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Sermon #1162

A Matter of Conscience

A Sermon on John 4:13-14

Originally preached March 19, 1967

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Scripture

John 4:13-14 ESV KJV
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” …

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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

  1. The words of Jesus in John 4:13-14 state the character of the salvation and life Jesus came to give.
  2. Jesus puts this in the form of a contrast between the temporary satisfaction the world offers and the lasting satisfaction Jesus offers.
  3. The statement Jesus makes is very strong, indicating an absolute and complete satisfaction.
  4. This satisfaction must first be understood intellectually. The truth of the gospel must satisfy our minds.
  5. The gospel provides a general understanding of our existence, the universe, the problem of suffering, and other questions.
  6. The gospel also provides satisfaction for the problem of conscience and its accusations.
  7. The conscience puts questions to our mind and raises problems, causing unhappiness.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. God has punished our sins in Jesus and credits us with Jesus' righteousness. We can stand before God clothed in Christ's righteousness.
  13. 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.
  14. Nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ or bring us into condemnation. In Christ we have full, lasting satisfaction.

Sermon Q&A

What Did Jesus Mean When He Said "You Will Never Thirst Again"?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on John 4:13-14, Jesus meant that those who drink the water He gives will receive complete and permanent spiritual satisfaction, especially regarding the problem of conscience and guilt before God.

What is the main problem of conscience that Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies the problem of conscience as one of our greatest needs - how to deal with an accusing conscience and the fundamental question of "How can a man be just with God?" He explains: "This is one of the great problems of the life of every one of us. What to do with an accusing conscience, what to do with a troubled conscience. All the unhappiness that is caused by the accusations of conscience."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say that simply believing "God is love" is not enough?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that simply appealing to "God is love" is insufficient because:

  1. "It certainly is not enough for a man who's ever read the Bible."
  2. The Bible reveals God is not only love but also "holy, righteous, and true."
  3. Those who casually appeal to God's love are "generally people who are very ignorant about the Bible."
  4. We must have an answer that accounts for all God's attributes, not just love.

How does Christ's death solve our problem of conscience according to the sermon?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Christ's death solves our conscience problem because:

  1. "God hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" - our sins were imputed to Christ
  2. "He is punishing our sins in the person of his son" - justice was satisfied
  3. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them"
  4. God puts Christ's righteousness upon believers, clothing them in "the righteousness of Christ"
  5. "We are made the righteousness of God in him"

What three enemies does Lloyd-Jones say we face regarding conscience?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies three main enemies we face regarding conscience:

  1. God's holy character and justice: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. He is righteous, he is holy, he is just. He cannot even look upon iniquity."

  2. Our own conscience: "Conscience reminds me of my past sins. And conscience is a very accurate recorder... concrete facts."

  3. The devil: "The accuser of the brethren... reminding us of these things, pressing them home. The devil as an angel of light. The devil quoting scripture."

How can Christians gain assurance and peace of conscience according to the sermon?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Christians gain assurance and peace by:

  1. Understanding that Christ perfectly kept the law: "He never failed in any single respect."
  2. Knowing Christ bore the punishment for our sins: "He died because he was bearing the punishment metadata to our sins."
  3. Recognizing God has imputed Christ's righteousness to us: "God looks at me now and he sees me clothed in the righteousness of Christ."
  4. Accepting that "there is therefore now no condemnation" since God Himself justifies.
  5. Trusting that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers... shall be able to separate us from the love of God."

Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes that this complete satisfaction is what Jesus meant when He said, "He that drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never know, never thirst again."

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.