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Sermon #3189

To Glorify Christ

A Sermon on Romans 8:28-30

Originally preached Jan. 12, 1962

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Scripture

Romans 8:28-30 ESV KJV
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among …

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Sermon Description

The believer in Christ is caught up in a grand trinitarian story between the mutual glorification of the Father and the Son. This cosmic story of God’s glory bestows unbelievable benefits upon unworthy sinners. When the Christian is united with Christ, all God purposed is guaranteed and the Son will be glorified in the salvation of His people. In this sermon on Romans 8:28­–30 titled “To Glorify Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones connects God the Father’s grand purpose in the glorification of His Son to the ultimate grounds of assurance. Dr. Lloyd-Jones assures that based upon the apostle Paul’s words, every detail in the believer’s salvation – foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification – will be accomplished in perfect detail. Furthermore, Dr. Lloyd-Jones works through the biblical texts across the New Testament and comes to a clear definition for the controversial term “foreknowledge.” With consistency and care, he argues that the term means God setting His love upon His people. Moreover, there is very little difference between the biblical teaching of foreknowledge and the doctrine of predestination. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives believers unlimited grounds for assurance.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul wants the Romans to have full assurance of their salvation.
  2. God overrules everything for the good of His people.
  3. The ultimate source of assurance is God's eternal purpose.
  4. God's purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son and glorify us.
  5. God's purpose has two aspects: His purpose for us and His purpose for His Son.
  6. God's purpose for His Son is to make Him the firstborn among many brethren.
  7. God's purpose is perfect in its inception and execution.
  8. God's purpose consists of five steps: foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, glorification.
  9. The order of the five steps is crucial and logical.
  10. Foreknowledge and predestination refer to God's determination. Justification and glorification refer to what is done to us. Calling connects God's determination to what is done to us.
  11. Foreknowledge is the most important term. It refers to God's setting His love upon and ordaining certain people.
  12. Foreknowledge does not just mean God's omniscience or knowledge of what people will do. It refers to God's action.
  13. The meaning of foreknowledge is seen in its other uses in Scripture, especially Acts 2:23, Romans 8:29, and 1 Peter 1:2. In these verses, it refers to God's ordination and predestination.
  14. Translations also point to foreknowledge meaning God's purpose, decree, predestination, or setting His heart upon people.
  15. Knowing someone in Scripture, especially with reference to God, means having a special interest in them, setting His love upon them, and purposing things for them.
  16. Examples of this special meaning of knowing are Amos 3:2 and Matthew 7:23. In Amos 3:2, God says Israel is the only nation He has known, meaning the only one He has set His love upon. In Matthew 7:23, Jesus says He never knew those who did evil, meaning they never belonged to Him.
  17. Foreknowledge means God setting His love upon and ordaining certain people. It is almost synonymous with predestination.
  18. Foreknowledge tells us that if we love God and are called according to His purpose, He knew us before the foundation of the world. He set His love upon us and determined to conform us to Christ's image.

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.