The Unbeliever
A Sermon on John 7:6
Originally preached April 19, 1959
Scripture
6Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
Sermon Description
“My time has not yet come.” This simple phrase uttered by Jesus describes the vast chasm that exists between the unbeliever and the follower of Christ. In this sermon on John 7:6 titled “The Unbeliever,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the depth of Jesus’s words. The context for this statement comes as Jesus’s brothers are preparing to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths. Jesus announces that he will not be going up to the feast and His brothers react to Jesus’s announcement with the typical unbelieving mindset. They thought that if Jesus in fact had a message that would change the world, the feast is the perfect opportunity to reveal Himself. However, this is worldly thinking. Jesus exposes their earthly ambitions by telling them that “for you any time will do.” A worldly message delivered to worldly fallen sinners is always available. But Jesus, His message, and His mission are under a divine timetable. The Triune God of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is on a divine mission to reconcile sinners through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and nothing will stand in the way of that mission or its perfect timing. Therefore, in this message, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones challenges all to turn from worldly thinking and belief, and receive Christ for the forgiveness of sin.
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus claims to be unique from all of mankind. He makes a distinction between "my time" and "your time".
- Jesus has come into the world to carry out a plan determined by God before the foundation of the world. Everything he says and does is according to this plan.
- The plan Jesus has come to fulfill is completely different from what the world expects or understands. It is not a social or political scheme but rather the incarnation, redemption, and regeneration.
- The world does not understand or like Jesus' message. The world hates it. Christianity does not combine with the things of the world.
- Jesus carried out God's plan in spite of the world's unbelief, misunderstanding, and sin. He did it for the sake of unbelievers.
- God's way of salvation does not depend on our understanding but rather on His grace, love, and glory. We need the Holy Spirit to understand it.
- The natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit. We need to be born again.
- Jesus' time refers to God's perfect plan of redemption and salvation. Our time refers to the world's way of thinking which is always ready to be received.
- Jesus did not join in the processions and ways of the world. He did not march with atheists, skeptics or blasphemers.
- Jesus went to the cross alone. All his disciples forsook him but he continued in obedience to fulfill God's plan.
- God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He died even for His enemies.
- We should glory in God's plan of redemption and the cross of Christ. We should be thankful for Jesus' obedience in fulfilling God's plan for our salvation.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Jesus Mean by "My Time is Not Yet Come" in John 7:6?
What did Jesus mean when He said "My time is not yet come" in John 7:6?
When Jesus said "My time is not yet come" in John 7:6, He was indicating that He was operating according to a divine timetable. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus was revealing that none of His actions were haphazard or accidental, but rather followed a precise plan established by God before the foundation of the world. Jesus was indicating that the specific timing of His public revelation, and ultimately His death, was predetermined. Unlike His brothers who could go to Jerusalem whenever they pleased, Jesus could only act according to this divine schedule.
What is the difference between Jesus' time and our time according to John 7:6?
The difference between Jesus' time and our time is profound. Lloyd-Jones explains that when Jesus said "your time is always ready," He was highlighting a fundamental contrast. Our human agendas and messages are always acceptable to the world because they operate on the world's wavelength. The world readily understands and receives human philosophies, political ideas, and social reforms. But Christ's message is utterly unique—it comes from heaven, operates on God's timetable, and brings something the world neither expects nor naturally understands. His message of incarnation, redemption, and regeneration stands apart from all human messages.
Why did Jesus seem to contradict Himself about going to the feast in John 7?
The apparent contradiction of Jesus first refusing to go to the feast but then going anyway is resolved by understanding God's timing. Initially, Jesus refused to go up publicly with His brothers because doing so would have led to His premature arrest and execution before His appointed time of death. Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus eventually went "not openly, but as it were, in secret" because He was following the divine timetable. These seemingly contradictory actions were actually consistent with His purpose to fulfill God's redemptive plan at precisely the right moment, not before and not after.
How does unbelief respond to Jesus according to John 7?
According to Lloyd-Jones' analysis of John 7, unbelief responds to Jesus with criticism, self-confidence, and advice-giving. We see this in how Jesus' own brothers, who did not believe in Him, criticized His ministry strategy and presumed to tell Him what He should do. Unbelief is "baffled" by Jesus—unable to understand His person or His actions. The unbeliever tries to judge Jesus by human standards rather than listening to Him. Lloyd-Jones notes that unbelief's fundamental error is that it "tries to understand" from its own perspective rather than humbly receiving revelation.
What is the primary message of Christianity according to Lloyd-Jones' sermon on John 7:6?
Lloyd-Jones emphatically states that the primary message of Christianity is not a social scheme, political program, or ethical system. Rather, it centers on three unique realities: 1) The Incarnation—God's Son entering the world in human flesh; 2) Redemption—Christ taking our sins upon Himself and bearing their punishment on the cross; and 3) Regeneration—giving humans a new birth and nature. These realities are utterly unique and cannot be understood or appreciated by the natural mind. Lloyd-Jones warns against reducing Christianity to merely social or political activism, which he says is a fundamental misunderstanding of its message.
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the cross of Christ in his sermon on John 7:6?
Lloyd-Jones explains that the cross of Christ was not an accident or the result of political machinations, but the fulfillment of God's eternal plan. He states: "The death of the Lord Jesus Christ on that cross on Calvary's hill was not an accident... This wasn't the result of the machinations of the people and the jealousy and bitterness... That is something that was determined in that eternal council and plan of God before the foundation of the world." Christ came specifically to die as "the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world" at precisely the appointed time.
Why do people often misunderstand Christianity according to this sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, people misunderstand Christianity because they approach it from a worldly perspective. They try to judge it by human standards rather than listening to Christ's own explanation. Many view Christianity merely as an ethical teaching or social program rather than recognizing its supernatural character. Lloyd-Jones states: "The natural mind receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for it is foolishness unto them." This misunderstanding persists because Christianity belongs to a different order—it's not in series with human philosophies but comes from above with a message of incarnation, redemption, and regeneration.
What is the first step toward salvation according to Lloyd-Jones?
The first step toward salvation, according to Lloyd-Jones, is being silenced and beginning to truly listen to Christ. He states: "The first thing that happens to us when we're on the road to salvation is that we are silenced. And we rarely begin to think and to listen to what is being said for the first time." He contrasts this with the natural human tendency to do all the talking, expressing prejudices, and defending positions without genuinely listening. True salvation begins when we stop trying to fit Christ into our understanding and instead allow Him to explain Himself to us.
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.