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1953 November 15, LiphookPsalm 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God” In this address the uncomfortable issue of hell is tackled, and the resistance to the idea which he encountered amongst even Chapel goers. He argues that it is only by having an appreciation of the judgment of God that we can truly come to an appreciation of God’s great love for us. Hellfire is acknowledged as an undeniable part of the gospel but the emphasis is on love and forgiveness He also gives a short account of his own conversion. 1953 13 December ProvidenceJohn 20:15 Whom seekest thou? The story of Mary encountering Jesus after the resurrection from John 21 and the feeding of the 5000 from John 6 are retold at some length. The lesson drawn is that we should seek Jesus out of love and not for what we can get out of being a Christian. The humanity and deep feeling of Jesus is emphasized thus illustrating the heartfelt love which is being commended. 1954 28 February WoodsideNehemiah 2:6 For how long will the journey be, and when wilt thou return Some of the historical background of this question of the King to Nehemiah is explored but the focus is on a typological interpretation of Jesus’s relationship with God the Father as he takes the journey to earth and the struggles and sufferings he experiences there to save humanity, these are described with heartfelt emotion. This is narrative is also illustrated with the example of a man who lost his son during the first world war. Finally the listeners are challenged to use the question to reflect on how long their journey of life will be and respond appropriately 1954 March 31 Kings Own ChidingfoldSpiritual Lessons from Apple Tree Culture This is an address to a Christian youth organization known as Kings Own Bible Class. In it detailed use is made of Lloyd’s experience as a gardener, particularly the practice of grafting apple trees. Using verses from John’s gospel he emphasizes that Christian’s need to be grafted onto Jesus. At the beginning of the address the using of a secular subject to teach sacred lessons is justified through Jesus’s usage of parables. 1954 Palm Sunday WitleyMark 11:1-11 A close reading of aspects of the Palm Sunday story leads to a gospel message of Jesus satisfying God’s just demands and our need to rest in that for our salvation. Particular attention is paid to the unbroken nature of the colt on which Jesus rode. This is seen as demonstrating Jesus’s control over nature and as a symbol of human willfulness which is further illustrated by a detailed reference to the bias in a lawn bowl. ‘Two ways met’ is also used as a symbol of human ties such as ‘having our own way’ which prevents us from being used for the work of Jesus 1954 26 May PlaistowPsalm 16. In response to a signed photograph of Billy Graham in the magazine Christian Herald which quotes Psalm 16:11 an exposition of Psalm 16 is given in which the Psalm is interpreted messianically i.e. referring to Jesus. Although Lloyd is deeply rooted in the revival tradition stemming from Moody and Sankey in the 19th century and supported the Billy Graham mission he does seem to be wanting to redirect his listeners attention to Jesus rather than the individual benefits of being a Christian which, it appears, he saw as being the focus of Graham’s message. He returns to Psalm 16 two weeks later in address number 4 and makes the same point about its interpretation. 1954 6 June Whit Sunday WoodsideJohn
16:14 but based on Psalm 16 The
importance of Whit Sunday (Pentecost) is emphasized because it is only by the
coming of the Holy Spirit that the teaching of the Old Testament can be
understood. This is particularly applied to Psalm 16 which is interpreted as
looking forward to Christ in terms of prophecy, prayer, path, peace, pleasures,
purpose and priesthood 1954 13 June ProvidenceJohn
9:7. The phrase ‘He went his way’ is used as the basis for a gospel message.
The blind man who went his way in obedience to Jesus is contrasted with the
people of Nazareth who refused to accept Jesus and went their own way. The
address concludes with a challenge to consider which way we are going – to
heaven or hell. Reference is again made to the Billy Graham mission and the
bias in a lawn bowl. 1954 12 September WitleyPsalm
145. A gospel message arising from a story in the News Chronicle about a young
woman losing her memory. The theme of memory is then developed using Bible
passages from the Old Testament and Luke’s gospel: God will ever remember us
but we are very much inclined to forget Him. Finally a dramatic story about egg
collecting taken from an evangelistic booklet is used to emphasize the urgency
of remembering God today to avoid the
danger of hell. 1954 16 October Brother Eames Cottage1
Corinthians 9:24. Five months after Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile
this is an exhortatory message based on the Pauline image of faith being like
running a race. The members of the cottage meeting, something like what we
would call a home group are finally encouraged to keep the faith. Much
reference is made to his family in the course of the address, reinforcing its
homely spirit. 1954 21 November Providence1 Peter
1:25. Inspired by a series of question and answers by Billy Graham in the
Christian Herald this address explores the ‘ground of
faith in the Divine origin of the Bible’. In particular it focuses on arguments
from the harmony of Scripture particularly in the recurring biblical theme of
the younger being preferred over the elder e.g. in the example of Jacob and
Esau. In times of greater education giving a reasonable basis for the faith is
seen as being important. The address is at least in part based on the work The
Scripture of Truth Its Origin, Its Languages, Its Translations by Sidney Collet 1955 16 January ProvidenceA talk
based on the apostle Thomas. Using Young’s concordance the story of Thomas is
traced through the Gospels, at the end it is pointed out how Thomas was
welcomed back into the fellowship of the disciples even though he had at first
disbelieved in Jesus’s resurrection. This talk was repeated at Witley in August
1955 and it seems likely that it was done so in order to encourage the
Fellowship to welcome back an erring member of that assembly 1955 Tuesday 25 January Woodlands Chidingfold1
Corinthians 1. 9. This seems to have been a Cottage Meeting at Woodlands
cottages in Chiddingfold. The talk focuses on the word fellowship (although
more prominence is given to the word partnership) and uses a number of biblical
examples to illustrate how we are called into fellowship with Jesus. Jesus
takes our sins upon himself and then calls us into a partnership of service,
although it is emphasized that Jesus’s work on the cross is one he must do
alone. The talk seems to refer favourably to some controversial ideas
associated with Benjamin Newton, the early Brethren leader, about the
Sufferings of Christ. 1955 13 February Witley Co-OpRomans
6:21-23. The final address that Lloyd gave at the Witley Cooperative Hall where
the Witley Gospel Mission held its meetings. The meeting had built its own
Gospel Hall in Little London, Witley and was about to move there. He picks up
the theme of endings and after some personal reflections based on his
experience of leaving home reflects on Jesus’s own ‘ending’ as narrated in Luke
and Matthew, with particular emphasis on Peter’s denial. He concludes by
returning to Romans 6 and a call to trust in Jesus for our salvation which was
the gospel that had been faithfully preached in the Co-Op Hall. 1955 20 February WoodsideLuke
10.20 Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. This is a gospel address
which challenges its listeners to reflect on whether they are sure their names
are written in heaven. In the course of the address a distinction between
having one’s name written in heaven and in the book of life appears to be made,
alongside some other theological distinctions, drawing on a booklet written by
an unnamed Baptist writer, which I find it difficult to precisely follow. 1955 6 March ProvidenceLuke 19:10.
I came to seek and to save the lost. This address was inspired by a
conversation with someone with chronic illness who was struggling to make sense
of life and why he was created by God. This question is answered from the
creation narratives in Genesis and then the text analyzed in terms of the
person, plan, purpose and prize achieved by Jesus’s saving work which restored
our relationship with God destroyed in Genesis. It concludes with a story about
the birth of his eldest son Bert who became a Baptist minister and preached in
Providence Chapel 1955 6 April WoodburyLuke
8:26-40. This talk was inspired by a comment by a brother at the previous
Sunday’s Breaking of Bread about sitting at the feet of Jesus. The story of the
‘Gadarene maniac’ is evoked with dramatic word pictures and using a story from
Campbell Morgan we are encouraged to spend time at the feet of Jesus. Other
aspects of the story ‘being clothed in his right mind’ are then more briefly
explored before it closes with a brief reflection on the lonely mind of Jesus
‘made in the likeness of sinful flesh’. In the footnotes I speculate on the
possibility of Lloyd modeling his preaching on that of Campbell Morgan 1955 29 May WoodsideLuke
13:24. A gospel message based on themes from Luke chapter 13 in which the
listeners are challenged to give up ‘self-government’ and unnecessary baggage
so that they might allow the leaven of the kingdom of God to rule the whole
person. He also uses his gardener’s imagination to imagine a tree filling the
whole garden. Mention is made of the recent Billy Graham Crusade in Scotland
and London. It seems rather carelessly written and it is speculated if this
presaged a period of illness which forced him to give up preaching for two or
three months. 1955 14 August WoodsideMatt 24. 39. James 4. 14. John 6. 67 & 18. 8 & Matt 25. 46. A gospel message based on the word “away” in each of the Scriptures, this theme was brought to his mind by two open air meetings in Witley and someone at the most recent of these meetings who had subsequently died. The major part of the address focuses on the arrest of Jesus as told in John which is dramatically retold, it concludes with the challenge “If you go away from the Lord who loves you, you will go to another… who has planned and purposed to drag you down to the depths of woe and misery”. Therefore it would appear to be directed more towards the issue of backsliding from a Christian commitment than calling for new commitments 1955 18 September LiphookThis
address was repeated twice in the 1960s and you can see why he returned to it
for it expresses many of his most deeply held theological convictions. It was
inspired by another preacher talking about the oneness of God, but this makes
Lloyd reflect on what that might mean for him and the importance of our
conception of God. He develops the theme by reflecting on the different
conceptions of God held by the two thieves crucified with Jesus and then
continues with the theme of Pharaoh and the exodus of the Israelites inspired
by his Scripture Union Bible reading notes. He emphasizes that whilst judgment
does inevitably come, God is above all a God of love and mercy who is
forbearing with our wanderings. He concludes with a reflection on this God of
love inspired by a sentimental picture which moved him to tears. In the talk he
also mentions his first job in a nursery and in the footnotes a biography of
his brother Jesse is shared which gives some information on his early life. 1955 2 October ProvidenceJob 28.
28. This address reflects on the use in Scripture of the words “the fear of the
Lord”. It begins in Job 28 which is seen as a scientific exploration of the
earth but science does not bring answers only more questions. Next it moves on
to Psalm 1O3 were receiving God’s mercy is dependent on our fear of the Lord.
In answer to the question what is the fear of the Lord it moves on to consider
the death of King Saul in 2 Samuel 1 and its idea of fear at harming the Lord’s
anointed in context this refers to the King but it is applied to Jesus as the
Messiah. Next the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee in Luke 18 is used
to describe the difference between the person who fears God and the person who
does not. Finally the two thieves on the cross are used to make the same point
and challenge the hearers to consider their own response. 1955 30 October WitleyActs 3.
19. This is a long (eight pages rather than six pages) and rather intense
gospel address which emphasizes the need for repentance for individuals,
churches and nations. Exploring passages from Joshua (Achan) and Acts (Ananias
and Sapphira) he demonstrates the seriousness of sin and the need for
repentance. He goes on to argue for a Holiness message that we are saved not
only from sin but also from sinning, finally he sides with modern translations
over the Authorized Version to emphasize that blessing can only come for
individual, church and nation after repentance. He closes with a mention of his
own three years of backsliding as a young man before repentance and return to
the faith. He also mentions research on the Billy Graham Crusades but
criticizes it for not emphasizing the importance of repentance. 1955 6 November Manor RoadDan 10.
1-21 Matt 17. 1-8 & Rev 1. 10-18. This talk to a cottage
meeting on the vision of the glory of God in Daniel 10 and it is mainly an
exposition of these words, but it is linked with Matthew’s account of the
Transfiguration and the vision of Jesus in Revelation 1 as being visions which
inspired the recipients in their future work. The interpretation of Daniel is
affected by words from Charles Wesley’s Hymn “Vile and full of sin I am” – the
glory of God is seen as making human beings aware of their sin and yet in the
same movement they are touched by God’s hand which brings love and assurance. 1955 4 December ProvidenceLuke 18.
18 Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh shall He find faith on the earth.
The question of the delay in Jesus’s coming again is addressed through the
story from Exodus 32 about the Israelites turning to the golden calf when Moses
was on Mount Sinai (this was the passage that was being read in the Scripture
Union notes). This is turned into an opportunity not to castigate the
Israelites but to consider our own hearts and trust in Jesus who is also no
longer physically present. Jesus is coming again in the future but through
prayer he’s present now as our living, loving, tender, compassionate Saviour. 1955 18 December WoodsideLuke 2.
14 and 19. 38. This address just before Christmas explores the theme of peace.
It embraces Christmas as a British Christian festival unlike some others such
as the Exclusive Brethren, yet it seeks to set it in a wider context of the
Christian gospel. Using the description of Wisdom in Proverbs 8 it celebrates
the goodness of God’s creation but also laments its disfigurement by sin (using
romantic anti-urban language). Yet the gulf this creates between God and man is
bridged by Jesus who promises us the perfect peace of heaven. 1955 8 January WitleyDeut 33.
24 & 25. The talk is aspired by the greeting “Happy New Year”, a phrase
viewed with suspicion by some Brethren. Lloyd is not of the same opinion but
the talk goes on to explore what happiness is. The example of Asher, Jacob’s
son (which means happy) is explored and the material prosperity which
accompanied the tribe of his descendents. Yet from a Christian perspective the
happiness of material prosperity is rejected – true happiness is to be found in
having our sins imputed to Jesus and removed by his death on the cross. Worldly
prosperity is also illustrated by the story of a wealthy man who built a house
called “Happiness” only for him to lose his wealth and see another man live in
his house, this gives a note of social criticism to talk. 1956 23 January Farncombe Monday ministryIt appears
that Lloyd was asked to go to the Farncombe open brethren meeting (in the
nearest town) in order to address the controversy of ‘Needed Truth’ which
created the Churches of God who broke away from the Open Brethren in the 1890s.
His approach is noncontroversialist and irenic but reasserts Open Brethren
values of open communion and cooperation with other evangelicals for the sake
of practical evangelism through an examination of Barnabas’s visits to the
Christians in Antioch as recorded in Acts 11:19-30. In particular he asserts
that the real ‘needed truth’ is that we should all seek to develop a personal,
intimate relationship with God. In the footnotes I seek to indicate how I
understand Lloyd to be addressing the issues in the controversy. 1956 January 29 ProvidenceDeuteronomy
9:29. This talk, repeated at Witley the next month, is particularly
characteristic of Lloyd’s talks. It draws its inspiration from the use of the single
word “Yet”, which he traces through four separate biblical texts the meaning of
which he illuminates with a quote from a gospel hymn “wonder of wonders”. The
wonder is that while we were yet sinners God sends Jesus to save us from
spiritual death and bring us life. This is illustrated by a story from his days
in the Pioneer Corps during the First World War when he repaired the electric
lighting plant for a military camp 1956 March 6 Farncombe Sisters MeetingJohn 15. 1-8 & Rom 11. 13-24. This talk returns to the subject of growing fruit trees that Lloyd had previously addressed in March 1954 but this time focuses on the spiritual insights that can be gained from the work of the nursery producing fruit trees. The basic theme is how the master gardener produces different kind of fruit trees for different kinds of uses, particularly by grafting useful apple varieties onto a crab stock. We all have different callings but the master gardener can produce something useful out of us all whatever our age or history. 1956 c.April Manor road/Woodside/StandfordEzekiel
11:16. Lloyd returns to the theme of the word Yet and speaks about the
excitement of searching the Bible using Young’s concordance to see how it is
used. Here he focuses on a promise from Ezekiel concerning the exiles in
Babylon. We are all sinners and worthy of judgment yet the blood of Jesus
brings us forgiveness and new birth if we ‘give up the reins of government’ and
allow Jesus to reign over us. 1956 May 15 Hascombe women’s meeting1 Peter 1. This address was inspired by a leaflet advertising a meeting in Godalming. Lloyd disagreed with the theology of the meeting but uses the three questions on the leaflet as a springboard for his talk. He first seeks to establish the Bible as the word of God. Secondly he talks of responding in love to the world, using the example of Nicolas Charrington who established the Tower Hamlets Mission. Thirdly he affirms a final judgment, the outcome of which will depend on our faith in Jesus 1956 May 29 WoodburyRomans
8:29-31. This address picks up five words from its text Foreknowledge Predestined
Called Justified Glorified and describes them as five steps in the purpose of
God. These are referred back to God’s purposes for Israel (with extended
reference to the story of Balak and Balaam in Numbers 23) but a supersessionist
approach is taken with no hint of a Christian Zionist position. Rather Israel
is seen as having failed in its mission which is now the mission and privilege
of the church. “The past is referred to but only as a
background for the glorious future”, as ever sin is acknowledged but the focus
is on the future to which we are called. |