Sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
The MLJ Trust presents original audio recordings of the sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981). Dr. Lloyd-Jones was a Welsh minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture. Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John.
Episodes
The Mystery of His Will
Can anyone discover the mysteries of God? Does God hide His will from humanity? As the apostle Paul expands his teaching on God’s grace, he moves from election and predestination to “mystery." In this sermon on Ephesians 1:8–9 titled “The Mystery of His Will,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones warns that this mystery is no incomprehensible mystery as taught in the ancient religions, reserved only for a selec
The Riches of His Grace
How can the apostle Paul be so exuberant in praise about the grace of God? Why is the grace of God something the apostle constantly writes about? It is because he knew the grace of God; he experienced it and it led to his worship and praise. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:7 titled “The Riches of His Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds Paul’s words on the riches of God’s grace. By better underst
Through His Blood
Christians are forgiven of all sin past, present, and future. This marvelous truth is proclaimed as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives this compelling and comprehensive exposition in this sermon from Ephesians 1:7 on what is meant by “Through His Blood.” While recognizing the distinction between redemption and the forgiveness of sins, Dr. Lloyd-Jones nevertheless says the forgiveness of sins is the firs
Redeemed Through His Blood
Christ alone makes one a Christian. Every generation of believers must reiterate this again and again because human beings are desperately trying to stay in sin yet have the benefits of salvation. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:7 titled “Redemption,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s message is that God alone has devised a plan for humanity to be reconciled to God. If sin is taken seriously it will be seen
In the Beloved
How great is the love the Christian receives from both God the Father and God the Son. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:6 titled “In the Beloved,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones considers the measure of this love and its central theme found in Christ who is called the “beloved.” Dr. Lloyd-Jones traces this title throughout the Lord Jesus Christ’s ministry as well as its relation to the doctrine of eternal ge
The Glory of God
Forgiveness of sin is the heart of redemption in Christ. But that is different than saying God’s primary motivation for redemption is forgiveness of sin. In this sermon on “The Glory of God” from Ephesians 1:6, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones remarks that errant thinking places the human being at the center of salvation rather than God. Instead, the glory of God is the great motive that led God to plan and
Higher than Adam
God is the Creator of everyone, but not everyone is in His family. Nineteenth and twentieth century liberalism emphasized the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of people. This false teaching disregards the gospel’s call to repentance and dismisses the wickedness of sin. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:5–6 titled “Higher than Adam,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones confronts this wrong
Adoption in Christ
Christians are adopted by God because He chose them. With careful attention to the details of Paul’s letters, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores the purpose of salvation and the implications of being adopted into God’s family. To help grasp the significance of this doctrine, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the term “adoption” emphasizes the standing and rank of the chosen child. In this sermon on adopt
Holy and ... Before Him in Love
Why are Christians elected to salvation? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:4 titled “Holy and…Before Him in Love,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores this doctrine that believers are chosen by God to be holy. Echoing the apostle John, Paul says the purpose of God in Christ for His people is to undo, remove, and rectify completely the effects of sin and the fall. By making His people holy and without blam
Chosen in Him
The doctrine of election requires a reverent approach and the listener is on holy ground concerning this topic. Christians have often done great injustice in an argumentative style. From this sermon on being chosen by God from Ephesians 1:4 titled “Chosen in Him,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores this crucial doctrine, and like the apostle Paul, he simply states this doctrine without arguing for it
In Heavenly Places
When a person is saved, a profound change occurs and they are taken from one realm to another. The non-Christian only knows the earthly realm. But the Christian knows two realms: earthly and heavenly. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:3 titled “In Heavenly Places,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds the mystery of Paul’s words, showing that in Christ, the Christian has heavenly citizenship. The consequen
All Spiritual Blessings
How does one come to enjoy spiritual blessings? What are the spiritual blessings in Ephesians 1? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:3 titled “All Spiritual Blessings…,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on two themes. He insists that the Christian only enjoys blessings through Christ. While acknowledging God gives common grace to everyone, the Holy Spirit gives unique grace that only Christians enjoy. Dr.
The Everlasting Covenant
The words of Scripture allow a glimpse into the eternal plan of the Trinity. Theologians have called this the Covenant of Redemption where humanity can be redeemed from their sin and reconciled to God. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:3 titled “The Everlasting Covenant,” this central theme of Ephesians comes alive as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones warns, laments, and challenges Christians to understand the g
Grace, Peace, Glory
Why is every word of Scripture vital? In this sermon on grace, peace and glory from Ephesians 1:2, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds the significance of two words: grace and peace. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that these two words contain the most profound truths of the Christian faith. Christian lives begin with God’s condescended love, His beneficent kindness, and His unmerited favor. In other words, it
Saints and Faithful in Christ Jesus
What is the minimum of what it means to be a Christian? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:1 titled “Saints…and Faithful in Christ Jesus,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this question. Three striking descriptions are proclaimed from this text: saints, faithful, and union with Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones centers his sermon around these descriptors and shows what the apostle Paul meant by these terms. Whil
The Mystery of God
When a person is at the point of giving up and giving in, would it make a difference if they knew that the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead also was working for them? This is the mystery Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses as he begins a new sermon series on the book of Ephesians. While the world wrestles with “war at our doorstep,” the mystery of salvation leads Christians to worshi
Raised for Our Justification
What is faith? Is it simply belief in some divine power? Is it merely confidence in belief itself? In this sermon on Romans 4:22–25 titled “Raised for Our Justification,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer the question of what true faith is. Biblical faith is not a generic faith in an idea of God or even salvation, but it an absolute trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a faith
Faith Glorifying God
What is faith? In this sermon on Romans 4:18–22 titled “Faith Glorifying God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones dissects the negative and positive aspects of the nature of faith through the illustration of Abraham presented in Romans 4:18–22: “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had
Peace in the Holy Spirit
Evangelicals rightly value truth. Sometimes, however, their reputation for truth is understood as the desire to merely be right. The former leads to freedom, assurance, and grace. The latter leads to a morbid cynicism. Among the problems in the church of Rome was the concern about whether they were right about eating and drinking. In this sermon on the Holy Spirit from Roman 14:17 titled “Peace in
The Realm of Righteousness
Why do Christians find themselves consumed with less important matters? They often make partial truth encompass truth and the things of less importance are taken out of balance. The church at Rome did this with eating and drinking. The contemporary church does this in doctrine as well as with its various movements – the ecumenical movement, holiness movement, or evangelistic movements. What is the
The Kingdom of God
The church at Rome was guilty of making the kingdom of God small. Walking into their church, one would have thought the kingdom was about eating and drinking. The apostle Paul forcefully corrects this misunderstanding. But if the kingdom is not of meat and drink, what is it about? In this sermon on Romans 14:17 titled “The Kingdom of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones enters into a great debate among co
A Sense of Balance, Part 2
Christians are part of the kingdom of God and it is big. However, sometimes Christians can give the opposite impression. They can be guilty of emphasizing an aspect of the kingdom at the expense of the whole, making the kingdom seem small and negative. The church at Rome had given the impression that the kingdom was about eating and drinking. They had made the kingdom tiny and petty. In this messa
A Sense of Balance, Part 1
Lopsided Christianity is an unappealing religion. Divisions and fracturing over minutia have severely harmed evangelism and the church’s witness to the world. The apostle Paul’s battle cry in Romans 14:17 is that the kingdom of God is not about minutia such as meat and drink. Following Paul’s teaching in this sermon on Romans 14:17 titled “A Sense of Balance (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones applies th
Once Saved, Always Saved?
A chief doctrinal debate within church history is the nature and character of eternal security. Does Scripture indeed teach the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints? Or to ask the question another way: is it possible for one for whom Christ died to be lost? Despite the clarity of Scripture on this topic (in places like Romans 8 and John 10), there are a few ambiguous texts which seem to sugg
Conscience
Teaching on the conscience is relatively sparse in Scripture. The topic occurs in only a few passages in Paul’s letters so many Christians are either uninformed about the conscience or perhaps confused. How vital is it to the Christian life and what is Scripture’s teaching on it? In a sermon dedicated entirely to key questions regarding the conscience, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones posits that the apostl
Consider Others
While all Christians are Christian in the same way – through regeneration –not all are identical in every respect. There is, as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains, ethnic diversity as well as differences in personality and temperament. But the apostle Paul classifies Christians in another manner in Romans 14. He classifies them based upon maturity: the strong and the weak. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in
Clean or Unclean?
How does one approach difficult problems and issues in the church? Do they see how each part relates to the whole or simply attack the problem directly? In his sermon on Romans 14:13–15 titled “Clean or Unclean?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls for paying attention to the apostle Paul’s method in dealing with one of the premier problems in the early church. After one pays attention to the apostle’s m
Jesus Christ, the Judge
As the lordship of Christ is universal, so also is the judgment of Christ. Evangelical Protestants rightly champion Scripture’s teaching on the assurance believers have as they face the final judgment seat of God. The Christian rejoices in the assurance that there is no condemnation from God the Father for those in Christ Jesus. However, as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds in this sermon on Romans 1
Lord of the Dead
The fear of death grips humanity. Humanity is death’s servant but people in the West live each day suppressing the reality that death is imminent. How does the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ speak to this terror? In this sermon on Romans 14:6–12 titled “Lord of the Dead,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on Paul’s teaching that Christ is the Lord over death. Salvation, in other wor
Live and Die to the Lord
In this sermon on Romans 14:5–9 titled “Live and Die to the Lord,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues his sermon series by addressing the need for unity among believers on issues that are not central to the Christian faith. Drawing from Paul, however, he reminds that Christians have a biblical responsibility to be convinced in their minds about the convictions they hold that are not clearly defined
Sabbath and Special Days
In this sermon on Romans 14:1–6 titled “Sabbath and Special Days,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones offers that Paul is not addressing the importance of observation of the Sabbath since that has been established in Scripture for all time. He provides Scriptural support for this and offers up a question that has been discussed in Christian circles often since the early church: what day of the week is suppos
Saved for Eternity
The Lord alone has the authority to make final judgments on people. In this sermon from Romans 14:1–4 titled “Saved for Eternity,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds the listener of this important truth and how they can follow this while still exercising discernment regarding the people they are around and the activities in which they participate. When the Christian makes ultimate judgments about peop
God Has Received Him
What really is legalism? In this sermon on Romans 14:1–4 titled “God Has Received Him,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tackles this important subject by asking what it is, how it can be fought, and the consequences that it carries within the church. Legalism is what happens when people take principles in Scripture, interpret them wrongly, and make them absolute rules that everyone is required to follow. L
Food and Drink
It is common for the Christian to have a disagreement with someone else about what they think the Bible teaches to be wrong or right on an issue that is not particularly clear. This is the topic at hand for this sermon on Romans 14:1–4 titled “Food and Drink” and Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones guides the listener through how to interact with this issue that is becoming more prominent in the church today.
Weak in the Faith, Part 2
Within the family of God are those who are strong in their understanding of the Christian faith and those who are weak in their understanding of the faith. The church is made up of some who are more mature and some who are less mature. This diversity within the body of Christ can lead to problems as matters of opinion arise. While the world might say getting one’s way or winning the argument is th
Weak in the Faith, Part 1
Some find it hard to know how to regard the differences in spiritual maturity that exists among Christians. Are these differences always good? Are they bad? In this sermon on Romans 14:1 titled “Weak in the Faith (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides some biblical answers to these questions. He starts by asking a foundational question: what does it mean to be weak in faith? The believers Paul was
The Armor of Light
Being suddenly awakened in the middle of the night by bright lights can be an incredibly alarming and disconcerting experience. In this sermon on Romans 13:11–14 titled “The Armor of Light,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the similarities between this kind of event and conversion for those who become Christians and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. They are called to wake up out o
Christ's Return
Many have charged that Paul gradually changed his view on when he thought the Lord would return. Is this the case? Critics use this to demonstrate that Scripture is not divinely inspired, using passages they think supposedly contradict each other. In this sermon on Romans 13:11–14 titled “Christ’s Return,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones guides the listener through this crucial contention, clearly showing
Strangers and Pilgrims, Part 2
What is the relationship between thoughts and actions? In this sermon on Christians and how they are to live in the world, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones presents a reminder that doctrine and practice are always tied — doctrine especially plays a large influence over the other. What can one deduce from the doctrines that Paul has been presenting in this passage? First, Christians are children of the day.
Strangers and Pilgrims, Part 1
It can be easy to lose faith in oneself when feelings change quickly. In this sermon on Romans 13:11–14 titled “Strangers and Pilgrims (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds that regardless of feelings, one’s position is sure if they are a follower of Jesus. Feelings come and go but thankfully they do not influence one’s position or relationship with Jesus since it is centered in Him and His work, n
The Christian's Future
What is the future of the Christian? In this sermon on Romans 13:11–14 titled “The Christian’s Future,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches about what is awaiting the Christian. All over Scripture, the answer is clear— Christians are waiting for the coming day of the Lord. Contrary to what some people say, Scripture tells that this coming is a visible and physical coming of the Lord. At this time Jesu
A World in Darkness
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes a striking statement about the Christian view of the world in saying that at its best, the world is still in darkness. In a modern day and age when such statements may seem polarizing and perhaps even offensive, why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones make such a provocative claim? Does this mean that the Christian simply dismisses everything in the world? Does the Christian despise
Redemption History
As Christians compare Christianity with other moral and ethical belief systems, philosophies, and religions in the world, many of them have an equal emphasis on love of neighbor. What then distinguishes the Christians’ call to fulfill the royal law of love from others? In Romans 13:11–14 the apostle Paul provides a beautiful insight into the Christian motivation to love neighbor as he writes to Ch
Sanctification
Justification by faith alone has been called the great doctrine on which the church stands or falls. With the emphasis on justification, many Protestants are guilty of neglecting the important doctrine of sanctification. As Christians strive to rightly understand what the Bible teaches about sanctification, there are many unique challenges this doctrine presents. What is the relationship between f
Scriptural Love
Vestiges of the Christian call to “love one’s neighbor” can be found throughout Western culture. What has been lost, however, is the Scriptural understanding of love and a strong theological foundation to support the command. Without Scripture and theology, love of neighbor is either reduced to sentimentality or the gospel is denied. The seriousness of the latter is highlighted in this sermon on R
Love Your Neighbour
If there is one word in the Bible that is easily misunderstood, it is the word “love.” Contemporary society replaces the biblical view of love with mere sentiment or lust. Not only this, but love of neighbor is pitted against love of God. In this sermon on Romans 13:8–10 titled “Love Your Neighbour,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones contends that love of neighbor has been twisted. One must look to Scripture
Love Fulfills the Law
Debt is burdensome and being obligated to another is a constant weight on one’s shoulders. But there is one great exception, according to the apostle Paul. That exception is the debt of love. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones notes in this sermon on Romans 13:8–10 titled “Love Fulfills the Law,” Paul calls the church to be perpetually obligated in their love for one another. Paul himself was likewise inde
Church and the State, Part 6
No matter how the topic is framed – church and state, or Christ and culture – it deserves a lot of careful thought. This is one topic in the history of Christianity that intersects with doctrine, theology, church history, and culture. In this sermon on Romans 13:1–7 titled “Church and the State (6),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones completes his six-part series on church and the state by looking at Christ’
Church and the State, Part 5
How do the church and ruling government interact? Are they co-equals working together for the greater good? Do they share the same end goal? In this sermon on Romans 13:1–7 titled “Church and the State (5),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones first examines the historical context of church and government traditions that attempt to work together. Many church leaders have fallen under the tyranny of traditional
Church and the State, Part 4
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones taught extensively on church history, specifically on the relationship between church and state. In this sermon on Romans 13:1–7 titled “Church and the State (4),” Dr. Lloyd-Jones turns his attention to the underlying foundation of the view proposing an alliance between church and state. How do they biblically defend their position? What biblical evidence do they portray to
