Jesus is Lord (1)
A Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
Originally preached Oct. 18, 1963
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
Paul has finally laid to rest the theory of salvation through the law. Salvation is through faith alone and Paul tells the church in Rome that they must first declare “Jesus is Lord” in order to be saved. This is one of the great statements of the Christian gospel. The only way to be righteous before God is to believe God and his word by faith. In this sermon on Romans 10:9–10 titled “Jesus is Lord (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that the Christian must first consider the content of this saving faith. Salvation is all about Jesus and the fact that He is Lord. Christ is the firstborn of all creation and it is through Him that all was created. It is also through God that all of the cosmos will be restored once again. The second point is that God raised Christ from the dead. Without being completely clear of those two points, there is no salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
- The content of saving faith is not vague general ideas or moral practices. It is objective truth centered on Jesus Christ.
- Saving faith is defined as confessing with your mouth that "Jesus is Lord" and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.
- To say "Jesus is Lord" is to make a statement about His person - that Jesus is God. This is the Christian confession.
- The New Testament was written to establish and confirm this truth about Jesus in the face of false teachings. The Gospels and Epistles make clear statements about Jesus' deity and lordship.
- Jesus is the "firstborn of all creation" - meaning He has priority over and preexists all creation. All things were created by Him and for Him.
- In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He is the exact image of the invisible God.
- Jesus' lordship includes His relation to the universe. All things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, were created by Him and for Him. All things are held together by Him.
- Jesus is the heir of all things. The universe belongs to Him as the Father's gift.
- Through Jesus, God will restore the universe to its original perfect condition, gathering all things in heaven and earth in Him.
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.