A Matter of Conscience
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Scripture
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting …
Sermon Description
Is Jesus is all He claims to be? Is He is God? Did He die for sinners? Is He the true and better Adam? Is He the Savior? In this sermon on John 4:13-14, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on Jesus Christ as the personal Savior, and how this truth applies to guilty consciences. For the Law tells of guilt, and hearts confirm this judgment – it is a matter of conscience. The only hope is not to quell the conscience, but to believe and receive total forgiveness. Jesus Christ came and died in order that the Law would be fulfilled. What does this mean for the human conscience? A conscience convicting a sinner of sin must not be ignored, but they also should not turn to self-justification. The answer is in Christ. He has freed his people from desires to vindicate themselves and appease guilty consciences by works. Jesus himself said that He is humanity’s righteousness and hope. For all who believe in Jesus can have full assurance that they have been saved and are now children of God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The words of Jesus in John 4:13-14 state the character of the salvation and life Jesus came to give.
- Jesus puts this in the form of a contrast between the temporary satisfaction the world offers and the lasting satisfaction Jesus offers.
- The statement Jesus makes is very strong, indicating an absolute and complete satisfaction.
- This satisfaction must first be understood intellectually. The truth of the gospel must satisfy our minds.
- The gospel provides a general understanding of our existence, the universe, the problem of suffering, and other questions.
- The gospel also provides satisfaction for the problem of conscience and its accusations.
- The conscience puts questions to our mind and raises problems, causing unhappiness.
- This problem is especially felt when trying to pray or enter God's presence. The holiness and righteousness of God, our sin and unworthiness, and the accusations of the devil all make this difficult.
- Some claim this difficulty comes from morbidity or psychopathy, but God's holiness and the Bible show this is not so. God's love alone does not satisfy.
- The only solution is in Jesus, the eternal Son of God, the gift of God to the world. He came to deal with the problem of sin.
- Jesus lived a perfect life, obeying the law of God perfectly. He also died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, bearing the punishment we deserved.
- God has punished our sins in Jesus and credits us with Jesus' righteousness. We can stand before God clothed in Christ's righteousness.
- This answers our questions about how a holy God can forgive us, removes our unworthiness, and defeats the accusations of the devil and our conscience.
- Nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ or bring us into condemnation. In Christ we have full, lasting satisfaction.
The Book of John
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.