Prayer and the Holy Spirit
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Scripture
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting …
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
- The sermon text is John 4:13-14 which talks about Jesus offering living water that satisfies eternally.
- The sermon topic is false ideas of worship and hindrances to receiving God's blessing.
- The woman of Samaria is used as an example of the difficulties and misunderstandings that arise in worship.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Excitement and liveliness in prayer/worship can be manufactured but true life comes from the Holy Spirit.
- The need of the hour is for the church to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in prayer.
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.