A Picture of the Church
A Sermon on Luke 24:25-27
Scripture
25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all …
Sermon Description
What do two hopeless disciples have to teach the church of today? In this sermon on Luke 24:25–27 titled “A Picture of the Church,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches how the disciples who met the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus were hopeless because they did not understand what the Messiah had come to do. They believed that when Jesus died, they thought that he had failed. The modern day church often trusts in the wrong things and misunderstands what Christianity is all about. The church becomes hypocritical, and this hypocrisy drives away those on the outside. What is the answer to this problem? The example of John Wesley has much to teach. He was evangelizing the lost while he was still cold and dead on the inside as an unregenerate man. Could the church be the same way? They are in sin and unbelief, trying to share the gospel. The answer to this is to come to Jesus Christ who saves and gives all a new heart and mind to love and serve Him. The answer to the sad state of the church and to the soul of everyone is to believe in Jesus who saves completely.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon discusses the story of two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that the disciples were sad and discouraged, even after Jesus had risen from the dead. They had hoped Jesus would redeem Israel, but then he died.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the disciples' sadness shows the state of the modern church, which is often discouraged and hopeless. The church focuses too much on problems instead of solutions.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones says we should ask why outsiders are not attracted to the church. Often, it is because of the church's discouragement and hopelessness. The church should examine itself instead of immediately trying new methods to attract outsiders.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones analyzes why the disciples were sad. They were focused on the past and what had already happened. They talked about Jesus' life and ministry but forgot the resurrection.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the disciples "communed and reasoned together," trying to understand their situation. But they were blind to the solution. The church today often does the same thing, reasoning about problems but missing the solution.
- When Jesus joined the disciples, he called them "fools and slow of heart to believe." They should have believed the prophets' words about the Messiah suffering and being glorified. But they only focused on the prophecies they liked.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the church today often only believes parts of the Bible it likes, ignoring other parts. But we must believe the whole Bible to understand God's truth.
- The disciples' hearts burned within them as Jesus explained the Scriptures to them. We do not need to see Jesus physically to have our hearts burn. The Holy Spirit illuminates the Scriptures for us.
- John Wesley's heart was set on fire when he heard someone reading Luther's preface to Romans. We need the "burning heart" produced by focusing on Jesus in the Scriptures instead of our problems.
Itinerant Preaching
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.