A World in Darkness
A Sermon on Romans 13:11-14
Scripture
11Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. 12The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let’s rid ourselves of the deeds of darkness …
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us …
Sermon Description
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes a striking statement about the Christian view of the world in saying that at its best, the world is still in darkness. In a modern day and age when such statements may seem polarizing and perhaps even offensive, why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones make such a provocative claim? Does this mean that the Christian simply dismisses everything in the world? Does the Christian despise the culture as a result of acknowledging the darkness that pervades every aspect of this world? In this sermon on Romans 13:11–14 titled “A World in Darkness,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenges the post-enlightenment, progressive view that the world is generally good and getting better. He does so by looking closely at how the apostle Paul characterizes the world as ignorant of the most vital knowledge. The world is morally dark and in utter despair because of sin. This, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, makes the Christian a pilgrim in this world. They are restless strangers in a world of darkness. As children of the light, they cannot find their ultimate trust or excitement in what politicians and others offer as a fix to this dark world. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenges this understanding of the world and encourages Christians to look forward to the day when their salvation will be complete.
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.