Living in the Light of Christ
A Sermon on Philippians 3:8-9
Originally preached June 3, 1962
Scripture
8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9And be found in him, not having …
Sermon Description
How does being a Christian change one’s life? In his sermon on Philippians 3:8–9 titled “Living in the Light of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that it changes everything about the Christian as it totally reorients and directs them to Christ. Before one sees Christ, they are lost in darkness and alienated from God and His love. They live according to the principle of sin and evil. But when the Holy Spirit gives the gift of salvation, the person is moved out of this kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God. Christians now are to leave the world and its sinful desires behind and pursue Christ and His kingdom. How does one know that they are a Christian? They are to test themselves and see if they are in the faith and truly believers. All Christians ought to know that they are truly saved and live knowing that they are loved by God because Christ has made Himself known. God gave His word in the Old and New Testaments and in these Scriptures is found God’s will for His people and the way that Christians are to live. But most importantly they find the gospel of grace that frees them from sin and reveals the God of all love and peace.
Sermon Breakdown
- A Christian is a person to whom Christ is absolutely central. Christ is the central object of the Christian's ambition, the goal of his life, his greatest interest and concern.
- The Christian life is based entirely upon faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not on one's own righteousness or good works.
- To be "in Christ" means to be living an entirely new kind of life. The Christian life is no longer based on self but on Christ. All of life is related to and dependent on Him.
- Because the Christian is "in Christ," his past sins are forgiven, he lives his present life by Christ's power, and his future hope is to be with Christ.
- The Christian wants to "win Christ" and be found in Him. He wants Christ to be the controlling factor in his life and thinking.
- The Christian regards himself as a slave of Christ, the One who bought him and gave His life for him. The Christian lives to serve Christ.
Other Sermons
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.