The Need of Man
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
Do Christians truly rejoice in Jesus Christ? Do they rejoice in the salvation He has freely given? Listen to this sermon on John 4:13–14 titled “The Need of Man” as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks on salvation and what it reveals. He begins by bringing up the saddening lack of rejoicing most Christians have towards salvation. He explains that this lack comes directly from a failure to see the utter and complete need of Jesus’ salvation. One cannot truly rejoice in the salvation Christ offers if they do not first see their need and realize their complete inadequacy in saving themselves. The whole Bible, especially the Old Testament, points directly to the fact that all need a Savior. People can only be moved by salvation if they see their need for it. Not only do they have to recognize their need, but they have to know their complete need. This is realizing that without Christ and His salvation they are spiritually dead and ignorant. But the good news is that as Christians, they have a Savior who came to earth, died, and rose again victorious over death. He is the deliverer. Let all run to Him, realizing the complete need, and rejoice in His salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon opens by introducing the passage from John 4:13-14 which describes Jesus offering living water to the Samaritan woman.
- The sermon then provides context by reading John 4:19-25 which describes the dialogue between Jesus and the woman.
- The sermon establishes that the focus will be on understanding verses 13 and 14 which describe the "great offer of the Christian faith."
- The sermon poses the question of whether individuals personally know and experience the "living water" and "grace upon grace" offered by Jesus.
- The sermon argues that many stumble over the same things as the Samaritan woman in misunderstanding Jesus.
- The sermon states that the message of Advent and Christmas is understanding our need for a savior.
- The sermon argues that if our hearts are not moved by Jesus, we do not understand our true condition and need.
- The sermon claims that we must understand our precise need to appreciate the savior.
- The sermon argues that many have an incomplete understanding of "salvation" and "Messiah."
- The sermon claims the Old Testament shows our need for salvation through explicit statements, teaching, law, ceremony, ritual, and prophecy.
- The sermon argues that no one appreciates salvation without understanding their need.
- The sermon outlines false understandings of salvation as needing help to save ourselves or just needing ethical teaching and an example.
- The sermon claims the true view of salvation comes from understanding the Old Testament which shows we are spiritually dead, under God's wrath, living in the flesh, under Satan's dominion, with a polluted nature, and facing death.
- The sermon argues this is why Jesus came - to provide the only salvation from our predicament.
- The sermon outlines what Jesus' salvation is: He alone provides it, He provides it fully and completely, He is the fulfillment of prophecy, He finished the work of salvation, He provides spiritual blessings, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
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.