Questioning God
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Originally preached April 16, 1967
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
The world asks many questions, but why do they never come to true answers? Why does humanity always seek true wisdom and knowledge but not find it? The answer is found in the world’s rejection of Jesus Christ as the true wisdom of God. In this sermon on John 4:13–14 titled “Questioning God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells that all true wisdom has been given in Christ, but the world in its sinfulness does not know Him. For God’s wisdom is not the wisdom of the world; it stands in opposition to all sinful thinking. This wisdom of God is not accessible to sinful people because they are blinded by their own pride and have fooled themselves into believing that they can know truth without God’s revelation. The only way out of this dilemma is for sinful people to be transformed by His grace and made new and given the gift of salvation. This question confronts all in the revelation of God’s gospel: “do you know the truth of God or are you blinded by your sin and pride?” All either believe that Jesus is the true wisdom of God or they believe in the vain and passing wisdom of this world.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon examines whether Jesus satisfies us in relation to residual problems and questions that remain unanswered.
- The sermon begins by stating that we are not given complete and detailed answers to all questions in Scripture. However, we must not become obscurantists who refuse to think and make dogmatic statements without reason.
- Jesus removes our agitation and confusion over these residual problems. He deals with our spirit by humbling us through showing us the truth about humanity and ourselves. We realize how small, finite, and ignorant we are.
- We are also shown the greatness of God which emphasizes his transcendence and our limitations as creatures. God is in heaven and we are on earth.
- Our greatest trouble is intellectual pride and the desire to know what is beyond our capacity. We must become as little children.
- The Bible teaches us about the sinfulness and finitude of humanity, even after the Fall. We lack understanding. Our minds are darkened and sinful.
- The original sin was the desire to be as God in understanding. This pollutes all of humanity. Even as Christians we are prone to intellectual pride.
- God does not give us complete answers but takes away our agitation. He shows us enough to give us satisfaction but not so much that it overwhelms us.
- Heaven and the afterlife are beyond our imagination and vocabulary. God gives us glimpses and pictures but not full details. We could not stand more.
- There are secret things that belong to God and things revealed that belong to us. We must accept what God has chosen not to reveal.
- We see this with questions about God's will, election, and why some are saved and not others. We must not question God but accept his sovereignty.
- We must recognize the inevitability that there are things we cannot understand and rejoice in what God has revealed. We deserve nothing yet he has given us much.
- We must come to say with Job that we have uttered what we did not understand, things too wonderful for us. We repent in dust and ashes.
- Even angels long to look into the mysteries of God's wisdom and salvation. How much more should we accept our limitations?
- We walk by faith, not by sight. We cannot see the secret things of God but in heaven we will understand fully even as we are fully known. We must be content with what is revealed.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Finding Satisfaction in Christ: Questions and Answers
What does Jesus mean when He says, "whoever drinks of the water that I give will never thirst"?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Jesus is making an astounding claim about the all-sufficiency of Christ and the Christian life. When Jesus says "whoever drinks of the water that I give him shall never thirst," it doesn't mean believers will never desire more of God. Rather, it means they "will never feel bereft, never feel empty, never feel abandoned, never feel hopeless, never be finally frustrated." The more we have of Christ, the more we want, but there is never again any thirsting in the sense of spiritual emptiness.
How does Christ satisfy our intellectual questions about life's deepest problems?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Christ satisfies our intellectual questions by first removing our agitation and confusion about ultimate problems. While He doesn't always provide complete, detailed answers to every question, He puts our spirit right and gives us a proper perspective. Christ deals with our intellectual pride and helps us understand the finitude of human understanding compared to God's infinite wisdom. The moment our attitude is put right through understanding our place before God, we find satisfaction even with unanswered questions.
What are some of the "residual problems" that Christians often struggle with?
The "residual problems" Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies include: - Understanding the being and nature of God - The origin of evil - God's ways and dealings with mankind - Why some people become believers while others don't - The condition of the lost and eternal punishment - Why some people die young while others live long lives - What happens after death and the nature of heaven
These are questions in "the realm of the ultimate" that often trouble believers and unbelievers alike.
How should Christians approach questions that seem to have no clear answers in Scripture?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones advises against two extremes: claiming to have complete, detailed answers to every question, or becoming "obscurantist" by refusing to think about difficult questions at all. Instead, Christians should: 1. Recognize their own limitations as finite, fallen beings 2. Acknowledge God's infinite wisdom and sovereignty 3. Accept that "the secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us" (Deuteronomy 29:29) 4. Rejoice in what God has revealed rather than fixating on what He hasn't 5. Walk by faith, trusting that what we don't understand now will be made clear in eternity
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about why we're told so little about heaven in the Bible?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that heaven and glory are so wonderful that our fallen, inadequate language would detract from their true nature if we tried to describe them in our current terms. The Bible gives us pictures and symbols because we "only see now in a glass, darkly." He suggests that if we truly saw heaven right now, we might be blinded or even killed by its glory - we couldn't handle it in our current state. God in His grace gives us glimpses and pictures, but our vocabulary and understanding are simply inadequate to grasp the full reality of heaven.
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.