The Spirits Power in The Church
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
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?”
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.