From the MLJ Archive

Luke 19:41-44 — What is the greatest tragedy in this world? In this sermon on Luke 19:41–44 titled “One Mediator,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that it is the fact that the world is blinded and unable to believe in the gospel. This unbelief is seen all throughout the ministry of Jesus, but particularly in His final days. The same people that greet Him at His triumphal entry are the same ones who later that same week cry for Him to be crucified. These men and women heard the message of Jesus and they knew that He claimed to be the Messiah, yet in their unbelief they rejected Him. It is a sinful and corrupt heart that leads people to reject the gospel. Jesus knew this was true when He wept over the great city of Jerusalem, knowing that these people would reject Him and be judged by God in the destruction of the temple. Christians of today and all times must remember that the gospel is based on the fact of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. It is not just another religious theory, but it is the very word of God. It is only through this message of salvation that anyone has true peace and knowledge of God and His love.

John 18:36-37 — It was Jesus who said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” This simple but profound statement lies at the heart of Christianity and true faith. Jesus is saying that He is not a mere political revolutionary or social activist fighting for a better society, but He is something entirely new. Many of those living in Israel, including His own disciples, had a hard time understanding this. They still expected Jesus to overthrow the Roman rule and restore the nation of Israel. In this sermon on John 18:36–37 titled “The King and His Kingdom,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the great truth that Jesus is the Son of God who came into the world to die for sinners. Jesus came to make all things new by His life, death, and resurrection. Many in the church have a distorted view of Jesus’s kingdom: they see it only as a source of political and social change in the world. But Jesus and His message offer so much more to the world than simply improved circumstances. It is the promise of eternal life and peace with God through the blood of Christ. To be in the kingdom of God is to be a child of God, free from all sin and guilt.

Luke 17:20-21 — From the time Jesus Christ went around Palestine preaching until the present century, there is a misunderstanding of the arrival the kingdom of God. There is a common fallacy shared by the Pharisees, Pilate, and the disciples long ago that also is shared today by the Roman Catholic church and liberal Protestant advocates of the social gospel. In this sermon on Luke 17:20–21 titled “The Signs of the Kingdom,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states that they all believe the kingdom of God comes visibly and through social participation. In this passage, Jesus issues a strong warning to the contemporary church concerning the danger of believing the kingdom is brought about through legislation, social reform, or military conquest. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the forms of the kingdom of God are quite clear from Scripture. In the past, the kingdom of God came in the power and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Presently, the kingdom of God is manifested in the body of Christ—the church—as He reigns in their hearts. In the future, the kingdom of God will be fully visible when Christ returns at His second advent. Listen to Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s teaching on the kingdom, avoid errors common to the modern church, embrace the truths given here, and learn how to belong to the realm in which Christ reigns.

Luke 16:19-31 — The only two eternal destinations for humankind are heaven and hell. In this sermon on Luke 16:19–31 titled “The Right View of Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows the two very different destinies presented in Scripture that correspond to two different ways of living. There is the carnal life of sin and pleasure that is only concerned with what is temporal and physical. This life leads to eternal destruction and is the destiny of all who die in sin. The other way of life is one that is concerned with God and what is true, good, and eternal. This life leads to eternal life and communion with God. These two lives are either of unbelief or belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. One’s attitude toward life, death, and the soul reflects the heart and mind. The story of the rich man and Lazarus show these two principals at work in these two lives. Jesus shows the folly of living for this world with its fleeting passions and desires. But those who seek the kingdom of God are blessed and righteous even though they may suffer in this life. Those who believe do so only because of the work of God upon their hearts. Even if unbelievers were to see a man rise from the dead, they would not believe in Jesus and His gospel.

Luke 16:14-15 — Why was Jesus opposed to the Pharisees? In the gospels, no one is condemned more by the Lord Jesus than the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees. Throughout the gospels, they oppose Jesus and seek to trap Him in His words. In this sermon on Luke 16:14–15 titled “The Pharisees,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that eventually the Pharisees—with the help of the Romans—crucify Him. Jesus condemned them because they claimed to follow the law of Moses and the prophets, yet they were religious hypocrites who loved public praise and recognition. Jesus condemned them because they claimed to be experts in the law and not only added their own traditions to the law of Moses, but they opposed Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the law. They pretended to be holy and righteous, yet they were dead on the inside. Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims that there are many today in the church just like the Pharisees. They are self-righteous hypocrites who love to be thought of as holy but do not believe in the gospel, and they trust in their own works for salvation. This false righteousness that is only concerned with looking good is condemned by Jesus because the true righteousness of the kingdom of God comes not by anything one does. It comes by Christ Jesus who is the righteousness for all who believe.

Luke 14:25-35 — What does it mean to be a Christian? The Bible tells that being a Christian is far more than going to church, being moral, and working to make society a better place. In this sermon on Luke 4:25–35 titled “Called to True Discipleship,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares that while all these things have a place in the Christians life, they are still not what Christianity is ultimately about. Many people pursue all these things, yet they do not know Christ Jesus as the perfect Son of God who has come to fulfill all that is spoken in the Old Testament. This is because they are not truly His disciples. They do the works of salvation without the repentance that brings salvation. There were many people like this in Jesus’s day who followed Jesus because they were going along with the crowd. Those who are truly disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to lose health, wealth, reputation, and family for the sake of the kingdom of God. They count the cost and are prepared to surrender even their own lives for the sake of the gospel. They follow Christ’s example and instruction to take up their cross daily. This is the heart of salvation. Only those who truly believe in the gospel are able to do this, for they have been given strength through Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Luke 14:15-24 — What is the great feast of God? It is far more than any meal, for the feast of God that all are invited to is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this sermon on Luke 14:15–24 titled “Invited to the Feast,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the parable of Jesus wherein all the guests of the feast refuse to come when they are invited. Each one has a different excuse. Some say they have to take care of their fields, others have to go to their wives. These are all who were invited to be a part of the kingdom of God, and yet they refused. They were more concerned with their everyday life than what God was doing in the world. The application of this sermon is that no one must put anything before God or before His kingdom. The fate of eternal souls rely on how each responds to the message of God. Does one refuse to come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins or do they run to Christ and believe that He is truly the son of God come to save sinners? The gospel is a call to believe in God and to repent of sins. It is a call to experience true life in Christ

Luke 14:7-14 — The kingdom of God is not like the kingdoms of this world. This great truth is at the heart of Jesus Christ’s ministry. This is why He speaks the seemingly contradictory truth that those who exalt themselves will be brought low, but those that humble themselves will be exalted in the last day. In this sermon on Luke 14:7–14 titled “Whosoever Exalteth Himself?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells us that people, in their sinful pride, naturally seek their own exaltation. They love themselves and deny that they are in need of a Savior. Without God, people are wholly ignorant of their state as a sinner in need of God’s grace. This sinful pride is one of the greatest obstacles to ever being saved because they see no need for any to help; in fact, that person does not see themselves as a sinner at all. But the gospel is the message that all are a sinners and that God alone can save. Only God can show people who they are and of the salvation that is needed. The gospel tells that no one should seek self-exaltation, but instead seek the exaltation of God and by doing this, they will find true peace in Jesus Christ.

Luke 13:34-35 — Who are the hypocrites? In this sermon on Luke 13:34–35 titled “In the Shadow of His Wing,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how those who rejected Jesus in the time of his ministry were just like those that persecuted the prophets and murdered them in the Old Testament. The greatest opposition to Jesus came not from the outright rebellious world, but from the religious leaders of the day. They killed their Messiah because He was not what they wanted Him to be. Dr. Lloyd-Jones further expands this convicting message by showing what the Jewish leaders did in rejecting Jesus and killing him is no different than what the modern-day religious person does. They seek to live by their own righteousness and feel no need for a crucified savior. Those who reject Him do so not out of intellectual opposition and reason, but because they are sinners who have been blinded by their evil ways. But in the gospel, there is power to save even the most sin-hardened hypocrite, for the gospel is God’s power unto salvation for all who believe.

Luke 13:31-33 — In this sermon on Luke 13:31–31 titled “The Lord of Lords,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones centers this sermon around a critical topic: Why do people not believe? He visits an important passage where the character of Jesus is on display. When told by the Pharisees that Herod is out to kill Him, Christ says, “Go ye, and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’” Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the political undercurrents beneath such an interaction. The Pharisees and Herod did not care for Jesus’s safety, but rather wanted Him out of their territory. Herod could not kill Jesus, for surely there would be an uproar in the kingdom. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that both the Pharisees and Herod try to tempt Christ out of His redeeming purpose but God cannot be distracted or led astray. Nothing can derail the plan God has put forth. And like the Pharisees and Herod, a person cannot make Jesus go away. They must come face to face with Him and choose to reject or believe. In closing, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones encourages those who have not believed to see the Son for who He is, and accept His providential and tremendous love.