False Christian teachings, trends….
Spurgeon’s Morning commentary is on the following verse: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” — Heb_5:8. His Evening thoughts are about this verse: Song of Solomon 5:6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. [The morning thoughts are in line with the MLJ sermon which will be posted later today.]
“There is only one protection against the temptations of Satan. It is the breastplate of righteousness. You’ll never get righteousness without godliness. You can multiply your police force, you can build better prisons, you can staff them with psychiatrists, you can try and uplift people and educate them. It doesn’t touch your problem.” ―Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones …History shows that moral and righteous periods follow religious awakenings while unrighteous periods follow a decline in Christianity. …Deliverance from condemnation protects us from temptation by removing despair and hopelessness.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts the hopeless state of mankind apart from God, dead in sin and under the influence of Satan, with the miraculous intervention of God’s grace. He emphasizes that the gospel is inherently supernatural and divine, beyond human comprehension or ability. Using examples like Mary and Nicodemus, he shows how even devout people can stumble over the miraculous nature of God’s work.
Although many New Testament writers including Paul wrote that Christians are to actively fight sin and engage in spiritual warfare, he also says that they are to stand strong in the Lord. This seems to imply that they are to let go and trust God’s strength, but is that compatible with the rest of the instructions in the New Testament? Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides a helpful analysis of this. The resolution, he says, is that Christians are called to fight but also to rely on God for the power to fight.
This sermon is being reposted to publish a 4-minute typed quotation from the sermon that I found to be very significant. Most of the quoted portion was not in MLJTrust’s points. The quotation gives their points more meaning. The quotation is beneficial in that it provides the proper perspective on the Christian battle. In 20 years, I’ve never heard it put as MLJ put it; maybe you will find his words meaningful also.
When someone mentions “worldliness,” what comes to mind? In this sermon on overcoming worldliness from Ephesians 6.10–13, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones helps the listener come to a proper understanding of worldliness and how it affects the Christian walk. Worldliness, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is when one allows things that are good in and of themselves to occupy too big of a part in one’s life. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that this happens when the Christian doesn’t allow their walk with Christ to overlap with the other areas of their life. …We defeat worldliness by purifying ourselves and keeping our hope in Christ
…Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that the devil primarily uses pride to refocus people off the things of the Lord. One of his main methods in this is to take a person’s gift— whether it is singing, speech, knowledge, intellect or even conversion experience — and use it to make its possessor feel self-reliant and that they are above the spiritual state of other believers. …We should see ourselves as members of the body of Christ where every part is important. …We should care about what God thinks of us, not what people think. …Self in all its manifestations dishonors God, his grace and the gospel.
What is quenching the Spirit? In a desire to avoid making Christianity reliant on subjective religious experiences, many Christians leave no room for the work and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives. This is quenching the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells that the Holy Spirit is a person who indwells all who believe. The church of today ought to look at the early church found in Acts to see what it looks like to rely on the Holy Spirit for power and guidance. What are the practical applications of this message on Ephesians 6:10–13?
The MLJ sermon of this post is another in his series on the wiles of the Devil. In the process of his teaching herein, he said quite a lot that applies to the word-of-faith, prosperity gospels and the Charismatic church. His words clarified their great claims via biblical passages. The thrust of his message was to show believers yet another way in which the Devil undermines a believer’s walk with the Lord, rendering them ineffective, discouraged…. [A song is attached to the post because in that song, one can hear the kind of process that MLJ discussed, in terms of laying down one’s self-striving and surrendering to Christ; quitting on self-guidance and receiving His.]
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. …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. [I added more detailed points for the initial 19 minutes of the sermon and a brief video about how God purifies the saint via tribulation.]