Think About Good
A Sermon on Luke 3:1-2
Originally preached Dec. 18, 1955
Scripture
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2Annas and Caiaphas being the high …
Sermon Description
God’s law was given after the fall of humanity and His communication with humanity continued until it suddenly halted for 400 years. Silence for 400 years left humankind waiting for God’s word to come again. In this sermon on Luke 3:1–2 titled “Think About Good,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses the message that broke this silence. God’s revelation is the exact opposite of discovery: humanity does not have access to anything that was not first revealed by God. Learn about spiritual history and how this always works exactly according to God’s plan. Redemption and the scheme of salvation were in the mind of God even before the world was formed. The hand of God runs throughout Scripture alongside the plan and history of humanity. See how the Old Testament is constantly pointing forward to Christ Jesus and how sin demands punishment. Humanity’s sin is such terrible rebellion that God cannot simply pretend He has not seen it. Jesus Christ came to taste death for everyone. Indulging in temporary pleasures of this earth will have devastating eternal effects. There is great hope that comes with this gospel of freedom through Christ, but it is one that must be embraced in this lifetime.
Sermon Breakdown
- God made men perfect and placed him in paradise where he communed with God.
- Men disobeyed God and fell into sin, misery and became captive to the devil.
- God did not abandon men but promised a redeemer (the seed of the woman) who will defeat the devil.
- God called Abraham and made a nation (Israel) through whom the redeemer will come.
- God gave Israel the law and prophets but they failed to keep the law. The prophets called them to repentance and pointed to the coming redeemer.
- For 400 years, God was silent. During this time, Greek and Roman empires rose and failed to solve men's problems.
- God spoke again through John the Baptist calling people to repent and believe in the coming redeemer - Jesus.
- Jesus is the redeemer promised to Abraham and prophesied by the prophets. He came to die for our sins and give us new life.
- We must repent of our sins, believe in Jesus and surrender to him to receive new life and escape judgment.
- Jesus will come again to judge the world. Those who believe in him will be gathered to him but unbelievers will be condemned.
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.