A More Excellent Way
A Sermon on John 1:12-13
Originally preached June 2, 1963
Scripture
12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Sermon Description
In the sermon titled “A More Excellent Way,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues his series on John 1:12–13 by shedding light on the topic of the Holy Spirit. This topic, which is often shrouded in foggy notions and vague ideas, has light to bring to the Christian stranded in a dark season of lack of assurance. For anyone who fears grieving the Holy Spirit, there is assurance. The person who does not know God may fear losing their good name. They may fear failure, but be assured, Christians should not fear grieving the Holy Spirit. Dr. Lloyd-Jones touches on these notes, as well the difference between spiritual gifts and spiritual fruit, and several other chords that ring close to the heartbeat of the Christian. Before he closes his discourse, Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses on the way that three of the fruit of the Spirit impact the Christian life – love, joy, and peace. The sermon asks the listener to examine their own soul and ask “do these divine realities live in my soul? Do I weep when the Holy Spirit is grieved by my sin? Does love for God and love for my neighbor mark my life? Does joy and peace mark my soul despite suffering and hardship?”
Sermon Breakdown
- The ultimate end and object of the incarnation and all Christ did was to give believers the power to become the children of God.
- Believers are born of God, not of blood, the will of the flesh, or the will of man.
- The Christian life opens up great possibilities that believers often fail to realize. Believers can know they are saved and be happy in God.
- Believers should examine themselves to confirm they are truly children of God. One test is whether the Spirit leads them. The Spirit leads believers to mortify sin and the deeds of the body.
- Another test is whether believers fear grieving the Spirit. Believers aware the Spirit dwells in them increasingly fear offending or grieving Him.
- Desertion or feeling abandoned by God is a sign of being a believer. Unbelievers do not experience the Spirit's presence and so cannot feel deserted by Him.
- Evidence of the Spirit's fruit - love, joy, peace, etc. - confirms one is a child of God. These fruits are the Spirit's work, not the believer's.
- Believers will be amazed at themselves in two ways: at the sin still in them and at the good now in them. Both amaze the believer.
- Love is the first fruit of the Spirit. It means loving God, other believers, and even one's enemies. This kind of love shows one is born again.
- Joy is another fruit of the Spirit. It is not the same as happiness. Believers can rejoice in the Lord despite circumstances. Joy in God shows His Spirit's work.
- Peace is another fruit of the Spirit. Believers have peace with God, others, and themselves. There is an inner rest even amid outer turmoil. This peace evidences the Spirit.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Spiritual Assurance According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What are the main signs of being a child of God according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the main signs of being a child of God include:
- Proper relationship to Jesus Christ - believing in His name
- Proper relationship to the Father
- Proper relationship to the Holy Spirit, which includes:
- Being led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14)
- Having a fear of grieving the Holy Spirit
- Demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.)
- Growth in grace and spiritual sensitivity
- Experiencing a dual awareness of both indwelling sin and God's work within you
As he states: "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. You can't be a Christian without having the spirit of God within you."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguish between a Christian and merely a good moral person?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers a sensitive and delicate test to distinguish a true Christian from a merely moral person:
-
When a moral person sins, they're troubled because they've failed their own standard or "let down the human race."
-
When a Christian sins, their primary concern is that they've "grieved the Holy Spirit" who dwells within them.
As he explains: "What worries the Christian is that he did this though this blessed spirit of God is in him, in his very body. He's grieved, he is wounded, he's hurt. He's caused the spirit of God to mourn."
The moral person knows nothing of this experience because "the spirit's not in him. He doesn't know the Holy Spirit, but the Christian does."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about "desertions" in the Christian life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains "desertions" as times when Christians experience a spiritual darkness or dullness—when they feel abandoned or left to themselves spiritually:
"The clouds have gathered, the sun has gone out of sight, and a kind of dire darkness dullness heaviness comes down upon the soul. They can't pray like they used to. They don't get the same pleasure in reading the word of God as they used to, and they feel that they've been left to themselves."
He explains that these desertions: - Are often (but not always) the result of grieving the Spirit - Are "the most miserable experience the Christian can ever know" - Actually serve as evidence of being a child of God, because only someone who has experienced the Spirit's presence can feel His absence
As he states: "If you know anything at all about this experience... you can take it from me that you're a child of God. The natural men cannot know that experience, and he doesn't know it."
What is the fruit of the Spirit according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, and how does it serve as evidence of salvation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the fruit of the Spirit based on Galatians 5:22-23 as a key evidence of salvation. He emphasizes several points:
- It's called "fruit" (singular) because all nine qualities belong to the same family
- These are not our works but the Spirit's production in us: "No one can produce the fruit of the spirit except the spirit himself"
- He groups the nine fruits into three categories, beginning with:
- Love: Not sentimentality but love for God, fellow Christians, and even enemies
- Joy: Not mere happiness but spiritual delight in salvation
-
Peace: A fundamental quietness at the center of one's being despite external circumstances
-
This fruit distinctly differs from spiritual gifts, as gifts can sometimes be given even to non-Christians
The presence of this fruit serves as evidence because: "You cannot produce an artificial fruit... That's the difference between your morality and the fruit of the spirit. This is the work of the spirit, the fruit of the spirit."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the "double surprise" or duality of Christian experience?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes true Christians as experiencing a duality or "double surprise" about themselves:
"The Christian is a man who is amazed at himself in two ways at the same time. The Christian's always an enigma, isn't he? There's nothing enigmatic about the man who's not a Christian."
This duality consists of:
-
Being surprised at how bad you still are: "Are you surprised and amazed at yourself that you're as bad as you are? Are you amazed at the fact that your heart is as black as it is?"
-
Being simultaneously surprised at how good you are becoming: "You're amazed at the fact that you are as good as you are and you're astounded at yourself... Is it possible that I rarely am interested in the Bible? Is it possible that I really do enjoy prayer?"
This dual awareness prevents both pride and despair, as the Christian recognizes both ongoing sin and the miracle of God's transforming work within. As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "You see the plague, you see the Lord, and you rejoice in him. Even your sin makes you rejoice in him because it reminds you again of what he's done for you."
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.