From the MLJ Archive

Luke 24:25-26 — In this sermon on Luke 24:25–26 titled “A Burning Heart,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches from the New Testament passage regarding the two men walking to Emmaus. The gospel author uses four words to initially describe these men: “their hearts were sad.” Later, however, they undergo a massive emotional change as they end up with their “hearts burning within them.” Dr. Lloyd-Jones says there is nothing more important than this change because when people claim to be Christians and yet have a heavy heart, they are a poor witness: “Masses of people are outside the church today because they look at us and see what we are.” Are Christians making the gospel attractive to people? Are they, as Paul instructs them to be in 2 Corinthians 2:16, a sweet-smelling aroma? For many believers, it is still a struggle to live in the joy that is theirs in Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that the remedy for this is to pray and ask the Spirit to open one’s eyes to the truth and to enlighten them so that their heart rejoices. Sincere joy in the Lord will aid the Christian’s testimony.

Acts 4:23-24 — Christians all around the world face varying levels of persecution—some believers are murdered or physically harmed for their faith, while others are merely scoffed at by those who think Christianity is foolish. What can the Christian do to combat this? In this sermon on Acts 4:23–24 titled “Power in Persecution,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how the church can stand strong in the midst of trying times by pointing back to the early church and the examples of Peter and John. First, believers must not compromise their message. After being released from prison, Peter and John continued to preach the gospel even though they had been forbidden to on penalty of death. Second, they must go to God in prayer. It is so easy for Christians to become anxious about what they need to do, yet Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that Peter and John acknowledged that it was God’s problem to handle, not theirs. This brought immense peace because they were choosing to rest in God’s sovereignty by trusting His plan rather than becoming worried about the circumstances. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones unpacks how Christians today can stand strong for the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution.

1 Corinthians 3:11 — After Paul’s departure from the Corinthian church, it had started to divide itself into factions. He perceived that the trouble lay at the very foundation itself. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:11 titled “The Only Foundation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that it is the same today when the world tries to deal with the symptoms of evil while avoiding the problem at its foundation: it has no foundation. Neither can humanity provide its own foundation. People have astounding knowledge and accomplishments, yet they are unable to find a solution to all their troubles. The human approach is wrong. They are in too much of a hurry and they do not understand themselves. They sense that there’s something or someone greater than themselves, yet they have no desire for the church or Christ. The Bible, on the other hand, deals with the great question of the foundation of life itself. It tells of one who is a flawless inspector, who will judge the foundation of all lives based on His own perfect standards. Yet, this inspector is also the one who came to seek and save the lost. He offered Himself up as God in flesh to become the church’s one exclusive and firm foundation.

Psalms 107:1-31 — In this sermon, “Give Thanks Unto the Lord” from Psalm 107:1–31, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones defines the Christian as the one who sees their sin and brokenness. They see their weakness and flee to Christ, abandoning all efforts of saving themselves. Regardless of one’s background and upbringing, what unifies all of humankind is their fallen nature and their need for redemption in Christ. All are born in Adam and are children of wrath. It is from this mess of fallen humankind that Christians are saved through the work of Christ. It is Christ that delivers people from sin and gives them new life in the midst of their distress. All Christians are saved through the same blood, Savior, and God. This common salvation applies to all people regardless of their personality. It saves all people regardless of their ethnic background and cultural background. The peace that Christ brings applies to everyone in all times and in all places. This is because Jesus Christ fulfills the deepest need of everyone. He delivers all who cry out and believe from their sin and brokenness by leading them into the heavenly Jerusalem, making them a new people by the power of His blood. Jesus delivers from all brokenness and sin by the power of His gospel.

1 Corinthians 3:11 — After Paul’s departure from the Corinthian church, it had started to divide itself into factions. He perceived that the trouble lay at the very foundation itself. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:11 titled “The Only Foundation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that it is the same today when the world tries to deal with the symptoms of evil while avoiding the problem at its foundation: it has no foundation. Neither can humanity provide its own foundation. People have astounding knowledge and accomplishments, yet they are unable to find a solution to all their troubles. The human approach is wrong. They are in too much of a hurry and they do not understand themselves. They sense that there’s something or someone greater than themselves, yet they have no desire for the church or Christ. The Bible, on the other hand, deals with the great question of the foundation of life itself. It tells of one who is a flawless inspector, who will judge the foundation of all lives based on His own perfect standards. Yet, this inspector is also the one who came to seek and save the lost. He offered Himself up as God in flesh to become the church’s one exclusive and firm foundation.

Psalms 107:1-31 — In this sermon, “Give Thanks Unto the Lord” from Psalm 107:1–31, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones defines the Christian as the one who sees their sin and brokenness. They see their weakness and flee to Christ, abandoning all efforts of saving themselves. Regardless of one’s background and upbringing, what unifies all of humankind is their fallen nature and their need for redemption in Christ. All are born in Adam and are children of wrath. It is from this mess of fallen humankind that Christians are saved through the work of Christ. It is Christ that delivers people from sin and gives them new life in the midst of their distress. All Christians are saved through the same blood, Savior, and God. This common salvation applies to all people regardless of their personality. It saves all people regardless of their ethnic background and cultural background. The peace that Christ brings applies to everyone in all times and in all places. This is because Jesus Christ fulfills the deepest need of everyone. He delivers all who cry out and believe from their sin and brokenness by leading them into the heavenly Jerusalem, making them a new people by the power of His blood. Jesus delivers from all brokenness and sin by the power of His gospel.

1 Corinthians 3:21-23 — Modern man people declare themselves free from the tyranny of religion, but what has been the effect? They are now enslaved to and governed by the popular opinion of humanity. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:21–23 titled “Full Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on Paul’s concern over division in the Corinthian church, a division that was the result of their glorying in their apostolic leaders instead of Christ. There is only One who can set people free from enslavement to the things of this world. He is the Son of God, for whom and through whom all things exist. He came to set people free from the guilt of their sin, the reign of the devil, and the condemnation of the law of God. He is coming again to destroy every enemy and to set up His eternal reign of righteousness and peace. All who believe in Him become a part of Him. They are Christ’s and in Him all things are theirs. What does this mean? There is now no point in glorying in people. In Christ, Christians are no longer enslaved to human power, influence, or opinion. They are no longer enslaved even to their circumstances. They are truly free to experience His full salvation.

1 Corinthians 3:16 — “Why is it that modern man, who has been so astounding in so many respects, is such a miserable and tragic failure in the whole question of life and of living?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks this question to highlight that though people have achieved enormous accomplishments, they are still suffering with the basic questions of life, questions that are solved only in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why are people generally interested in seeking answers from anyone except God? Why, instead of coming to Jesus, do they fall at the feet of celebrities who are also struggling? Ultimately, why do they reject the gospel? In this sermon from 1 Corinthians 3:16 titled “Revelation and Reason,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that humanity’s ultimate sin is intellectual pride. God’s salvation brings it to dust, yet, people reject this because of their confidence in themselves. God’s way of solving the problems of life are far different from the world’s approach. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides three ways in which the two pathways are different: the world relies on human wisdom; the world says that people are good in and of themselves; and the world holds that the issue needing to be fixed is a matter of intellect, not sin. However, Scripture shows the opposite—humanity’s problem is sin, and the only solution is a Savior.

Acts 2:42 — In this sermon on Acts 2:42 titled “A Charge to the Church”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows what the church is, why it exists, and why it is important. One of the primary reasons that a church exists is for the preaching of God’s word. Teaching directly from Acts 2:42, he points out that the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Many churches today gather in ways to increase the entertainment value for the congregation. While Christian fellowship in a church is an extremely vital part of a Christian’s walk, this must not outweigh and overshadow the necessity of going to church to worship with other believers and to hear God’s word preached. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that one of the great characteristics of the early church was that they were always meeting, but while the early church did gather for fellowship, Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that Acts 2:42 clearly states that they were primarily concerned with worship and hearing God’s word. Why else does a church exist? A church, or gathering of believers, is a community where the gospel can be lived out and lost people can be introduced to it. Thus, churches serve incredibly important roles as lights to the world. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones expounds on these points and shows how a church can be used to further God’s kingdom.

Joshua 4:21-24 — Most people have certain ways in which they remember or celebrate markers of significance in their lives. In a similar way, God told the Israelites to set up a pile of stones to mark the day they crossed over the Jordan River and into the land that God had promised to give them. In this sermon from Joshua 4:21–24 titled “What Do These Stones Mean?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows why monuments are important for the Christian walk. First, they point to their history, and this is very important since the Christian faith sets itself apart from false religions because it is based entirely on historical facts. Second, these markers call attention away from human action and towards God’s action, allowing focus on Him. The reason God acted in human history is because humanity was enslaved to sin and was in desperate need of intervention. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages believers to look at milestones and monuments important to them and the Christian faith as reminders that the Lord is mighty to save.