How can one know that God loves and cares for His children? In this sermon on Psalm 63:1–3 titled “Seeking Certainty,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that Christians can know this by trusting in God’s revelation of Jesus Christ. A Christian that is maturing in their faith is one who rests on what Christ has done for them. This mature faith produces assurance that is not simply a passing emotion that comes and goes, but it is an abiding and true experience knowing they belong to God. That belonging is proven in a life of humble obedience. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones also warns against those who teach an assurance of bare intellectual assent. They say that to simply claim that one believes in Christ and His gospel is all that is needed of assurance. This is shown to be inadequate from the many scriptural passages that show the deep and loving trust that the saints of God can have in the gospel. This is an intimate and personal knowledge that God loves them and has sent his Son to die a cruel death on the cross so that they could be saved. This is certainly intellectual assent to the gospel, but it is more. It is the product of the Holy Spirit working in their lives so that they trust God and His promises in true faith. This should be an experience that all Christians seek and obtain.

If it was God’s grace that saves humanity, will it not be God’s grace that keeps His people? This message is good news for the backslider. In this sermon on the perseverance of the saints from Psalm 73:24, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones highlights the grace of God in the believer’s future salvation. This doctrine, known as the perseverance of the saints, belongs at the bedrock of the faith. Dr. Lloyd-Jones begins with a proper understanding of God’s grace. God’s grace saves, restrains, and restores. The backsliding Christian will be restored because God is a God of grace. His grace is the reason all Christians are, remain, and we will be saved. Nothing, therefore, can separate the believer from God’s love. First, this doctrine is rooted in God’s own character. When God starts a work, He completes it. One finds His rest in this unchangeable person of God. The true believer cannot slide too far from God’s saving grace because God’s work of redemption doesn’t change. Second, this doctrine stems from God’s purpose. God has intended to save humanity from their sin for God’s own glory. Since saving them from sin is God’s purpose, the weak Christian will indeed be saved. Finally, this doctrine rests in the power of God. Listen and know that God not only desires His children to be saved, but He has the ability to save.

When everything else fails, is the Christian standing on the solid rock? On this rock, they will never be moved. In this sermon on Psalm 73:25–26 titled “Fellowship with the Father,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that God is this very foundation of life and notes how the psalmist turns to worship. The psalmist arrives at the goal of salvation: desiring and worshipping God alone. Everything else takes second place to God. For this psalmist, first place belongs to Him. The psalmist has discovered that there is no satisfaction apart from God. He then gives himself to the adoration of this rock. The Christian should long for God and desire to know Him and they may inquire how might they stand on this solid ground. First, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the Christian must discover there is nobody else who can help them but God. Second, the Christian then desires God Himself, not merely what God gives or does. Eternal life, as described by the apostle John, is fellowship with God. The Christian should ask themselves what are they looking for in heaven, and if it is God or merely for the blessings of God. They are encouraged to listen to this sermon and build their life on this foundation stone because God is the rock.

Is the Christian experience one of rejoicing, love, hope, and assurance of faith? Is that life marked by delight in God’s commands and promises? While God has promised great joy and hope to believers, Christians often follow the way of the Israelites when they doubt, complain, and live in a constant state of uncertainty. In this sermon on Psalm 78:41 titled “Limiting God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that when the Christian follows this way, they limit God’s power, grace, and glory rather than showcasing His excellencies to the world. Complaining and heavy hearts declare to the world that the way of God is cumbersome and sorrowful. It says the commands of God are difficult and God is not concerned with the Christian’s joy. Follow along with Dr. Lloyd-Jones as he provides the “tests” of assurance, joy, delight, and peace to evaluate hearts in light of the life-giving promises of the Holy God. Listen and be reminded that God provides great joy that cannot be shaken to the believer who earnestly seeks the presence of the Triune God as their source of delight and life. Take comfort in knowing that an assurance of salvation is given as a means of joy and comfort for the believer and be challenged by Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s reminder that the believer who does not hold fast to these promises is limiting the Holy One of Israel.

What is true religion? Many people say that true religion is whatever makes people feel good, or whatever makes them experience the sense of the divine. But in this sermon from Psalm 84:1–3 titled “The Living God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives a very different answer. He says that according to God’s word, true religion is that which worships and believes the living God. The true God that has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is beyond human comprehension; Christians can only speak of Him because He has revealed Himself in Scripture. God is holy. How then can sinners approach God? The answer is found in Jesus Christ and His death upon the cross. Jesus makes a way for sinners to be forgiven and come to God as children and heirs. Jesus is the new and better high priest that ever lives to intercede for His people as He rules from heaven. The mediation of Jesus Christ is the only way to approach God.

A false outworking of faith is the result of a faulty foundation. In this sermon on Psalm 84:1–12 titled “True Religion,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues a consideration of preliminary considerations of utmost importance as answered by the psalmist. First, through a brief discussion of what true religion is, and second through an evaluation of what the final authority of faith is. With faith, there must be a leaving and a taking up, a denial and a following. Today, some people want the benefits of religion, but in their own way. Find out the relationship between a faith that works and a faith that is built on truth. Are these two interchangeable? If one has a faith that works, does that determine its trueness? Dr. Lloyd-Jones directly addresses this issue and reminds his listeners that religion should most certainly be practical. False peace will let one down when they need it most, but the truth and promises of God are certain because of the character of God that they derive from. If one wants the blessings, they must accept the truths. To get God’s peace, they must take His wrath against sin and come to the altar in Christ.

What is most supreme in life? Can the Christian say with the psalmist that communion with God is supreme in the whole of life and existence? In this sermon on Psalm 84:3 titled “The Sparrow,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones walks through three certain things that are absolute essentials if one is to enjoy life like this. First, in reviewing his first two primary considerations, religion is not simply a matter of living, or of doing good, but rather one of knowing God: “The only thing that brings us into the presence of God is the blood of Jesus.” Additionally, the Christian learns that it is the truth of Christianity that is most essential, while the effectiveness of such a religion is merely an effect of its foundation of truth. Finally, Dr. Lloyd-Jones bring a new consideration, one that declares the Christian ought not only know the truth about God, but that they must realize the truth about themselves. They need a place of rest. No one has ever become a true Christian without feeling restless and homeless. To enjoy the blessings the psalmist expresses in Psalm 84:3 is to be aware of one’s helplessness and defenselessness.

Repentance prepares the highway for people to come into the presence of the Lord. They need substance and direction for life; not only repentance, but regeneration. From where does such a thing come? In this sermon on Psalm 84:5–7 titled “The Valley of Bacca,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at Christ as the source of encouragement for the believer, despite the circumstances he or she might find themselves in. The result of such a faith is a clear view of life as a whole, and of self in relation to God. Are the pains of life the result of others’ faults or one’s own sin? Find purpose and direction for life, rather than living in a state of selfish chaos. God withholds nothing good from those who walk uprightly. Does one have a road to follow when calamity and trials come? It is in this valley of Bacca, one of tears and sorrow, that this psalmist’s joy springs to life. Learn to rejoice, even in the valley of Bacca. Let troubles make the Christian consider the goodness of God and cause rejoicing; praise Him, He has overcome the world!

Humanity living life before God is the theme of Psalm 92 and the Bible as a whole. In this sermon on Psalm 92:1–15 titled “Godly or Ungodly,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes the opportunity to walk through the psalm and observe the life of people before God’s presence. What are the two types of people in this world? Listen to hear the only distinction that truly includes all people in one of two categories—the godly and the godless. The listener is encouraged to stop thinking about themselves and start thinking about the God who made them. Don’t be fooled; God’s wrath is coming and all need to be prepared. “Those planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in His courts.” Christians can rejoice in the Lord always because His promises are always true. There is a strength and joy that is found in the believer. Despite the droughts of life that come, the believer is kept and preserved in the Lord. Flourish by listening to the teaching of Scripture and learn to understand life in terms of God.

“All the redeemed of the Lord will join in one great anthem.” In this sermon on Psalm 107:1–3 titled “Religion that is True,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this unity despite four different types of experiences people one can encounter. Those wandering in the wilderness in need of habitation, those bound in affliction needing relief, those suffering in ill health and starvation, or those on the sea in great waters and terrible storms—all can experience deliverance. The first characteristic of a true Christian is their gratitude to God. A non-believer may have no thought or care for God, but the Christian will be concerned about God. Christianity is holistic in its combination of the will, intellect, and emotion. It is impossible to be a Christian without emotions involved; Christianity without emotion is just moralism. Great danger comes in the self-righteous person: “The self-righteous is infinitely a greater sinner than the drunkard or prostitute.” A Christian is desperate about themselves and their sin that they don’t know what to do but can come to God.

What is sin? In this sermon on sin from Psalm 107:4–9 titled “The Way, the Truth, and the Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses sin and its power but rejoices that hope exists. Sin manifests itself in almost an endless variety of ways, and because sinners fail to recognize this, they often fail to recognize sin when it is right in front of them. Does the Christian recognize sin when it manifests itself in rags but not in an evening dress? This disease has endless symptoms. Sin causes people to lose their way and miss the mark. There is a constant search for the philosophy of life and a need for an outlook that will finally satisfy the question of existence. The city of intellectual satisfaction is immense as is the search for truth and rules for living. Humanity desires security, and in such, provokes law. Listen to the views of modern and classical humanists and discover that there is no hope for the intellect alone. The listener is encouraged to read the autobiographies and biographies of Christians and be convinced that there is no hope of satisfaction apart from Christ. God’s way is simple and humble and it makes all things new.

God and God alone is to be praised. Salvation is found only in God. In this sermon on Psalm 107:10–16 titled “Prisoners of Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at the God who delivers every type of person, a God worthy of all the praise of humanity. This psalm is a great picture of both sin and salvation. Sin can take many forms, but is still sin. This is the common root to all the varied problems and ills of humanity. Learn that while there are many symptoms, there is just one essential disease. Be warned of the devil’s subtlety in working, along with the ignorance and arrogance of sin. A common idea is that religion is what makes people slaves, and to become a humanist is to liberate yourself, but this is far from the truth. Sin is what binds. This picture of a prison is a message of sin and its consequences. Sin is rebellion against God and against God’s words—sinners are the rebels. “The life of sin is a hard life.” Complications arise in the life of sin, not a freedom unto sin. First, one chooses sin, then in their persistence, they become victim to it. Be delivered from this power of sin today.

God is to be praised with one’s whole life because He is God. Sin is the singular cause of all troubles in this world, manifested in various ways. In this sermon on Psalm 107:17–22 titled “The Lie of Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at the third representation of sin—sin as disease. This is the illness of the soul, of humanity, of life. Sin is not only rebellion, but it is also transgression–a deliberate and continual going against God’s indicated will, thus taking the health of one’s soul. People are architects of their own troubles. The extraordinary paradox is that everyone is chasing happiness, but the result is unhappiness because it is not being sought in the right way. People search for the best, but find the worst. Sin always robs people of innocence, refinement, delicacy, judgement, and energy. The craving for evil exponentially continues to increase. Christ came to kill the poison of this disease through His death so that all could be reconciled to God.

It is not hard to see that humanity is in a state of suffering and evil. Everyone experiences death, sickness, and suffering in their lives, but why is this? Many do not consider this question because they claim that humanity will inevitably progress until all evils have been extinguished and that man is the master of his own destiny. But the Bible presents a very different picture of the world than the triumphalist. In this sermon on Psalm 107:23-32, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that Scripture teaches that humanity is fundamentally sick and weak, and in dire need of salvation. No one is master of their own destiny, but all are subject to what happens in the world. When the gospel comes, it does not make humanity the center of the world, but it restores them to their rightful place as creatures of God. The gospel brings true and lasting peace for all that believe. This sermon calls each and every person to flee from sin and to come to God in repentance and humility to be saved. This sermon brings the vital message that all need salvation and that Jesus is the Savior.

The most important thing about life is not what one does, but who they know. In this sermon on Psalm 107:32–43 titled “The God of the Bible,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches about the psalmist confessing that God has the power to both save and to judge. The glorious truth of the gospel is that God has sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save it. Vile sinners are called to flee sin and come to Jesus so that they might be children of God, perfect and holy in Christ Jesus. Knowing Jesus is what saves His people, not their works or deeds. The most important question is whether one knows Jesus. To reject Jesus is to be damned before God in the final day of judgment. Dr. Lloyd-Jones pleads with sinners to forsake their sin and to come to the merciful arms of Jesus. Flee from hatred and strife and come to God who is loving and long suffering, not desiring that any should perish. It is only by believing in Jesus Christ that anyone can be saved and made holy before God.

What does it mean that salvation is all of grace? Despite the centrality of grace to the Bible, many Christians do not have a good understanding of what it means that God is gracious. In this sermon on Psalm 107:33–43 titled “A Gift of Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches that God gives grace freely so that sinners can be saved. Salvation is a gift of grace; a free gift of God apart from any human merit or works. The work of salvation is a unique act of God wherein God sends His Son into the world to die for sinners. Salvation is accomplished in Christ and given as a free gift to all who repent and believe in Jesus. This sermon shows first and foremost that it is the message that one’s merit and works can never make one right with God. All human striving for salvation is wholly done away with on the cross of Calvary when Jesus died for sinners. This sermon calls all to forsake sin and to believe in God.

What is unique about the Bible’s teaching on salvation? Many religions and philosophies present ways that people can be saved from death and enjoy everlasting peace. In this sermon on Psalm 107:35–38 titled “The Great Christian Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the Christian’s faith stands apart from all these other worldly teachings because in the holy Scriptures is found a salvation that is wholly miraculous. Becoming a Christian is a miracle of God in that He transforms what is dead and lifeless into a living and breathing new spiritual being. This new birth is impossible according to nature, but with God all things are possible. This message of salvation as an act of God means that it is only by grace that anyone can be saved. Salvation is wholly of God, and therefore it is wholly of His grace. Christians are not called to understand the miraculous nature of God’s acts, but are called to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who has come and died for sinners. They are called to believe so that they may be saved. This is the most important message that anyone can hear because it is the only true message of salvation.

What does it mean to have a broad perspective on life? Many criticize Christianity for being closed-minded and leading to a narrow life, but in this sermon on Psalm 118:5 titled “A Small Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that Scripture has a different view of the Christian life. Rather than being narrow and closed-minded, the Christian is the one who truly understands the world and who has true and lasting joy because they know God. The Christian trusts in Jesus Christ for the salvation from sin. The Christian has received joy and lives in this joy because God has given a great gift of grace. The narrow life is the life that has no hope after death and no joy in life’s Creator. This sermon is a call to obey the gospel of God by believing in Jesus Christ and to find true and lasting peace as a child of God. Anyone who has not renounced the old life of sin, come to Christ and forsaken themselves to come to God is on the path to destruction apart from God and His goodness. There is no salvation and true peace part from faith in Jesus Christ.

Why should one listen to the message of the prophets and of holy Scripture? In an age of doubt and the rationalistic criticism of Scripture, this remains a vital question for the church and all believers. In this sermon on Isaiah 1:1–2 titled “As Revealed by the Prophets,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the nature of Scripture as the word of God given through the apostles and prophets. God gives His word to His people in times of need and guidance. This word from God is the only reason that the church has any authority to speak to the world and call it to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The message of the church is that Jesus Christ has died for sinners so that they might be righteous and children of God. All who repent and believe in Jesus are saved from sin and the wrath of God. This message of salvation confronts the world in its fallenness and brokenness and tells of the God who has died for the world. God’s revelation is the only reason that the church can stand and proclaim this great truth that Jesus has come and died for sinners. This sermon confronts all that they need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

Christians must consider what their is life worth and what they are willing to give up in exchange to save their soul. In this sermon on Isaiah 1:3 titled “Listen to God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on these considerations. Even when shown the damage caused by sin, people continue to live in rebellion, not listening to God’s call to repent. While even animals know their master and know the master provides their food and all that they have, people refuse to acknowledge God and all the blessings that come from His merciful hands. Humanity loves sin and wickedness more than their gracious God who has promised to give all things to those who love Him and believe in His name. So, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks, what profit is it to gain the whole world and lose one’s soul? What does knowledge and pleasure bring if one dies and goes to hell? People love their sin, but it leads only to death and despair. God has given the best gift possible in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the grave, reigning over all so that all who believe may have eternal life abundantly.