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Sermon #1051

Strangers and Pilgrims

A Sermon on John 1:16

Scripture

John 1:16 ESV NASB KJV
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (ESV)

Sermon Description

What is the nature of sanctification? In this sermon on John 1:16 titled “Strangers and Pilgrims,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells that sanctification is essential to all Christians. It is not a result of legalism, but of living according to the gospel. The great truth is that Jesus died for sinners and that the Holy Spirit came into the world to give new life. Though all are born in sin, no one is beyond the grace and power of God. There is no sinner so dark that they cannot be made a child of God. As the gospel says, Christians flee worldliness and immorality because they are new creatures in Christ. Christians are called to flee sin and the flesh and to put to death all immorality not in order to be saved, but because they have been saved. There is no place for legalism in the Christian life, but it is the gospel that compels toward holiness. For those that sow in the flesh reap according to the flesh, but those that sow according to the Spirit reap according to the Spirit. The sermon asks: “what are you sowing? Are you trusting in God and in His gospel, or are you still trusting the flesh?” There is no more important question one can ask.

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.