, Christ explained his death was to establish the new covenant in his blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins.
- After his resurrection, Christ explained his death and resurrection were foretold by Scripture. His death provides repentance and forgiveness of sins.
- The apostles taught Christ's death was planned before creation, necessary to satisfy God's justice, and provides propitiation and redemption.
- Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His blood redeems us and washes away our sins.
- God sent his Son to die in our place to reconcile us to himself. Christ bore our sins and tasted death for every person.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding the Mystery of the Gospel: Insights from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "the mystery of the gospel"?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the mystery of the gospel refers to something that is "hidden and secret from men and which can only be known as God reveals it." It's not something we can grasp with our own unaided minds and understanding. The gospel is inherently mysterious to natural human thinking, but God has chosen to make it known to us through revelation. As he explains, "The mystery of the gospel... [is] this thing which in and of itself is secret, but which God in his infinite kindness and mercy and compassion has chosen to make known to us the children of men."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say that the cross is a mystery that the world cannot understand?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the cross appears as a contradiction to natural human thinking due to the apparent paradoxes it presents. He points out how Christ displayed great power throughout His ministry (controlling nature, healing the sick, raising the dead), yet died in apparent weakness and helplessness. This contradiction baffled people then and still does today. As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "This is the thing that's baffled people... it was the thing that baffled those people who were there round about him at the foot of the cross." The world cannot reconcile how "the immortal dies" or how "the prince of life" could be put to death.
How do modern thinkers attempt to explain away the mystery of Christ's death according to the sermon?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, modern thinkers try to explain away the mystery of Christ's death in several ways:
- They view it as a tragedy of a great man not appreciated in his time
- They portray Jesus as an honest teacher who wouldn't recant his teachings
- They see him as someone who believed he was preaching God's word and preferred death to disobedience
- They consider him the supreme example of pacifism and non-resistance
- They reduce it to a demonstration of God's love, suggesting God is simply saying "though you do this to my son, I still love you"
Lloyd-Jones argues that all these explanations "take the mystery out of the cross" and reduce it to something we can fully understand within human categories.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the true purpose of Christ's death?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies the true purpose of Christ's death as substitutionary atonement for sin. He emphasizes that Christ came deliberately to die as a sacrifice for our sins. Using Christ's own words, he quotes: "The Son of Man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many." He explains that God is holy and just and must punish sin, but through Christ's death, our sins are punished in Him so we can be forgiven. As Lloyd-Jones states: "This is God's way of forgiveness. He punishes our sins in the person of his own dearly beloved, only begotten son."
How did Jesus' disciples react to His predictions about His death?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the disciples consistently failed to understand Jesus' predictions about His death. He provides several examples, including Peter rebuking Jesus when He spoke of His coming death (to which Jesus responded, "Get thee behind me, Satan"), and how the disciples were "amazed," "troubled," and "cast down" whenever Jesus mentioned His approaching death. Lloyd-Jones points out that "when at the end he's arrested, this is the laconic remark with which the evangelists tell us what happened: They all forsook him and fled." This demonstrates how the cross remained a mystery even to Christ's closest followers until after the resurrection.
What evidence does Dr. Lloyd-Jones provide that Jesus' death was planned rather than accidental?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides several pieces of evidence that Jesus' death was planned rather than accidental:
- Jesus explicitly taught about His coming death: "From that time forth, Jesus began to show unto his disciples how that he must go into Jerusalem and suffer many things..."
- Jesus compared Himself to the bronze serpent Moses lifted up: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up"
- Jesus stated His purpose: "No man taketh my life from me, but I lay it down of myself"
- Jesus declared: "For this cause came I unto this hour"
- The transfiguration scene where Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus about "the exodus that he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem"
- Jesus "set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem" despite warnings
All these demonstrate that Christ's death was divinely planned, not merely the result of human rejection.
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.