Rejoice in the Lord
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Originally preached May 7, 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
The Christian is much more than a moral, good man because he has received goodness, and a final and full satisfaction. In this sermon on John 4: 13-14 titled “Rejoice in the Lord,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes a close look at the joy and satisfaction that the Holy Spirit gives to Christians. He begins by emphasizing that all non-Christian men continuously seek emotional satisfaction that philosophy fails to give them, however Christians experience this satisfaction because the Holy Spirit has given it to them. Thus, Christians exclaim, “rejoice in the lord always and again I say rejoice”. In this sermon on rejoicing in the Lord, Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives examples of Christians who have had this “joy unspeakable” and have shown this joy through their writing, preaching, and hymns. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also emphasizes that all Christian’s have experienced this unspeakable joy, but it has changed peoples life’s differently. Christian faith does not produce a universal type, although all Christians undergo the same universal process. Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by saying that the Christian response to the Holy Spirit’s workings should be to have joy, satisfaction, and to “rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice”(Philippians 4:4).
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus offers living water that satisfies fully and eternally.
- This living water represents the gospel which provides intellectual, emotional, and spiritual satisfaction.
- The gospel provides intellectual satisfaction by answering life's deepest questions.
- The gospel also provides emotional satisfaction, though we must avoid extremes of emotionalism and stoicism.
- Emotional satisfaction is taught throughout the Bible, from the Psalms to the New Testament. The early church and great Christian leaders like Luther, Calvin, and Wesley also emphasized it.
- This satisfaction is offered to all, though it is expressed in different ways based on factors like temperament.
- There are variations in how we experience and express this satisfaction, even within individuals. But we must not quench the Spirit.
- We access this living water through Scripture, where we find Christ, and through the Holy Spirit.
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.