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Sermon #5347

The Living Temple

A Sermon on Matthew 24:1-2

Originally preached Feb. 1, 1959

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Scripture

Matthew 24:1-2 ESV KJV
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will …

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Sermon Description

What is the meaning of life? If history is compared with today, it seems that humanity has been going in circles. Wars continue to occur, evil people are in charge of the nations, crime abounds, and it seems that hope is hard to come by. Many put their hope in modern humanity and the achievements they have accomplished in the technological revolution. Bigger strides in medicine and technology have been made in the past hundred years than in all of human history. In this sermon on Matthew 24:1–2 titled “The Living Temple,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines how Jesus shows His disciples that nothing on this earth will last. Jesus correctly prophesied the destruction of the Jewish temple (an architectural feat in itself) to show that the only lasting hope that anyone can have is in Jesus Himself. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that although humanity has had technological innovations, the basic problems still plague humanity. Listeners will learn of the hope that Jesus promises to be, that sins can be forgiven through faith in Him, and people can be granted a life that outlasts this very earth.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The gospel surprises us by pronouncing the doom and destruction of all that man regards as great.
  2. The disciples point to the temple buildings as an example of man's achievement, ingenuity, and durability. They ask Jesus to admire them.
  3. Jesus says that not one stone will be left upon another - the temple will be utterly destroyed. This astonishes the disciples.
  4. We must look at the credentials of Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Jesus, to determine if we should believe his pronouncement. Jesus makes astonishing claims about himself, including that he will return in judgment.
  5. Jesus' prophecy about the temple's destruction was literally fulfilled in AD 70. This shows we should believe his other teachings.
  6. The principles Jesus teaches here are:
    1. Anything we worship or trust in will be destroyed. Even the temple of God was destroyed because the Jews worshipped it instead of God.
    2. Failure to believe in Jesus leads to destruction. Jerusalem was destroyed because she rejected Jesus.
    3. The only way to escape destruction is to believe in Jesus.
    4. The temple is destroyed, but Jesus is the true temple. He is the way to God, not the physical temple.
  7. We must look to Jesus, not any physical building, for security. He alone can save us from the destruction of this world.

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.