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Sermon #5645

The Meaning of the Gospel

A Sermon on 2 Timothy 1:12

Originally preached May 10, 1964

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Scripture

2 Timothy 1:12 ESV KJV
which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. (ESV)

Sermon Description

In this sermon on 2 Timothy 1:12 titled “The Meaning of the Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that many people think they can construct a worldview built from Christianity along with other religions or ways of thought and still experience the same hope as a follower of Christ. But as Dr. Lloyd-Jones illustrates from this Scripture, no one can have the benefits of Christianity without believing and following Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the gospel and its importance for everyone. Jesus, the God-man, entered into time and became God in the flesh. In His living, He showed how one is to live. In His sacrificial death and resurrection, He made a way for people to be made right with God and to have their sins forgiven. All that He claimed to be while alive was proven by His resurrection, showing that He is God and the Lord over all, even death. He established that death is not the end — He has conquered it. One cannot have this hope and confidence unless they trust in Jesus solely as their Savior from sin and following Him as master. He alone can save and give hope.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul is writing to Timothy to encourage him in his ministry. Timothy was prone to depression and discouragement.
  2. Paul himself is imprisoned in Rome and facing possible execution. But Paul says he is not ashamed because he knows Jesus, in whom he has believed.
  3. Paul says the gospel gives us power to face any difficulty or trial in life with joy and courage. The gospel is the only thing that can help us truly live and face death.
  4. Paul says we must believe the doctrines of the faith to experience the benefits of Christianity. We can't just take the ethics and ignore the doctrines.
  5. The Christian faith is based on a person: Jesus Christ. Paul says "I know whom I have believed." Christianity is about believing in and knowing Christ.
  6. Paul reviews the essential doctrines of the faith for Timothy. He starts with the nature of God and his eternal plan of salvation. This plan was conceived before the world began but has now been revealed in Jesus.
  7. Jesus is the eternal Son of God who appeared on earth. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross, and rose from the dead.
  8. The Old Testament points forward to Jesus, the promised Savior and Messiah. Jesus fulfilled God's promise to defeat sin, death, and the devil.
  9. Jesus demonstrated what humanity was meant to be by living a perfect, sinless life. But he did more than just set an example. He came to conquer our enemies: sin, death, and the devil.
  10. Jesus conquered sin by living a sinless life. He conquered the devil by resisting temptation. He conquered death by dying on the cross and rising from the grave. His resurrection proves life after death and immortality.
  11. Jesus also fulfilled the law of God in our place through his life of obedience and by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
  12. We must believe in Jesus—who he is and what he has done—to find comfort, courage, and victory in life and death. Faith in Christ is the only way to truly live.

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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.