Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon Analysis: Matthew's Call to Follow Christ

What is the significance of the two different approaches to Christ shown in Matthew 9?

In his sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts two incidents from Matthew 9 that demonstrate different approaches to becoming a Christian. In the first incident, four men made great effort to bring a paralytic man to Jesus, even tearing open a roof to get to Him. In the second, Matthew was simply sitting at his tax collector's booth when Jesus approached him. Lloyd-Jones explains: "Here's a man doing his job, suddenly hears a voice saying, follow me... there's one thing common to them all. Suddenly they're confronted by this person." The significance is that while people may come to Christ through different paths, the ultimate result is the same—being confronted by Christ Himself who takes charge of the situation.

What does the call "Follow Me" actually mean according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "Follow Me" is a totalitarian call with several dimensions: "It is a word that contains within itself the whole meaning and idea of the call that comes to a soldier to enlist in an army, to surrender, as it were, his right to himself." He adds it also includes "the call to a servant, a master ordering a servant" and "the call that comes to a pupil or a student." It is not merely an invitation to consider Christ intellectually or to pick and choose aspects of His teaching. Rather, it demands complete surrender: "He wants your mind, your heart. He wants your will. He wants to be the Lord of your life, the master of your whole situation and of your entire faith."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize that Christianity is not just about being "interested" in Christ?

Lloyd-Jones strongly rejects the notion that Christianity is merely about intellectual interest or academic discussion. He states: "He isn't calling Matthew merely to look at him or to be interested in him or just to consider him in general." This dilettante approach misses the essence of Christ's call. He explains: "As long as you adopt the dilettante attitude and you just sit back and get intrigued by Christianity and interested... you know nothing about this call." The gospel is not presenting itself for our evaluation; rather, we are on trial before it. Christ demands full surrender, not casual interest or partial acceptance of His teachings.

What does following Christ's teaching involve according to the sermon?

Following Christ's teaching involves accepting several key doctrines:

1. About ourselves: "We are lost... We don't know God. We don't know how to live. We don't know how to die."
2. About our condition: We are "condemned and guilty sinners" and "under the power of sin and evil and under the dominion of Satan."
3. About Christ: He is "God, the Son incarnate" who "came to give his life a ransom for many."
4. About salvation: We need "to be saved, we need to be delivered. We need forgiveness. We need a new nature. We need to be made new men."
5. About life: Following Christ means leaving behind "the way of the world and all its vaunted, busted pleasures" and walking the narrow way.

Why should someone follow Christ according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers three main reasons to follow Christ:

1. Because of who Christ is: "Look at the greatness, the majesty, the knowledge, the power, the command, the tenderness, the compassion, the meekness, the lowliness."

2. Because of the alternative: "Wide is the gate, and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction... The alternative to following Christ is to go to destruction."

3. Because of what Christ offers: "Free. Pardon and forgiveness for all your past sins... you become a child of God... you receive a new life." Additionally, Christ promises His companionship, provision for all needs, removal of fear of death, and eternal glory in heaven.

He concludes that following Christ "will lead you to life, which is life indeed... He'll lead you to God. He'll lead you to heaven. He'll lead you to everlasting glory and bliss."