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Christians: Living Epistles Written by Christ

2 Corinthians 3:2-3

Christians are letters of recommendation – living epistles - for the Lord Jesus. To truly impact those outside the church, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the Christian must start within the church. Listen to this sermon on 2 Corinthians 3:2–3 and learn that the people of Christ are to be a letter so plainly written that anyone could read its message and understand the gospel of Christ. Each person is either in Christ or out – there has always been a great division. The hand holding the pen and writing such words is not the one holding the power; the power is the hand of God. Salvation happens in the fleshly parts of the heart, and morality is not merely the outside. This gospel is not merely an improvement, but a radical transformation; a profound intellectual change occurs in the believer. A great distinction between the unbeliever and the believer is their understanding of the primacy of the human soul. Unbelievers are blinded by a veil of sin, but the Christian can see truly through Christ’s sacrifice. The Son sets humanity free. The more one looks at Christ, the more they will look like Him – people will be able to look at a Christian’s face and see the difference.

The Congregation

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones stood at a significant turning point in the history of homiletics. While modern preachers often assume a fluid style of preaching for the sake of modern listeners, Dr. Lloyd-Jones warned against the rising tendency for the congregation to dictate from the pulpit. What is the relationship between the pew and the pulpit? How are preachers to understand their method of preaching in light of their congregation? In this sermon titled “The Congregation” from the “Preaching and Preaching” series, Dr. Lloyd-Jones cautions that ministers must not be swept away by objections to traditional pulpit ministry. He outlines the new arguments that were being promoted as the most effective way to reach modern listeners with the gospel. Responding point-by-point to these new homiletical methods, Dr. Lloyd-Jones counters them from a theological point of view by seeking to understand the nature of humanity, the unity of the church, and the role of the Holy Spirit in preaching. Always seeking to find balance, however, Dr. Lloyd-Jones also examines 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 and highlights the importance of flexibility within the pulpit. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones helps preachers discern a balanced approach to preaching to a modern congregation.

Vain Regrets

1 Corinthians 15:8-10

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones believes that meditating upon past failures is a waste of time. “If you can't do anything about a thing,” he argues, “stop thinking about it.” The Apostle Paul was a man whose past was filled with sin and his energies were devoted to harm and destroy the Christian message. Yet, with all of his past sin, Paul does not find misery in the present. His past does not affect his new identity in Jesus Christ. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:8–10, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wants Christians to know that they certainly were what they once were, but now they are what they are now. The Christian must study Scripture, know who they are, and be prepared for these spiritual attacks, knowing that bemoaning the past can cripple in the present. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages Christians to ruthlessly fight against this condition so that they do not behave like a fool. The fool focuses on self and seeks to change what he cannot control. The Godly man, on the other hand, is more interested in Christ, and less interested in the self.

The Inner Man

Ephesians 3:16

In this sermon on Ephesians 3:16 titled “The Inner Man”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the profound importance of the transformed inner man. He begins by pointing out Paul’s manner of prayer for the Ephesians. Paul begins by praying for the spiritual needs of the Ephesians and then goes on to pray for specific things that the Ephesians need. He does not pray that his own circumstances would be changed, nor that the circumstances of the Ephesians would be changed. Instead he focuses on spiritual need and specific needs. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then expresses the importance of the inner man and the heart, the center of the believer. For if the center (the thinking) and the heart of a person is set right, then everything else will fall into place. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that it is not that when one becomes a Christian that suddenly everything in the world is set right. The world is fallen and sinful, consequently full of disease and tribulation of many kinds, so that cannot be. Rather, when one becomes a Christian, they are being renewed daily in the inner man though the outer man is wasting away (2 Corinthians 4:16). The joy of the Lord is now their strength no matter the circumstance or the state of his outer self.

Conscience

Romans 14:14-16

Teaching on the conscience is relatively sparse in Scripture. The topic occurs in only a few passages in Paul’s letters so many Christians are either uninformed about the conscience or perhaps confused. How vital is it to the Christian life and what is Scripture’s teaching on it? In a sermon dedicated entirely to key questions regarding the conscience, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones posits that the apostle Paul’s teaching on the conscience is one of the most important subjects for the family of God. In his sermon on Romans 14:14–16 titled “Conscience,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones brings related passages on the conscience together in order to evaluate key terms and answer basic questions on the conscience. Drawing from Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10, Dr. Lloyd-Jones analyzes the context of strong and weak Christians on matters of opinion. With regards to these indifferent matters, the conscience is ultimate. Christians are not to exercise their liberty in such a way that it comes under the condemnation of another believer’s conscience. Disregarding another’s conscience or one’s own can have devastating results. As such, Dr. Lloyd-Jones looks in-depth at Scriptural teaching on a defiled and seared conscience. Finally, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides listeners with the two main functions of the conscience in the Christian life.

Revelation and Reason

1 Corinthians 3:16

“Why is it that modern man, who has been so astounding in so many respects, is such a miserable and tragic failure in the whole question of life and of living?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks this question to highlight that though people have achieved enormous accomplishments, they are still suffering with the basic questions of life, questions that are solved only in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why are people generally interested in seeking answers from anyone except God? Why, instead of coming to Jesus, do they fall at the feet of celebrities who are also struggling? Ultimately, why do they reject the gospel? In this sermon from 1 Corinthians 3:16 titled “Revelation and Reason,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that humanity’s ultimate sin is intellectual pride. God’s salvation brings it to dust, yet, people reject this because of their confidence in themselves. God’s way of solving the problems of life are far different from the world’s approach. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides three ways in which the two pathways are different: the world relies on human wisdom; the world says that people are good in and of themselves; and the world holds that the issue needing to be fixed is a matter of intellect, not sin. However, Scripture shows the opposite—humanity’s problem is sin, and the only solution is a Savior.

Testing the Spirits (5)

John 1:26-33

What is the place of spiritual gifts in the life of believers and the church? How should Christians approach the command to test the spirits? In this sermon on John 1:26–33 titled “Testing the Spirits (5),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones helps the church think through these questions and how to apply the answers to life. “The general purpose of our baptism with the Holy Spirit is evangelism,” he says. What are the main points of the Scriptural texts that address spiritual gifts, such as in 1 Corinthians? First, gifts should never be used as an end in and of themselves— all gifts are temporary and, as is written elsewhere in Scripture, are to be used for the benefit of others. One of the primary reasons for these texts was because a spirit of competition had entered in among the believers, and they were becoming so distracted that they were losing sight of the bigger picture. The main reasoning for these gifts is to glorify the Lord. The second point, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is evangelism. The third is the edification of the body. Some Christians live in pursuit of these gifts, but Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers a helpful reminder— do not seek the gifts selfishly, but rather indirectly by pursuing the Lord and trusting that He will give what is needed to accomplish His purposes.

The Glory of God

Ephesians 1:6

Forgiveness of sin is the heart of redemption in Christ. But that is different than saying God’s primary motivation for redemption is forgiveness of sin. In this sermon on “The Glory of God” from Ephesians 1:6, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones remarks that errant thinking places the human being at the center of salvation rather than God. Instead, the glory of God is the great motive that led God to plan and purpose redemption in Christ. Christians are often lethargic about their salvation but Paul says Christians are redeemed to praise Him. Why should Advent illicit praise to God? Chiefly because in the coming of Christ the revelation of God’s glory is seen. Although the glory of God is difficult to define, the term implies God’s beauty, majesty, splendor, greatness, might and eternity. Dr. Lloyd-Jones walks through various passages in order to demonstrate how this theme runs throughout Scripture (Genesis 3:24; Exodus 40:34–37; Isaiah 6; Luke 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6). Placing the glory of God at the front of one’s mind can have great effects in evangelism. By emphasizing the glory of God in their proclamation of the gospel, Christians shall be much more apostolic in their method. While God is about His glory, the highest manifestation of that glory is found in the salvation of sinners.

Testing the Spirits (4)

John 1:26-33

With “Testing the Spirits (4),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues his sermon series in John 1:26–33 on testing the spirits where he expounds on its importance for Christians and how they can be wise and discerning with what they see and hear. Having spent many sermons working through general principles to guide this process, Dr. Lloyd-Jones puts forth what he sees as the ultimate test in discerning the spirits. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, Paul declares that any spirit is not of God if it says anything contrary to the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is because it directly contradicts the rest of Scripture— in many ways, it would function to cause the claims of Scripture to fold in on itself, and this is not to be. This testing of the spirits is often thought to be applied when analyzing ideas from outside Christian circles, but this is not always the case. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides examples of people who accepted things as being from the Lord when they were not. Not everything that claims to be a message from God is, and believers must be wise to understand the differences and live accordingly. Many stories exist of people who wrongly thought they had messages from God, causing much difficulty that could have been easily avoided by comparing it with the teachings of Scripture. This sermon provides a helpful look at how Christians can avoid this mistake.

The Sermon and Preaching

What is preaching? In this sermon titled “The Sermon and Preaching,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says the preacher is the man to deliver the message from God to the people. The preacher is an ambassador for Christ. He’s not there to entertain people toward Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that preaching is a transaction where the people are given the mind of God through the written word, explained by a faithful preacher. The danger arrives when preaching is replaced by digital versions, print versions, group discussions, and therapy sessions that foster opinion. People are dealing with the living God and they must never approach the subject in the cavalier manner as if His very existence were up for debate. Since the heart of preaching addresses humanity’s eternal destiny and design, one cannot reduce this message to a trivial discussion. There is no neutral point where Christian and non-Christian can meet. There’s no morally neutral ground that they can agree on since one is of darkness and the other is of light. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, God uses the foolish to expose the supposedly wise. Too much of the world today—and the church today—wants to make a rebellious person look wise. Apart from humility, no one will ever understand revelation. Jesus Himself thanked God that He hid the gospel from the “wise” and revealed it to “babies.” As Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes, true preaching lifts up Christ so that He draws people to salvation.

For Church and Minister

2 Corinthians 5:11

How should pastors view the church? How should a church view its pastor? In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:11 titled “For Church and Minister,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the importance of both a church and its pastor, and how the two relate to each other. Dr. Lloyd-Jones begins by laying out three points centered around Paul’s letters to various congregations and his relationship with them. First, an unsupportive church can greatly hinder the pastor and his ministry, and be a source of major contention that makes it hard for the shepherd to do his work. Second, a good church can fill a vital role by encouraging its pastor. This, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, is one of the easiest yet most valuable things a church can do. Finally, as Paul declared in the epistle, a church filled with people seeking the Lord and following the pastor’s instruction is the best testimony he can have. Dr. Lloyd-Jones spends the latter half of his sermon addressing the role of the pastor. Like an ambassador, pastors are appointed by God to their position to speak on His behalf to His people. They are the shepherd, and their responsibility is not just to be the “nice guy,” but rather, one who speaks the truth of God’s word. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones expounds on these points and encourages pastors and churches to interact with each other in a way that pleases the Lord and reflects the relationship that Paul had with many of his congregations.

The Wretched Man Identity (1)

Romans 7:25

Is the apostle Paul’s exclamation of wretchedness in Romans 7:24-25 a description of the regenerate man at his very best in this life? Who exactly is speaking? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores the exact meaning of this well-known and difficult passage in this sermon on Romans 7:25 titled “The Wretched Man Identity.” As the first sermon in a two-part sermon series, Dr. Lloyd-Jones walks us through seeming parallel passages of Scripture to shed light on the question of the identity of this man — is this a regenerate or unregenerate man? Or perhaps an immature Christian? At first glance, these passages seem to describe the same groaning and state of misery as the man in Romans 7:24-25. But after examining 1 Corinthians 9:27, Ephesians 6, and Galatians 5 closely, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that the these passages, while appearing similar on the surface, are different, indeed opposite, of the man we find in Romans 7. These texts are referring to a certainty of triumph and victory because of the role of the Holy Spirit. It is the success of a regenerate man who is sanctifying himself by the Spirit and is thereby able to crucify sin. By laying the hermeneutical foundation of examining other passages, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones prepares his listeners for the second part to this series by teaching that Romans 7:24-25, in spite of every resolution of the man, is a declaration of captivity. The law of sin in his members is too strong and he is sold under sin. Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones carefully exegetes this passage, contrasts it with other New Testament passages, and lays the groundwork to discuss in-depth the identity of this man.