August 1967

In this sermon preached at the Sunday morning service on August 27, 1967 to Seventh Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the encounter between the risen Christ and two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He highlights their initial state of sadness and dejection, despite the resurrection having already occurred. This, he argues, mirrors the condition of many Christians and churches today who, though possessing the truth, live as though defeated. The remedy lies in hearts set aflame by the risen Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. When Christians live in light of the resurrection, with burning zeal and enthusiasm, they will be filled with an infectious and indelible joy that draws others to the gospel. The church must move from sad and slow hearts to burning hearts if it is to truly live out its calling. <br /><br /> *Special note on Dr. Lloyd-Jones's Preaching Method <br /><br /> During his ministry, it was Dr. Lloyd-Jones's practice to preach sermons geared towards the edification of believers at the Sunday morning service and sermons geared towards the evangelism of unbelievers at the Sunday evening service. This sermon serves as a good example of a message geared towards believers, whereas its counterpart from the evening service (to be released next week) an example geared towards unbelievers. This method has been referred to half-jokingly by contemporaries as "Saints in the morning, Sinners at night!" However, it must be noted that this practice did not mean that within Dr Lloyd-Jones's sermons edification and evangelism were mutually exclusive. There would be plenty within each sermon to feed and convict both believers and unbelievers alike.

In this sermon on the parable of the rich fool from Luke 12:13-21, preached on a Sunday evening to the Seventh Reformed Church in Grand Rapids (Michigan), Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones exposes the danger and tragedy of self-deception. The parable arose from a man interrupting Jesus' teaching to ask him to intervene in a family inheritance dispute. Jesus, shocked by the request, warns the man and the crowd to "beware of covetousness". He then tells the parable of a rich man who treasured up possessions for himself but was not "rich toward God." The man's folly, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, was rooted in self-deception regarding his own capacity as a thinker and planner. While successful in business, the rich man left God completely out of his thinking and planning. He failed to consider his soul, God's claim on his life, and the fleeting nature of earthly possessions. The sermon challenges hearers to examine themselves and ensure God is central in all of their reasoning and aspirations. <br /><br /> *Special note on Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s Preaching Method <br /><br /> During his ministry, it was Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s practice to preach sermons geared towards the edification of believers at the Sunday morning service and sermons geared towards the evangelism of unbelievers at the Sunday evening service. This sermon serves as a good example of a message geared towards unbelievers, whereas its counterpart from <a href="https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/other-sermons/hearts-aflame/">the morning service</a> an example geared towards believers. This method has been referred to half-jokingly by contemporaries as "Saints in the morning, Sinners at night!" However, it must be noted that this practice did not mean that within Dr Lloyd-Jones’s sermons edification and evangelism were mutually exclusive. There would be plenty within each sermon to feed and convict both believers and unbelievers alike.