A More Excellent Sacrifice
A Sermon on John 1:12-13
Originally preached June 9, 1963
Scripture
12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Sermon Description
The Christian is meant to know that they are the child of God. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones elaborates that there are two types of assurance: the test of faith and the test of the Christian walk. In this sermon on John 1:12–13 and Hebrews 11 called “A More Excellent Sacrifice,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones examines both tests in regard to the example of Cain and Abel. He describes how Cain and Abel relied on two separate sources for authority. While Cain relied on his own merit and reasoning, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice and relied on faith. This is still true of humanity today. There are two sources of authority in the world: reliance on deeds, rationale, or penitence to appease the wrath of the almighty God or relying by faith on the sacrifice of Christ to appease God and present the Christian as righteous. The Christian can ask themselves if they, by faith, submit themselves to the holy Scriptures, and are perceived by the world to rely on Scripture and are accused of taking religion too seriously. These are very likely signs that the Christian relies on Christ as their Savior and Lord.
Sermon Breakdown
- There are two main types of worshippers: True worshippers (like Abel) and false worshippers (like Cain).
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The differences between the two types of worshippers:
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Authority: True worshippers worship God through faith by obeying His Word. False worshippers worship God through self by following their own reasoning and opinions.
- Spirit: True worshippers worship God with a sincere heart. False worshippers worship God in a formal and external manner without heart involvement.
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Understanding: True worshippers understand that they are sinners in need of a sacrifice and Savior. False worshippers believe that their own good works are enough to please God.
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God accepts true worshippers but rejects false worshippers. True worshippers receive assurance and joy from God. False worshippers never receive true assurance and their happiness is short-lived.
- True worshippers may face persecution from false worshippers, but they can endure through trials because of their assurance of salvation. Nothing can separate them from the love of God.
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.