The sermon of this post is from the YouTube site, MLJTrust, linked below.
A question for readers:
The last time you read a book from your study Bible, such as Ephesians or Philippians, did you satisfy your quest for knowledge about God by merely reading the introduction and the outline of the book?
If you only read those below, and do not hear the sermon, then that is what you’ve done.
You’ve missed all the details surrounding the points mentioned below. Those details are significant.
I much appreciate the notes that MLJTrust adds to these sermons, but I have to say that the notes are much more meaningful after I have heard the sermons once or twice, which I usually do before I post them.
I am listening to MLJ’s series to get some insight into what is wrong with my Christian life, as it is clear to me that there are some problems. I guess that I am posting these sermons for those Christians who are also need direction and encouragement.
I have discovered many excellent pastors during the past couple of decades since I was born again, I believe that MLJ is in the top 5, possibly number one.
This blog has examples of those preachers I consider to be excellent; also, those preachers who are heretical.
I have seen no other pastor preach so extensively on such a small amount of scripture, such as the phrase, “wiles of the Devil.” Most pastors preach a sermon on a whole chapter, not 37 sermons on one phrase (I heard one older pastor say that MLJ preached 37 sermons on this phrase; of which this sermon is number 26. There are 31 posted at the site. He preached 231 on the book of Ephesians.)
My point is that if you are trying to have the understanding that you need to grow in grace, then he is the kind of pastor that you need to find a way to like and to hear often.
I know that world is flying apart at the seams; fires are raging; Marxist globalists are threatening to swallow up the USA… but it will be that way when you are laid to rest… until Christ returns. I too have to work hard to stay focused on the right stuff, and I fail often. But I keep returning to my quest for understanding, for knowledge of God; and for grace to live rightly….
Just saying, that there is help in the words of preachers such as MLJ.
A sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Ephesians 6.10-13 https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/book… “Armor of God” playlist: • Introduction ― A Sermon on Ephesians …
“Sin does not change my relationship to God. I’m no longer sinning against law. I finished with the law. The law and its terrors have no more to do with me. But what happens now is this, that I am sinning against the love, the love of Christ that loved me and gave itself for me.” ―Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Ephesians 6.10-13 [KJV because MLJ used that text]:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Sermon Description [by MLJTrust]:
Christians can feel as though the Lord has withdrawn His smile from them and are concerned that their current or difficult state may mean that they are not truly a Christian.
In this sermon on Ephesians 6.10–13 titled “Attacks on Assurance (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that when Christians experience hardship and adversity, they must remember that the Lord allows difficult things in their lives because He wants to grow them as Christians.
This ought to be a great comfort in hardship. Adversity encourages the Christian not to rely on their good works, but to be encouraged that they are being matured and prepared for future glory with Christ.
They should not question their justification when they experience trials and suffering. Instead they should remember that when they confess their sins, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse His people from all unrighteousness.
Sermon Breakdown [by MLJTrust]:
- The devil troubles Christians by misinterpreting God’s dealings with them. He makes them doubt God’s love and question whether they are truly saved.
- God disciplines and chastises Christians out of love to help them grow. Difficult times are meant to strengthen faith, not prove lack of salvation.
- The devil uses sin to make Christians doubt their salvation and relationship with God. But sin does not break the relationship between God and his children. Christians are justified once and for all by faith in Christ.
- The “sin against the Holy Spirit” is not a single act of sin, but the prideful, arrogant rejection of Christ and the gospel. Those worried they have committed it demonstrate the opposite spirit.
SERMON POINTS BY MICHAEL A. FOR THE INITIAL PART OF THE ABOVE SERMON:
Points for the initial 19 minutes of MLJ’s sermon on Assurance, part 2:
He begins most of his sermons with a very brief review and overview, herein: we’ve talked about the wiles of the Devil, and we’ve seen that these are exercised, or manifested along a great variety of ways, such as:
-in the history of the church: heresy; apostasy; schism; cults…
-we have been examining how the wiles of the Devil are directed against our minds, our understandings and in the realm of our experiences: intellect… feelings….
Points regarding the body of this sermon:
- The Devil moves us to extremes (churches and individuals)
- [In our day, think of churches that focus on doctrine, the Reformed Presbyterian, for example, as opposed to those that focus on feelings, the Charismatics. I’ve heard MLJ indicate that each misses the point and that they are in such places because the Devil has been successful against them. A biblical perspective is doctrinal and does not exclude emotion – to paraphrase]
- The Devil wants to give us a false assurance, and if we do not receive that from him, then he will strive to undermine our assurance by focusing us on sins from our past…
- To take us there, he will work to get us to misinterpret God’s dealings with us; chastisements, withdrawals by God from us; pointing out the variations in our experiences [showing you that you have cooled off, when you used to be affectionate towards the things of God… therefore, you must not really be a Christian…]
- MLJ very briefly discussed how such things play out in the book of Job and Hebrews
- He also notes that the Lord Jesus said that we’d have tribulation in this world, but He had overcome it
- Yet, we are ready to listen to the Devil
- MLJ then briefly discussed the motivation behind Psalm 73 [read the Psalm if you are unfamiliar with it, therein, Asaph begins by complaining that he has striven to live a godly life and all the while he is oppressed by circumstances… while the ungodly are apparently enjoying ease and prospering]
- That is a trick of the Devil, to emphasize such things to Christians – Asaph works it out correctly by the end of the Psalm
- Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together [KJV as MLJ is speaking from it]
- Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
- The above verses should be incorporated into our reply to the wiles of the Devil; into our self-talk as we consider our experience or pray to God
- MLJ noted that the above verses from Heb 12, are typical of children, no child wants to experience discipline, they want to be carried along and experience pleasant things, but such things do not facilitate growth in grace
- The word and other means of grace have been provided by God for our spiritual growth, and if we do not receive this spiritual food, then God has other methods He employs – from a place of love
- He is determined that we should grow; He is determined that we should be men
- One way He accomplished this is to withhold things from us, so we might leave behind that mindset, “and now I am happy all the day”
- The difficulties that God sends us challenge us to think, to read scripture, to pray more earnestly – we are thereby taught to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord
- When you observe that you are being chastened, or you feel alone and without God; or you are passing through deep waters [of suffering/affliction], then realize His object is to test you or to grow you
- [See brief video below to better understand God’s refining process: it is the same testing / refining process that a metallurgist uses to refine gold – heating it in a vessel so that impurities rise to the surface and can be seen and scraped off, leaving pure gold]
- The believer should actually be worried when he / she has no experience of tribulation
- If you do not know testing, trials, tribulation, then you need to discern whether or not you are a Christian or you are a devotee of a cult [cults and motivation to belong to cults were discussed earlier in this series, after heresy, apostasy, and schisms]
- Adversity is a great school of God, it is His gymnasium for trying the muscles and developing the vigor of His people
- Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby
- Another reason God treats us so [tribulation for purification] is that He might reveal more of Himself to us
- All of the saints of the church in the past have testified to this
- Initially in our relationship with God, we know very little: His love, compassion, mercy in Christ
- Such things are only known superficially
- As one passes through deep waters and fires of adversity, he / she will be shown more
- To clarify, MLJ briefly explained that in human relationships the love that is known at the beginning is rather superficial in terms of the love known after that relationship continues
- He noted that those who think the best love is at the beginning are very wrong
- [I am addicted to Hallmark movies, which basically amounts to vicariously reliving that initial part of a love relationship, and believing it is the most significant part…]
- Such things about God are revealed when His child may be on the verge of despair…
- [The above points are from the initial 19 minutes of the sermon, hopefully they encourage you to hear the sermon once or more and think about it]
MLJTrust, Video-page link: https://www.youtube.com/@MLJTrust/videos
Playlist-page link: https://www.youtube.com/@MLJTrust/playlists
LINK TO 4-MINUTE VIDEO IN THIS BLOG ON GOD’S REFINING PROCESS: