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Sermon #5286

The Only Authority

A Sermon on Jeremiah 2:8

Originally preached Oct. 30, 1960

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Scripture

Jeremiah 2:8 ESV KJV
The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit. (ESV)

Sermon Description

What does the prophet Jeremiah say to the church of today? According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in this sermon on Jeremiah 2:8 titled “The Only Authority,” the prophet Jeremiah reminds of the importance of God’s authority in one’s life. Jeremiah decried the corrupt and abusive priesthood of Israel that sacrificed to false gods and did not worship the only true God of Israel as they had been commanded to do. The leaders of Israel had also rejected God and His law. What does this mean for the church of modern times? Just as many in the time of Israel who were supposed to lead the people of God and teach them rightly had gone astray, the church of today has many who claim to be leaders but reject the truth of God’s Scriptures and teach against orthodox Christianity. Whether it is higher criticism of the Bible or attacks on the deity of Christ, many teachers in the church oppose the very teachings of God. The answer to this problem is always the same: the church of Jesus Christ must teach the true message of God’s word despite what the world says. Faithfulness to God requires that Christians believe not what is popular, but what is revealed in God’s word.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The prophet Jeremiah was sent by God to warn Israel of impending judgment due to their sin and unbelief.
  2. The leaders of Israel, the priests, prophets and princes had failed in their duty to lead the people to God. Instead they led the people away from God into sin, idolatry and unbelief.
  3. The people of Israel were confused and did not know God or understand His salvation because of the failure of their leaders.
  4. The situation today is similar with much of the leadership of the church and the world leading people away from God and the Bible.
  5. The Bible and God's word is no longer the authority or standard for much of the church and the world. Instead man's reason, knowledge and philosophy have become the authority.
  6. As a result, views of God, sin, Christ, salvation, the Bible, prophecy and the future have been distorted and evacuated of their biblical meaning.
  7. Many are left confused and lost, not understanding the true gospel and biblical Christianity.
  8. There needs to be a return to God and His word, recognizing our own failure and finiteness. We need to ask again "Where is the Lord?".
  9. The way back is through repentance, accepting God's revelation in Scripture and trusting in Christ alone for salvation.
  10. The gospel is the message of Christ, the eternal Son of God, born of a virgin, who died and rose again to save sinners. This is the only foundation and only true Christianity.

Old Testament

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.