Seeking Baptism in the Spirit (3)
A Sermon on John 1:26-33
Originally preached May 16, 1965
Scripture
26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where …
Sermon Description
What does it mean to seek baptism of the Spirit? In this sermon titled “Seeking Baptism in the Spirit (3),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches from John 1:26–33 to encourage Christians that they must seek baptism of the Spirit. By this, he means to seek the salvation of God both in justification and sanctification. God justifies completely upon conversion but His wondrous and purging sanctification will last a lifetime until being made perfect before His throne upon death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones exhorts that many Christians seek growth and baptism of the Spirit spasmodically, in that they pray only seasonally. God often grows His people only after driving them to the point of despair so that they may see their inadequacy in comparison to His glorious completeness. What Dr. Lloyd-Jones instructs is that the Christian ought to seek the Lord constantly in their prayers and be consistent and patient with the way in which God brings about growth – after all, God’s ways are not their ways. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also has a word on reading biographies as they are meant to stimulate the reader to seek God, not motivate them to seek the same experience as others. The saints of old can teach what it means to love the Lord.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon is focused on how to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Lloyd-Jones establishes that this is a separate experience from regeneration that believers should seek.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that we must be prepared for "surprises" and difficulties when seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the Spirit of truth and holiness, so He will reveal sin and darkness in our hearts as we seek Him. This can be a painful process.
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We must let the Holy Spirit lead us wherever He chooses. We cannot dictate to God how He should work in our lives. We must follow Him even into difficult places.
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We must be persistent and urgent in seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Faint or half-hearted seeking will not avail. We must continue seeking until we receive.
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At the same time, we must be patient. We cannot dictate to God when He will pour out His Spirit. We must wait on His timing. Impatience shows we are not yet ready to receive.
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We should read accounts of how God has worked in the lives of other believers. This encourages our faith and shows us what is possible. However, we must seek to have our own experience of the Spirit's power, not just live vicariously through the experiences of others.
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"Tarrying meetings" where believers gather to seek the Spirit's outpouring can be helpful, but we must be careful not to dictate to God or set deadlines for Him to work. We must avoid emotionalism and remain submitted to God's sovereignty.
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God will grant the desires He has placed in our hearts according to His timing. We must continue seeking Him patiently and persistently. He will pour out His Spirit on those who long for 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.