The Christian Hope
A Sermon on John 1:16
Originally preached June 28, 1964
Scripture
16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Sermon Description
What is the Christian’s hope in life? Many people hope in many things, whether it is money, security, or power. But the Christian’s hope is quite different. For the hope of believers is in the power of Jesus Christ. It is His death and life that liberates His people from all sin and darkness. This is a hope outside of and greater than the individual; it is a hope received in the grace of God. Not only this, but Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones also tells that all believers can and should have assurance of this hope. The Christian can truly know that they are loved by God and are His children. The Christian must consider where they find their hope and if they are trusting in Jesus Christ or themselves. It is the most important question that any can ask because it is the question of eternal destiny. For all are either in the kingdom of heaven as the children of God, or in the kingdom of Satan as slaves to sin. Only the name of Jesus Christ saves and makes fallen sinners into new men and women.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Christian's hope is entirely in Christ.
- Our hope centers upon Christ as Savior, who will save the whole cosmos.
- As Christians, we have a new view of life in this world. Our citizenship is in heaven.
- We no longer belong to this world. We are citizens of heaven.
- We see this world as passing away and ephemeral. Our hopes are not here.
- We see this world as against God and anti-God. We long for Christ's return.
- We have an absolute certainty in Christ's return and the final consummation of his kingdom.
- Christ has the power to subdue all things to himself. Nothing can hinder him.
- Our hope is linked to being made perfect - spirit, soul, and body - at Christ's return.
- We long for Christ's appearing and the final destruction of his enemies.
- We will see Christ glorified over all and reign with him forever.
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.