... of Heavenly Things
A Sermon on John 3:9-13
Originally preached April 24, 1966
Scripture
9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and …
Sermon Description
What is one of the most important things when receiving the message of Christ? In this sermon on John 3:9–13 titled “…Of Heavenly Things,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that it is the ability to learn as one who knows nothing . Naturally, humanity does not know God; they are of the earth and know earthly things. This is one of the reasons it is so hard to believe in the gospel. Sinful humanity cannot understand the gospel of Jesus so they reject Him. But God tells that He cannot be understood by the finite human intellect, nor can Scripture be reduced to what can be understood. This is why believing is a gift of divine grace that God gives to sinful people in order that they may know Jesus Christ. The heart of the gospel is the new life that God gives to all who truly believe in Jesus Christ. No one can come to God in pride and arrogance but must come as children ready to learn. All must come to learn of the gospel as desperate sinners who can only know God by His grace.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon focuses on the story of Nicodemus from John 3. Nicodemus was a religious leader who came to Jesus at night.
- Nicodemus recognized Jesus as a teacher from God based on the miracles. He came to Jesus because he felt a lack in himself that Jesus seemed to have.
- The sermon emphasizes having a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Nicodemus exemplified this in coming to Jesus. We must act on our spiritual hunger and seek Jesus.
- The sermon highlights Jesus' knowledge of people. Jesus knew Nicodemus fully and addressed his deepest need. We must submit fully to Jesus' knowledge of us.
- The sermon says Nicodemus' main issue was that he was still in control of himself. Though humble in coming to Jesus, he had not become as a little child. He came as a teacher, not as a penitent.
- Nicodemus felt the need for help but not helpless. He thought he just needed an addition to what he already had. But he needed to start over and be born again.
- Nicodemus was focused on understanding, but Christianity is about life and receiving life from Jesus. Understanding is not enough. We must be born of water and Spirit.
- In summary, the sermon highlights coming to Jesus in hunger, submitting to him fully, recognizing our helplessness, and being born again by his Spirit. Mere understanding or supplementing what we have is not enough.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Being Born Again Mean According to Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
What is the main theme of Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Nicodemus?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the main theme of his sermon is understanding what it truly means to be a Christian - not just in terms of belief, but in terms of receiving Christ's fullness and experiencing spiritual life. He states: "There is no better definition than that. It involves, of course, believing certain things. There is the credal element... But after all, Christianity is primarily life, and it is receiving of his fullness." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christianity is not merely a philosophy, theology, or point of view, but a transformative life experience.
What was Nicodemus' fundamental error according to Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones explains that despite Nicodemus' many admirable qualities, his fundamental error was thinking he merely needed to add something to his existing religious knowledge. "Nicodemus feels that this something which our Lord has is something which he can add to what he's already got. He feels that what he needs is a supplement." Instead, Lloyd-Jones argues that Nicodemus needed a complete transformation - to be "born again" - not just additional religious information or insights.
Why does Lloyd-Jones believe many religious people fail to experience Christ's fullness?
According to Lloyd-Jones, many religious people fail to experience Christ's fullness because, like Nicodemus, they approach Christ as equals rather than as helpless sinners in need of complete transformation. He states: "The man who eventually receives of that fullness is the man who knows that he's completely helpless and absolutely hopeless." Many feel they "need help" but haven't realized they are "helpless," which Lloyd-Jones calls "a vital distinction."
What characteristics did Nicodemus have that were commendable?
Lloyd-Jones identifies several commendable characteristics in Nicodemus: 1. He was religiously sincere and intellectually capable 2. He was free from prejudice against Jesus 3. He recognized the true meaning of Jesus' miracles 4. He sensed something unique about Jesus' character 5. He was aware that Jesus had something he lacked 6. He was humble enough to seek out Jesus 7. He acted on his spiritual feelings rather than ignoring them
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the difference between feeling "the need of help" versus feeling "helpless"?
Lloyd-Jones makes an important distinction between merely feeling the need for additional help versus recognizing one's complete helplessness. He explains: "Oh, yes, he's felt the need of help, but he's never felt helpless." Lloyd-Jones clarifies that Nicodemus approached Jesus as someone who could provide additional teaching or insight (needing help), but hadn't reached the point of realizing his complete spiritual bankruptcy (being helpless). This distinction is crucial because only those who recognize their helplessness will truly surrender to Christ's transforming power.
What does Lloyd-Jones say about why Jesus was so abrupt with Nicodemus?
Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus was abrupt with Nicodemus because He knew exactly what Nicodemus needed. "He interrupts him, breaks across what he was about to say. He does so in a manner which can only be described as shock. Why does our Lord behave like this? The answer is, because he knew Nicodemus." Jesus recognized that Nicodemus needed to be confronted with his fundamental misunderstanding about spiritual life, so He immediately directed the conversation to the necessity of being born again.
According to Lloyd-Jones, what should be our greatest desire as Christians?
Lloyd-Jones states that our greatest desire should be to receive more of Christ's fullness: "Do I know that I have received of his fullness? Am I still receiving, and is it my greatest desire, my highest ambition, to receive more and more of him?" He emphasizes that Christianity is not about maintaining a past experience or decision, but about an ongoing, growing relationship with Christ where we continually receive His life and grace.
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.