Scripture

Sermon Description

What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Is it a saving experience? In Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s exposition of John 1:26–33 titled “The Spirit’s Power in the Church,” he expounds on the outward biblical markers of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and argues for its essential (but not salvific) need in the church. He notes this need because the only true knowledge of God comes through the Holy Spirit. After discussing the internal markers of being baptized by the Holy Spirit (such as a sense of God’s holiness, humility, assurance of the love of God, etc.) in the previous sermon, he moves on to address the outward. First, he argues that a Biblical marker is often a physical phenomenon, such as a shining face. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones notes stories such as Stephen and Moses, and also recounts stories in church history. Second, he argues that baptism can be seen through the power dispensed to men and women in private conversations and preaching. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones bemoans the academic preaching that surrounds the church and notes that the disciples had all the facts when Jesus ascended, but Jesus knew they needed the Holy Spirit. He ends with asking the listener: “do you know anything of this power?”