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Sermon #1154

Prayer and the Holy Spirit

A Sermon on John 4:13-14

Originally preached Nov. 20, 1966

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Scripture

John 4:13-14 ESV KJV
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” …

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Sermon Description

Prayer is a beautiful gift that has been given to God’s people, but it is not a gift to be taken lightly. The Bible tells that when the Christian prays, they are to pray fervently in the Spirit. What then does it mean to pray in the Spirit? In this sermon on John 4:13–14 titled “Prayer and the Holy Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this topic by showing from Scripture how Christians should pray. He begins by saying that in order to pray in the Spirit, the Christian must be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. When this is done, the Holy Spirit will give the words to pray and will lead in prayer. It is through the Spirit alone that the Christian is able to have access to God, because it is the Spirit who enlightens the mind and reveals God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then shows that the result of praying in the Spirit is the realization of God’s presence. Prayer is a privilege to be in the presence of the holy God. It is this act of bowing down before the Lord in humility and following the leading of the Spirit that leads to true prayer.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon text is John 4:13-14 which talks about Jesus offering living water that satisfies eternally.
  2. The sermon topic is false ideas of worship and hindrances to receiving God's blessing.
  3. The woman of Samaria is used as an example of the difficulties and misunderstandings that arise in worship.
  4. The sermon focuses on what true worship is - worshipping in spirit and truth. This means having the right ideas of God and what worship is.
  5. To worship in spirit means to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and promptings in worship and prayer. The Holy Spirit guides us into worship and prayer.
  6. Examples of the Holy Spirit's leading in prayer and worship are given from church history and the Bible. For example, Elijah heard the sound of rain before praying for rain.
  7. Praying in the Spirit is not something we can work up or generate ourselves. It is given by the Holy Spirit. We can put ourselves in a position to be sensitive to the Spirit by praying, acknowledging our dependence on Him, and yielding to Him.
  8. Signs that we are praying in the Spirit include: realizing God's presence, having a sense of privilege in coming before God, and experiencing prayer as a living act.
  9. Excitement and liveliness in prayer/worship can be manufactured but true life comes from the Holy Spirit.
  10. The need of the hour is for the church to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in prayer.

Sermon Q&A

How Can I Know if I'm Praying in the Spirit According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

What does it mean to worship God in spirit and truth according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, worshipping God in spirit and truth represents the essence of true Christian worship. He explains that it involves more than external rituals or mechanical recitation of prayers. Rather, it requires:

  1. Honest, open hearts before God
  2. Being sensitive to the presence and promptings of the Holy Spirit
  3. Worshipping through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than human effort
  4. Having true knowledge of God through His revelation in Scripture
  5. A conscious awareness of being in God's presence

Lloyd-Jones states: "We must worship him in spirit, which some would translate, worship him by the spirit comes to the same thing exactly. This is the thing that's emphasized in the whole of the New Testament."

What is the prayer of faith according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the prayer of faith is not something we can generate ourselves by trying to work up confidence or certainty. Instead:

  1. It is a prayer created in us by the Holy Spirit himself
  2. It comes with an absolute certainty given by the Spirit
  3. It cannot be manufactured or forced through human effort
  4. It is always given, not self-generated

He states: "There is a certainty about it. Now people have often taken those texts and they've tried to work themselves up into a kind of certainty... But then the prayer isn't answered... And they're cast down, and they begin to doubt God and his promises."

Lloyd-Jones illustrates this with biblical examples, particularly Elijah praying for rain: "Before he began to pray for the rain, Elijah had already heard the sound of the abundance of rain... It was raining in his spirit while the drought was at its highest."

How can Christians know they are praying in the Spirit according to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers three clear signs that indicate one is praying in the Spirit:

  1. The realization of God's presence: "It is the realization of God's presence. If you realize God's presence, you needn't have any doubt. You won't have any doubt. You are praying in the spirit."

  2. A sense of privilege: "A sense of privilege, being in the holiest of all, being in the presence of God." This includes appropriate reverence and awe at approaching God.

  3. Prayer becomes a living act: "Any prayer in the spirit is always a living act." This contrasts with the deadness and difficulty we sometimes experience in prayer. The Spirit makes prayer vital, real, and characterized by genuine communion.

He states: "There is all the difference in the world between the life and the liveliness that is produced by the spirit and that kind of artifact, the kind of attempt and endeavor of people to do it in a bright and breezy way."

What is the relationship between the Holy Spirit and effective prayer according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for effective prayer because:

  1. The Spirit helps our weakness in prayer: "We know not what to pray for as we ought"
  2. The Spirit prepares our heart to pray: "He prepares our heart to pray, gives us the petition"
  3. The Spirit creates within us the spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry "Abba, Father"
  4. The Spirit leads us to pray for specific things at specific times
  5. The Spirit gives us access to God the Father through Christ

Lloyd-Jones quotes Psalm 10:17 to explain this relationship: "Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble. Thou wilt prepare their heart. Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear." He explains: "He prepares our heart to pray, gives us the petition, if you like. And then he hears the petition that he himself has placed in our heart."

What is Lloyd-Jones' critique of modern prayer practices?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers several critiques of common modern prayer practices:

  1. Treating prayer casually: "There are people, you know, who use strange expressions with regard to prayer. They talk liberally of having their QT [quiet time]... Do we realize what we are saying?"

  2. Mechanical approaches: "The contrast between this kind of thing and the mere formal mechanical reading or reciting of prayers, a mere external worship."

  3. Artificial attempts to create spiritual atmosphere: "I've known men in prayer meetings feeling that there was a dryness... So they start singing... trying to work it up. That's not life. The Spirit alone can give life."

  4. Lacking proper reverence: "People who are so punctilious about their outward observances, even with respect to one another... and the contrast between their behavior when they're in the presence of God."

He summarizes: "What is lacking amongst us is the fear of God. We are not humbled, we are not broken. We don't realize our unworthiness."

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.