Sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

True unity can exist within the church. Since Christians are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise, harmony can be found between Jew and Gentile. In this sermon on Ephesians 3:2–7 titled “Two Mysteries – Jew, Gentile,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses the general mystery of Christ that is the glorious story of the gospel and the particular mystery of the Gentiles now being fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise just as the Jews. Dr. Lloyd-Jones stresses here the importance that there now is no difference as to membership in the family of God between Jews and Gentiles. There is no longer a need for a Gentile to become a Jewish proselyte since they are now members of the same body. This is important because this mystery had not always been known to the people of God. Paul, here in this text, is pointing out that this mystery has now been revealed and Jew and Gentile are members of the same body. Amidst this glorious message of salvation Dr. Lloyd-Jones also takes time to address a particular fallacy that is believed by some regarding this text and the biblical evidence against it.

What is the mystery of Christ? Why did God wait so long for Him to be revealed? In this sermon on Ephesians 3:2–7 titled “The Mystery of Christ,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones explores the importance and uniqueness of the apostles and the glorious message not revealed until the New Testament. The mystery of the gospel has been revealed and can now be understood. It is not the vague feelings found in mysticism but the one true gospel. Through the recounting of Paul’s imprisonment to the Ephesians, Paul encourages them to stay strong in the faith. That the mystery that has been revealed is true, marvelous, and worth believing above all else. It is worth the imprisonment that Paul is joyfully enduring. They needn’t worry about present circumstances and his imprisonment but should rather glory in their salvation and in the gospel. God’s plan of salvation is a wondrous thing and worth contemplating. No one’s intelligence could ever unravel this wondrous mystery. Dr. Lloyd-Jones soberly reminds the listener that they must be enlightened by the Holy Spirit in order to understand.

Is there something worth giving up one’s life for? In this sermon on Ephesians 3:1 titled “Suffering as Christ’s Prisoner,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones contends with Paul that Jesus is worth it. Paul was concerned because he knew his suffering would trouble the Ephesians because suffering is confusing. However, he also gives the Ephesians the principles by which to process his suffering and theirs. According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul examined his situation in light of the gospel, Jesus, and his salvation, and came to several pivotal conclusions. First, suffering is worth rejoicing in. He knows that he is following in the footsteps of Christ. Paul states that he is “Christ’s prisoner,” implying that he is suffering on behalf of Jesus. He was there because he preached the gospel and specifically he preached it to the Gentiles. Paul also argues that his suffering should be an encouragement to the Ephesians (verse 13). Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that Paul said this because he knew that his suffering would encourage them as to the truthfulness of the gospel.

“How can we have unity without uniformity?” In this sermon on evangelism from Ephesians 2:20–22 , Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer this question. Titled “Personal Evangelism,” His desire is to look at the application of the passage, namely the work of the Holy Spirit in building the church. First, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Christians must not let others dictate their callings. As he states, there is a danger to just doing “the thing to do.” Each Christian has a responsibility before God to obey Him and Him only. Even the thing that seems like a reasonable call for a person may not be their call at all. By way of illustration, he uses his own call. After leaving his profession as a doctor for ministry, he was pressured by an executive in a missionary organization to become a medical missionary instead of a pastor. Dr. Lloyd-Jones found this to be a biblically ignorant action because the calling of God is between God and the person being called. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also discusses evangelism and several ways that Christians can be faithful. First, he notes that evangelism should an overflow of the Holy Spirit’s presence, not an endeavor to simply know all the answers. Second, faithfulness can be seen in being a good listener, faithful church attendance, and other such “small” tasks.

If an employee of a company decides that they are not going to consider the good of the company when making decisions, the employee is not going to last long. In humanity’s natural state, this selfish attitude will invade all of life. How can the church be different? In this sermon on Ephesians 2:20–22 titled “Parts of the Whole,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines the startling reality of unity and diversity in the church because of the work of the Holy Spirit. The church is composed of many different stones and Dr. Lloyd-Jones asserts that it is the job of each stone to think of itself in relation to the rest of the building. He argues that many people are not grounded enough in their identity as a member of the church and tend to be too subjective. Also, many become selfish and claim aspects of the church (such as ministries, churches, and denominations) as their own, rather than focusing on serving for the glory of Christ. Each stone has a specific part to play in the wall, not with meaningless activity, but serving in whatever way God calls them to serve. Also, Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that a dangerous mistake is when people start “doing without being.”