Christ the Hope of Glory
A Sermon on John 1:10-12
Originally preached Jan. 13, 1963
Scripture
10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even …
Sermon Description
Does the world care about Christ? It never will if the joy and peace of Christ isn’t seen and alive in the church today. This lack of obvious joy, claims Dr. Lloyd-Jones, flows from a failure to reflect on the gospel. Listen as this sermon on John 1:10–12 unfolds the three central components to the Christian faith: knowing, believing, and receiving. These truths illustrate that this is God’s world and that though there is darkness in the world, God sent His son to save His people from that darkness. When Jesus is received and the power of His sacrifice for sin is believed, salvation occurs. Any Christian lacking in joy will rekindle their passion by considering these things, and dwell on the fact they are completely forgiven in Christ. Feelings are dictated by thoughts and knowledge and, therefore, an accurate understanding and belief in these truths will lend oneself to experience and demonstrate great and genuine joy.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon begins by introducing three words used to describe a Christian's relationship to Jesus: know, receive, and believe on. These words represent a progression in one's relationship with Jesus.
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To know Jesus means to recognize and acknowledge him. Many people fail to truly know Jesus, only seeing him as a great teacher or historical figure. Knowing Jesus means recognizing him as the Son of God and being filled with wonder at the incarnation.
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To receive Jesus means to welcome him. It is more experiential than just knowing him. Receiving Jesus means welcoming all of his teachings and implications, not just the parts we like. Many reject Jesus when they hear his actual teachings. Receiving Jesus means welcoming him completely.
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To believe on Jesus means to trust in him and his power. Believing in Jesus means trusting that he came to save us from our sins and condemnation under the law. It means renouncing ourselves and trusting completely in Jesus's death and resurrection.
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These three terms represent a progression, but we must start at the beginning. We must not take our relationship with Jesus for granted or assume we truly know, receive, and believe in him. We must examine ourselves to make sure we have the foundation right.
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Jesus has always divided people into two groups: those who know, receive, and believe in him and those who do not. There is nothing more important than making sure we are in the right group.
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We must not start with feelings or examining our lives for fruit. We must start with Jesus himself. We must make sure we know, receive, and believe in him before moving on to anything else.
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If we are lacking joy or assurance, it likely means we have not started at the beginning. We have not made sure we truly know, receive, and believe in Jesus. We must go back to the foundation.
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The sermon concludes with a hymn reflecting the themes of knowing, receiving, and believing in Jesus.
Sermon Q&A
What Does It Mean to Know, Receive, and Believe in Jesus Christ According to Lloyd-Jones?
What are the three key words Lloyd-Jones examines in John 1:10-12?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, there are three key words in John 1:10-12 that describe our relationship with Jesus Christ: "know" (verse 10), "receive" (verses 11-12), and "believe on" (verse 12). These words represent a progression of spiritual understanding and commitment in our relationship with Christ.
How does Lloyd-Jones define what it means to "know" Jesus?
Lloyd-Jones explains that to "know" Jesus means: - To recognize Him for who He truly is - not just as a human teacher, but as the eternal Son of God - To acknowledge Him with wonder and amazement - To have Him as central to all your thinking about everything - To have your entire life and worldview oriented around the reality that "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us"
As Lloyd-Jones states: "Do you know him, my friend, do you know him? I mean, in this sense that he is central to all your thinking about everything."
What does it mean to "receive" Jesus according to the sermon?
To "receive" Jesus takes us further than just knowing Him. According to Lloyd-Jones, receiving Jesus means: - Welcoming Him with a willing heart - Accepting all His teaching and the implications of His teaching - Not being offended by any aspect of who He is or what He does - Embracing the cross and His death as necessary for salvation - Seeing your own need for Him due to your sinfulness
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes: "The only man who receives Christ is the man who sees his need of him."
What does Lloyd-Jones teach about "believing on" Jesus' name?
This is the deepest level of relationship. To "believe on" Jesus' name means: - To trust in the power and authority represented by His name - To have complete confidence in Him as Savior - To rest entirely on what He has done, not on your own merits - To renounce yourself and all personal goodness - To commit yourself fully to Him
As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means to have trust and confidence in him, not only to recognize who he is, not only to welcome his coming into the world as the only way of salvation, but to trust him utterly and absolutely in all the glory of his divine savior."
Why does Lloyd-Jones emphasize examining our relationship with Jesus?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes this examination because: - Many Christians lack joy and assurance because they haven't properly established their relationship with Christ - People often make assumptions about their faith without examining the foundation - Those raised in Christian homes particularly risk assuming they are Christians when they may not truly understand what faith in Christ means - If the foundation is wrong, no amount of work on the "superstructure" will help - True assurance and joy come from getting this fundamental relationship right
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the importance of believing solely in Christ?
Lloyd-Jones explains that true faith means: - Complete dependence on Christ alone: "I believe in nothing and in no one except the Word that was made flesh" - Recognizing Christ as our complete provision: "Who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption" - Ceasing to trust in yourself or your own goodness - Acknowledging Christ as the foundation: "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand" - Trusting Him for your past, present, and future
Why does Lloyd-Jones say this message is so critical for the Christian life?
According to Lloyd-Jones, getting our relationship with Christ right is critical because: - It's the foundation for all other aspects of Christian living - Without this foundation, we cannot experience true joy and assurance - The church's failure to attract people stems from Christians failing to demonstrate the wonder and joy of knowing Christ - Many Christians appear unhappy and troubled because they haven't established this fundamental relationship - The world needs to see Christians who are "filled with a joy unspeakable and full of glory"
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.