A Right Judgement
A Sermon on Right Judgement from John 7:19-24
Originally preached June 21, 1959
Scripture
19Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? 20The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? 21Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one …
Sermon Description
What is at the heart of unbelief? In this sermon on right judgement from John 7:19–24, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders constantly oppose Jesus. They claim He is a false teacher who breaks the law of God by healing the sick and lame. Jesus’s response to these claims is to point out the Jewish leaders’ utter hypocrisy. They claim to follow the law, but they care more about their traditions than the sick and weak in society. They do not understand that the law is about loving one’s neighbor, not legalism. Jesus is wholly the opposite of all the hypocrisy of false religion, for He tells that true religion is about loving God and neighbor. It is not superficial law keeping. Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells that the answer to all false religion and unbelief is true faith in Jesus. Jesus and His kingdom are not simply about making the world a better place, but it is about eternal salvation and reconciliation with God. This sermon calls all to see Jesus for who He is: the Savior of the world and the source of all true blessings in this life. Jesus calls all to believe in His name for salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
- Our Lord is continuing his examination and exposure of the Jewish authorities who disparaged him.
- While the Jews thought they were examining Jesus, he was actually examining them. It is dangerous to come near Jesus because he examines us.
- Jesus knows us in a way that no one else does. He knew the Jews wanted to kill him even though the people didn't realize it.
- Jesus knows the heart. He sees the hidden, unrevealed things in us that no one else sees.
- The Jews didn't realize Jesus knew their innermost thoughts and desires. We must be careful what we say about Jesus because he knows all about us.
- If we've truly seen Jesus, we will be humble, silent, reverent, and careful in his presence. We will look up to him, not down on him.
- Jesus tells us unbelief is always hypocritical and dishonest. The Jews claimed to honor the law but didn't keep it. Unbelievers today talk about God but don't do anything about him.
- Unbelief always misses the real spirit of the matter and gets bogged down in irrelevant details. The Jews missed that Jesus healed a man and only saw that he did it on the Sabbath.
- Unbelief is always utterly superficial. The Jews judged Jesus based only on outward appearances. Unbelievers today dismiss Christianity based on superficial reasons.
- We must not judge according to outward appearances but make a righteous judgment based on all the facts. We must consider Jesus, his works, his claims, prophecy, and the impact of belief in him.
- The only explanation that fits all the facts is that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. We must fall at his feet, look to him, learn from him, believe in him, and give ourselves to 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.