The Example of Nicodemus
A Sermon on John 3:9
Originally preached Jan. 9, 1966
Scripture
9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Sermon Description
Who is able to see and understand spiritual truths? According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his sermon “The Example by Nicodemus,” it is only those who have the Spirit. This is seen in Jesus’s encounter with Nicodemus in John 3:9. Jesus repeatedly refers to spiritual truths, such as the Holy Spirit’s power of salvation and the necessity of the new birth. But Nicodemus is unable to understand that Jesus is referring to spiritual truths and not simply physical ones. In this, the great error of humanity can be seen in the attempt to understand all things according to human reason and intellect. Yet the Bible shows the folly of this, for only those who are truly saved can perceive the nature of spiritual reality. Even then, it is by faith that they believe, not by their own intellect. This means that believers and unbelievers alike can never rely on their own abilities to understand God, the world, and themselves, but they must rely on the revelation of God and the illumination of the Holy Spirit to overcome the sinful blindness. For, as this sermon on Nicodemus points out, it is only by God’s grace that He can be known as Lord and Savior.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon examines John 3:9-13 and Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus.
- The central message of John's gospel is eternal life through Christ. This is the "fullness of his grace."
- The sermon focuses on the obstacles that prevent us from receiving the fullness of Christ's grace. The main obstacle is intellectual pride and reliance on human understanding.
- Jesus rebukes Nicodemus for not understanding "earthly things" like the wind, which represents spiritual things. If we can't grasp earthly illustrations, how can we understand "heavenly things"?
- "Heavenly things" refer to deep spiritual truths like the Trinity, God's glory, and the mystery of redemption. These transcend human understanding.
- No one has ascended to heaven except Christ, who descended from heaven. He alone has seen and known the Father. We must rely on Christ's testimony, not human understanding.
- We limit God's grace by trying to fit it into our limited understanding. God's grace is infinite and transcends our comprehension.
- True Christianity is about knowing God, not just believing facts about him or living morally. It is a relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit.
- We should avoid limiting the possibilities of the Christian life. We can be filled with the fullness of God and comprehend the breadth and length and height of Christ's love, which surpasses knowledge.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones appeals to the congregation to pursue a deeper knowledge of God and experience of "heavenly things." This will transform our lives and the church.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Understanding Divine Mysteries
What is the supreme hindrance to receiving the fullness of God's grace according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the supreme hindrance to receiving the fullness of God's grace is "pride of intellect and confidence in understanding." He states this explicitly in his sermon, saying, "The supreme hindrance to our receiving the fullness of this life is pride of intellect and confidence in understanding. That is the greatest enemy in these spiritual matters from beginning to end." He explains that this obstacle prevented Nicodemus from entering into spiritual life and continues to prevent Christians from experiencing the full riches of Christ.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the significance of Nicodemus' question "How can these things be?"
Dr. Lloyd-Jones sees Nicodemus' question "How can these things be?" as revealing the fundamental human desire to fully comprehend spiritual matters before believing them. He explains that this question represents "this desire that is within us always to understand." This approach creates a barrier to faith because it places human understanding as a prerequisite for belief. Lloyd-Jones states that this is "the common position and argument put forward by the man who's not a Christian at all," but it also affects believers who limit their experience of God to what they can fully comprehend.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "earthly things" versus "heavenly things"?
In his sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "earthly things" refer to the observable manifestations of spiritual realities in the world - like the illustration Jesus gave about the wind (we see its effects but don't understand how it works), or the visible transformation in Christian lives. "Heavenly things," by contrast, refer to the deeper spiritual mysteries such as:
- The Trinity - "Three persons, yet only one God"
- The glory of God and heaven
- The scheme and plan of redemption
- The person of Christ himself - "God and man, two natures in one person and yet unmixed"
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that if we cannot understand even the "earthly things," we certainly cannot comprehend the "heavenly things" which are infinitely beyond human understanding.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the danger of limiting the gospel to human understanding?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that limiting the gospel to human understanding is "perhaps the greatest sin in the Christian church at the present time." He describes this danger in several ways:
- "We reduce this infinite, glorious, everlasting gospel to the measure of our understanding"
- People "throw out the miraculous and supernatural" because they can't comprehend it
- Christians interpret Scripture "in terms of their little experience, instead of judging their experience by the teaching of the scriptures"
- This creates a "nice and neat" Christianity where "nothing unusual must happen"
The result is that Christians fail to experience the "exceeding riches of God's grace" and the "unsearchable riches of Christ" that are promised in Scripture.
What is the proper response to divine mysteries according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the proper response to divine mysteries is humble submission rather than intellectual understanding. He states, "There's only one thing to do, it is to submit in utter ignorance and helplessness and hopelessness to this one who is speaking."
He quotes Isaac Watts' hymn: "Where reason fails with all her powers, there faith prevails and love adores." Rather than demanding comprehension, we should:
- "Drop your petty little understanding" that "can't even understand earthly things"
- Receive Christ's witness and testimony as the one who "has come from heaven"
- Allow the Holy Spirit to give us spiritual understanding and lift us "into the realm of heavenly things"
- Not set limits to "the possibility of the Christian life"
Lloyd-Jones concludes by urging believers to seek communion with God beyond mere intellectual assent to doctrines.
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.