The One Mediator
A Sermon on Ephesians 2:16
Originally preached March 4, 1956
Scripture
16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Sermon Description
Because of sin, all are alienated from one another and God. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:16 titled “The One Mediator,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is quick to explain that by the blood of Christ, sinful people can be reconciled to one another and God. Jew and Gentile can be one in the new body of Christ where all who repent and believe in His name are adopted. Rebellious sinners can only be made right with God through the atoning death of Christ on the cross of Calvary. There He removed the offenses against God, ensuring redemption for all those who God elected. This death was not simply a moral example for others to follow, nor was it merely a display of God’s love. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones asserts, it is in the cross where God was reconciling the world to Himself through the blood of Christ so that all who believe are made holy and righteous before Him. The death of Christ Jesus at the hands of sinners is the only way that there can be fellowship restored between fallen sinners and the holy God who created them. This is the great message of the gospel. There is no other true message of reconciliation and salvation between God and sinners. The church must be faithful and bold in its proclamation of this truth to the whole world, for it is the only hope for sinful people.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sin separates us from God. All our troubles ultimately stem from sin and being separated from God.
- Reconciliation means bringing together again, reuniting, and reconnecting. It emphasizes completeness and restoring something that was there before.
- God took the initiative to reconcile us to Himself. It is not something we can do through our own efforts.
- Both Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to God in the same way - through Jesus Christ. There is only one way to be reconciled to God.
- Jesus Christ achieved our reconciliation through His death on the cross. "He is our peace."
- The cross removed the enmity between God and man. Our sins were imputed to Christ, and He took the punishment for them.
- The Old Testament sacrifices were a picture of what Christ would do in reconciling us to God through His death.
- Whether Jew or Gentile, all must come to God through Christ. He purchased the church with His own blood.
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.