Has God's Life Come Into You?
A Sermon on John 1:12-13
Originally preached April 7, 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
There is one fact that must be true of the converted Christian: belief in the name of Jesus Christ for salvation. However, there are many circumstances that surround the conversion of Christians. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones uses John 1:12–13 to explain that while some Christians grow up in a home where the gospel is often taught, others are saved out of an unbelieving family or friend group. He elaborates that each of these Christians face unique temptations to question the legitimacy of their salvation and therefore must apply specific tests to their own life to gain surety of their salvation: “Do you remain unaffected by your knowledge of God, or are you changed and gripped by it? Is your faith something that you use when convenient, or does God’s word master and direct your life?”
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones uses these tests and others to help the Christian assess and test their standing in faith and produce a defensible assurance of faith. Dr. Lloyd-Jones elaborates that the unbeliever is consumed with what they do, whereas the true believer is primarily concerned with what they are. The unbeliever works toward creating an identity. The believer works from his newfound Christian identity toward Christian behavior.
Sermon Breakdown
- Our general relationship to Christianity and its message is a test of whether we are truly Christians. If our faith merely "overshadows" us but does not penetrate us, that is a sign we are not truly Christians. True Christians are controlled by their faith, not in control of it.
- We become less interested in the general, external aspects of religion (denominations, social aspects, preachers) and more interested in spiritual realities and our relationship with God. This is a sign of being a true Christian.
- We become less interested in what we "get" from God and more interested in God himself. We see relating to God as a privilege, not a way to get our needs and demands met. This is a sign of being a child of God.
- We become less negative and prohibitive in our view of faith and more positive and delighted. We do not follow God out of fear but out of love and joy. This is a sign of being a true Christian.
- We become increasingly concerned with the state of our heart and spiritual growth, not just with knowledge or past experiences. This is a sign of being a child of God.
- We delight in spiritual food - God's Word, prayer, fellowship - like a child delights in their father. This is a sign of being a Christian.
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.