In an essay written in 1985, theological
giant J. I. Packer is said to have commented on the preaching of D. Martyn
Lloyd-Jones: “Through the thunder and the lightning, I felt and saw as never
before the glory of Christ and of his gospel ….” Though the “thunder and
lightning” of this great preacher may be difficult to apprehend by reading his
sermons in a book, the “glory of Christ and of his gospel” reverberates through
every page of this recently published collection of Lloyd-Jones sermons
entitled Setting Our Affections Upon
Glory. This compilation of the Good Doctor’s preaching is notable for its
gospel-centeredness, its emphasis on doctrine, and its relevancy and
timeliness.
The nine sermons in Setting Our Affections Upon Glory are
permeated by a gospel-centeredness that, with regularity, brings the Christ,
the cross, and the resulting Calvary-wrought salvation before the eyes of the
reader. Lloyd-Jones does not miss an opportunity to remind the listener, or
reader in this case, of the issue of “first importance” (1 Cor. 15:3). He continually reminds us, with creativity
and conciseness, that the essence of Christianity is “the great doctrine of the
atonement. You cannot be a Christian without this” (118). His emphatic and
insistent proclamations of “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2) give
evidence of the great value and singular priority he attributes to the gospel: “Reconciliation!
There is nothing in the whole world today as valuable as this. To be reconciled
to God! To know that our sins are forgiven! The wealth of the universe cannot
purchase this. There is nothing more valuable” (95). These sermons will help
you understand why Packer “felt and saw as never before the glory of Christ and
of his gospel.”
D. M. Lloyd-Jones, as well as the
many manifestations of his ministry, is known for the priority he places on
doctrine in general and Reformed doctrine in particular. He frequently admonishes
the reader to note the importance of doctrine in the life of the Christian. He
reflects that the early church “was a gathering of people who had undergone a
profound change as a result of listening to the apostolic preaching” (53, emphasis mine) and that, in terms of the
church both then and now, doctrine “comes before fellowship, and unless our
fellowship is based upon doctrine, it is not a Christian fellowship” (55-6).
These are strong words for one who was noted for his high regard for the
church. For the author, doctrine’s importance rested on the fact that “you
cannot preach the gospel without doctrine” (117). Lloyd-Jones valued preaching
and thus he valued doctrine. The prominence doctrine holds in Lloyd-Jones’ mind
is evident throughout the book: In the church, “teaching and doctrine must have
the pre-eminence, the precedence, the priority. They must always come in first
position” (61). This book is evidence that he was a preacher who esteemed
doctrine.
This collection of Lloyd-Jones’
preaching was originally delivered in 1969. However, the timeliness and relevancy
of these nine addresses is conspicuous. It seems the great preachers have a
penchant for framing things in such a way so as to reveal the issue that is
common to all ages. They deal with the heart of the matter. For instance,
Lloyd-Jones warned of the church’s dangerous practice of prostrating themselves
to the idol of popularity: “The church asks: What do people actually want? What
do they like? What do they think? And we pander to them” (50). This is a
remarkable assessment of the modern church and this preacher saw it in his day.
Or consider this concern that is raised: “I have sometimes feared that we are
rapidly getting to the stage in which there will only be two or three
preachers-if even that many-in the world. And the rest of the world will be
listening to them on tapes or on television or something else” (110). We now
know that the “something else” the author was concerned about are downloads and
podcasts and Youtube and iTunes. His apprehension on this matter is almost
prophetic as we see the danger of blogsniffers and website groupies following
an increasing smaller number of big name preachers. His sermons are applicable
to us today because he saw the unchanging dangers that the church faced. Ponder
his foreboding of the treacherous nature of tolerance: “It is that in our fear
and dread and horror of being called narrow we could swing so far to the other
extreme and in the end be so wide and so broad and so large that we lose our
landmarks altogether and end by not knowing what the real meaning of the word Christian is … A charity and a tolerance
that is prepared to include everything! That seems, to me, to be the greatest
danger” (146). That is an incredibly accurate accusation against today’s
churches by a minister who preached over 40 years ago.
For its pervasive
gospel-centeredness, for its continuous concern for doctrine, and for its timely
relevancy, this volume of sermons is noteworthy. A preacher will often be
lauded by those who he leads. But when a preacher is admired and acclaimed by
his peers, both great and small, it is likely his preaching will be efficacious
and edifying. These sermons by D. M. Lloyd-Jones are just that. They have power
in written form that build us up and encourage us. Setting Our Affections Upon Glory is a welcome addition to a
growing number of this great preacher’s published sermons.
I recommend this book.
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