The Head of the New Humanity
A Sermon on John 1:50-51
Originally preached Oct. 21, 1956
Scripture
50Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of …
Sermon Description
What does it mean that Jesus is the head of new humanity? In this sermon on John 1:50–51 titled “The Head of the New Humanity,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the great truth that Jesus is the new Adam who has come to restore humanity to fellowship with God. Just as all of humanity fell into sin because of Adam, now all who believe in Jesus are made a part of the new humanity. This is why Jesus tells the disciples that He is the Son of Man. Jesus is the new and better man. Jesus Christ is the only way for fallen sinners to be restored with God; He is the only way to the Father. The gospels are clear that Jesus as the Son of Man means that He is for all of humanity, not only the Jews. But this also means that Jesus is the only way to God. God has appointed no other means of salvation than through His Son. There is no message more important than the message of the gospel. All are in dire need to be saved from their sins, and it is only Jesus that can fill this need. Jesus alone is the new and better man.
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus answered Nathaniel's confession by saying he will see greater things.
- Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" which is a reference to Daniel 7 where the Son of Man is given dominion over all people. Jesus is claiming to be that figure.
- As the Son of Man, Jesus is claiming to be the seed of the woman promised in Genesis 3:15 to defeat the serpent. He is the new Adam, the head of a new humanity.
- Jesus is not just the King of Israel but the King of all humanity. He came to save all people, not just the Jews.
- The story of Jacob's ladder is a picture of Jesus as the link between heaven and earth. Jesus is the ladder between God and man.
- Jesus is the only way for God's blessings to come to humanity. Jesus is the only way to be saved and know God.
- We must come to see that we can only be saved through Jesus. He is the only ladder between heaven and earth.
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.