From the MLJ Archive

Hebrews 8:5 — In this sermon on Hebrews 8:5 titled “Hear Ye Him,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims the great commission that was given to Moses, and ultimately to all preachers of the gospel. Where did Moses’s authority and message come from? Look at how God commissioned Moses with a detailed plan; He has done the same for all His people. The quest for truth cannot start with modern humanity; Christianity must have a different starting point. All are invited to come back to the revelation of God Himself. Moses has no authority apart from God, and neither does anyone else. Take a closer look at God’s pattern and plan for humanity. God alone can tell people about themselves, life, and death. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones walks through the Sermon on the Mount and then brings the listener to the mount of Calvary to hear its message. This is a message of the holiness and love of God. Sin will be punished, and Christ did not offer the blood of bulls and goats, but He offered His own blood. Salvation is through the shed blood of God’s only Son.

Hebrews 6:16 — In this sermon on Hebrews 6:16 titled “In the Refuge of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides counsel for the troubled soul. He exhorts his listeners that the author of Hebrews focuses on believers having peace in spite of their bad circumstances. Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims how wonderful a truth this is in a world that has so much calamity and uncertainty. A Christian’s hope is not in their circumstances, but rather in the Lord who has redeemed the soul. Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that the Bible teaches believers how to live in this world; it is a manual that has passed the test of time. With this manual in hand, Christians can enjoy peace even if there was another world war, Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches. The reason Christians may have such peace is that the Gospel provides a refuge for the soul. He is quick to clarify that there is no promised refuge for the body found in the pages of Scripture; many have been martyred for their faith. Rather, the Christian may be comforted in that God has secured their soul. All must consider the truth about their eternal soul before given this refuge, and they must repent to the Lord for God to rescue them. In Christ, Christians may have an anchor within the veil.

Hebrews 6:11-12 — The Christian was always meant to have full assurance and happiness. In this sermon on the assurance of hope from Hebrews 6:11–12 titled “A Full Assurance of Hope,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones dives into the epistles and discovers how they were written for the assurance of believers. He also focuses on the circumstances of uncertainty that surrounded these believers and what hope they received. Dr. Lloyd-Jones touches on the three assurances of faith, understanding, and hope, with special focus on the full assurance of hope. He encourages the preaching of sanctification by preaching the hope and the glory of Christ. This is not a message that is subjective to human feelings. Christianity is primarily and essentially other-worldly and the Christian should put aside earthly prospects to follow Him. The Christian is encouraged to know of the “first fruits” and meditate on the Scriptures. “Endure by seeing Him who is invisible.” Faith is the substance, and hope is the outcome of this faith. What is meant by the “state of hope”? When all else gives way, Christ is the solid rock that can be stood upon. God provides the diligence and faith that is necessary. Look to Him and have full assurance unto the end.

Hebrews 6:7-8 — Attending church is not sufficient for salvation. The greatest sin of the modern person is that they live as if they own themselves, but they do not. In this sermon on Hebrews 6:7–8 titled “A True Belief,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares that no one is their own and He focuses on the illustration of two fields. The whole world was created by God and made for Him. Every life will go on to judgment in relation to their response to this gospel. The value of one soul is such that no one can put too much emphasis on listening. Those who reject this word are utterly hopeless. It is the reaction to the treatment of the gospel that distinguishes Christians from the rest of the world. Listeners are encouraged to contrast the dramatic difference between the two products that are produced and examine that which pleases the creator of this world. The natural life alone is useless before God. The marks of a true believer are repentance and belief in this message of God’s salvation in Christ. It is not enough to simply know the gospel. Everyone must deny themselves and take up their cross, following Him and leaving everything else.

Hebrews 2:14 — Listen to this Christmas message on Hebrews 2:14 as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones remembers He who is our Savior and salvation. Do not think of the Christian life in any general way apart from Christ. Through death, Christ destroyed him who had the power of death. Death lost its sting! Man's greatest temptation is to leave out the “wonderful works of God.” Salvation is the result of God’s activity. There is great trouble when we become doubtful of the person of Christ. Look at the two heresies of Christ. The mystery of godliness is Jesus' being truly man and truly God. We are all sharers of human nature, but Christ's manhood was entirely different. God voluntarily added to what He already was – adding flesh and blood to the Divine. Two natures in the One. He who made all things now knew what it was like to be weak, misunderstood, and even to die. Christ became the captain, author, and composer of our salvation. God had to become man. Christ had to die to save us from the condemnation of the Law. He robbed the devil of the power of death and is our representative at the right hand of God. He can sympathize with you, blessed be His name.

Hebrews 2:11 — In this sermon on Hebrews 2:11 titled “Not Ashamed to Call Them Brethren,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the wonders of Christ and His shared inheritance with the redeemed. The theme of the book of Hebrews is the preeminence of Jesus Christ. The wonder of the gospel is that Jesus is not ashamed to call His people brethren. Though they are but humans, the Lord God calls them brethren because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims that humans are the sanctified, and Jesus is the sanctifier. Yet He became a little lower than the angels in order to redeem them back to Himself. He became man while not ridding Himself of His Godhood. Because of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial condescension to humanity, His people can share in His wonderful, eternal, and glorifying inheritance. Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that although God has made Himself one with His redeemed, He is also entirely separate. Jesus Christ is the bridge of the expansive gap between God and humanity. Jesus made a way for people to come to Him; He made a way for them to be brethren. And Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call them brethren. Dr. Lloyd-Jones wonderfully articulates that when Jesus came, the lawgiver came unto the law. He took upon the form of a servant. Because of this, He can be called Jesus the brother.

Hebrews 2:9 — There is no lack of content in Scripture about the cross of Christ. In this sermon given on Good Friday on Hebrews 2:9 titled “The Cross of Christ,” Dr, Martyn Lloyd-Jones presents various questions about this subject and answers them from the Scripture. Who is this person dying upon a cross? Jesus Christ, the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person, humbling Himself by coming in the likeness of a man, sojourning among humanity, and suffering and dying that He might taste death for everyone. What does it mean that He tasted death? On the cross He experienced – in body and soul – everything that is involved in death as the punishment for sin. Nothing was withheld. Why did He suffer such a death? The answer is given in one word: “for everyone.” He took the place of all, bearing the wrath of God for their sins upon Himself. What’s the result of His coming? The glorious result is two-fold: because Jesus suffered and died, He has been exalted, crowned with all glory and honor and power, and He has taken out the sting of death for all believers. He did it because God’s very nature is one of grace, compassion, and love.

Hebrews 1:1-3 — In this sermon on Hebrews 1:1­–3 titled “The Wonder of the Cross,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones exposits the book of Hebrews and carefully explains the great theme of the entire epistle: the glory and preeminence of Jesus Christ. Special attention is given to the latter part of verse three as the author of Hebrew only notes Jesus’s earthly ministry of purification of sin. The purification and cleansing of sin, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, has to be the center of the focus of Christian faith because it perfectly displays the glory and humility of Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also explains the strangeness and the meaning of the cross: the cross is strange to the world because the glory of God is displayed in one of the most humiliating places and symbols in the world. The cross also means to be the fulfillment of all the Old Testament types. In glory and humility, Jesus Christ came to purify and cleanse sins of the world on the cross, putting an end to the Old Testament rituals and offering the ultimate way of salvation. As a result, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, Jesus has now “sat down at the right hand of God,” displaying both His glory as the Son and the finished work on the cross.

Titus 2:11-14 — The Son of God appearing in human history is not simply an abstract truth. While the Christmas message objectively happened in the past, the good news does not simply tell facts in history. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that the gospel asks Christians to look at themselves. The gospel forces them to ask who they should be. It challenges people to personally ask “What have I done with the good news?” In this sermon on Titus 2:11–14 titled “The Christian View of History,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones follows the apostle Paul in emphasizing how the gospel teaches how to live the Christian life. Living between the first advent and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ radically alters one’s understanding of God, themselves, and this world. This results in changed living without the desire for worldly lusts, but instead with a longing for righteousness. A sober view of life takes over ungodly living as one remembers the present time and anticipates the future return of the Savior. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches how to put the gospel into practice in this present age, between the first coming and second coming of the Son of God.

Titus 2:11-14 — For various and sometimes nefarious reasons, people often isolate the Christmas message of the babe in a manger from the rest of the gospel story. The tendency is to take parts of the whole person and work of Christ and segregate them from the rest. Or perhaps worse, some as children heard the message of gentle and lowly Jesus in a manger and never move beyond; they start at Bethlehem and end with Bethlehem. This is a tragedy that inevitably ends in error, says Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. In this sermon on Titus 2:11–14 titled “The Two Advents,” he states that Christians must follow the apostle Paul’s important principle and take the Lord Jesus Christ’s work as a whole. Paul frames the first appearing of Christ in conjunction with His second advent. Placing these two advents side-by-side in his sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones then contrasts them. While the first coming of Christ was humble, lowly, and hidden, the second coming will be glorious and made for all the world to see. Listen as he provides a unique and passionate Christmas message where the listener comes face-to-face with the entire person and work of Christ.