Strangers and Pilgrims (1)

A Sermon on Romans 13:11-14

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Scripture

Romans 13:11-14 ESV KJV

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and …

Sermon Description

It can be easy to lose faith in oneself when feelings change quickly. In this sermon on Romans 13:11–14 titled “Strangers and Pilgrims (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds that regardless of feelings, one’s position is sure if they are a follower of Jesus. Feelings come and go but thankfully they do not influence one’s position or relationship with Jesus since it is centered in Him and His work, not theirs. Christians are charged throughout Scripture that they are to be different from the world because of the change they have undergone in Christ. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, Paul calls believers to walk as children of the day, yet he mentions that the day is still to come— how can it be both? As he explains, Christians are already in the day because they are believers. Even though it is in the future, Christians are there in spirit because they are followers of Christ. Paul’s point is that their citizenship is in heaven and must act like it. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains how the knowledge of one’s conversion ought to drive their actions and how this concept of the “now and not-yet” applies to today.

Sermon Breakdown

Christians have a different view of time, life, and the future because of the change that has taken place in them.
The Christian belongs to "us" and "our", not "them" and "they". Christians have been taken out of darkness and brought into light.
The most important thing about salvation is not feelings or experiences, but the change in nature, relationship, and position. Christians have a new nature and belong to the family of God.
The Christian life is not determined by behavior but by nature. Christians should live better lives because of what they are, not what they feel like.
The Christian is born again with a new nature and is a partaker of the divine nature. Christians are essentially different from non-Christians.
The change in the Christian is a tremendous thing. Christians no longer belong to the night but to the day. They belong to the light, not the darkness.
Christians can experience feelings of misery, but their position and relationship as children of God does not change. Their feelings do not determine their identity.
Christians have a different view of the future because their citizenship is in heaven. They are strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
In a spiritual sense, Christians already belong to the day even though the day has not yet fully come. Christians already belong to the light and are seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Christians look forward to the fullness of glory to come, but glory has already begun in them. They experience foretastes of heaven on earth.

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.