False Christian teachings, trends….
The sermon is yet another sermon by MLJ that is wonderfully rich in doctrine and in wisdom from experience (it seems to me). He explained the following scripture in the process of his sermon: …and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith…. If you do not know the difference, this sermon will provide you with some understanding
This post contains sermon #48 in MLJ’s series, The Armor of God. He is traveling very slowly through this passage, teaching its doctrines very carefully. If you desire to learn what the Armor of God is, as it was identified by the apostle Paul, and how to put it on, then I certainly recommend hearing the series. In my 20 years as a Christian, I have blogged a lot of pastors, true and counterfeit pastors, and notice that modern Christians seek a lot of different things in their worship experience….
…sermon on the six pieces of “the armor of God.” First are the “loins girt with truth,” then the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. This is not an exhaustive list, but a highlighting of vital elements for spiritual warfare. Soldiers braced their clothing together with a girdle in order to move without encumbrance. …The spiritual meaning here is for the mind. Some think “truth” means sincerity or candor, but the foundation of the Christian’s armor cannot be their own sincerity and truthfulness. The girdle, as well as the sword, is the word of God. Christians must be wholly governed by truth, which is revealed in Christ Jesus. …It is a settled conviction, knowing whom and what to believe. The devil tries to create confusion and uncertainty and to repel him, Christians must be “girt about” with truth.
In this sermon on Ephesians 6.10–13 titled “Physical, Psychological, Spiritual,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that the Bible teaches that people are body, mind, and soul. They are more than the matter that they are made of, but the human body also affects its spirit. There is a great danger to turn all sin issues into problems of psychology. They say that a person’s problems are never a result of their sin but are a result of their circumstances. The Bible tells something different. [MLJ says much to help a Christian better assess the difficulties that he/she is encountering in terms of where they are coming from; and he also recommends and illustrates a biblical solution.]
In the sermon of this post, MLJ explained what schism is and provided numerous examples of it. He emphasized what the apostle Paul did in the New Testament, that Christians need to find unity via holding biblical doctrines. For example, the ecumenical movement that emphasizes unity at the expense of doctrine is wrong. MLJ provided examples of the opposite extreme too, regarding unity. [I thought I understood what ‘schism’ meant until I heard this sermon.]