A Public Declaration
A Sermon on Galatians 6:14
Originally preached Dec. 1, 1963
Scripture
14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Sermon Description
Scripture testifies that the cross and blood of Christ speak. In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “A Public Declaration,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the first thing they say is that the souls of people are very precious. This is seen by the fact that God sent His Son to die on behalf of sinful people who couldn’t save themselves. Second, the cross says that the most important thing to people is their relationship with God. How one responds to Jesus’s death on the cross will affect how they spend eternity, either with God or apart from Him. Thus, it is of the utmost importance. Third, the essence of sin is the breaking of a relationship with God. Fourth and finally, the cross and blood say that all need to submit to it so that they can be saved. This, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is the exposition of the cross. In this, it declares that it alone is the way of dealing with one’s sin, and it invites those who don’t know Christ to come and find forgiveness from their sins and be reconciled to God.
Sermon Breakdown
- Men's souls and relationship with God are of utmost importance according to the cross.
- Sin is rebellion against God and breaks our relationship with Him.
- Sin must be punished because God is holy and righteous.
- The cross shows how serious sin is and how holy God is.
- The cross is the only way for God to remain just while forgiving sin.
- The cross publicly displays God's punishment of sin.
- The cross declares that God has solved the problem of sin.
- The cross invites sinners to come to Christ.
- The invitation of the cross is for the weary, worn, and sad.
- The cross offers sympathy, acceptance, rest, pardon, peace, cleansing, joy, a new nature, strength, and eternal hope.
- The cross provides a free gift of forgiveness and reconciliation.
- Our unworthiness does not disqualify us from coming to Christ.
- The saints, apostles, martyrs, and prophets show that Christ will bless all who come to Him.
- We must trust in the promise of the cross and come to Christ for cleansing.
Other Sermons
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.