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Sermon #5551

The Knowledge of the Glory of God

A Sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Originally preached March 5, 1961

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Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 ESV KJV
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight …

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Sermon Description

What is the power of Christianity? The Bible is clear that it is not human wisdom or ingenuity, nor is it found in anything that people do. The power of the gospel is found in Jesus Christ alone. When Paul came to the Corinthians, he says that he came preaching Christ and Him crucified. By preaching in the power of Christ, the Christian shares the light of the knowledge of the glory of God and not their own efforts. When Christ is preached, Christians preach the only hope for this world because God can only be known through His Son. In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1–6, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells of the great need for Christ, and that it is Christ alone who can make the world right. Jesus alone is the power of God to save sinners and bring them to God. This sermon forces the question: do I know God? Do I seek to glorify God above all things? For there is no greater need than to know God and to know that all sins are forgiven. This gospel is the only true and lasting hope in this world, and it is this hope that Jesus gives.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that he preaches the gospel by manifesting the truth and commending himself to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
  2. Paul says that if the gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost. The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to prevent them from seeing the light of the gospel of Christ.
  3. Paul says that he does not preach himself but Christ Jesus as Lord. Paul considers himself a servant of the Corinthians for Jesus's sake.
  4. God commanded the light to shine out of darkness and has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
  5. The words Paul wants us to consider are found in 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. Paul says that since we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
  6. Paul has renounced hidden things of dishonesty and does not walk in craftiness or handle the word of God deceitfully. He preaches the truth plainly.
  7. Paul is not concerned with popularity or attracting people. He is concerned with preaching the truth as God has revealed it to him. He will have to give an account of his ministry to God.
  8. The gospel gives us light and knowledge about ourselves and the glory of Jesus Christ. The gospel shows us the truth about ourselves—that we are sinful and under God's wrath.
  9. The gospel shows us the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. The god of this world blinds unbelievers to this truth.
  10. Paul preaches Christ, not himself. He considers himself a servant of the Corinthians for Jesus's sake.
  11. God commanded light to shine out of darkness. He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in Christ.
  12. The ultimate goal of the gospel and Christianity is to bring us to a knowledge of God's glory. Our failure to realize this shows how sinful we are.
  13. We tend to be self-centered, focusing on our problems and needs rather than on God's glory. We often view God as someone who exists to help us rather than as the One for whom we exist.
  14. Knowledge of God's glory is humanity's greatest need. Ignorance of God's glory is the root cause of all of humanity's troubles.
  15. Ignorance of God's glory will be the cause of people's final condemnation. We will be judged based on whether we have lived for God's glory.

Sermons on Knowledge

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.