Glory in Tribulation
A Sermon on Romans 5:5
Originally preached Dec. 6, 1957
Scripture
5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Sermon Description
What is the place of tribulation in the life of the Christian? Often times, people see hardships as nothing more than obstacles to their happiness and joy. They see no deeper purpose in the hardships. But in this sermon titled “Glory in Tribulation” on Romans 5:5, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows how Scripture paints a different picture of what hardships are about. For those that trust in God and who have His Holy Spirit, suffering is a means of becoming more like Jesus Christ. It is a means of deepening and strengthening one’s faith in God and to grow in holiness. As Christians go through these trials, they come to a greater assurance of who they are in Christ. So then, there is great hope for those that suffer as followers of Christ. This sermon holds out a great hope for all who are in the midst of trials and tribulations because it displays how Christ is working in His people in and through life’s hardships. This sermon is a call for all to repent of their sins and come to Jesus. It is a call to return to God the Creator and seek His glory. This is the only life of true and lasting joy.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon is preaching from Romans 5:5 which states "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
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The first point is that "hope maketh not ashamed" means that the Christian's hope will never disappoint them or make them feel ashamed. This hope refers to the present life, not just the future.
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Examples of this are seen in 2 Timothy 1:12 and 2 Timothy 1:8 where Paul says he is not ashamed of the Gospel and Timothy should not be ashamed of Paul's imprisonment.
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The second point is that "the love of God" refers to God's love for us, not our love for God.
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The third point is that "shed abroad" means poured out or overflowing. The love of God is poured into our hearts abundantly by the Holy Spirit.
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The fourth point is that this is not something we deduce or reason to, but rather something the Holy Spirit directly shows us. It is an internal, experimental knowledge.
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Examples of this direct knowledge of God's love are seen in the testimonies of Henry Venn, Charles Simeon, and Richard Roberts. They speak of the love of God being directly shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.
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The fifth point is that not all Christians have this experience of the love of God poured into their hearts, but all can seek it. We should ask God to manifest His love to us in this way.
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The sixth point is that those who have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts can truly rejoice in tribulations and hope in the glory of God.
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In summary, we should seek to have the love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit so we can have unshakeable hope and joy.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 5:5
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "hope maketh not ashamed" in Romans 5:5?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the phrase "hope maketh not ashamed" refers to the present experience of Christians, not just a future promise. He explains that this means believers "shall never be put to shame in this life" regardless of trials and tribulations they face. Far from being let down or disappointed by their faith, Christians with this hope become "more than conquerors" through Christ. Lloyd-Jones points out that this is a figure of speech called "litotes" - asserting a positive by negating its opposite. Rather than merely not being ashamed, Christians actually glory and exult in their circumstances because of this hope.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones interpret "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "the love of God" here refers to God's love for us, not our love for God. The phrase "shed abroad" means "poured out" with profusion and abundance, similar to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This shedding abroad happens "in our hearts" - not just intellectually but in the very center of our being, affecting our emotions and feelings. This is a direct, immediate assurance given by the Holy Spirit that overwhelms us with certainty of God's love, beyond what we might intellectually deduce from Scripture.
What is the difference between deduced assurance and the Holy Spirit's witness of God's love?
According to Lloyd-Jones, there are different forms of assurance: 1. Deduced assurance comes through logical reasoning - "Scripture says whoever believes is not condemned, I believe, therefore I am not condemned." 2. Examining oneself against biblical tests of authentic faith. 3. The highest form of assurance is the Holy Spirit's direct witness - not something we take by faith or deduce through argument, but something we experience directly through "consciousness" and God's "light shining in our soul."
Lloyd-Jones quotes Henry Venn who described this as being "evident to me, not by deduction and argument, but by consciousness, by his own light shining in my soul, as the sun's doth upon my bodily eyes."
Can someone be a Christian without experiencing the love of God being shed abroad in their hearts?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones clearly states, "You can be a Christian without this. You can't be a Christian without the Holy Spirit, but you can be a Christian without having the love of God shed abroad in your hearts." He explains that while all Christians have the indwelling Holy Spirit (without which one is not a Christian), this special manifestation of God's love is "something further, something greater." It's available to all believers regardless of intellectual capacity, but not all Christians experience it. Lloyd-Jones believes all Christians should seek this experience through prayer and devotion.
How should Christians seek this manifestation of God's love according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages believers to actively pursue this experience. He quotes Thomas Goodwin the Puritan, saying we should "Sue him for it. Seal him for it. Ask him for it. Don't give up." He reminds his listeners of Jesus' promise: "If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Lloyd-Jones urges Christians to plead with God to manifest Himself, to keep God's commandments, and to truly seek Him. He emphasizes that this blessing is available to all believers who earnestly pursue it, not just to special saints or martyrs throughout church history.
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.