These sermons, though preached during or just after World War II, are relevant to our 21st century world divided by conflict and war. Each of the six sections consists of four or five sermons preached as short series. The reason for this arrangement was because Dr Lloyd-Jones shared the preaching with Dr Campbell Morgan. Morgan would preach for a month in the mornings and Lloyd-Jones in the evenings. Then they would reverse the procedure. The book order is slightly different from the preached order.
Section 1, dealing with religious persecution, expounds Acts 12 – the death of James and the imprisonment of Peter – and we are reminded that God is in control of the world even in times of persecution.
Section 2 opens up the beginning of Hebrews 1, showing that God has spoken once-for-all in his Son. Our world, though different from that of the apostles, still needs the same gospel that centres on the unchanging Saviour. There is a useful chapter on the value of the Old Testament.
In section 3, Lloyd-Jones answers the question, ‘What is a Christian?’ from Romans 8, suggesting various tests that we can apply to ourselves. For example, do I love God and his people? and do I obey God’s commands in Scripture?
The next section gives us a preview of history from Revelation 4 and 5. In section 5, the preacher comments on Paul’s exhortations in 1 Corinthians 16. The final section – just one sermon – comes from Psalm 127:1-2 and deals with the themes of illusion and reality.
I found this book encouraging and would highly recommend it. Believers who heard ‘the Doctor’ will enjoy this book, but it is also a good introduction to the message and method of Lloyd-Jones for those unfamiliar with his ministry.
