Sermon Breakdown

1. The sermon is based on 2 Timothy 1:12 - "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

2. The sermon begins by providing context for the verse by reading 2 Timothy 1:6-14.

3. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that this assertion by Paul shows that the Christian message enables people to live triumphantly despite difficult circumstances.

4. Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks how we can live like Paul and be "more than conquerors." He says we must understand what enabled Paul to say "nevertheless."

5. Paul's ability to say "nevertheless" came from his faith in the gospel and knowledge of the Lord of the gospel. So we must understand the gospel and who God is.

6. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says Christianity has nothing to offer those who don't believe its message. We must accept the biblical message to receive its benefits.

7. Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks what the gospel message is and says we can only know it through the Bible. He says there is only one gospel, not a new modern one.

8. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the gospel starts by explaining the world - it was created by God, not an accident. God controls and sustains the world and has a plan for it.

9. The next question is what is man. Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses various theories of man, including that he is just an animal. But these do not satisfy us or account for the contradictions in human nature.

10. The Bible says man was made in God's image with an intellectual, moral, and religious nature. Man has a soul, spirit, and body. The soul and spirit make him human.

11. Man was meant to rule over creation as God's representative and live for God's glory. Man's happiness depends on his relationship with God, not circumstances.

12. But man rebelled against God, lost his relationship with God, and became self-centered. So the world is now in disorder and man is unhappy. This is the only adequate explanation for the state of the world.

13. Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks what man's destiny is. If he is just an animal, death is the end. But man has an eternal soul that will be judged by God. There are only two eternal possibilities: bliss or misery.

14. In light of these truths, what hope is there? Man cannot save himself through his efforts and world religions are hopeless. The only hope is through Jesus, who can deliver us from ourselves and give us rest.

15. When we realize we cannot save ourselves, we must cry out to Jesus. He will give us life, enable us to face death triumphantly, and allow us to say "nevertheless" in all circumstances.