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Sermon #5625

Love So Amazing

A Sermon on Colossians 1:21-22

Scripture

Colossians 1:21-22 ESV KJV
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, (ESV)

Sermon Description

Why is God’s love amazing? It is not only because it is redemptive and transforming, but according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, God’s love is amazing because of what it cost Him. God only forgives through His Son, Jesus Christ. It was by Jesus dying upon the cross of Calvary that God brought about redemption and forgiveness for His people. Salvation comes to all freely, but it cost God His Son upon the cross. Now all who believe in Jesus are freed from sin’s power, wrath, and the condemnation of God. It is only the gospel of a crucified King that can overcome a sinful person’s natural hatred of God. It is only Jesus’s death on the cross that brings true peace and reconciliation with God. In this sermon on Colossians 1:21-22 titled “Love So Amazing,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that by sending Jesus to the cross, God not only saves individuals but brings about the redemption of the whole world. Jesus’s death reverses all the effects of the fall and transforms this current evil world to the new heavens and the new earth.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by announcing that communion will follow the service and extending an invitation to all present to participate.
  2. The sermon will focus on Colossians 1:21-22 which contrasts the Colossians' past state before knowing Christ with their present state in Christ.
  3. In their past state, the Colossians were "alienated and enemies in [their] mind by wicked works." All people in a state of unbelief are in this position.
  4. There are many superficial differences between non-Christians, but ultimately they share the same root issue: they trust in their own reason and understanding rather than submitting to God's Word and revelation.
  5. Non-Christians have a wrong view of the nature of the Christian life. They see it as vague and indefinite rather than the radical change the Bible describes.
  6. Becoming a Christian requires undergoing a profound change, a rebirth, becoming a new creation. It is like the difference between darkness and light at creation.
  7. All people, regardless of background, need this radical change. Many godly Christians from moral upbringings have testified to needing it.
  8. Non-Christians need to gain the right view of themselves. They are "alienated" from God, outside His life and blessings. They are "enemies in [their] mind" towards God, showing impatience, contempt, and dislike for Him and His ways.
  9. Non-Christians need to gain the right view of their greatest need: to be reconciled to God. They need forgiveness, a new nature that enjoys God, and deliverance from His wrath.
  10. Non-Christians need to gain the right view of the only way their need can be met: through the death of Christ "in the body of his flesh." Only His death could satisfy God's justice and reconcile us to Him.
  11. Do you delight in praising God? Do you rejoice in Christ and glory in His cross? If not, you likely have never gained the right view of yourself, your need, and the only solution. You can only gain this view by believing what Scripture reveals about these things.

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.