The Christian Hope
A Sermon on John 1:16
Originally preached June 28, 1964
Scripture
16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Sermon Description
What is the Christian’s hope in life? Many people hope in many things, whether it is money, security, or power. But the Christian’s hope is quite different. For the hope of believers is in the power of Jesus Christ. It is His death and life that liberates His people from all sin and darkness. This is a hope outside of and greater than the individual; it is a hope received in the grace of God. Not only this, but Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones also tells that all believers can and should have assurance of this hope. The Christian can truly know that they are loved by God and are His children. The Christian must consider where they find their hope and if they are trusting in Jesus Christ or themselves. It is the most important question that any can ask because it is the question of eternal destiny. For all are either in the kingdom of heaven as the children of God, or in the kingdom of Satan as slaves to sin. Only the name of Jesus Christ saves and makes fallen sinners into new men and women.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Christian's hope is entirely in Christ.
- Our hope centers upon Christ as Savior, who will save the whole cosmos.
- As Christians, we have a new view of life in this world. Our citizenship is in heaven.
- We no longer belong to this world. We are citizens of heaven.
- We see this world as passing away and ephemeral. Our hopes are not here.
- We see this world as against God and anti-God. We long for Christ's return.
- We have an absolute certainty in Christ's return and the final consummation of his kingdom.
- Christ has the power to subdue all things to himself. Nothing can hinder him.
- Our hope is linked to being made perfect - spirit, soul, and body - at Christ's return.
- We long for Christ's appearing and the final destruction of his enemies.
- We will see Christ glorified over all and reign with him forever.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers about Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Christian Hope
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the fundamental definition of a Christian?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the fundamental New Testament definition of a Christian is not merely someone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, but someone who has "received of His fullness." He emphasizes that "the whole doctrine of the rebirth is absolutely vital to a true comprehension of what it means to be a Christian." A Christian has received the seed of eternal life through regeneration and continues to receive "grace upon grace," growing in Christ rather than remaining as infants in the faith.
What is the Christian's citizenship according to Philippians 3:20-21?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the Christian's citizenship is in heaven, not on earth. This means Christians are in the world but not of it—they no longer belong to this world system. He describes Christians as "citizens away from home," living as foreigners in a strange country. This heavenly citizenship represents a complete change of position, similar to changing nationality, where a believer is transferred from "the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear son."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the Christian's hope?
The Christian's hope, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is centered specifically on Christ's return as cosmic Savior. It's not merely a vague subjective feeling or spirit of hopefulness, but a very specific expectation that Christ will return to restore the entire universe to its perfect state. Christians "look with eager and longing expectation" for Christ's appearing, when He will destroy all evil, judge the world, and establish His eternal kingdom.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the Christian's view of the world?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that a Christian who has received Christ's fullness sees the world as evil. Unlike non-Christians who may say "isn't life wonderful," the Christian recognizes this as "an evil world" from which Christ came to redeem us. Christians view the world as "anti-God," knowing it will eventually be destroyed. They don't get their pleasure, happiness, or hopes from this world, and they can't "mind earthly things" like non-believers do because they know these things are passing away.
How does the physical body fit into the Christian's future hope?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Christ "shall change our vile body" (or "the body of our humiliation") to be fashioned like His glorious body. This means that not only will our spirits and souls be perfected, but our physical bodies will also share in glorification. There will be an end to "toil and sorrow and pain and sin and woe and every infirmity and imperfection, even of the physical frame." This transformation will occur at Christ's appearing, and is part of the complete salvation Christ brings.
What gives Christians confidence in their future hope?
Christians have confidence in their hope because of Christ's power. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that our hope is certain because of "the energy of his power" or "the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." This is the same power that created the universe, and nothing can hinder Christ from fulfilling His eternal purpose. The apostle was "confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
How did this hope affect early Christians according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
This hope enabled early Christians to face persecution and even martyrdom with joy rather than fear. Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that "a very good case can be made out for saying that what really conquered the ancient world was the way in which these Christian people died." They had already conquered the fear of death and could "smile in the face of death" and "smile in the face of the greatest tyrants." This hope made them "more than conquerors" and enabled them to even rejoice in suffering for Christ's sake.
What does it mean that Christ is the "Savior" in Philippians 3:20-21?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that in this context, Christ as "Savior" refers to more than personal salvation from sin. While this is included, here Paul is referring to "Jesus Christ as the savior of the cosmos, the whole universe." This cosmic salvation means Christ will undo all consequences of the Fall, restore the universe to God in "utter, absolute perfection," and establish His lordship over everything, so that "at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth."
The Book of John
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.