My God; Through Jesus Christ
A Sermon on Romans 1:7-15
Originally preached Jan. 27, 1956
Scripture
7To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. …
Sermon Description
Conversion is not the end of the Christian journey; it’s the beginning. The apostle Paul was aware of this and longed to visit the Christians in Rome so that he might strengthen them. In this sermon titled “My God, Through Jesus Christ” from Romans 1:7–15, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones displays the apostle Paul’s love for others which stems from his confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. Filled with the Spirit, Paul’s passion is clearly seen as he thinks of others, prays for them, and seeks to visit them. Among many Christians today, the primary concern is for oneself. A person talks about their own personal journey toward God. It’s not uncommon to hear a Christian declare, “I'm just focusing on myself right now.” But is this the way of Christ? Through Jesus, Christians have confidence before God. Christians are no longer simply “seeking God,” but rather seeking to love others through the assurance they have found in Jesus Christ. Listen in as Dr. Lloyd-Jones demonstrates how the gospel motivated Paul, not only with the desire to visit and strengthen others, but to pray for them. As Paul comes to God in prayer, he comes through the one in whom he has such confidence: the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way of salvation and the Christian desires all others to be built up in Him.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul begins by wishing grace and peace to the Romans from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Paul thanks God for the Romans, especially for their faith which is proclaimed throughout the world.
- Paul expresses his strong desire to visit the Romans in order to strengthen and establish them in the faith. He wants to impart some spiritual gift to them.
- Paul wants to visit the Romans so that he can have fruit among them, just as he has had among other Gentiles.
- Paul serves God with his whole spirit in preaching the gospel of God's Son.
- Paul prays for the Romans constantly, making mention of them always in his prayers.
- Paul emphasizes that he can only thank God through Jesus Christ. There is no access to God apart from Christ.
- Paul demonstrates the importance of intercessory prayer by praying constantly for the Romans even though he has never met them.
- Paul submits himself fully to God's will.
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.