Lloyd-Jones, comments on his first sermon

In one of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones first major sermons entitled, "The Tragedy of Modern Wales” he was severely criticized for being overly harsh and untrue in his recommendation of the situation that had led in 20 years from a massive revival to utter licentiousness covering the small country in England. He was asked later to repeat the message at a conference for pastors and he followed up the criticisms by the following comments:

In prelude to this quote they accused him of being unfaithful to Wales due to the harsh nature of his criticism:
“It is because I love Wales passionately and devotedly, it is because I am proud of her glorious past and jealous for her future, that I talk about the tragedy of Modern Wales”

Could we not also all have the same jealous zeal for the purity of our own country found only the healing that only the gospel of penal substitutionary atonement of Christ can bring? Do we see this highly of the gospel that we see how lowly we are and the desperate need of repentance? How high is our view of God that we can accurately describe the horrors of men rejecting all that is most assuredly and highly majesctic, namely God in his holiness.

Following the complaint that he is ‘too negative’ he responds:

“It is a criticism which I can understand and with which I have a certain amount of sympathy. Indeed it appealed to me to this extent, that I hesitated and pondered over the question for some time before I decided or realized that it also was based on a fallacy. Now what is the fallacy? It is, that people who hold to the view no longer remember that conviction of sin is the essential prelude to salvation…It is not sufficient merely to tell a man that he is a sinner – you must prove it too him – give him examples and make him think, then there may be some hope for him.”

If you think that preachers are too harsh, hard, or rough, then you don’t understand the depth of sin (Isaiah 1:5,6) and its total corruption within your body (Matt 12:34). And second, you do not fully grasp the ministry of Gods word, which is that of sword which devastatingly pierces you and then radically brings out and exposes all that is within you. All your entrails come into full view before your eyes. The hidden and essential elements of your life become exposed and useless at the preaching of Gods word. He comes to cut down, destroy, create, rebuild, and lead home to glory (Hosea 6:1-3, 6; Hebrews 4:12,13).

And speaking then of the hope of the future he adds,

“But I regret so deeply that I have come here in the hope that I may kindle into flame a smoldering prejudice for truth in some young heart, and that as young people may we go onwards believing in our cause and fighting with resolution all the forces of sin and corruption that are arrayed against us, until we shall guaranteed that the Wales of the future will be worthy of the Wales of the past.”

Christians of America let us fight harder to kill sin, take greater risks of faith in light and sigh of the love of God, that we may be guaranteed a future in glory that will be worthy of the glory of the saints of the past.

Quotes taken from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "The First Forty Years" by Iain Murray, p.86-88.