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Sermon #1117

A Temple Fit for Christ

A Sermon on the The Temple of The Holy Spirit from John 2:13-17

Originally preached Nov. 21, 1965

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Scripture

John 2:13-17 ESV KJV
The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep …

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Sermon Description

What is the condition of the Christian soul? If examined, are elements of unbelief, doubt, uncertainty, misappropriation or sin found there? In this sermon on John 2:13-17 titled “A Temple Meet for Himself,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks to Jesus’ cleansing of the temple to instruct the Christian on the importance of examining their souls. Upon becoming a Christian, they become a dwelling place of the Lord Jesus. It is of utmost importance, then, to examine the soul regularly. Has sin found an anchor in the heart because the Christian believes grace and forgiveness are readily available when they finally ask forgiveness? The Christian soul, the dwelling place of the Lord Jesus, should not be a place where selfishness and idolatry take root. The soul is to be examined and cleansed that it might be worthy for the Lord Jesus and to glorify him. May the Christian take heart and be encouraged to regularly examine the state of their souls and be found acceptable for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Our souls are temples into which Christ comes to dwell. This is the ultimate in Christian salvation.
  2. We must examine the state of our souls as Christ examines the temple. What does Christ see in our souls? Sin? Evil? Unbelief?
  3. Christ's lordship must be recognized. We must take Christ as he is - the Lord. We cannot dictate to him.
  4. Christ knows everything about us. Nothing can be hidden from him. He examines our innermost thoughts and intentions.
  5. Christ hates certain things and will not dwell with them. Light cannot mix with darkness. Righteousness cannot mix with unrighteousness. Belief cannot mix with unbelief.
  6. Christ will act to cleanse his temple. He will scourge and chasten us. This is often surprising and grievous but necessary.
  7. We must act to cleanse the temple. We must cleanse ourselves of all filthiness and perfect holiness. We must open the door to Christ.
  8. Christ wants to fully possess us. He wants his temple to be a place where he can dwell. He wants to walk in us and be our God.

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.