Perseverance of the Saints
A Sermon on the Perseverance of the Saints from Psalm 73:24
Scripture
24Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Sermon Description
If it was God’s grace that saves humanity, will it not be God’s grace that keeps His people? This message is good news for the backslider. In this sermon on the perseverance of the saints from Psalm 73:24, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones highlights the grace of God in the believer’s future salvation. This doctrine, known as the perseverance of the saints, belongs at the bedrock of the faith. Dr. Lloyd-Jones begins with a proper understanding of God’s grace. God’s grace saves, restrains, and restores. The backsliding Christian will be restored because God is a God of grace. His grace is the reason all Christians are, remain, and we will be saved. Nothing, therefore, can separate the believer from God’s love. First, this doctrine is rooted in God’s own character. When God starts a work, He completes it. One finds His rest in this unchangeable person of God. The true believer cannot slide too far from God’s saving grace because God’s work of redemption doesn’t change. Second, this doctrine stems from God’s purpose. God has intended to save humanity from their sin for God’s own glory. Since saving them from sin is God’s purpose, the weak Christian will indeed be saved. Finally, this doctrine rests in the power of God. Listen and know that God not only desires His children to be saved, but He has the ability to save.
Sermon Breakdown
- The psalmist's statement about the future is a logical deduction from what he has said about the past.
- The doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints is found throughout the Bible.
- This doctrine was a source of great joy and comfort for the saints of the New Testament and throughout church history.
- This doctrine is based on:
- The unchanging character of God. He never abandons the work he begins.
- The purpose of God to save those who believe.
- The power of God to sustain believers against opposition.
- The work of Christ in saving us while we were still enemies. How much more will he preserve us now?
- Our union with Christ. We have been crucified, buried and raised with him. We partake of the divine nature. This union can never be undone.
- God preserves us through:
- Restraining and guiding us by his counsel. Putting thoughts in our minds.
- Working within us to will and to act for his good pleasure.
- Chastening and disciplining us.
- This process leads to increasing glory, both now and in eternity. We experience foretastes of glory now through the work of the Spirit. We will experience glory in fullness in heaven, enjoying the life of God himself.
Old Testament
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.