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Sermon #5567

This Vicious Principle

A Sermon on Galatians 1:3-5

Originally preached Oct. 12, 1958

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Scripture

Galatians 1:3-5 ESV KJV
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)

Sermon Description

In this sermon from Galatians 1:3–5 titled “This Vicious Principle,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the world in its very nature is cursed as a result of sin. All struggle to keep a clean mind and a clean heart on this earth because it is under the dominion of Satan. The world will show all it has to offer, but Christians must remember that this world is committed to death and destruction. Dr. Lloyd-Jones instructs fixing eyes on Christ and what is eternal as one sojourns through this world. He tells that Christians must fight against evil in this life because they belong to God and will never truly be home until they reach heaven.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by explaining that the passage being discussed is Galatians 1:3-5 which talks about Jesus delivering us from this present evil world.
  2. The sermon then outlines some common non-Christian views of the world including that the world evolved on its own, that the world is good and joyful, that the world is improving, and that we should enjoy the world.
  3. In contrast, the Bible teaches that this world is only temporary and will pass away. God created the world perfect but sin entered and now the world is under a curse.
  4. The sermon emphasizes that the world is evil because it does not obey God, it is controlled by Satan, it leads to ugliness, disorder, lawlessness, and unhappiness. There is a vicious principle of evil at work in the world.
  5. The world opposes God and righteousness. It is difficult to live a moral life in the world because of the constant temptations and evil influences surrounding us.
  6. The world cannot be improved and is doomed to destruction. All of human civilization has failed to improve the world. Jesus said the world will be as wicked as in the days of Noah and Lot before his return.
  7. Because the world is in us and we are in the world, we also need to be delivered from the world and its doom. We cannot deliver ourselves no matter how hard we try.
  8. Only Jesus can deliver us from the world. We must cry out to him to save us and separate us from the world though we still live in it. Jesus can free us from the world's control and doom.
  9. In summary, though the world and we are evil, God sent Jesus to deliver us from this present evil world. We must trust in Christ alone to save us.

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.