Knowing Christ
A Sermon on John 1:19-26
Originally preached Oct. 4, 1964
Scripture
19¶ And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he …
Sermon Description
How do Christians today compare to those in the days of the apostles? Do their lives reflect the fullness of God’s grace and forgiveness? These are important questions which are relevant for today’s day and time. The greatest need of the present time is for Christians to go back to living in light of being children of God and receivers of His full grace. Listen to “Knowing Christ” as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers this question through John 1:19–26 and the life of John the Baptist. In order to live in the fullness of God, Christians must have a strong foundation in knowing the person of their Lord and His work. They must know Jesus, not simply as a man or a prophet, but as Lord and Savior, the Son of God. This knowledge must not merely be head knowledge, but a God-given revelation that changes hearts. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains this through the life of John the Baptist, it took the revelation of God to reveal to John the knowledge of Christ as Lord. The Christian also can come to this knowledge of Christ and live as those who reflect the fullness of the Lord.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by introducing the passage from John 1:19-26 which describes John the Baptist's testimony about Jesus.
- The sermon outlines two main sources of trouble in understanding Jesus and receiving his fullness: regarding Jesus as merely a man and failing to fully realize the truth about him and what he can do.
- The sermon says the first source of trouble is regarding Jesus as a prophet like John the Baptist, Elijah or Moses rather than the Son of God. This reduces Jesus to a man and religious teacher rather than the divine savior.
- The sermon says the second source of trouble is failing to truly know Jesus in a personal, spiritual sense. John the Baptist knew Jesus physically but did not fully know him until God revealed Jesus' true nature to him.
- The sermon says John the Baptist's testimony shows Jesus is the Son of God, not just a man. John was unworthy to even untie Jesus' sandals.
- The sermon says John the Baptist's testimony shows Jesus pre-existed John and all creation. Though born after John, Jesus was "before" John in eternity.
- The sermon says John the Baptist's testimony shows Jesus was anointed by God at his baptism in the Jordan River. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, showing he is the Messiah.
- The sermon says John the Baptist's testimony shows Jesus is the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system. His death provides atonement and forgiveness of sins.
- The sermon concludes by saying we must be clear on Jesus' divine identity as the Son of God and his atoning work as the Lamb of God to receive the fullness of his grace. We find rest from sin and new life in 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.