As you look out across the nation, or further throughout the West, or even into the whole world, what would you say was the great need of the times? We might mention many things. However, William Cowper focuses our attention correctly, in my view: 'When nations are to die in their sins, 'tis in the church the leprosy begins!'
In 1971 Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones gave a devastating address called 'The State of the Nation'. He traced the roots back to all that happened in the 19th century (and before). He quoted one commentator who said, 'The morality gap is greater than ever and the world is "dehumanised"!' As has often been said, 'As goes the church, so goes the nation!'
Lloyd-Jones said that we needed to get back to the pure gospel and that it needed to be proclaimed afresh. I assume we all agree with that. We need to see converts, don't we? But here's the problem: there is a lot more to it than that. Conversions, yes, but Christians also need to 'grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ' (2 Peter 3:18), and the church itself needs to be revived. All three elements are connected.
To this end, a proper understanding of the Sermon on the Mount is crucial, and who better to guide us than Lloyd-Jones? We could say that this series and his series on revival are two of his greats. He preached on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) during 1950-51, the sermons later released in book form. Lloyd-Jones's approach to this passage is both theological and practical, and he interprets it as foundational to the Christian life, offering profound insights into the Kingdom of God and Christian ethics.
