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Sermon #5630

Believer or Unbeliever?

A Sermon on 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10

Originally preached Sept. 18, 1960

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Scripture

2 Thessalonians 1:8-10 ESV KJV
in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes …

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Sermon Description

In this sermon on 2 Thessalonians 1:8–10 titled “Believer or Unbeliever?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes the coming judgement of Christ and the separation between believers and unbelievers. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this separation of saved and unsaved is fundamental to Christianity since Christianity involves absolutes. The Christian is someone who hears the way of God and decides to follow it, but the unbeliever has done the opposite. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that the unbeliever will try and apply his or her own logic and intellect to the Scriptures, when really he or she is in no position to debate them. But the believer has faith in the message of God. The believer does not try to correct the Scriptures, but rather reiterates what has already been written. A person cannot have both God and the world, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says. That is clear all across Scripture. A person must decide which choice to make. The day of judgment is coming and all will stand before the Lord. For the unbeliever, a life apart from God awaits, but for the Christian awaits eternal life with a just and loving God.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by establishing that there are only two types of people in the world - Christians and non-Christians. These two groups have fundamentally different beliefs and destinies.

  2. Non-Christians do not know God and are not interested in knowing him. They live as if God does not exist and are only concerned with worldly matters. They do not recognize God's authority over their lives.

  3. Christians know God and have a personal relationship with him. They recognize God as the creator and ruler of the universe. They live their lives in obedience to God and his word.

  4. Non-Christians will face eternal punishment for rejecting God, while Christians will inherit God's kingdom and enjoy eternal life with him.

  5. What differentiates Christians from non-Christians is their belief in and obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel teaches that Jesus is the Son of God who died to save sinners.

  6. When a person believes the gospel, they repent of their sins and commit their lives to following Jesus. This results in a transformed life that obeys God's commands.

  7. The sermon concludes with a call for people to examine themselves to see if they have truly believed and obeyed the gospel. If not, they face eternal destruction. If so, they can look forward to eternal life in God's kingdom.

Sermon Q&A

What Did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About How to Know if You're a Christian?

What is the clear definition of a Christian according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, a Christian is someone who has made a definite, clear-cut choice. Specifically, a Christian is someone who "knows God and has given obedience to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ." This is in contrast to non-Christians who "know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." Being a Christian is not vague or indefinite but involves specific beliefs and commitments. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christianity presents an absolute division - "it is either black or white" with no middle ground between following God or following the world.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say you can tell if someone is truly a Christian?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that you can tell if someone is a Christian by examining what they believe and how they live. True Christians give clear evidence of their choice in two main ways:

  1. By what they believe - they have "believed the testimony" of the apostles about God, Jesus Christ, and eternal destiny.
  2. By how they respond - they "obey the gospel," which involves repentance, turning from sin, and following Christ regardless of the cost.

He states: "Have you obeyed the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? If you haven't, and you should die in that condition, there remains nothing but everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about the two ultimate destinies of mankind?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that there are only two possible eternal destinies for every person:

  1. For non-Christians: "Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power." He explains this means being "shut out of the presence of God and of Christ and the Holy Spirit and the holy angels forever and forever."

  2. For Christians: Citizenship in "the kingdom of God," rest with the apostles and saints, and the privilege of seeing Christ in his glory. Lloyd-Jones describes it as being "in the presence of God and to enjoy him forever in the kingdom of God amongst his people."

He emphasizes that these destinies are determined in this life by one's response to "the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

What does it mean to "know God" according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

According to Lloyd-Jones, "knowing God" involves several elements:

  1. Believing that God exists - "He that cometh unto God must believe that he is."
  2. Recognizing God as the creator and governor of the universe - seeing Him as "the living, the everlasting God, the God who made all things."
  3. Living with an awareness of being "under the eye of God" - knowing that life is "God centered, God governed."
  4. Having a personal relationship with God rather than merely knowing about Him.

This is contrasted with those who don't know God, who "live their life as if there were no God" and "according to their own notions and ideas."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about repentance and its role in becoming a Christian?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that repentance is an essential element of responding to the gospel. He explains that when someone truly believes the gospel message:

"You repent. You see what a fool you've been. You see how blind you've been. You see how ignorant you've been. You see how vile you've been. You see how sinful you've been... You hate yourself. You abominate yourself... You fall before him. You say to him that you've sinned. You're unworthy of anything. You simply cry out for mercy."

But repentance isn't just feeling sorry; it involves action: "Turning to God, believing his message concerning his son, accepting it, and then turning from your sin, turning from the world, obeying the gospel." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that genuine belief in the gospel must produce this change: "If you really believe it... you cannot go on as you are. It's impossible."

Sermons on Unbelief

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.