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Sermon #5674

Union with Christ

A Sermon on 1 Peter 1:3-5

Originally preached April 17, 1960

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Scripture

1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV KJV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for …

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Sermon Description

In Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s sermon on 1 Peter 1:3-5, he describes, “the great characteristic of the New Testament.” This being our response the gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out how Peter “burst forth in Praise to Christ” when he relayed the gospel to his audience. But we must ask ourselves, do we have a similar response? Is there the same spirit within us that was in Peter? Well, to answer this question, Dr. Lloyd-Jones first defines what the gospel is. It is, simply put, the resurrection of Jesus Christ who, by rising from the dead, takes away the sins of the world. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that by rising from the dead, Christ becomes our living hope who enables us to endure hardships that we go through in life. But how is the resurrection of Christ a living hope, and why should we celebrate it with such joy? Dr. Lloyd-Jones establishes that the resurrection of Christ is, in fact, a living hope because Christ died and rose again. He defeated sin and death and now is a living hope to all who believe in him. Our sinful selves were buried with Christ so that we can live as new people. However, this is not the final step to unification with Christ. No, we are only truly unified with Christ when we enter heaven. When we pass from this world into eternity, our physical body will be renewed as well so that the entire man will be renewed. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then finishes his sermon by asking the question, “Have we got this living hope?”

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Peter bursts forth in praise and worship upon mentioning Jesus Christ. This was characteristic of early Christians and a mark of true faith.
  2. We should examine ourselves to see if we have this spirit of praise and joy in our faith and lives. Do we feel blessed and filled with hope despite our circumstances?
  3. The resurrection is vital and central to Christianity. Without belief in the resurrection, one cannot truly be a Christian.
  4. The resurrection gives us a living hope - a hope that is substantial, certain and enables us to endure difficulties with joy. This hope comes from being united with Christ in his resurrection.
  5. The resurrection means Christ conquered sin, death and the law. He died once to sin but now lives to God. Death no longer has dominion over him.
  6. We have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. We are united with Christ so his resurrection means our resurrection and new life.
  7. The Christian hope is not mere survival after death but a complete renewal of body and spirit and an eternal inheritance.
  8. God will renew the whole creation and bring in his eternal kingdom. Christians will receive glorified bodies and live in a realm that is incorruptible, undefiled and unfading.
  9. The resurrection and Christ's victory guarantee this eternal hope and inheritance. Death and every enemy have been conquered.
  10. We should examine ourselves to see if we have this living hope set on the eternal inheritance Christ has won for us. Do we feel blessed despite life's trials, despair and death?

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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.