The Protestant Reformation
A Sermon Commemorating the Protestant Reformation
Scripture
Sermon Description
In this sermon on the Protestant Reformation, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides a comprehensive overview of the Protestant Reformation and its ongoing relevance. He traces the development of the Roman Catholic Church over the centuries, highlighting how it deviated from biblical teaching through traditions, papal authority, and doctrines like transubstantiation. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then explains how reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin rediscovered key biblical truths like justification by faith alone and sola scriptura. He recounts how the Reformation spread to different countries, including England. Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the core doctrinal differences between Protestantism and Catholicism remain, despite surface-level changes in the Catholic Church. He urges listeners to value and defend Reformation truths, warning against ecumenical movements that compromise the gospel. Overall, Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents the Reformation as a crucial recovery of biblical Christianity that continues to have vital importance for the church today.
Sermon Breakdown
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Introduction and context for discussing the Protestant Reformation
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Explaining how the Roman Catholic Church developed over centuries after the apostles
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The rise of church hierarchy, tradition alongside scripture, and the papacy
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Describing the wealth, power, and practices of the medieval Catholic Church
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Outlining earlier reformist movements like the Waldensians and John Wycliffe
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Martin Luther's rediscovery of justification by faith alone
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Luther's break from the Catholic Church and his key teachings
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The parallel Reformation movement under Zwingli in Switzerland
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The more radical Anabaptists who rejected infant baptism
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The systematic theology of John Calvin and his Institutes
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How the Reformation came to England initially through Henry VIII
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The brief Protestant reforms under Edward VI
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The persecution of Protestants under the Catholic Queen Mary
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Elizabeth I's consolidation of the Protestant Church of England
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Rejecting claims that the Catholic Church has truly changed its doctrines
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.