God So Loved
A Sermon on Colossians 1:14
Scripture
14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Colossians 1:14 titled “God So Loved,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on clarifying the role of Christ in the gospel. And the question Dr. Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer: Why did Christ come? The answer, as Paul also points out, is that Christ came to redeem people from their sin. However, this great task is different from the other things God has done, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says. God’s redeeming act is not like creation, where He only had to speak. Salvation is much greater, more personal than creation. God sent Christ, with the body and blood of a man, to die so that His blood may cover those who believe. But Dr. Lloyd-Jones reveals that most of the world does not see Christ this way. The world sees Christ as a great pacifist, His death as the ultimate example of pacifism. Others see Jesus as a great moral teacher. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones dispels these claims, for it is not pacifism or teaching that saves a soul. Salvation is only possible through Christ’s death on the cross. And in response to such a great gift, he encourages those who believe to praise God for such unfathomable love.
Sermon Breakdown
- God the Father is the one acting in Christ for our salvation. He sent His Son to accomplish our redemption.
- The crucial point of God's action in Christ was on the cross of Calvary. The death of Christ is emphasized, not His life or teaching.
- God was accomplishing our redemption through the death of His Son. He was paying the price for our sins by putting them on Christ and punishing Him in our place.
- We were under the condemnation of God's law with the sentence of death, but Christ paid the price to redeem us. His death satisfied God's justice and turned away His wrath from us.
- Christ had to become a man in order to die for men. As God and man, He could die and rise again, paying the price for our sins and overcoming death.
- The meaning of Christ's death is that God took our sins and put them on His Son, then punished Him instead of us. Christ was our substitute, and God's wrath was poured out on Him.
- We should give praise and thanks to God the Father for sending His Son to die in our place and accomplish our salvation. This demonstrates His great love for us.
- The popular views of Christ's death as an example of pacifism or God's love are wrong. The Scripture teaches it was God's act to pay the penalty for our sins and satisfy His justice.
Other Sermons
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.