The Inner Man
A Sermon on Ephesians 3:16
Originally preached Dec. 9, 1956
Scripture
16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Ephesians 3:16 titled “The Inner Man”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the profound importance of the transformed inner man. He begins by pointing out Paul’s manner of prayer for the Ephesians. Paul begins by praying for the spiritual needs of the Ephesians and then goes on to pray for specific things that the Ephesians need. He does not pray that his own circumstances would be changed, nor that the circumstances of the Ephesians would be changed. Instead he focuses on spiritual need and specific needs. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then expresses the importance of the inner man and the heart, the center of the believer. For if the center (the thinking) and the heart of a person is set right, then everything else will fall into place. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that it is not that when one becomes a Christian that suddenly everything in the world is set right. The world is fallen and sinful, consequently full of disease and tribulation of many kinds, so that cannot be. Rather, when one becomes a Christian, they are being renewed daily in the inner man though the outer man is wasting away (2 Corinthians 4:16). The joy of the Lord is now their strength no matter the circumstance or the state of his outer self.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul prays for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14-21.
- Paul approaches God carefully and reminds us that he bows his knees before the Father, who is the Father of all Christians through Jesus Christ.
- Paul's recorded prayers are worthy of study. This prayer in Ephesians rises higher than the others.
- Paul prays for things that are almost incredible and climaxes with "that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."
- Paul is praying for Christians in Ephesus, though we don't know their names. But because they are Christians, Paul offers this lofty prayer for them.
- We should examine this prayer carefully. It contains the key to true Christian living.
- Paul prays for the Ephesians in light of the context and conditions they were in. He prays for their spiritual condition, not their circumstances.
- Paul's prayer is spiritual and specific. He singles out and specifies particular spiritual matters.
- Our prayers reveal a lot about our spiritual state. Are we concerned chiefly about circumstances or our spiritual state?
- Paul does not pray for a change in circumstances or promise circumstances will improve. The Christian life involves trials.
- Paul does not pray for a method to directly fight problems. He prays for strength in the inner man by the Spirit.
- The Christian way deals with problems by building up resistance in the inner man, not by directly changing circumstances.
- Paul's prayer is like building up bodily resistance to disease instead of just treating symptoms. We build up spiritual resistance to problems.
- The Bible never minimizes problems but builds up our resistance so we can overcome them. Christianity is realistic.
- Paul prays for strength in the inner man, the spiritual part of us, the opposite of the outward man, or body.
- The unregenerate man lacks an inner man and lives only for the outward, physical part of life. The inner man is the spiritual part.
- The inner man can find comfort even when the outward man is perishing. The inner man is renewed day by day.
- Trials can even stimulate the inner man. The devil sometimes overreaches in attacking us and reminds us of the inner man.
- Do we know we have an inner man? Is it being renewed though the outward man perishes? The key is strengthening the inner man.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Spiritual Strength: Questions & Answers from Ephesians 3:16
What is the central focus of Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:16?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul's prayer focuses entirely on the spiritual condition of the Ephesians, not their material circumstances. He states: "His whole attitude is a spiritual one. And he starts with a spiritual Always, exactly as our Lord himself did when he put it... 'seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things shall be added unto you.'" Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Paul doesn't pray for a change in circumstances or merely offer a general blessing, but specifically petitions for their spiritual strengthening.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "the inner man" in this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "the inner man" is "the opposite of the outward man" and "the innermost part of our being." He clarifies: "It's the spiritual part of our being. It includes the heart and the mind and the soul and the spirit of the regenerate men, the men that is in Christ Jesus." This inner man is what needs to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. He contrasts this with the unregenerate person who "lacks that inner man... He's living a life which is rarely nothing but a life of the body and what you may call the psychical part of men."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones compare Christian resilience to physical immunity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses a medical analogy, comparing spiritual strength to the body's immune system. He explains: "The christian way of dealing with all these things is not so much to do anything about them as to do something about us. The christian method is that which builds up our resistance, this inner men, by the spirit." Just as the body can develop natural immunity to disease, Christians need to build up spiritual resistance rather than merely addressing external problems directly. He states: "There are the circumstances. There is the attack. What does the apostle pray for? Well, this, that God, according to the riches of his glory, may strengthen with might the inner man."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say Christianity is realistic rather than pessimistic?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the Christian worldview is realistic because it acknowledges the reality of sin and suffering in the world. He states: "The New Testament tells us very frankly and very plainly in the world, ye shall have tribulations. It doesn't promise us an easy time." He distinguishes this from pessimism by explaining: "It's not pessimistic to face facts. Pessimism comes in after you face the facts. How do you face them?" True Christian optimism "starts by looking at everything as it is at its very worst, and then by the truth that it has overcomes it." Christianity is realistic about problems but offers real strength to face them.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the key to true Christian living?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies strengthening the inner man as the key to true Christian living. He states: "Here is the real key to true christian living, and therefore we cannot spend too much time with it. We cannot examine it too closely. Now let us look at it first of all in a more or less general manner." He later adds: "Here we are face to face with the central biblical teaching of how to live in a world like this and how to keep going in it, and how to be more than conqueror in spite of everything that happens in it." This spiritual strengthening enables believers to retreat to their inner life during difficult times.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the Christian's response to trouble with the non-Christian's?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the Christian can "retreat into the inner man" during times of trouble, while the non-Christian cannot. He explains: "The final tragedy of the natural men is that he has got no inner men to retreat into in times of trouble and stress and trial." The non-Christian "is dependent only upon circumstances, and he is entirely controlled by circumstances. He lives in one realm only." As a result, "he has to fall back on his Psychology and various tricks that he does to himself or rushes off into pleasure just to forget it." In contrast, the Christian has "a new order of life, a new realm, something spiritual" to sustain them.
What does it mean to be "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that being strengthened with might by God's Spirit means having our spiritual nature empowered to face life's challenges. He states that through this strengthening "it rarely is comparatively unimportant as to what happens around you, and even to the outer men himself." This strengthening is what allows believers to say with Paul, "Though our outward men perish, yet the inner men is renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). The Spirit's strengthening work develops our spiritual resistance so that we can be "more than conquerors" despite external circumstances.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize the importance of specific prayer?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that specific prayer is a characteristic of true Christian praying. He states: "True prayer, true christian praying. Praying in the spirit. Praying in Christ is not only spiritual prayer, but it is always specific." He contrasts this with merely general prayers: "Far too often our prayers are just general. We pray God's blessing upon people. We pray that God may be gracious unto them and may look upon them, and we leave it in that way as some kind of a general prayer." Paul's prayer is specific in focusing on particular spiritual needs rather than vague blessings, showing his deep understanding of what Christians truly need.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect prayer to spiritual strength?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones connects prayer directly to spiritual strength by quoting Jesus's words: "Men should always pray and not faint." He explains: "What does prayer do? Well, prayer, you see, if I may so use it fills the lungs of your soul with the oxygen of God himself. If you want to stand on your feet and not the falter, fill yourself with God." Prayer is the means by which we build up our spiritual resistance: "You build up yourself in your most holy faith, as Jude puts it." This connection shows that prayer is not merely asking for things but actually strengthens our inner spiritual life.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the "profoundest discovery" in Christian experience?
According to Lloyd-Jones, "the profoundest discovery we can ever make in our christian experience" is learning the difference between the inner man and the outward man. He states: "The trouble with most people in the world this morning is that they never knew that there was a difference between the inner men and the outward men." This discovery allows Christians to understand that even as their physical bodies decline, their spiritual nature can be "renewed day by day." This realization transforms how believers face difficulties, aging, and even death.
The Book of Ephesians
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.