Live and Die to the Lord
A Sermon on Romans 14:5-9
Scripture
5One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Romans 14:5–9 titled “Live and Die to the Lord,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues his sermon series by addressing the need for unity among believers on issues that are not central to the Christian faith. Drawing from Paul, however, he reminds that Christians have a biblical responsibility to be convinced in their minds about the convictions they hold that are not clearly defined in Scripture. Above all, he says, they are to do everything for the glory of the Lord. In this passage, Paul is saying that the how and why one does something is more important in some cases than the specific thing they are doing. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also addresses issues that are not essential to core faith and doctrine and how one can draw right convictions on these topics on which Scripture is sometimes not clear. He reminds that God’s glory is to govern one’s living and dying. If one has been in church for any period of time, they have heard believers discuss the beauty of dying since they are going to be with the Lord. While this is true, Dr. Lloyd-Jones exhorts the listener to focus on this life now and what the Lord has for them to do while they are alive. He reminds that Christians are to be ready to go at any time, but that focusing too much on dying and the life after this one will distract from the reasons that God still has them on earth.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is dealing with matters indifferent in Romans 14.
- Paul reads Romans 14:5-9 which discusses esteeming one day above another and eating/not eating certain foods.
- Paul says to be fully persuaded in your own mind about these indifferent matters.
- Whether you observe certain days or eat certain foods, do it unto the Lord. Give thanks to God.
- None of us lives or dies unto ourselves. We live and die unto the Lord.
- As Christians, we do not serve our own ends or assert our own will. We live for God's glory.
- We should not desire to end our lives or determine when we will die. That is up to God.
- While we long to be with Christ in heaven, we accept God's will for our lives on earth.
- Paul shares examples of living for Christ whether through life or death from 2 Corinthians 5 and Philippians 1.
- Jesus tells Peter not to worry about how he will die but to follow Him. We should not worry about our own deaths or others'.
- The story of Stephen's martyrdom shows dying unto the Lord. He saw Jesus in heaven and committed his spirit to Him.
- Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. That is more important than what we eat or what days we observe.
- We must submit fully to God's will and not be self-centered whether in life or death.
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.