Sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Without God, there is no hope, no peace, and no relief from the guilt and stain of sin. In this sermon on life without God from Ephesians 2:1–3 titled “Life Without God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones thoroughly explains the pervasiveness of the state of sinfulness derived from the absence of God’s presence. The only remedy, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, is the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward His believers. Christians will only understand how significant God’s grace is when they realize the depths from which God saved them and the heights to which He has raised them. Only then can Christians t...

How can one make sense out of the awful state of the world? In this sermon on Ephesians 2:1–3 titled “Original Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings much needed clarity to today’s chaos, showing how humanity’s sinful nature is behind the wickedness seen all around. Since human nature is wholly given over to sin, one is unable to do good and obey all that the law of God requires. Those, like the humanist, that claim sin is simply an outdated religious superstition that can be replaced by modern psychology fundamentally misunderstand the extent of humanity’s sin and corruption. The sinful natur...

What’s the fundamental problem with humanity? Is it a lack of education? Poor policies in the public sphere? Why are humans the way they are? In this sermon on Ephesians 2:1–3 titled “Man in Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the problem is much deeper. The problem is this: humanity is dead. Not physically dead––physically, people are very much alive––but in regards to spiritual things, humanity is born dead. Humanity sees no need for God and disregards His word. Spiritual realities are boring to them and they do not find the Bible relevant. As a result, humanity is shaped by the pr...

What is the state of a person before Christ? Is the problem with humanity that it needs more morality or is it much deeper? The apostle Paul explains that humanity’s greatest problem is that it is dead in trespasses and sins. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:1 titled “Dead in Trespasses and Sins,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on Paul’s words and preaches how when the Christian has a strong understanding of the depth of their depravity, it makes the work of Christ all the more glorious. When the Christian sees the severity of their sin and their plight outside of union...

Can a Christian ever err by focusing on the future glory too much? Is it possible to spend so much energy looking to the future that they underestimate the present power of Christ? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:19–23 titled “The Final Consummation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on these questions. Some evangelical Christians are capable of forgetting the current rule of Christ. Forgetting that the Son of God is at the right hand of God, in honor and authority, can cause hearts to become anxious about their present conditions. The Christian can forget that God the Father has already handed over all au...

One of the most exalted ways the church is depicted in Scripture is through the metaphor of the body of Christ. Not only is it an exalted picture of the church, but the church as the body of Christ is one of the most intimate metaphors of the New Testament church. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:20–23 titled “The Church Which is His Body,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the metaphor of the body of Christ demonstrates that the church is in union with Christ, Christ is the head or source of the church, and Christ fills His body with life. The un...

Does the Christian need God’s power just a little bit? Is it only God working as He is asked to work that sustains Christians? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:19 titled “His Power from Beginning to End,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues in this message that Christians would not stand a single hour if it wasn’t for the power of God. The Christian life is only sustained by the continuing working of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes a compelling case from Scripture that this must be so. If one considers what they are up against in their daily life, they are forced t...

Hardly anyone claiming the title “Christian” would deny the need for God’s power in salvation. There is, however, a fundamental difference between the person who says salvation is the power of God in addition to something they do, and those who say salvation is God’s power working in them and through them. The latter has roots in the apostolic testimony but the former does not. Neither is this a mere linguistic quibble, says Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, but one’s very assurance is at stake. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:19–23 titled “Power to Us-ward Who Believe,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones says Paul is not simp...

Are Christians guilty of underestimating the need for God’s power? At first it may sound like a silly question. After all, any Christian will rightly affirm their daily need of God’s power. But while Christians may correctly affirm the continual need of God’s power in their lives, many times they will assume initial belief in the gospel is easy. Conversations among some Christians often assume anybody who wants to believe the gospel can do so. In this sermon on the greatness of God’s power from Ephesians 1:19–20 titled “The Greatness of His Power,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says this is a grav...

There are common objections to Christianity. Christianity is only for the weak. It is of no consequence today because it does not care about what is happening in the “real” world. Christianity is a waste of time because it is caught-up in other-worldly matters. These objections are as common today as they were in Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s day. In this sermon on inheritance from Ephesians 1:18 titled “Riches of His Inheritance,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones meets the objections head on and points to the reality that the Bible does call Christians to fix their minds on the world to come. What is important...

Christians can often feel distant from God. What is their response when coldness towards spiritual matters creeps into their heart? Does their assurance waver? How can they have a steady anchor for their Christian life? Rather than wait for another experience, the prayer of the apostle Paul for Christians is that they may know the hope of their calling. This is not a general hopefulness, but hope in God. More specifically, hope in God’s calling of them. This will have a profound effect on the assurance says Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:18 titled “The Hope of His...

Where does one begin in describing their knowledge of God? Do they begin with propositional or theoretical knowledge? While propositional knowledge of God is good and necessary for the Christian life, there is another knowledge that is just as important. As a matter of fact, it is a knowledge which the apostle Paul prays for in Ephesians. It is the kind of knowledge which is immediate and intimate. It is a personal knowledge of God the Father. Such knowledge is at the heart of the evangelical message. The Christian can have personal fellowship with God the Father through the Lord...

Prayer is central to every believers’ life and critical to discipleship and worship. However, Christians often feel ashamed to talk about their personal prayer life. They read books and manuals on prayer, hoping to find the perfect solution to a fickle prayer life. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:17 titled “The Father of Glory,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that questions found in books on prayer often miss the point. Christians must not focus on form or saying the most beautiful words. Nor should Christians simply telegraph their petitions in a sentence or two. Instead they must remember, recollect, and pause, as the ap...

How does one know they are saved? The world calls anyone a “Christian” even if they are associated with theism or morality in a Western context. The title has lost its distinctiveness due to the evaporation of its first century meaning. This is a problem for the church, as it is difficult to know who is truly a Christian and who is deceived or ignorant of the meaning. What then is the test of salvation? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:15–16 titled “Tests of Christian Profession,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests the apostle Paul provides the ultimate test as he is giving thanks and...

What should be the starting point of all a Christian’s thought? How ought their thinking about any particular doctrine be finally assessed? The answer is simple: the glory of God. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:14 titled “To the Praise of His Glory,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out that the apostle Paul in Ephesians is primarily concerned with the praise of His glory. Many religious people miss this crucial point. Their thinking upon any particular religious topic – whether sin or salvation – begins first with themselves. Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns this is a grave mistake. Any Christian doctrine that begins with something other than...

As Christians anticipate heaven, the most glorious reality will be seeing the Lord face to face. Until that day, what is the connection between the heavenly reality that awaits the Christian and their life now? According to the apostle Paul, it is the work of the Holy Spirit as the pledge or guarantee of future inheritance that connects the future with the present. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:14 titled “The Earnest of Our Inheritance,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones labors to explain the apostle’s words by arguing that the translation “earnest” fits the context of Paul’s teaching. This rich term communicates...

Effective witnessing makes God’s people radiant with joy and there is no experience like it on this side of heaven. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:13 titled “Sealing: Problems and Difficulties,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives a passionate plea for Christians to seek the sealing of the Spirit. The Christian life is not mechanical and emotionless because the love of God, and the love for God in return is not mechanical or emotionless. The fear of emotions should not discourage Christians to seek this experience of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Lloyd-Jones works through objections to this doctrine and answers them by bringi...

The timing of the sealing of the Holy Spirit is a contested topic. It is a topic that raises many other questions. One could be tempted to ignore the subject or teach it in such a way as to minimize the difficulties with the doctrine. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:13 titled “The Nature of Sealing,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones thoughtfully engages this topic and the difficult questions head on. One cannot ignore the teaching of Holy Scripture but instead must carefully examine the Bible and conform their lives according to it. By looking at the teaching of the New Testament on the...

What causes Christians to be lethargic and lose the joy of their salvation? What steals the enthusiasm for spiritual growth? These are certainly questions evangelical Christians should be concerned about but many Christians are skeptical of talk about the “experience” of the Holy Spirit. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:13 titled “Sealed with the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests the joy in Christ – the experience of that joy – might not be present in a Christian life because they do not fully grasp the truth about the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Since they do not know what they are missing, they do not seek...

Does the sovereignty of God minimize the responsibility of humanity? Reformed theology is often caricaturized by insisting it promotes a world where people lack true humanity. God’s work in salvation is said to be in contradiction to human responsibility of proclaiming the gospel and the sinner believing the gospel. But that is not Reformed theology, says Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. A fundamental truth is lacking in this common objection. While it is absolutely God’s work, He uses means to accomplish His work. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:11–14 titled “Heard. Believed. Trusted,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds the listener of these means that are a...