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Sermon #5631

The Lord of Peace

A Sermon on 2 Thessalonians 2:16

Originally preached Dec. 24, 1961

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Scripture

2 Thessalonians 2:16 ESV KJV
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, (ESV)

Sermon Description

To open his sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reads the writings of Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:16. Within that passage, Paul reminds the reader to hold fast to teaching and press into Christ, who has given peace. Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks a question: does the Christian know this peace? For peace seems to be the opposite reaction to this world. Many people are restless and fearful. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that this is because people are at war with God and themselves. They cannot have peace because they do not have God, and their conscience will always be full because they cannot reconcile themselves. But the Christian should not feel the same way. He or she is given a relief from the fear of the world through the blood of Christ. Jesus is the mediator between God and man. He speaks on behalf of the Christian, giving and dispensing peace as He pleases, for He is the Prince of Peace. How does Jesus administer this peace? Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells us. Christ never leaves. He is always with us. At our moment of need, we can lean into Him and receive His peace, and this glorious gift is for all those who call on His name.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The world is characterized by restlessness, trouble, insecurity and fear which are the opposite of peace. The cause of this lack of peace is sin.
  2. Sin disrupted the original peace and perfection in the Garden of Eden. It led to fear, quarreling, fighting against creation and disease. This is the state of the world today.
  3. The Lord Jesus Christ is called the Lord of Peace. He possesses perfect peace in his own nature. He came to bring us peace which was lost due to sin. He came as the mediator and reconciler to make peace between God and man.
  4. He purchased the right to be the Lord of Peace through his perfect life of obedience and sacrificial death. He satisfied God's wrath and law. God gave him the gift of peace to give to us.
  5. The peace Christ gives is different from the world's peace. The world's peace is false, superficial, temporary and depends on circumstances. Christ's peace is deep, solid, durable and independent of circumstances.
  6. Christ's peace starts with giving us peace with God through forgiveness of sins. This leads to peace within ourselves and with others. We can have this peace always through Christ's presence and promises.
  7. This peace is offered to all, even those who are "afar off" in sin. If we cry out to God, the traffic of Jacob's ladder will shine between us and the cross, and Christ will give us His peace.

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.