Confessing the Lord Jesus Christ
A Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
Originally preached Jan. 17, 1964
Scripture
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Sermon Description
What does it mean to confess Jesus as Lord? Talk is cheap and when dealing with matters of life and death, one should think carefully about what it means to profess that Jesus is Lord. In this sermon on Romans 10:9–10 tiled “Confessing the Lord Jesus Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives a practical list of what a true profession of faith will look like. If Jesus is Lord, it means that He is over everything. If He is the Lord of one’s life, then every part of their life should be changed when they encounter Jesus. If one is not sure if they have encountered Christ, they can ask themselves these five questions: “do you have a changed attitude towards sin? Do you love being with other Christians? Are you concerned with God’s glory? Are you able to give a reason for your hope when asked? Are you not ashamed of Christ, regardless of the consequences?” The answer to these questions reveal the truth about one’s heart. These are marks that can only come from God Himself through salvation. Dr. Lloyd-Jones will help the listener see that following Jesus is the greatest thing that they can ever do. It is more than an intellectual commitment; it transforms everything about the Christian.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is concerned with clearly defining saving faith in Romans 10:9-10.
- Saving faith involves both believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth.
- Confessing with your mouth is not a mechanical act. It is the inevitable result of truly believing in your heart.
- There are several reasons why confessing with your mouth is inevitable if you believe in your heart:
- The nature of the truth of the gospel compels you to share it. It is too glorious and wonderful to keep to yourself.
- The gospel has a constraining power that makes it impossible not to share. The love of Christ compels us.
- The radical change in your life that results from believing the gospel makes it impossible not to share. Everything becomes new.
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Your life begins to match the gospel. Your conduct and conversation become "as it becometh the gospel of Christ."
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Confessing with your mouth means:
- Submitting every area of your life to the lordship of Christ.
- Giving up your old sinful way of living and putting on the new self.
- Identifying with the people of God. Finding your delight in the company of Christians.
- Having a concern for God's glory and kingdom.
- Being ready to give an answer for the hope within you.
- Not being ashamed of Christ or the gospel. Being willing to suffer for Christ.
- Being ready to lay down your life rather than deny Christ.
The Book of Romans
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.