For Me to Live is Christ (1)
A Sermon on John 1:16
Originally preached May 24, 1964
Scripture
16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Sermon Description
What does it mean for someone to say “to live is Christ”? In this sermon titled “For Me to Live is Christ (1),” regarding John 1:16, Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on where the Christian’s joy is found. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the futile unbelievers’ mindset is a pursuit of one’s own joy and happiness through selfish means that does not satisfy the soul. Living for Christ’s glory, however, is the deepest and most fulfilling of all pursuits. Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that to be a Christian is not only to believe the truth about God, but also to receive Christ’s fullness. A person can receive of this fullness by repenting of sins and placing faith in Christ. Through this wonderful act, Christ imputes and imparts His righteousness to the Christian’s account, thereby declaring them justified before God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells that the secret of deep joy in Christian living is the mind of Christ. Referencing Paul’s writing in Philippians 2, Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells his listeners a marvelous truth, namely that Christ has given His mind upon the Christian’s salvation. With this Spirit-empowered perspective, the Christian can live for God’s glory with strength and fullness.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text is John 1:16 - "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace."
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones has been examining this verse in detail since last October. This verse summarizes what it means to be a Christian.
- Christians have received Christ's fullness through grace. Nothing less could save us.
- The incarnation and crucifixion were necessary for us to receive Christ's fullness.
- We must examine ourselves to see if we have truly received Christ's fullness.
- Paul's life provides a glimpse into receiving Christ's fullness. Philippians 1:21 - "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
- Paul says this to contrast himself with others preaching out of envy and strife.
- To Paul, living meant Christ and dying meant being with Christ. Either way, Christ was central.
- We must ask ourselves what life means to us and what keeps us going. For Paul, life was Christ.
- When Paul says "to me to live is Christ," he means Christ is everything to him. Christ is all in all.
- Paul was "Christ intoxicated." Christ dominated his entire life and being.
- We must examine if Christ dominates our lives like He did Paul's. This is the difference between true faith and empty religion.
- If Christ is our life, self is no longer our life. We no longer live for ourselves or the world.
- Our lives are not centered on our own activities but on Christ.
- To Paul, life with Christ meant thinking, feeling, desiring, and acting centered on Christ.
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.