The Christian and the World
A Sermon on John 1:16
Scripture
16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Sermon Description
How does the Christian respond to political turmoil? What is the wisdom of God? How is it different from the wisdom of the world? In this sermon from John 1:16, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones elaborates on the difference between the Christian and the world. The Christian, he proclaims, has a fundamentally different worldview than the unbeliever. They approach the same situations with different understanding. They are capable of sorrow and empathy, but are not limited to a surface understanding of evil. The Christian understands the doctrine of depravity, that humanity apart from Christ is left to wickedness. They are aware that since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the world itself is under the just curse of God. The Christian is not overly optimistic about the political leaders that arise, nor are they too pessimistic. The Christian knows that these leaders will not save, and also knows that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church of God. The Christian has a steadfast hope in the face of wars and rumors of wars: Jesus Christ, the Anointed One of God, is the King and He will not fail, forsake, or ultimately disappoint those who hope in Him.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text is John 1:16 which states "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." This verse means that Christians receive everything from Jesus Christ.
- Christians receive wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption from Jesus Christ according to 1 Corinthians 1:30.
- The wisdom Christians receive enables them to know God and understand His dealings with the world. The world lacks knowledge of God which is why it is in its current state.
- Christians have the mind of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 2:16. This means Christians think like Christ and have the same wisdom and outlook as Him.
- Christians look at everything differently from the world due to having the mind of Christ and wisdom from God. However, Christians are still natural and share in life's experiences. They feel sorrow and sympathy like others.
- Christians must be careful not to become unnatural or otherworldly. They are still in the world though not of it. Christians should not withdraw from the world or regard politics and social issues as belonging only to the world.
- The Christian and non-Christian approaches to situations are fundamentally different. The Christian approach is based on biblical revelation while the non-Christian approach is based on human thought.
- The Christian outlook has depth and sees the underlying causes of situations, not just the surface. The world only sees the surface and reacts superficially.
- The Christian view is consistent and does not change unlike the world's view. The world's view is constantly changing.
- The Christian view is realistic, not overly optimistic or pessimistic like the world. Christians do not expect too much from the world and are not surprised by evil.
- Christians should be calm and confident, not hysterical like the world. Christians have a sense of proportion and balance.
- Christians see beneath the surface, not just the surface like the world. Christians see the devil's work even in gentleness and love.
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.