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Sermon #3347

Redemption History

A Sermon on Romans 13:11-14

Originally preached April 7, 1967

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Scripture

Romans 13:11-14 ESV KJV
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and …

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Sermon Description

As Christians compare Christianity with other moral and ethical belief systems, philosophies, and religions in the world, many of them have an equal emphasis on love of neighbor. What then distinguishes the Christians’ call to fulfill the royal law of love from others? In Romans 13:11–14 the apostle Paul provides a beautiful insight into the Christian motivation to love neighbor as he writes to Christians in Rome about the doctrine of eschatology. It is in this doctrine that the believer finds the grounding to live a radical life of love of neighbor. In this sermon on Romans 13:11–14 titled “Redemption History,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds that no other moral system knows anything about the doctrine of last things. In this sermon, he brings out the practical implications of the doctrine of eschatology. Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ stress on the intimate relationship between the life to come and its impact on the Christian life today moves eschatology beyond the often sensationalized prophesy paperbacks to the nitty-gritty of Christian love. While not neglecting the importance of general history, he calls Christians to understand redemptive history because that is what the Bible is interested in. Listen to Dr. Lloyd-Jones as he calls Christians to follow Paul’s call for radical love of neighbor by looking at redemption history, especially regarding Christ’s second coming.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by reminding the listeners of the passage being studied, Romans 13:11-14.
  2. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that in the previous sermon, they looked at this passage generally but will now examine it in more detail.
  3. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the passage divides into two parts: doctrinal and practical application. The doctrinal part comes first because doctrine motivates practice.
  4. The doctrinal part of this passage focuses on eschatology or the doctrine of last things. This doctrine is unique to Christianity.
  5. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says Paul assumes the listeners know and understand this doctrine. Dr. Lloyd-Jones will remind them of what they know about eschatology.
  6. Eschatology teaches about the significance and importance of the time we live in. The "time" refers to a special period, not just the present moment.
  7. Paul uses "time" in Romans 3:26; 5:6; 8:18; 9:9; and 11:5 to refer to a special period associated with Jesus's coming.
  8. Christians view time and history differently than non-Christians. Non-Christians see time as either linear progress or cyclical with no purpose. Christians see two types of history: the history God permits (secular history) and the history God produces (redemption history).
  9. The history God produces has three characteristics:
  10. It is predetermined by God
  11. It is progressive, leading to a predetermined end
  12. Its time element revolves around Jesus Christ
  13. The Bible divides time into before Christ, during Christ's earthly life, and after Christ's ascension until His second coming. We live in the last period of history.
  14. If we don't understand we live in this special time, Paul's argument won't motivate us. We must view history and time through redemption in 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.