God With Us
A Sermon on John 2:21
Originally preached Dec. 19, 1965
Scripture
21But he spake of the temple of his body.
Sermon Description
Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. But who is Jesus? Some say Jesus was a great man and ethical teacher. Some say he was nothing more than a human teacher like many who came before him and would come after him. However, as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows us from Scripture and in this sermon titled “God With Us,” Jesus was no mere man, but He was the very Son of God. He was God in flesh come to dwell with humanity through the incarnation. In the Old Testament God was present with His people through the temple and the manifestation of His glory. But in Bethlehem God became present with His people by being born of a virgin. In this, God the Son (the second person of God) takes upon a true human nature and becomes subject to all the infirmities of the flesh. As God becomes present in Christ Jesus, it is a new presence and is better than the presence of the Old Covenant. The message of the incarnation goes far beyond the story of the birth of Jesus. He did not come into the world to merely be an example or to simply teach, but he came to die for sins. This is the great hope of the Christian faith: God became a man to die so that humanity may know Him.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon focuses on John 2:21 which says "But he spake of the temple of his body." This verse provides insight into the meaning and significance of Jesus's incarnation and birth.
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The temple in Jerusalem was a type or figure of Jesus's body. Jesus's body is the true temple where God dwells. The temple points to and foreshadows Jesus.
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Jesus's statement that he would raise up the temple in three days after it is destroyed refers to his resurrection from the dead, not the literal temple. His body is the temple.
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The incarnation is a mystery that the world does not understand. The world sees only Jesus's body, not the divine nature dwelling within. They do not recognize him as the Son of God.
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Jesus's body is the meeting place between God and man. He is the new temple where we meet God. The old temple pointed to him.
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There is a mystery in how the divine and human natures are joined in Jesus, yet remain distinct. The infinite God dwells in the finite human body. This is a miracle.
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Jesus's life involved both revelation and concealment. At times his glory was revealed, at times hidden. Only those with eyes to see perceive the glory.
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Jesus showed both power and weakness. He did mighty miracles, yet was crucified in weakness. This paradox displays the mystery of the incarnation.
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The purpose of the incarnation was for Jesus to die and rise again. He was born to die and conquer our enemies. His death and resurrection are central.
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Jesus came to bring an end to the old covenant and establish a new one. The destruction of the temple in AD 70 marked the end of the old system of worship.
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Jesus is the only way to meet God. He is the true temple and high priest. We meet God through faith in him, not through temples or rituals.
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The church and individual Christians are now the temple where God dwells. God inhabits us through his Spirit. We are his dwelling place.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "he spake of the temple of his body"?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, this phrase from John 2:21 is a key to understanding the incarnation. Jesus was speaking with a double meaning, referring both to the literal temple in Jerusalem and to His own body. The temple in Jerusalem was a type or figure that prefigured Christ's body. Just as God dwelt in the temple (particularly in the holiest of all), the eternal Son of God dwelt in the human body of Jesus. As Lloyd-Jones explains, "The body of that infant, that babe lying in the manger, is but the dwelling place of the eternal God in the person of the son."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones address modern skepticism about the Christian faith?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones reassures his listeners that their faith is not built on a shaky foundation that could be undermined by new scholarly discoveries. He points out that scholarship "always cancels itself out" as scholars disagree with one another. He specifically mentions the argument of prophecy as powerful evidence: prophecies in the Old Testament were literally fulfilled in Christ. He states that anyone who believes "that the world for nearly 20 centuries has been believing a lie" is believing something more incredible than the Christian faith itself.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the mystery of the incarnation?
The mystery of the incarnation includes several paradoxical elements: 1. The confining of the infinite God into a finite human body ("Can all the fullness of the godhead be confined to that little body?") 2. Two natures (divine and human) in one person, unmixed but both present 3. The simultaneous revealing and concealing of Christ's glory 4. The combination of divine power and human weakness
This is why he quotes Paul saying "Great is the mystery of godliness" and why people throughout history have either recognized or missed who Jesus truly was.
What was the purpose of the incarnation according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the birth was not an end in itself but a means to an end. Christ came to introduce a new way for humans to know God, to establish a new covenant. Jesus' statement about destroying the temple referred to His death and resurrection. Lloyd-Jones states: "He entered into this world... in order that he might die." Jesus came to put an end to the old dispensation of temple worship and to become Himself the place where humans meet with God. "He is the only place where we can meet with God. He is the propitiation. He is the high priest."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect the temple concept to Christians today?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the temple concept extends beyond Christ to the church and individual believers. He cites several New Testament passages (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 1-2) to show that Christians are now the temple where God dwells. The progression he describes is: first God dwelt in the Jerusalem temple, then in the body of Jesus, and now in the church collectively and believers individually through the Holy Spirit. This is "the teaching of the incarnation" - that God now makes His "abode with" and within His people.
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.