The Gifts of the Spirit (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
As with every controversy in the church, one side pushes and another side emerges and wants to push back equally hard. It is difficult to find the right balance in the midst of such controversy. The gifts of the Holy Spirit—and specifically whether or not signs, wonders, and miracles should be expected in the church—is one of the most controversial topics of the past fifty years. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones not only boldly enters into the controversy, but he strikes the right balance in the midst. In this sermon on John 1:26–33 titled “The Gifts of the Spirit (2),” Dr. Lloyd-Jones continues his response against those Christians who argue that the gifts of the Spirit ended after the apostolic age. He deals with common objections, noting the lack of biblical evidence, as well as the flaws in argumentation. The balance by Dr. Lloyd-Jones is struck as he objects to Christians who say miracles would be more common if only the church had enough faith. Moreover, the church needs to “claim” these miracles. Soberly, Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws attention to the sovereignty of the Spirit and rejects any ability within humanity to “claim” a special and unusual work of God. Listen and learn about the sovereignty of the Spirit and the need for Him to work 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.