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Sermon #1013

Renewal of the Mind

A Sermon on John 1:12-13

Originally preached March 17, 1963

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Scripture

John 1:12-13 ESV KJV
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (ESV)

Sermon Description

Christ died not only to forgive the Christian’s sin but also make them into children of God. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues discussing the tests of faith for the Christian in John 1:12–13 and gives the positive test that the Christian not only puts off sin but puts on righteousness. He specifically hones in on the renewing of the mind that every Christian experiences. The Christian is to be mortifying sin but the work is not complete there; they are also to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. Dr. Lloyd-Jones illustrates and explains how the Christian’s mind is set on heavenly things while the unbeliever’s mind is set on the desires of the flesh. Dr. Lloyd-Jones not only admonishes Christians to be renewed in their minds but also encourages that they are born of God because they are being renewed and led by the Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of the body. Furthermore, Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds and encourages the Christian that the world is still living with minds conformed to the pattern of this world, but the Christian’s mind is set free to be set on the glories of Christ.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. We must know we are children of God through faith in Christ. This is the greatest gift of salvation.
  2. It's important we are certain of this truth. Our relationship to the Son, the Father and the Spirit are key to this.
  3. One test is whether we are led by the Spirit. The Spirit leads us to mortify the deeds of the body.
  4. We looked at mortification of sin negatively last week. Now we'll look at it positively.
  5. We build up resistance to sin by thinking spiritually. We renew our minds and know God's will.
  6. We must know the ultimate purpose of salvation is to be conformed to Christ's image. Not just forgiveness or happiness.
  7. We must understand our position spiritually. We are new creatures, born of God, dead to sin, and destined for glory.
  8. We must reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. Recognize the truth of our position in Christ.
  9. We must live up to our position and destiny in Christ. Purify ourselves as He is pure. Do our duty.
  10. We must start each day focused on our identity in Christ, not on avoiding sin. We belong to God's kingdom.
  11. Let your light shine as a child of God. Don't conform to the world but be transformed in your mind.

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.