The Supreme Need

Sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

1 Peter 1:17 — Everyone has different problems and needs, but what is the Supreme need? Dr. Martyn Lloyd- Jones answers this question in his sermon on 1 Peter 1:17, revealing that our true need is “to know God”. To truly show the audience how helpless they are to fill this “need”, he elaborates on man’s inability to satisfy himself, saying, “Man has not the power to truly bless himself.” Whether we have peace, comfort, or good health, we will never be truly satisfied. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then shows us, that our supreme and ultimate need is “to know God”. But why is this our supreme need? Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides three reasons for why a relationship with God is our supreme need. The first, is that God will judge all and it is essential for us to know his commandments and demands so that we are ready for judgement. The second, is that we need Christ because we are all sinners in need of a savior. And the third, is that he alone has the ability to bless us. But how can we know God if he is holy and we are sinners? Dr. Lloyd-Jones, points to Christ as our path to knowing God. “For God so loved the world, that he sent his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life”(John 3:16). He concludes, saying that all we must do to know Christ is “call on him as the father,” and he will be with us till our final breath.