Saviour of the World
A Sermon on Romans 1:3-5
Originally preached Dec. 16, 1955
Scripture
3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5By whom we have received grace …
Sermon Description
Why should a Christian feel sorry for their sin? Why should Christians turn from sin and follow Jesus? In the sermon titled “Saviour of the World,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones begins with an examination of the “nations” in Romans 1:3–5. He shows that the gospel has gone forth to those previously under the wrath of God. Hope has gone to those who previously had no hope. The Messiah is not only the Savior of Israel, but the Savior of the whole world. This truth leads to the apostle Paul’s climax: God does what He does for His name’s sake. God is saving a people for His own fame and glory so that His people live to the praise of His glory and grace. Therefore, Christians no longer continue in sin. Their desires have changed and they want to love Him. Listen to this sermon as Dr. Lloyd-Jones exhorts Christians to live for His name’s sake, to desire that all would bow their knee to Him, and to look forward to His coming as King of kings and Lord of lords. Christians are a people looking for the blessed hope of His appearing.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by acknowledging that the recording is missing the beginning portion.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that one cannot believe in Jesus without repenting of sins. Belief and repentance go hand in hand.
- The "obedience of faith" encompasses belief, repentance, and turning to God. It is the process of becoming a Christian.
- Paul received grace and apostleship in order to call people to the obedience of faith.
- Paul was called to preach to all nations, not just Gentiles. The gospel is for all people.
- Paul uses the phrase "all nations" deliberately. The gospel is for everyone, not just Jews or Gentiles.
- Paul's call from Jesus on the road to Damascus was to preach to Jews and Gentiles. The other apostles were also called to preach to all people.
- A major theme of Romans is that the gospel is for all nations. Both Jews and Gentiles need salvation.
- Paul proclaimed Jesus as the Savior of the world, not just the Jewish Messiah.
- Simeon and Jesus himself also said Jesus would save and draw people from all nations.
- Preaching to all nations is a theme found throughout Paul's epistles.
- Paul did everything for the sake of Jesus' name and glory. His goal was for people to believe in and glorify Jesus.
- When we believe in Jesus, repent of sins, and live for him, we glorify him. We show his excellences and virtues.
- We glorify Jesus by telling others about him and wanting them to come to faith in him.
- We look forward to Jesus' second coming when every knee will bow to him.
- The psalmist calls all people to "kiss the Son" - to bow down to him, worship him, and obey him.
- Paul lived entirely for the glory of Jesus. His passion and love were for Jesus alone.
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.