The Spirit of Your Mind
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
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
What is the ultimate experience in this life? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains in this sermon from John 4:13–14 titled “The Spirit of Your Mind” that to know and love God is the highest end in life, and it is the only way of salvation from sin and condemnation. However, the presence of sin keeps humanity from knowing God and his gospel. It stops all from believing in Jesus Christ. It is only by regeneration that fallen men and women can be granted eyes of faith that are able to properly see God, and only by receiving a new nature can they truly know God. This creates an antithesis between fallen sinners who remain slaves to their sinful nature, and those who have been given a new nature by their union with Christ. In brief, Christians seek what is good, holy, and pure as a pattern of life. This desire for righteousness is not dead religion, but new life in Jesus Christ. Those in Christ can fight against sin and temptation, not because they are holy in themselves, but because they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to have victory over sin’s power and influence. Christians can have hope in eventual glorification because Christ has risen from the dead and given them the gift of salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus offers living water that becomes a well within us springing up into eternal life. This is the gift of God given through Jesus.
- This living water produces a radical change in our lives. It changes our entire personality - our mind, heart, and will.
- It gives us a new mind and understanding. We now know the truth about Jesus, ourselves, sin, salvation, and more. We see the inevitability of these truths.
- Our hearts are now engaged with these truths. We feel and are moved by them. We rejoice in them. They are not grievous to us.
- Our wills are now free and we desire to obey God. We are no longer in bondage to sin. We want to please God and show our gratitude to Him.
- This change is a profound and radical one. It gives us a new disposition that governs all of our faculties.
- We must examine ourselves to see if this change has taken place in us. Do we have this living water producing new life within us?
- There are degrees of maturity in the Christian life but this radical change must be present for us to be Christians at all.
- Christianity is experimental - it is something we know and experience. It is not just theoretical.
- This life in us is always closely associated with Jesus Himself. He is the gift of God and the one who gives us this living water.
- This life manifests itself in our entire personality - our mind, heart, and will. There is a profound change in each area.
- In our minds, we now know the truth and see its inevitability. We have the mind of Christ.
- In our hearts, our feelings and emotions are now engaged with these truths. We feel their wonder, beauty, and power.
- In our wills, we now desire to obey God. We are free from the bondage of sin and want to please Him.
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.