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What does the Holy Spirit have to do with prayer? In his sermon on Ephesians 2:18 titled “Praying in the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to impress on the believer the absolute necessity of prayer and of the role of the Holy Spirit in prayer. According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, praying in the Holy Spirit “is the very essence of prayer.” Also, in light of God’s stunning love that brings His children to Him, “prayer is the supreme activity of the human soul.” Many people think that prayer is as simple as saying “their prayers,” but Dr. Lloyd-Jones critiques the phrase “saying our prayers” as being antithetical to prayer itself. Prayer is much deeper than this simplistic understanding because it is a Holy Spirit-lead endeavor. Dr. Lloyd-Jones goes as far as to say, “The Holy Spirit is as essential to prayer as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.” According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Jesus died that all might have access to the Father and the Holy Spirit makes real to the believer all that Jesus died for. Both must be held together if prayer is going to be true prayer.
What causes Christians to be lethargic and lose the joy of their salvation? What steals the enthusiasm for spiritual growth? These are certainly questions evangelical Christians should be concerned about but many Christians are skeptical of talk about the “experience” of the Holy Spirit. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:13 titled “Sealed with the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests the joy in Christ – the experience of that joy – might not be present in a Christian life because they do not fully grasp the truth about the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Since they do not know what they are missing, they do not seek it nor ask the Lord for it. The listener is taken through a detailed examination of the meaning of the apostle Paul’s teaching on the Holy Spirit, beginning with the effect of the Holy Spirit upon the Lord Jesus Christ in His life and ministry. Dr. Lloyd-Jones interacts with two competing views regarding the sealing of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Listen closely as Dr. Lloyd-Jones systematically walks through Scripture, illustrating both the meaning and the timing of the apostle’s teaching on the sealing of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.
Do you know the power of the Holy Spirit and what it means to walk according to the Spirit rather than the flesh? This is the all-important question that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks in this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1-7. He says that the Holy Spirit is what enables all believers to live a life that pursues Christ Jesus and holiness. It is the Spirit that breathes new life into unbelievers, making them new creations in Christ. It was the Holy Spirit that transformed the first Christians from fearful disciples of Jesus into bold preachers of His death and resurrection. Sadly, many men and women live a life devoid of the power of the Holy Spirit. They live a life of lust and passion for what is unholy and profane. They do not care about their souls, but only the temporary pleasures of this world. This life of the flesh leads only to death and destruction in hell. In contrast, the life in the Spirit leads to forgiveness in Christ and eternal life in His presence. Those that believe in Christ Jesus are forgiven from all sin and judgment, and are made children of God in the power of the Spirit.
What is the relationship of the baptism of the Holy Spirit to the other things that the Holy Spirit supplies and how He acts and moves? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes on the topic of sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit and shows the ways in which they do, and do not, have a relation to each other. Being baptized by the Holy Spirit occurs for Christians when they are born again and are made new through saving faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, it is an instantaneous, one-time event. Sanctification, however, is a life-long process of being shaped into the image of Christ that starts at salvation, but does not end until that believer is brought face-to-face with the Lord after they die. In preaching this sermon from John 1:26–33 titled “Spirit Baptism and Sanctification,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes his argument as to why there is no direct correlation between baptism of the Holy Spirit and sanctification, specifically because the baptism of the Holy Spirit is mostly for boldness and power in witnessing. Although spiritual gifts at the church of Corinth were evident, Paul wrote a scathing letter to them because they were not pursuing the Lord, and thus were not progressing in their sanctification. Yet, despite all this, Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents his case for why there is a clear, indirect relationship. He unpacks this and more in this helpful sermon on baptism of the Holy Spirit and how it affects the day-to-day lives of the followers of Christ.
What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Is it a saving experience? In Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s exposition of John 1:26–33 titled “The Spirit’s Power in the Church,” he expounds on the outward biblical markers of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and argues for its essential (but not salvific) need in the church. He notes this need because the only true knowledge of God comes through the Holy Spirit. After discussing the internal markers of being baptized by the Holy Spirit (such as a sense of God’s holiness, humility, assurance of the love of God, etc.) in the previous sermon, he moves on to address the outward. First, he argues that a Biblical marker is often a physical phenomenon, such as a shining face. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones notes stories such as Stephen and Moses, and also recounts stories in church history. Second, he argues that baptism can be seen through the power dispensed to men and women in private conversations and preaching. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones bemoans the academic preaching that surrounds the church and notes that the disciples had all the facts when Jesus ascended, but Jesus knew they needed the Holy Spirit. He ends with asking the listener: “do you know anything of this power?”
Scripture teaches that Christ, through having died, risen, and ascended to the right hand of God, has purchased a glorious inheritance that is waiting for all those who believe in Him. But how do God’s people know this inheritance is waiting for them? In this sermon titled “The Sealing of the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains from John 1:26–33 that God seals His people with His Holy Spirit as a guarantee. This sealing is something most believers would be familiar with in theory, but how many could explain what it actually is? Some base their explanation on their own experience, directly connecting the seal of the Holy Spirit to the work of producing the fruits of sanctification or to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But both of these explanations pose problems to the understanding and experience of the work of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from various pertinent Scriptures, Dr. Lloyd-Jones brings forth the meaning, purpose, and comfort of the sealing of the Holy Spirit in believers’ hearts as a sign of ownership, security, and, ultimately, an authentication and confirmation for the believer of all God has promised.
As the apostle Paul recounts his autobiography, conviction from the law of God seems absent from his former life in Judaism. What is to be made of this? How is it that the apostle knew God’s law so well as a Pharisee and yet never felt condemned by the law? In this sermon on Romans 8:14–15 titled “The Spirit and the Law,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds the nuances of various viewpoints as he defends his interpretation. In the end, Dr. Lloyd-Jones highlights the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit. Before the Spirit brings liberty, He brings a spirit of bondage and of fear, as the apostle Paul wrote. In other words, the Holy Spirit brings the Christian down and shows them their need. It is not until the Holy Spirit brings fear, condemnation, and conviction through the law of God that anyone will find the joy of repentance. This spirit of bondage always precedes the Spirit of adoption. Moreover, the spirit of bondage, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is great evidence of assurance of salvation. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones moves through his detailed exegesis in order to demonstrate how it is good news when the Holy Spirit brings a bondage of fear.
What role does the Spirit play in the life of believers? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes up this question as he preaches from John 3:8 in a sermon titled “The Spiritual Life.” He shows that the Holy Spirit is present all throughout the Christian’s life. This starts with the Holy Spirit bringing about conversion and how He works in the Christian to bring about sanctification and ultimately glorification. The Holy Spirit is also necessary in worship of God. This is what Jesus tells the woman of Samaria when He says that God is looking for those who worship in Spirit and truth. Worship that is devoid of the Holy Spirit is not true worship. The Spirit is also part of reading God’s Word. The only way to truly understand Scripture is to read it with eyes of faith. What does this mean for Christians? One of the most important things is that they must not rely on their own strength but look wholly to Christ and His Spirit. This is one of the most comforting truths in all of God’s word.
What does it mean to be baptized by the Holy Spirit? This phrase is often misunderstood by many Christians, and Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings clarity to this topic in this sermon on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Many people will say that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same as salvation. Yet, this implies that the apostles were not saved until Pentecost since that is when the Spirit came on them. Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines the baptism of the Holy Spirit as the initial experience of the glory, reality, and love of the Father. Can one be filled with the Spirit repeatedly? Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents his argument for why he believes this to be the case and why it is the source of power and ability for the believer in Christian service and witnessing. This filling, he says, differentiates an advocate from a witness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones closes out by offering Scripture’s perspective on how to determine if someone is truly filled with the Spirit, and he establishes a foundational principle—revival is the pouring out of God’s spirit, and more than anything, that is needed in order to turn all countries back to Him. Christians have a biblical responsibility to pray for this.
It is safe to say all battle with seasons of fear and worry. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows two things that Paul is confirming in Romans 8:15: all who are led to Christ are children of God and those who are children of God no longer have a spirit of bondage or fear. In this sermon on Romans 8:15 titled “The Spirit of Bondage,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that this means the spirit of bondage and fear always precedes the spirit of adoption. How would a Christian be truly convicted of their sin and desperation if they first did not have a spirit which convicted them of their guilt? This guilt shows just how much all are in need of a Savior. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Christians may experience this spirit of bondage to different degrees, but it does not mean that one person has sinned more than the other. The amount of sin does not matter, but it is the realization of that sin that is necessary to bring about true salvation. The Holy Spirit, which dwells in all Christians, is a spirit of truth and always produces a sense of sin and sense of conviction. The Holy Spirit cannot truly lead to God without showing how holy and just Christ is. All Christians have experienced this and can praise God who sends the Holy Spirit.
The timing of the sealing of the Holy Spirit is a contested topic. It is a topic that raises many other questions. One could be tempted to ignore the subject or teach it in such a way as to minimize the difficulties with the doctrine. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:13 titled “The Nature of Sealing,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones thoughtfully engages this topic and the difficult questions head on. One cannot ignore the teaching of Holy Scripture but instead must carefully examine the Bible and conform their lives according to it. By looking at the teaching of the New Testament on the work of the Holy Spirit and invoking great theologians and pastors of the church, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says one must emphasize the experimental aspect of the sealing of Holy Spirit that occurs after belief in the gospel. He challenges the people of God to consider whether they have experienced the sealing of the Spirit. Is there an unmistakable experience that has occurred, resulting in a great assurance, joy in Christ, or love for God deep within their hearts? Dr. Lloyd-Jones cautions distinguishing between the sealing of the Spirit and particular gifts of the Holy Spirit that may or may not come as He dispenses gifts as He sees fit.
What is so unique about Pentecost? Certainly, it was not the first time the Holy Spirit had come upon a believer. Yet, there must be something special about this occurrence. What is the significance of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 at Pentecost? In this sermon on the significance of Pentecost, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores the operation of the Spirit throughout the Old Testament, contrasting the Spirit’s work among the Old Testament saints with the Spirit’s work in the New Testament. In Acts, the Spirit is poured out upon all believers in a way which unites the diverse people of God into one body. Listen as he examines this Jerusalem event, followed by similar outpourings in Samaria and Ephesus. What one discovers is that the result of Pentecost is the formation of the church of Christ. The body of Christ is welded together into one. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this event happened once, never again to be repeated. The church has been established and from that point on, every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit in His fullness. The listener is led to praise God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who dwells with them and is in them.
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in this sermon on John 1:26–33 titled “When the Spirit Comes,” Scripture teaches that God often works in special ways through His Spirit. This special deployment of the Spirit’s power and work is different than His indwelling of every believer. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out from the book of Acts, God is seen sending the Holy Spirit upon those early believers in order to empower their ministries. God still chooses to work by sending his Holy Spirit upon men and women in modern days. The greatest examples of this is in the revivals since the time of the Reformation. This is a unique blessing of the Holy Spirit. This baptism of the Holy Spirit does not come to all people, and when it does, it is often not permanent. Yet this is a great blessing that all Christians ought to seek, and often come upon in times of trial and great suffering. It produces a heart of joy and peace that rests in God and His many promises. While not all will experience this great blessing of the Spirit, nonetheless, all should seek it. According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, even if it is only temporary, many live their lives looking back on this experience and gain strength from it.
What exactly is a church? Perhaps some are tempted to reference the building where people gather together to worship God. In this sermon on Ephesians 4:4–6 titled “The Work of the Spirit in the Church,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows from Scripture that the church is actually the body of believers in Jesus Christ. But if the church is a body, where did it come from and who or what gives it life? The answer is the Holy Spirit and Dr. Lloyd-Jones helps explain the role that the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the church. First, He brings unity through the conviction of sin— this unites believers because when people realize how sinful they are before God, they realize that they have nothing of their own accord to cling to, thus driving them to their knees before the cross of Christ. Second, the Holy Spirit is the one who gives people a new life in Christ. Third, He gives people faith and enables them to understand the ways of God. Fourth, He unites people to Christ and incorporates them into the church. Finally, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that the Holy Spirit animates the life of the church. Like the blood in the body, He is the unifying presence that makes all believers one. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the importance of the Holy Spirit to the vitality of the church.
What gives power to the gospel message? Or even better, who gives power to the gospel message? The world looks for those with eloquence and bravado, but God looks for holiness and faithfulness. In the sermon “The Sending of the Spirit” that focuses on Acts 7:37–38, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that the power with which the apostles preached was not of human strength, but it was a direct result of what God had done in them. On the day of Pentecost, God sent his Holy Spirit to indwell and empower the ministry and life of those Christians gathered in the upper room. This accounts for the apostles’ boldness before the very Jewish leaders who had put Jesus Christ to death only a matter of days before. This new Spirit-empowered boldness surprised the Jewish leaders who thought the apostles to be nothing more than uneducated fishermen. But it was the Spirit that filled these rural uneducated men to speak with clarity and power of the risen Messiah, Jesus Christ. This Spirit that indwelled the believers of the early church is the same Holy Spirit that spoke in the prophets of Israel in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit also inspired the Scriptures and the same Spirit that has been active in the church through the centuries. It is the power of God in the life of individual believers and in the church universal.
Within certain streams of popular Bible teaching, the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit is significantly diminished. Some have emphasized the responsibility to “take” the Holy Spirit by faith. In other words, God wants to give the Spirit, one just needs to “lay hold of” Him. In this sermon on Romans 8:15 titled “Knowing You Have Received,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones finds this teaching unbiblical and troubling. In order to refute this defective teaching, he patiently works through all the New Testament references to the word “receive” and draws proper theological conclusions about the Holy Spirit and faith. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that as the blessed third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is a sovereign Lord. One must never talk as if they control Him. Nor should they, he warns, think they can simply use “faith” to “lay hold of” or “take” the Spirit. As Paul teaches in Romans 8:15, the Christian merely “receives” the Spirit of adoption. This is the consensus of the Scriptural witness. Watch how Dr. Lloyd-Jones models the proper way to handle Christian doctrine and engage those who teach heterodox views. Moreover, listen to Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach the true nature of the Spirit’s sovereignty and how He comes to the believer.
When did the Holy Spirit begin His work? Was it only after Pentecost or was He active and present before that important day? In this sermon on the Holy Spirit’s role in creation and common grace, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explain his method of approach when coming to difficult doctrines or statements in Scripture, including the topic of the Holy Spirit. Unpacking the biblical evidence, one can say with confidence that the Holy Spirit was manifest before the day of Pentecost. He was manifest in the creation of the world; that is, He operated in creation by sustaining it. The Holy Spirit is also manifest through common grace. Common grace, Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells the listener, is the general blessings applied to all according to the pleasure and will of God. Common grace is seen everywhere. The culture is filled with common grace and aids in understanding of how God works to maintain order by government rule and restraining sin, as well as the joy and pleasure experienced through art, music, and science. The conscience found in everyone is manifest in morality and religion that pervades the cultures. But the morality, politics, religions, and beauty are not the main point. All of these things, these marks of common grace, glorify God because it is only through the Spirit that the gifts are distributed to humankind.
What comfort is there for the believer in knowing the Holy Spirit yearns for their sanctification? What privilege do believers have knowing that the Holy Spirit is so concerned for them? This is one reminder by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his sermon on Romans 8:14 titled “The Spiritual Outlook.” In this message, he explores further what the apostle Paul means by being “led by the Spirit of God.” As the Spirit operates on the mind, heart, and will of the Christian, He gives full and final emancipation from sin. But how may a person know whether the Spirit is leading them? Dr. Lloyd-Jones supplies guidance on this vital question. In short, the Spirit leads Christians to a total new outlook on life; a spiritual outlook. Does the Christian desire God’s glory? What about love for the people of God? How do they respond sin? Do they actively engage in the mortification of the deeds of the body? The Spirit always leads in the direction of the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones both challenges and encourages the church in this teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit.
What empowered the early church in their proclamation of the gospel? In this sermon on Acts 5:29-32 titled “The Witness of the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones credits it to the power of God’s Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost upon all who believed in the gospel of Christ. This Holy Spirit made cowardly men bold in the face of death and persecution. It emboldened them and gave them the words to speak before the same Jewish leaders who had put Christ to death only a matter of days before. It is God’s Spirit that has worked in the church throughout the centuries to bring reformations and revivals. It is this Spirit that enables blind and fallen sinners to see and believe in the gospel of Christ, and this Spirit empowers Christians to live a life of holiness and love. While many today want to reject all supernatural aspects of Christianity and the Bible, the church has always believed in the God who works in the world to bring about His purposes. He does this through his Spirit and to reject the supernatural aspects of Christianity is to reject the very heart of the truth.
The Holy Spirit makes God’s children into profound witnesses for the gospel. Imagine Peter’s ministry after Pentecost. Think of Paul in Cyprus. These men were characterized by ability in speech, authority in performing miracles, and a boldness unmatched in proclaiming the truth about Jesus Christ. Even the Lord Jesus himself commenced His ministry by being baptized by the Holy Spirit. In short, without the Holy Spirit, the church is unable to perform its unique calling of representing Christ to the world. In his sermon on John 1:26–33 titled “The Gifts of the Spirit (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones not only teaches on this necessity of the Holy Spirit, but enters into a topic of grave controversy: are signs, wonders, and miracles only for the early church? Do signs, wonders, and miracles authenticate the gospel message the same way they did before the completion of the New Testament canon? Dr. Lloyd-Jones models a charitable engagement with alternative views and fairly surveys key arguments and the biblical passages they put forth. With a firm posture, Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides answers to several cessationist arguments. Whether the listener is unfamiliar with the debate on the gifts of the Spirit or well-initiated into it, listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones deals openly and reasonably in this controversial topic.
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