Emotion and Emotionalism
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Originally preached April 30, 1967
Scripture
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting …
Sermon Description
Where is joy found for Christians? In this sermon on John 4:13–14 titled “Emotion and Emotionalism,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows how a joy that is simply based on emotions is not the joy that Christ gives. True and lasting joy comes about when Christians put their trust in Jesus and come to a full assurance of salvation. Knowing that God is wholly for His people in the sending of His Son to die for them is what gives Christians hope in this life. This assurance of joy is not simply the result of emotions, but it gives a true basis for emotions. There is nothing to fear from emotions in themselves, but only the misunderstanding of emotions in the Christian life. Cults and false religious teachers often appeal to emotions to gain converts and control them; this is wholly opposed to the truths of the gospel that provide a basis for true joy in the life of Christians. True emotions can be expressed many ways for Christians, provided that they have a basis in God’s truth. This sermon is a comfort for all who are searching for joy because it proclaims Christ as the true and lasting hope.
Sermon Breakdown
- A mere ascent to the truth or the adoption of certain principles and teaching does not make us Christian.
- There is a danger of confusing the true Christian position with believism plus sentimentality.
- Believism plus sentimentality does not make a Christian. Believism plus an ecstatic emotionalism doesn't constitute Christianity.
- The Christian position affects the whole men - the head, the heart, and the will.
- We must differentiate between the satisfaction that our Lord gives to the heart and emotionalism. Emotionalism regards emotion as an end in itself and concentrates entirely on the immersion.
- True emotion always results from truth. Emotionalism makes a direct assault upon the feelings, often ignoring the intellect.
- Emotionalism always has an element of loss of control and excess. True emotion is invigorating and leads to action.
- The early Church conquered the world through their sheer joyfulness. They were a rejoicing and praising people.
- The Apostle Paul's epistles demonstrate tremendous emotion in addition to logical reasoning. His emotion is the result of the truth that moved him.
- According to 1 Corinthians 13, without love, all else is useless. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
- We must ask ourselves if we have been moved by the truth. Does what we believe thrill us and move us to the depth of our being? Is our heart engaged along with our mind and will?
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.