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Sermon #3230

A Rock of Offence

A Sermon on Romans 9:30-33

Originally preached April 5, 1963

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Scripture

Romans 9:30-33 ESV KJV
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by …

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Sermon Description

Why is Jesus Christ a stumbling stone? In this sermon on Romans 9:30-33 titled “A Rock of Offence,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains what this statement means and how it impacts one’s life. The apostle Paul says that Jesus is a stumbling block to His fellow and beloved Jewish brethren. This is because many of them still seek to justify themselves by the law. Because they seek to justify themselves, they stumble at the teachings of Jesus when He says that He has fulfilled the law and that He is the only way to know God. One’s relationship to God is entirely dependent on whether they know God or not. What does all this mean for today? This teaches that it is only Jesus that saves and all other attempts to make one’s self right, whether it is through the works of the law or any other way, is hopeless. How then can humanity be saved? The answer is found in trusting Jesus Christ and believing that He has been sent from God and died for humanity’s sin. It is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God that has come to take away the sin of the world and that He is the only savior from God.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Our relationship to God is determined solely by our attitude to the Lord Jesus Christ.
  2. The Lord Jesus Christ is a stumbling stone to some because of:
  3. His very person (birth, life, claims)
  4. What he didn't do (not establish an earthly kingdom)
  5. His death on the cross and its implications (condemns human pride and self-righteousness)
  6. The tragedy of stumbling at Christ:
  7. Rejecting God's purpose and plan of salvation
  8. Rejecting God's most glorious act (sending His Son)
  9. Rejecting the blessings of salvation (forgiveness, righteousness, new life, hope of glory)
  10. Finding no satisfaction or sanctuary in this life
  11. Realizing the folly too late and facing eternal remorse

Sermon Q&A

What is the Stumbling Stone in Romans 9 According to Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Romans 9:32-33, the "stumbling stone" refers to Christ Himself and His work of salvation. The Jews stumbled over Jesus because they sought righteousness through works of the law rather than by faith.

What caused the Jews to stumble over Christ?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several reasons why Christ became a stumbling stone to the Jews:

  1. His lowly birth and appearance - "They didn't expect the Messiah to be born in a stable. They didn't expect him to be born in abject poverty."
  2. His lack of formal religious training - "His entire lack of training as a pharisee was a great stumbling stone."
  3. His claims about Himself - "They stumbled likewise at his claims for himself. He kept on saying that he'd come from God. He claimed equality with God."
  4. What He didn't do - "He didn't set himself up as king in Jerusalem. He didn't gather an army together."
  5. His death on the cross - "The thing that finally offended them and caused them to stumble was his death upon the cross."
  6. The message of the cross - "It's because of the message of that cross... That that is the only Way of Salvation."

Why is a person's attitude toward Christ so important according to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "our relationship to God is determined solely, exclusively and entirely by our attitude to the Lord Jesus Christ." He explains:

  • "That a man says he believes in God is of no value whatsoever, and as he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • "The Jews are lost. They're outside. They're reprobate. Why? Because they stumbled in him. The gentiles are in. Why? They believed in him."
  • "He is the stone, the foundation stone, the only one. And therefore the apostle rightly points out to us that because of that there are only two possible attitudes towards him."

What is the ultimate reason people stumble over Christ?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the ultimate reason people reject Christ is pride:

"The ultimate cause of the stumbling and of the rock of offense is this. That by all his teaching. And supremely by his death upon the cross. He condemns and finally exposes all men's self confidence, pride and self righteousness."

The cross tells us "that nothing that I can ever do will ever put me right with God. And that all my belief in myself and in my good works, in my righteousness, in my good deeds, in my beautiful thoughts, is filthy rags."

What is the tragedy of such stumbling according to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several tragic consequences of rejecting Christ:

  1. It means rejecting God's own plan and provision - "What you're really doing is pitting yourself against God and flinging back into his face his own action."
  2. It means rejecting God's most glorious act - "They are rejecting the most wonderful thing that God has ever done."
  3. It means rejecting a glorious free salvation - "Free grace... forgiveness... new life... strength and help... a hope of glory."
  4. It leads to eternal shame - "When he comes to the hour of his own death and has his first glimpse of the law of God and of the glory of God... he'll see his own vileness and he'll be horrified."

He concludes that "the Lord Jesus Christ, at this minute, to every one of us, is one of these two things. You either believe in him and rest your faith in him alone, or else he is to you a stumbling stone and a rock of offense."

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.