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Highlights from the Biography of Martin Lloyd-Jones, Vol. 2
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22 – God has ordered that a life of forgetfulness toward Him should be cursed with unhappiness. Churches have “emptied themselves” by neglecting to preach the judgment and wrath of God.
23 – “During this time of War,” what is needed is first to comfort the people, then to exercise a “prophetic” preaching ministry to awaken the people.
24 – A self-centered approach to religion leaves people helpless when severe trials come. 25-27 – War is a divine judgment upon the lives we pursue – it is designed by God to show us what sin really is and to lead us back to Him. We are baffled by God because we are not humbly bowing before Him. The more low you are, the more you’ll understand His actions. Look what the post WW I time of peace produced – self-centered living, pride, rationalism, immorality, materialism, and an irreligious spirit. 71-74 – Eight general causes of weakness in Evangelicalism (excellent!). Three particular causes of weakness in Evangelicalism (especially as belief affects practice). 158 – The cross is the great lens through which we see the enormity of sin, the futility of human effort, the helplessness of sinful man, etc.
162 – The all important need in evangelism to make men feel that they are under the condemnation of God (preach conviction).
170 – True conversion – Christ’s worthiness, our unworthiness. True conversion and its counterfeit – “psychological conversion.”
177 – MLJ’s “unconventional” guidelines for finding God’s will on calling and commissioning by God.
195 – The need of a Calvinistic understanding of God’s grace – God and His glory is primary.
196-197 – MLJ often a lonely man amidst his work due to his uncompromising convictions. The need is for pastors to preach to the conscience.
208-209, 216 – The true believer and minister will at times experience spiritual depression, satanic attack and then – God breaks into our darkness with His glory and comfort.
220 – Christianity must be experiemental.
232 – Don’t discuss the doctrines of grace in an air of controversy (cold intellectual debate).
236-237 – Keswick did have the positives of drawing folks back to Christ and the truths of the cross. The negatives of Keswick – by stressing later works of pietism it devalued “So great a salvation.”
239-241 – Sovereignty of God needs to be taught! Start with God’s sovereignty in history, then cover His sovereignty in the new creation.
243-247 – Every part of salvation is all of grace (error of Arminianism summarized).
261ff – The true meaning of expositional preaching unfolded (for a time MLJ was the
only expos. Preacher in England).
267 – Though MLJ was a “stern” preacher, they crowed in to hear him.
285 - MLJ’s exemplary message on AUTHORITY.
291 – MLJ’s sovereign grace message was “electric” – heard by an Arminian crowd, how he supported his points.
317 – Debate over the Augustinian doctrine of imputation (original sin).
323-324 – Our preparatory work in evangelism – drive men from all hopes in themselves. 325 – The Puritans were good examples of using the Law in evangelism.
326 – Evangelism themes: inability, wrath, need of deliverance – the true convert is delivered from both guilt and the power of sin.
327 – MLJ rejected non-lordship salvation in which the person was delivered from
carnality sometime later after conversion.
328 – Excellent on true repentance.
329 – Man can only believe by God’s grace.
336 – A sample of MLJ’s salvation appeal (invitation, not altar call).
338 – 1 Cor 2 sermon on the wisdom of God one of the most memorable.
339 – Wrong theology (all have the ability to believe) produces wrong practice – note Graham crusade and decisional regeneration.
340 – The source of assurance of salvation is NOT your decision, also the danger of a
philosophy of ministry that only wants results (numbers).
343 – The need to recover the apostolic preaching of the gospel.
349 – Recurrent theme of MLJ – the plight of man and the power of God.
363 – A Gospel that depends upon the will of man for its success is not the NT Gospel. 372 – Prayer insights – we must see Christ as Conqueror.
380-383 – The experience of sudden manifestations of love and Spirit.
385 – A caution – men who belong to the Reformed tradition have lost interest in revival
– apologetics is one of the reasons! An intellectual response to the sinner falls short of
afflicting his soul and bringing conviction.
386 – The baptism of the Spirit and Spirit anointing.
404 – The work of the pulpit is to bring men to know the truth in its power.
407 – A defective understanding of sin is the reason men don’t flee to Christ alone for
justification. If you talk to a man about his sanctification when he is unregenerate, you
aggravate his problem.
408 – MLJ’s formula for “healing” – refuse to think about yourself.
428 – The exclusivity of the gospel is under attack.
435 – What is a church? Excellent summary.
440 – MLJ’s conditions for cooperation with Billy Graham.
443 – Evangelicalism treated as a party, not as a biblical position.
449 – Biblical authority.
455 – Uniqueness of the Gospel as the only way of salvation.
458 – MLJ prepared to sacrifice “anything” for true doctrine itself - but also needed is dependence upon God and the joy and praise which belong to those who are heirs of glory.
466-467 – The three sources of assurance – all three make a complete witness! (For sermon, see Romans 8:1-17).
470 – Non-lordship is a very pernicious doctrine, it allows us to start and finish with ourselves.
482 – Surprisingly, MLJ had a large following among Pentecostals due to his reputation as an expositor.
555 – MLJ explains pietism, Keswick, “individualism,” quietism, non-involvement.
578 – Excellent questions for the test of salvation.
580 – Salvation questions from his sermon on the Ethiopian Eunuch – good!
--pointed application for evangelistic sermon.
619 – Prevailing error today, even among Reformed is to imagine that all people in our churches are saved and only need instruction – NO! they need the Gospel and repentance, and exhortation.
642 – Theology has no appeal to a man until God’s Spirit deal with that person.
655 – “Christian” modernism now sees Evangelicalism as one of many interpretations as opposed to seeing it as what the Bible teaches.
666-671 – Evangelicalism has been weakened by accommodation.
684-685 – Yes, even amidst the ferment of religion, fight and rejoice. Praise Him in all things for what He has done. Pray not just for reform, but for revival by the outpouring of the Spirit.
686 – Cautions about “illuminationism” that is unmediated contact with God that does not primarily depend on the Word.
687 – MLJ has sought to hold a balanced line between the extremes of laxity and
egotistical rigour.
693 – Today’s church sermons lack unction, authority, and exhortation.
694 – There is a lack of compassion for the lost.
697 – (facing page quote by Packer) – countless ministers who spent some time with MLJ came away feeling like a million dollars – they saw how significant their calling was, they left with a new purposefulness, and invigorated in their calling.
697 – Keep the main thing first! Preach the Gospel! What is the purpose of a pulpit? To be a herald of sin, salvation and the nearness of eternity.
698 – A person shows that he is a new creature by what he thinks about himself, about the world, and about Christ (sermon from 2 Cor 5:17).
699 – Why is it so rare today that the pulpit brings the consciousness of eternity? 700 – Our great need is a great sense of God. Why has prayer declined? Because professing Christians have lost their belief that God can be truly known and enjoyed. The chief failure of ministers/preachers is to bring people into the presence of God. 700-701 – 10 WAYS WE QUENCH THE SPIRIT. (Excellent).
706-707 – MLJ says the E.E. method of evangelism training at James Kennedy’s church in Fl is too cut and dried. It bypasses the need for personal spiritual awakening and revival. Amazingly, MLJ says that if you preach the Gospel well enough to your church, the true Christians will know how to share the Gospel and they will do it.
709 – The more powerful the Calvinism – the more likely will there be revival – what is criticized as a cold, dead Calvinism is not Calvinism.
710 – A fresh, relevant ministry is only maintained by constantly reading books. 711 – Cholerics are best at taking on big things to completion. Preachers are born not made – MLJ dubious about need of theological colleges. Pink’s def. of a prophet, “God’s man for evil days.”
715 – (facing page, A. Bonar quote) few men and few ministers keep up to the end the
edge that was on their spirit at first.
719 – Today’s evangelicalism lacks godliness and the fear of the Lord.
721 – A modern weakness, men will not fight issues – they back out.
723 – In this section MLJ deals with the false charges that labeled Puritans “legalists.” Also he deals with the erroneous charge that preaching conviction is “preparationism.” MLJ defends the Puritans and Nettleton who left people under conviction. (the opposite of Nettleton’s contemporary, Finney).
724 – He cautions about trusting a decision to believe without a changed heart.
732 – The superficiality of modern Evangelicalism – not an overemphasis on justification, but a failure to preach the Law of God, the depth of sin, and the holiness of God. (A shallow gospel offers God as merely a friend and helper – by contrast, Calvinistic evangelism majors on God’s glory and majesty, not on man’s benefit.) 733 – Modern evangelicalism pays lip service to the need of regeneration, but does not really believe in it. We must remember that our main work is the humbling of men. 734 – If you only listen to one audio sermon of MLJ, get “Psalm 2” preached in the year of his home going to heaven.
776 – On MLJ’s boldness – He was used of God to interrupt what many church leaders thought was the correct agenda for Christian progress.