The Gift of God
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Originally preached Jan. 8, 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 Christian gospel holds out a hope for everyone who has received the gift of God. Do you know the gift of God? In this sermon on John 4:13-14 titled “the gift of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells of the satisfaction that God can give to an otherwise hopeless man. He firstly explains that in order to see that we are hopeless without Christ, we have to examine ourselves and realize how much we depend on activities and worldly things instead of God. The world is in total darkness and despair, not knowing its own need for salvation. It pursues nothing but pleasure and the fleeting pleasures of this life. Not even the most complex philosophies offer any lasting satisfaction. All this comes to nothing because on the last day Christ will return and judge those who do not know Him as Lord and Savior. Unless we see our worldly sin, then we cannot receive the wonderful gift of God that he offers freely to us. Then he explains that in order to receive the gift of God and a new life, you have to understand that you need Jesus and the world cannot satisfy your needs. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman “if only you knew the gift of God” and Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this gift is the exceeding riches of his grace and the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- We must realize our true need. Our deepest need is for ultimate rest of the soul, final peace and quiet, confidence and assurance.
- We have to realize this need cannot be satisfied by the world. The world can only provide temporary relief and satisfaction. It cannot satisfy us completely.
- We must realize the possibilities of the Christian life. We must not limit the gospel to our own experiences. The Christian life offers unsearchable riches in Christ.
- We must understand "the gift of God" refers to all the blessings available through Christ. It is not just forgiveness of sins but includes growth and development in Christ.
- We must understand "living water" means life-giving, enlivening, stimulating, and invigorating. It is always fresh, not static. It lasts and springs up into everlasting life.
- We must ask ourselves if we have this living water - do we have life, vigor, power, and readiness to face challenges through Christ?
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Living Water: Questions and Answers
What is the "true need" that Dr. Lloyd-Jones says we must realize in our lives?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, our true need is "this ultimate rest of the soul, this final peace and quiet and confidence and assurance, this ability to stand in the midst of life with all that is happening and all that may happen and know exactly where we are because of our relationship to him." He emphasizes that while we are all aware of many needs and desires, we often miss our fundamental, central need of the soul.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain Jesus' statement "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this statement highlights the insufficiency of everything the world offers. He says the world can only give "temporary relief" and "never complete and never fully satisfying" experiences. Even at its best, worldly satisfaction is partial, addressing perhaps the mind or the heart, but never the whole person. The preacher states, "Even at its best and at its very highest, it never deals with the whole problem. Why? Well, because it never deals with the whole of the self."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say that humans cannot be satisfied by the world?
He explains that humans cannot be satisfied by the world because of our nature - we are made in God's image and are "too big for this world." As he puts it: "Man is too big for this. He's bigger than the universe. He's been made in the image of God. He's bigger than mountains, he's bigger than seas... He's made for God. He's too big for the world. And the world cannot satisfy him." He references Augustine's famous quote: "Thou hast made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the "gift of God" that Jesus refers to?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the "gift of God" is "everything that God has made possible for us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ." He emphasizes that it's not merely forgiveness of sins or making a decision to become a Christian - "that's the mere beginning." Rather, it encompasses "all the riches of his wisdom and his grace and his knowledge" and "the exceeding riches of his grace" that God has stored up in Christ.
What characteristics does Dr. Lloyd-Jones attribute to the "living water" Jesus offers?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the living water as: 1. Life-giving, enlivening, stimulating, and invigorating 2. Always fresh - "not static water" but flowing "constantly with its new stream" 3. Something that lasts - "Whosoever shall drink of this water shall thirst again, but not with this other" 4. Something that "springs up into everlasting life" with never a shortage or drought
What warning does Dr. Lloyd-Jones give to Christians about their spiritual life?
He warns Christians against merely living in a compartmentalized faith where Christianity is just one segment of their lives rather than central. He cautions: "The danger that I'm trying to indicate is the danger of having our christian faith as just a compartment in our lives... But the danger is to put it into a compartment. We've settled that... But now the danger is that we go on living the remainder of our lives and perhaps the bulk of our lives apart from that."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the problem of self that humans face?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the problem of self as the core issue humans face. He uses the biblical story of Jacob being "left alone" to illustrate this reality that we all experience. He states: "And every one of us is left alone. There is that about every one of us which was true of Jacob on that occasion... all that we have and all that the world has given us or can never give us can never deal with this problem of the self. I myself, my whole life, my future, here I am. I stand alone."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the failure of humanism?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that humanism fails most "at the center of life." While humanists may engage in intellectual pursuits and thought, they eventually reach a point where they're incapable of continuing these activities and are "left to themselves." He notes: "You can't live on your interests, you can't live on your abilities, because they're all bound to come to an end. And in any case, they never give you this complete satisfaction."
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.