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Sermon #5385

In the Midst of Life

A Sermon on Luke 13:1-9

Originally preached March 6, 1960

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Scripture

Luke 13:1-9 ESV KJV
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; …

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Sermon Description

Why do people reject the claims of Christianity? Modern people claim that they are enlightened. They believe in their own reasoning and find Christianity to be irrational and utterly unbelievable. In this sermon on Luke 13:1–9 titled “In the Midst of Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that humankind rejects Jesus for one reason: prejudice. Humanity is in sin and a slave to evil desires and, therefore, he is the least free thinking. Humanity claims that evil disproves God, but Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that this is not a belief born out of the evidence but is a result of prejudice. The only answer to humanity’s sinful state is the gospel. Only the grace of God can open their eyes to see that they are under the judgment of God and living in death. Only the gospel prepares people for death because it frees them from sin and the judgment of God that justly comes to all. This sermon brings the most important message that anyone can hear. It tells humankind that no matter how bad their sin is, God can save them. There is no one beyond the grace of God and the loving grace of Jesus Christ.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. There are wrong ways to react to calamities like earthquakes. Some don't think about it at all and just shrug it off.
  2. Some use it to confirm their prejudices, like blaming atomic bombs.
  3. Some question why God allows such things to happen and use it to deny His existence.
  4. The right way to react is to examine ourselves. Why are we still alive? Life is uncertain.
  5. We should ask what our state would be if we perished suddenly like them. We would face God's judgment.
  6. God looks for fruit in our lives - are we living for Him or for ourselves and the world? Without fruit, we will be cut off.
  7. We are given more time to repent - to face ourselves and God, realize we have no claim on Him, and confess our sin.
  8. Repentance means acknowledging our sin without excuse, that we deserve destruction. It's being sorry for dishonoring God.
  9. The gospel is God's digging and dunging - His giving us a chance through Christ's work. We simply believe and surrender to Him.
  10. If we don't repent and believe, nothing remains but eternal destruction. But in Christ we have heaven.
  11. We should respond now and not say "if only" when the final end comes and it's too late.

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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.