Testing the Spirits (2)
A Sermon on John 1:26-33
Scripture
26John answered them, saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27It is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy even to untie the strap of His sandal.” 28These things took place in Bethany beyond the …
26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where …
Sermon Description
With all the opinions on truth in the world, how is the Christian supposed to determine which ones are correct? In this sermon on John 1:26–33 titled “Testing the Spirits (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides a helpful framework for thinking through how Christians can be discerning when analyzing different truth claims. First, they must use reason. God does not tell His children to “check their brains at the door” when they are saved. Instead, He calls them to exercise wisdom and discernment. He gave tools to use and that includes reasoning abilities. Next, Christians are to use the Scriptures and compare everything alongside of Scripture. He then provides some general principles that can be applied as they look to identify false truth claims. First, he says, the Christian must be very cautious of any idea claiming to be truth that is relatively new. Second, they must reject teachings that blatantly contradict the teachings of Scripture. Third, they must use their reasoning and be skeptical of anything that appears to be overly spectacular. Dr. Lloyd-Jones elaborates on these points and helps the believer think about how to sift through the countless truth claims being advanced in the culture today.
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.