Exercise
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-13
Originally preached Nov. 12, 1961
Scripture
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “Exercise,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the importance of Christians exercising their faith so that they can grow. Christ is the source of strength for a believer. Christians are told to run to Christ for their spiritual food and drink, and yet there must be something more— they must use spiritual food and drink for spiritual development. Christians must exercise their faith so that they can gain the strength needed to stand strong. Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives three practical ways to implement this exercise. First, the Christian must develop a certainty regarding the things of their faith. Second, Christians must exercise their faith by laying hold of the doctrines of Christianity and learn the Bible well so that they can communicate the hope of Christianity to a lost world. Third, they can look to the past and examine the lives of faithful Christians who have walked before in the midst of incredibly trying times. This, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, serves to encourage, inspire, and strengthen one’s faith. Through Christ, believers can stand strong in the midst of difficult times and this exercise of their faith will only serve to deepen their steadfastness.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon is based on Ephesians 6:10-13 which deals with spiritual warfare and how to withstand evil.
- The world is currently in an "evil day" with many troubles and problems. The only explanation for this is the work of the devil and spiritual forces of evil.
- The purpose of the church is not to change circumstances but to enable people to stand strong despite circumstances. The church equips people with the truth of God's word.
- To stand strong, we must be "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." We must rely on God's strength, not our own.
- To access God's strength, we must feed on His word, pray, take the sacraments, and exercise our faith. We must actively build ourselves up.
- We must hold firmly to the promises and hope we have in Christ. We must look to the world to come, not the present world.
- We must progress from the basics of the faith to deeper doctrines. We must exercise our senses by studying God's word.
- We must meet together regularly as the church and not forsake assembling together. We must encourage one another.
- We can look to heroes of the faith from the past as encouragement. Despite living in evil days, they triumphed through faith in God.
- Ultimately, we must look to Jesus as our example. He endured the cross for the joy set before Him. By looking to Him, we can run the race with endurance.
The Book of Ephesians
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.