A Vain and Empty Life
A Sermon on 1 Peter 1:14
Originally preached Oct. 25, 1959
Scripture
14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
Sermon Description
Why is Salvation necessary for the non-Christian man? What is the purpose of life for the non-Christian? In this Sermon on 1 Peter 1:4 titled “A Vain and Empty Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers these questions and addresses the fact that the non Christian life is hopeless, vain, and has no purpose until they are born again and delivered out of darkness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones firstly explains the origin of the non Christian life and says that these men and women simply do what they think needs to be done because of tradition; they are following what other people have done in the past. Although they might think that they are living their own life, they are getting their ideas from someone in the past or around them who has done the same. Secondly, he explains that the life without God is a life of lust always controlled by the passions and desires of the flesh and mind. Everything the non-Christian does in this life is controlled by their mind and flesh, including anger and ambition. Lastly Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that although the non Christian life seems attractive and wonderful at first, it is empty inside and there is no meaning to it. In the ungodly life, there is no hope and it is merely hopeless. He concludes by saying that salvation is necessary to deliver you from this empty life, and so that God can give you light, joy, and hope in this world. It is necessary for the Christian to realize that he is just a journeymen in this world and one day will be in glory with the Father.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by introducing 1 Peter 1:13-14 which exhorts Christians to have hope and live obediently.
- The sermon then provides an overview of 1 Peter 1, noting how it describes the Gospel and salvation.
- The sermon identifies ignorance as the first reason people live sinful lives, noting how people are ignorant of God, themselves, the meaning of life, and how life can be.
- The sermon then says the second reason people live sinful lives is because they follow the traditions of their fathers. They live the way others do without thinking.
- The sermon describes the sinful life as vain, fruitless, purposeless, and without hope. It is a life of lust and passion.
- The sermon says the sinful life is corrupting and degrading. It leaves people with "withered dreams."
- The sermon concludes by contrasting the sinful life with the life Christ offers. Christ offers knowledge, a new life and nature, strength over sin, purpose, and eternal hope.
- The sermon ends with an appeal for people to turn to Christ.
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.