From the MLJ Archive

John 5:36 — Who was Jesus of Nazareth? This question, according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, is the central question of Christianity. The answer to this question becomes the filter for all other questions that surround Jesus. “What do we make of his miracles?” is one such question. In this sermon on John 5:36 titled “What of Miracles?” Dr. Lloyd-Jones continues his series on John 5:36. According to the Old Testament, Jesus’s testimony alone was not enough to verify His claims to His identity. Knowing this, Jesus offers multiple testimonies to His identity as being fully God, the Son of God. One such testimony is that of His works. What does Jesus refer to by claiming that His works testify of Him? Certainly the entire corpus of His work is in view, but in the context of John 5 and the healing He performed at the Pool of Bethesda, the works that He refers to were His miracles. When John the Baptist questioned Jesus’s identity, Jesus answered Him by pointing to His miracles. The miracles testify of His divine nature, but His miracles have been and continue to be a stumbling block to belief in Him.

John 5:31-35 — In part five of his series on John 5:31–35 in this sermon titled “Religion or Curiosity?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones completes his exposition by exposing the wrong response to the truth of the gospel. By focusing on John the Baptist and his ministry, hearers responded to the parts they found favorable but did not listen to the whole truth of the gospel that he presented. As one examines John’s ministry, initially a favorable response to the truth is found. The man, the prophet, and the message tickled ears and fancied the listeners’ curious nature. But the favorable response to John’s light of truth only lasted for a season. The people marveled at him and his words as they longed for a messiah to heal their worldly problems. But John’s message, a preparation for the gospel and Jesus, was a message of repentance and it was not received well. John’s message extinguished the light of their joy. Thus, Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks, “Will your favorable response to the gospel be only for a season?"

John 5:31-35 — In part four of his series on John 5:31–35 in this sermon titled “A Question of Authority,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones now turns to the certainty of future judgment. Having established that life and judgment were placed firmly into the hands of Jesus by the Father, Jesus has declared that His testimony is true. His testimony was verified by witnesses, beginning with John the Baptist. Dr. Lloyd-Jones has explained the sum and substance of John’s witness concerning Jesus but there is one remaining truth that must not be lost: the clear inevitability of the judgment to come. In the modern age, people have used science, reason, and rationality to suppress the truth of the judgment. They have declared that God is love and therefore could not be a God of judgment. They have forgotten the moral principle that with actions come consequences. Furthermore, they suppress the truth of death and judgment in their unrighteousness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that all must believe in the coming judgment or they will neglect the salvation provided for them.

John 5:31-35 — Is there convincing proof that Jesus was the Messiah? In part three of his series on John 5:31–35 in a sermon titled “The Meaning of Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers this question with a firm yes. The proof comes in the form of testimony from John the Baptist. As he testifies of Jesus as the Messiah, the Lamb of God, he offers one final prophetic affirmation that Jesus is indeed the consolation of Israel. Speaking of Jesus, John declares that He is the one who will come and baptize with the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament speaks of the coming outpouring of the Spirit, and John, as the last prophet, proclaims that Jesus will initiate and send that very outpouring. This fact alone demonstrates that Jesus is the Messiah. John the Baptist called the people to repent of their sins, be baptized in water as a sign of that repentance, and directed them to produce the fruit of repentance in their lives. In this message, Dr. Lloyd-Jones considers if John’s baptism was sufficient and how it compared to the baptism of the Spirit, and how they relate to the gospel and salvation.

John 5:31-35 — In this sermon on John 5:31–35 titled “Sent From God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd turns to the message of the gospel and the witness to that message. Why do people need salvation? Since the fall, all are born into sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None are righteous, not even one. All who are in sin are under the judgment of God. However, there was One sent from God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was sent to save and bore the penalty of sin on the cross as a substitute for sinners. He made a sacrifice for sin that if one applies to his or her life by belief and faith, they shall not perish but have everlasting life. This was Jesus’s message of the gospel. Jesus says that this is true because He testifies to it. He also reminds that God sent another to witness and testify that Jesus’s message was true, the great prophet John the Baptist.

John 5:31-35 — In part one of his sermon series on John 5:31–35 titled “Sent From God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd turns to the message of the gospel and the witness to that message. Why do people need salvation? Since the fall, all are born into sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None are righteous, not even one. All who are in sin are under the judgment of God. However, there was One sent from God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was sent to save and bore the penalty of sin on the cross as a substitute for sinners. He made a sacrifice for sin that if one applies to his or her life by belief and faith, they shall not perish but have everlasting life. This was Jesus’s message of the gospel. Jesus says that this is true because He testifies to it. He also reminds that God sent another to witness and testify that Jesus’s message was true, the great prophet John the Baptist.

John 5:25-26 — Regeneration is not defined by morality, but rather it is defined by new life in Christ. In John 5:24, Jesus summarizes the gospel by focusing on the new life that comes by believing. In this sermon on John 5:25–26 titled “A Life in Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones unpacks the implications of this new life. He states, as Jesus does in the text, that the Father has life in Himself, and He has given this life to Jesus. How does Jesus dispense this new life? New life is realized through the means of regeneration. According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, regeneration is the power of Christ to give new life. Furthermore, he wants there to be no confusion about the results of regeneration. Regeneration does not bring about simply a moral person. On the contrary, regeneration brings new spiritual life to the sinner that radically changes the controlling disposition of his or her soul. Personality, temperament, and cognitive abilities remain the same, but through regeneration, the governing disposition of the regenerate sinner is now changed forever. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones challenges the listener to consider the new life found in Christ and passionately desires that all possess it.

John 5:24-26 — In this sermon on John 5:24–26 titled “Hearing and Perceiving,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that how one listens to the word of God determines their eternal destiny. In this passage of Scripture, John records Jesus’s promise that those who hear His word and believe have eternal life. As he expounds this text, Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses on the word and even more on the necessity of how one listens to the word. One’s eternal destiny hinges on whether they truly listen to the truth of God’s word. They must not be a mere spectator who is impressed with the formality of worship and preaching and even the consideration of a philosophy or teaching. Rather, to truly receive and possess eternal life, one must listen with the intent to meditate and understand the significance and implications of the word. This type of listening not only sees the truth but perceives its implications for the soul. The question then becomes, “What must we see and perceive to gain this eternal life?” In his gospel-saturated message, Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that all must hear the word that exposes their spiritual condition as dead in trespasses and sins that is under the condemnation of God, awaiting His judgment. However, the beauty of Jesus’s promise is that He was sent to pay the debt of sin, and that in hearing and believing in Him, they pass out of death and into life.

John 5:17-23 — Why is it absolutely essential to believe in Jesus? In this message on John 5:37–39 titled “God Manifest in the Flesh,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones considers the essential question of why one must believe in Jesus for salvation. This seems like an odd question, even one with an obvious answer. Yet the Pharisees, along with many today, zealously believe in God but never mention or acknowledge Jesus Christ. The Pharisees had just witnessed a powerful miracle but they completely overlook it because they did not believe in Jesus. According to them, in performing this miracle, Jesus had broken the Sabbath. He had broken God’s law which the Pharisees were dedicated to protect and confront Jesus about working on the Sabbath. Jesus responds, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” Jesus responds by making himself equal with God, fully divine, fully a part of the triune God. Believing in Jesus and His identity as God in the flesh is essential to salvation and knowing God. The Pharisees ardently profess belief in God, but respond to Jesus with a further desire to kill Him. It is in the midst of this profound rejection of Jesus that Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers reasons why it is essential to believe in Jesus.

John 5:10 — Unbelievers are blinded to the truth by their own prejudices. Jesus had just performed a supernatural miracle by healing the man by the pool of Bethesda. How would the Pharisees respond? In this sermon on John 5:10 titled “To Know Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the Pharisees were blinded to the truth by the prejudices that governed their hearts. Confronted with this powerful miracle, the Pharisees were forced to deal with Jesus. They were confronted by the facts of this miracle and ultimately His divine nature. The Old Testament had prophesied of the Jesus of Nazareth and the facts surrounding Jesus clearly fulfilled those prophecies. Instead of embracing and believing the facts, as well as Jesus Himself, they held onto their prejudices. Blinded by the law, they deny Jesus’s identity because He healed on the Sabbath. He had worked on the Sabbath and caused the man to work by carrying his pallet. Certainly no true messiah would break their law. Their reaction provides a stark contrast, a backdrop for true belief. While the miracle pictured spiritual healing in the gospel and was soon to be embraced by the man, the Pharisees could not believe as they were blinded and enslaved by prejudice. To truly know Christ, the prejudice must be removed.