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Sermon #3225

God's Glory Revealed (2)

A Sermon on Romans 9:19-24

Originally preached March 1, 1963

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Scripture

Romans 9:19-24 ESV KJV
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over …

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Sermon Description

Romans 9:19–24 can sometimes be troubling to Christians. Paul’s talk of predestination, election, and God’s wrath against sinners can plunge them into discussions that challenge their intellect and instincts of the justice of God. Perhaps lost in the rigors of grappling with such important matters is the doxology which deep theology elicits in the apostle Paul –– “the riches of His glory.” In this sermon on Romans 9:19–24 titled “God’s Glory Revealed (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the glory of God is on display and shares how the Bible reveals its many aspects. While God’s glory is primarily revealed in the person of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit, it is often forgotten how according to Paul, the riches of God’s glory is also seen in His children. The Christian should ask themselves if they are captivated by the wonder of God’s preparing beforehand vessels of His mercy and if they find satisfaction that results in praise when reflecting upon God’s sovereign choosing and calling of sinners. They also can challenge themselves to the adoration of the riches of God’s glory like the apostle Paul. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones helps focus the listener’s attention on the awesome majesty of salvation that is revealed in Scripture.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. God reveals aspects of His character through all His actions. Everything God does manifests some part of who He is.
  2. God revealed His eternal power and Godhead through creation, as evidenced in Romans 1.
  3. God's wrath against sin reveals His holiness and hatred of sin. There is no injustice in God punishing sin. All deserve punishment.
  4. God's mercy in saving some reveals the riches of His glory. No one deserves salvation, so God is free to save whoever He chooses.
  5. The riches of God's glory are seen supremely in Jesus Christ - His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and promised return. All of this was for us, the vessels of mercy.
  6. The riches of God's glory are seen in the work of the Holy Spirit, especially in the New Testament. The Spirit incorporates us into Christ, conforms us to Christ's image, and builds us into the Church.
  7. The riches of God's glory are seen in what God does in us, the vessels of mercy. He foreknew us, predestined us, called us, justified us, and is sanctifying us unto future glory.
  8. God's chastisement also reveals His glory, as He disciplines us unto holiness out of love as our Father.
  9. No one deserves glory, yet God has prepared us beforehand for glory according to His mercy. This is astounding.
  10. We should not question why God has only saved some. We should be amazed that any are saved at all, and praise God for the riches of His glory in showing us mercy.
  11. Salvation is not based on heredity or human distinction. God saves individuals from all nations according to His sovereign will.

Sermon Q&A

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Riches of God's Glory: Questions and Answers

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "the riches of God's glory" in Romans 9?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "the riches of God's glory" is a profound phrase found in Romans 9:23 that many people overlook when reading this chapter. He describes it as "one of the brightest nuggets in the whole of the Bible" amidst what many consider a difficult passage about predestination. The phrase refers to how God reveals His glorious character—His mercy, compassion, and love—especially through His treatment of believers whom He calls "vessels of mercy." Lloyd-Jones states that everything God does is a manifestation of some aspect of His character, and in showing mercy to undeserving sinners, God particularly displays the richness of His divine nature.

How does Christ reveal "the riches of God's glory" according to the sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that Christ supremely reveals the riches of God's glory, saying: "The riches of God's glory are to be seen ultimately all concentrated together in the face of Jesus Christ." He explains that Christ's entire journey—from incarnation to resurrection—showcases God's glory. The cross especially demonstrates this glory, where we see "the love of God in that he has made his only begotten, dearly beloved son to be sin for us." Lloyd-Jones quotes Isaac Watts: "See where it shines in Jesus face, the brightest image of his grace; God in the person of his son has all his mightiest works outdone." Everything Christ endured was for believers, the "vessels of mercy."

What is the difference between "fitted to destruction" and "prepared beforehand unto glory" in Romans 9?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws an important distinction between these phrases in Romans 9:22-23:

  1. "Fitted to destruction" (vessels of wrath): Lloyd-Jones explains that this passive phrasing does not state that God fitted them for destruction. Rather, "They've fitted themselves. They're partly fitted by the fall of Adam, but they've equally fitted themselves." They are "ripe for the wrath of God" through their own sin.

  2. "Prepared beforehand unto glory" (vessels of mercy): This explicitly states that God Himself prepared believers for glory. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes: "What we are told is which he, God himself, had prepared before him unto glory." This preparation includes God's foreknowing, predestinating, calling, justifying, and ultimately glorifying those who are saved.

How does God prepare believers "beforehand unto glory" according to the sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that God's preparation of believers for glory involves several stages:

  1. Foreknowing: "Knowing us beforehand, knowing us before we were ever born, knowing us before he'd ever even created the world."
  2. Predestinating: God choosing and deciding what He will do with us, planning our salvation.
  3. Birth: God intervening in our natural birth, as He did with Isaac and Jacob.
  4. Calling in time: Being convicted by the Holy Spirit at a specific moment in our lives.
  5. Conversion and regeneration: Receiving a new nature in Christ.
  6. Incorporation into Christ: Being united with Christ and His church.
  7. Sanctification: Being conformed increasingly to Christ's image.
  8. Chastisement: God's loving discipline to perfect us.
  9. Ultimate glorification: Being perfectly redeemed in body, mind, and spirit.

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that all this is "nothing but the riches of God's glory" at work in believers.

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say we shouldn't question God's sovereign choice in salvation?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses those who question why only some are saved by explaining that such questions seek to know what we're not meant to know. He states: "I don't know. I'll go further. I am not meant to know. I'll go further. I should not even desire to know." His reasoning includes:

  1. No one deserves salvation: "The astounding thing is not that anybody's damned, but that anybody's saved."
  2. God's right: "God has a right to condemn all. And therefore he has a right to do as he wills with all."
  3. Proper response: Once we truly see the riches of God's glory in salvation, we should respond with worship rather than questions.
  4. Human limitations: Asking such questions is "a desire to comprehend the incomprehensible."

He concludes that if someone is still asking these questions, they haven't truly grasped "the riches of his glory" which should overwhelm us with gratitude rather than objections.

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.