From the MLJ Archive

Philippians 3:7 — What lessons can finance teach about salvation? In this sermon on Philippians 3:7 titled “An Honest Audit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tackles this question and provides helpful insight into the steps that one must take in order to analyze the standing of their relationship to God. Paul writes that what he had previously counted as gain, he now counts as loss. Someone who receives Christ realizes that in the past they had deceived themselves, refusing to face the facts about how they were separated from God. Scriptures calls all to think carefully about eternal matters, and to adjust their lives accordingly. Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws a comparison between this and a financial audit. Just as companies are to take extreme measures to examine the state of their financial health, so Christians are called by God to take stock of where they are spiritually. All believers must take a spiritual audit. There are many reasons why people are hesitant to audit themselves, but Dr. Lloyd-Jones helps them understand why they must not let this fear keep them from the truth of such an important matter. Listen as he teaches from Philippians about the importance of a spiritual audit and how Christians can conduct one for their lives.

Philippians 3:12 — In this sermon on Philippians 3:12 titled “How One Becomes a Christian,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues his series on core truths of Christianity. Perhaps one does not know Jesus Christ, but they are being convicted of their need to be forgiven of sin. Perhaps they are asking how to become a Christian. In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches on this and addresses related topics to help understand what one must do to be saved. To start, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains why all are in need of a savior. The answer is because everyone’s life is going the wrong direction. From the Apostle Paul’s example, he shows what else must happen to be saved. First, they must be arrested by Christ—that is, He must catch their attention and they must realize the eternal danger they are in without Him. Second, they must be convicted about personal sin and feel the weight of sins that have separated them from God. Third, they must be convicted of the truth that the charges Scriptures levels against them, and surrender to them—not fighting them or making excuses. In this way, they hand themselves over to Christ, and as Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, this is essentially what happens when people realize their need for Christ and come to Him.

Philippians 3:7-8 — How can Christians say that all loss is gain in Christ? This seems like an odd statement. Why is it good to lose things? In this sermon from Philippians 3:7–8 titled “The Loss of All Things,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches about the new life that comes by believing in Jesus Christ. He says that Christians must count all worldly greatness as nothing because now they have Christ who is infinitely better than everything else. All those who are now in Christ undergo a radical change that reorients their whole life. Believers have new desires and motives; they now love God and His ways. Christianity is not a mere addition to a person’s natural life, but it totally transforms them. It is a new way of living that calls Christians to new standards and values. It is a life of peace because all believers can truly know that they have been saved and are at peace with God in Jesus Christ. This is the most important message that any can hear because it tells that they can be saved and made new. It tells that Jesus offers new life to all who believe in Him. There is peace in the blood of Jesus.

Philippians 3:7 — Becoming a Christian always involves change. There can be no new life without a putting to death of the old life. There can be no new way of living without a stopping of the old way of living. In this sermon on Philippians 3:7 titled “Gain to Me…,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses the conversion of Paul and particular hindrances that were present for Paul, and can still hinder people from coming to the Lord. He shows that Paul could have boasted in his birth as a Jew, his ability and knowledge as a Pharisee, and his zeal and sincerity as a persecutor of the church. However, none of these things are sufficient to save anyone. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that many think that to be Christian is to be sincere, knowledgeable, and zealous about God and good things. However, none of these address their relationship with God or their sin. In fact, Paul counts all of these things as trash in comparison with knowing Christ. Furthermore, no one can seek out God by the strength of their own mind. If anyone is to know God it will be through God’s self-revelation through His word. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also discusses true fruit of a converted Christian and implores his listeners to examine themselves.

Philippians 3:3 — What does it mean to be a Christian? People who have been in church for any length of time may believe this question is something that doesn’t need to be addressed. But even Paul writes about this, saying that it is good for Christians to be reminded of the core truths of the gospel. In this sermon on Philippians 3:3 titled “The True Christian,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reviews one of the most central parts of Scripture—what it means to be a follower of Christ. First, to be a Christian, one must believe in God. This, too, can seem like an obvious statement, yet according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, it must be said. One can worship religion without worshipping God. True worship is worship in the Spirit. Second, the true Christian has no confidence in human effort, experience, or heritage in order to find justification before God. In and of themselves, they are hopeless to earn their way to a right relationship with God. All are entirely dependent on God’s free gift of salvation to be made right with God. Third, the true Christian rejoices. Dr. Lloyd-Jones presses the urgency that no one rejoice in Christ unless they believe in the Scriptural account of Jesus and trust His salvation.

Ephesians 6:18-20 — Repenting from sin and trusting Christ for forgiveness is mandatory for salvation. In this sermon from Ephesians 6:18–20 titled “The Mystery of Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says there is no other way. The mystery of salvation unfolds with regeneration, the giving of a new nature within the individual. Modern objections to this truth are numerous. There is the literal objection: don’t take things literally as people have just come into a new understanding. Then there is the psychological objection: there are two types of people—the religious type and the unreligious. One will have religious experiences, the other will not and should not be expected to. But the New Testament record does not substantiate either of these objections. Every kind of temperament is in the church, and yet all have had basically the same experience. Objection to the supernatural is not so much an objection to the miraculous, but that the teaching of being born again is insulting. If one is told, “You must be born again,” what is really being said that all are hopeless in their current state. Modern people hear this and thinks it preposterous, especially with all their learning and knowledge. They are prepared to believe in morality and a little bit of progressive reform, but not the necessity of being a new creation.

Ephesians 6:18-20 — In this sermon on Ephesians 6:18–20 titled “The Mystery of the Death of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the two natures of God and man in one person. Having considered the mystery of the person of Christ, he now considers the mystery of His death. This aspect of Christ’s person is central to the message of the gospel. Because of how crucial it is, this is another point at which the devil concentrates his attacks. False teachings about the death of Christ have plagued the church since the very beginning. Many evangelical teachings communicate misunderstandings about His death. Even the disciples were confused by His death as it didn’t fit well with their understanding or experience of His Messiahship. It seemed to contradict His power and purposes. They didn’t understand that Jesus’s purpose in coming was to die, even though He continually told them it was His great aim. This all had been planned by God before the foundations of the world. The only way to deal adequately with sin is through the perfect sacrifice of the death of Christ. This was, and is, God’s way of providing a way of salvation for sinners. This is the mystery of the cross: He came that He might bear the sins and guilt of humanity, satisfying the wrath of God.

Ephesians 6:18-20, 1 Timothy 3:14-16 — What is the mystery of godliness? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:18–20 titled “The Mystery of the Person of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that God was “manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up to glory.” Christianity is all about the person of Christ Himself. The essential question is this: “what do you think about Christ?” Until one is clear about this, they cannot be clear about anything else. It’s no surprise that this is the very point where the devil has focused his greatest attacks. It is absolutely vital to be clear about who He is, because in Him is the only hope for the world. The gospel is not about humanity trying to arrive at an understanding, but God miraculously intervening, supernaturally entering in to the problems of humanity and doing His work through the person of Christ. In John’s Gospel, he made it clear in the purpose statement who Jesus was: “that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.” The mystery of godliness is uniquely and marvelously this: that divinity and humanity is equally in one person who came to live and die to reconcile humanity to God.

Ephesians 6:18-20 — Some people believe that the world is advancing toward perfection. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:18–20 titled “The Mystery of the Gospel (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that this doesn’t fit the observable patterns of reality. The Bible’s storyline of creation, the fall of humankind, and the consequences are the only reasonable explanation for the human condition. People are baffled that if God is all powerful and good, why does He allow pain and suffering? The answer goes back to the first sin at the fall and the Bible goes further. God, in His eternal wisdom, has permitted it. God decided to allow freedom of will to the devil and to people in their initial perfection, giving freedom of the possibility of the broken world as it is known. Though He permits evil, God puts a limit to it. The world thinks God’s way of dealing with this broken world would of necessity be one of gradual improvement and reformation. But the Bible tells that this is not the case. God has chosen to redeem through the cross of His Son Jesus Christ. At His second coming, the current world reality will be obliterated.

Ephesians 6:18-20 — Christians have all experienced that moment where the gospel all of a sudden makes sense. They did not know and could not understand the gospel but then they could. This is why the gospel is so mysterious. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:18–20 titled “The Mystery of the Gospel (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones unpacks the mystery of the gospel, and why a person in their natural state cannot comprehend it. Dr. Lloyd-Jones begins by asking the questions, “What is the mystery of the gospel?” and “Why is the gospel a mystery?” After delving through the Scriptures, he comes to the conclusion that the mystery of the gospel is the mind of God. No one understands the mystery of the gospel on their own because it is the very wisdom and mind of God. One might consider themselves wise, but no one is wise enough to understand the mind of the eternal God. At this point, Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives hope by providing the only way that anyone might understand the gospel. They must repent and turn away from the foolish thinking that they can understand the mind of God, and consider themselves rightly as a fool. Once they repent and asks God to forgive them, then the Spirit will reveal the mystery of this gospel and they will rejoice in it. Be encouraged by this clear explanation of the glorious mystery of the gospel.