The Supreme Need
A Sermon on 1 Peter 1:17
Originally preached Nov. 8, 1959
Scripture
17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
Sermon Description
Everyone has different problems and needs, but what is the Supreme need? Dr. Martyn Lloyd- Jones answers this question in his sermon on 1 Peter 1:17, revealing that our true need is “to know God”. To truly show the audience how helpless they are to fill this “need”, he elaborates on man’s inability to satisfy himself, saying, “Man has not the power to truly bless himself.” Whether we have peace, comfort, or good health, we will never be truly satisfied. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then shows us, that our supreme and ultimate need is “to know God”. But why is this our supreme need? Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides three reasons for why a relationship with God is our supreme need. The first, is that God will judge all and it is essential for us to know his commandments and demands so that we are ready for judgement. The second, is that we need Christ because we are all sinners in need of a savior. And the third, is that he alone has the ability to bless us. But how can we know God if he is holy and we are sinners? Dr. Lloyd-Jones, points to Christ as our path to knowing God. “For God so loved the world, that he sent his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life”(John 3:16). He concludes, saying that all we must do to know Christ is “call on him as the father,” and he will be with us till our final breath.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon focuses on 1 Peter 1:13-25 and examines Peter's call to "gird up the loins of your mind."
- Peter gives several reasons for this call:
- It delivers us from a vain and ignorant life lived according to our lusts.
- We are in a precarious position in this life and will face judgment.
- The gospel reveals our greatest need which is to know God.
- Our greatest need is to know God because:
- All our other needs stem from not knowing God.
- Everything else has been tried and failed.
- We are in God's hands but are antagonistic toward him.
- Only God has the power to truly bless us.
- We can only know God through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God but Jesus reveals him.
- The revelation of God through Jesus is that God is holy and hates sin.
- Our sin separates us from God but Jesus' sacrifice reconciles us to God.
- Through Jesus we can call on God as our Father and become his children.
- As God's children we can pray to him with confidence in our times of need.
- God will supply all our needs through Jesus whether in life or in death.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on 1 Peter 1:13-17
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as humanity's greatest need?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphatically states that mankind's greatest and most desperate need is to know God. He argues that all other human problems and challenges—war, ill health, unhappiness, and suffering—ultimately stem from this one fundamental need. He says, "The supreme need of mankind and of the individual in the race is to know God," and that everything else has been tried throughout human history and failed to bring true happiness and peace.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the problem of trying to know God through human efforts?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, humans cannot know God through their own wisdom, philosophy, or striving. He quotes Paul's statement that "the world by wisdom knew not God" and explains that God "dwelleth in a light which is unapproachable." He argues that philosophers and thinkers have tried for centuries to find God through reason, the five proofs of God's existence, history, or subjective contemplation, but have failed because "Man, by searching, cannot, has not found God, because he dwells away there in the infinities, in eternity."
According to the sermon, what is the only way to know God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that the only way to know God is through Jesus Christ. He references John 1:18, "No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him," and Jesus' words in John 14, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He emphasizes that Jesus Christ is God's own revelation of Himself to humanity, the only one who has come down from heaven and can therefore truly reveal the Father.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain what it means to "call on the Father"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that calling on the Father means approaching God in prayer as His child. He critiques casual attitudes toward prayer ("having a word of prayer") and insists that true prayer is approaching God with confidence, but only through the blood of Jesus Christ. He cites Hebrews: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace" and "Having, therefore, brethren, boldness, to enter into the holiest of all by the blood of Jesus." This means we can approach God with our needs, obtain mercy, and find "grace to help in time of need."
What does the sermon teach about the universal fatherhood of God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects the concept of the universal fatherhood of God and universal brotherhood of men. He states, "There is no such thing as the universal fatherhood of God" and cites Jesus' words to some people: "You are of your father, the devil." He clarifies that God is only the Father of those who come to Him through Jesus Christ, referencing John 1 which says that "to as many as received Him, He gave power to become the children of God." Therefore, not everyone is a child of God by default—this relationship comes only through faith in Christ.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe God's holiness in relation to sin?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that God is "absolutely holy" and "hates sin." He mentions that Jesus addressed God as "Holy Father," and explains that God "hates evil, he hates drunkenness, he hates immorality, he hates selfishness, he hates injustice, he hates vice." He describes God as "light, and in him is no darkness at all" and as "a burning fire" in whose presence sin cannot exist. This holiness creates the fundamental problem for sinful humans who need to approach this holy God.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the solution to our separation from God?
The solution, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is redemption through the blood of Christ. He quotes 1 Peter 1:18-19: "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold from your vain conversation...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." He points to the cross at Calvary where the Son of God died "that you and I might be reconciled to God." Through Christ's sacrifice, our sins are taken away and we can have peace with God.
What comfort does Dr. Lloyd-Jones offer to those experiencing trials and sorrows?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers the comfort of knowing God as Father. He describes how believers can "go into the presence of God as children" and approach Him as "a little child knocks at the door of his father." He says that in "agony of soul," "desperation," "unhappiness," "bereavement and sorrow," we can "rush to your father and be unfolded in his arms" where grief is forgotten and tears are dried. This relationship with God gives strength in every circumstance, and the believer can say with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the Christian's approach to death?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones portrays death as the ultimate moment when worldly support fails but God remains. He notes that "nobody can be with you" at the moment of death, but believers can call upon God who will "be with you" and "supply your every need in life and in death." He quotes hymns that express trust in God's guidance through death: "When I tread the verge of Jordan let my anxious fear subside" and "Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah." The Christian can face death knowing God will "receive you to be with him in glory throughout eternity."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones urge his listeners to "gird up the loins of your mind"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges listeners to "gird up the loins of your mind" (from 1 Peter 1:13) because Christianity isn't "a mere riot of emotionalism" but requires serious thought and understanding. He emphasizes that we need to think carefully about our greatest need (knowing God), our precarious position (being travelers in this world heading toward judgment), and the solution God has provided in Christ. The phrase means to prepare one's mind for serious engagement with the truth of the gospel, which alone can deliver us from a "vain, ignorant, foolish life" and bring us to know God.
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.