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Sermon #1012

The Way of Sanctification

A Sermon on John 1:12-13

Originally preached March 10, 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

How does a Christian walk by the Spirit? How do they destroy sin by the power of the Spirit? In this sermon on John 1:12-13 titled “The Way of Sanctification,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones identifies the hatred of sin as a primary characteristic of sanctification. It is vital and essential for a Christian to mortify - to put to death - the sin continuing to reside in their bodies. The Spirit leads them to put sin to death and also provides the power to do it. It is only through his enabling power that the Christian can avoid sin and recognize its foul and utter darkness. In fact, if a Christian puts themself in the way of sin, admonishes the Doctor, they should not be surprised when they are caught in sin. Three truths help the believe walk practically by the Spirit in the way of sanctification. First, realize and acknowledge the foulness of sin and God’s hatred for it. The works of darkness are unprofitable and unfruitful. Second, the believer must frequently preach to themselves the truth of the gospel. And third, they must reject sin in total when it first appears.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The main object of Jesus coming into the world was to make us children of God.
  2. Nothing is more important than being assured that we are children of God.
  3. The epistles were written to reassure people of their position in Christ.
  4. Any doubt about Christ or our position removes assurance. Assurance is essential to living the Christian life and manifesting God's glory.
  5. We are examining how we can be sure we are led by the Spirit. One way is by mortifying sin and the deeds of the body.
  6. We must mortify sin and not be passive. The Spirit enables us but we must act.
  7. We must realize the true nature of sin. Sin and God are opposites. We must hate sin.
  8. Have no fellowship with sin or unfruitful works of darkness. Avoid even the appearance of evil.
  9. Put off the old self and old way of living. We must preach to ourselves about the old self and put it away.
  10. Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul. This includes lusts of the mind and body.
  11. Keep under the body and bring it into subjection. The body can negatively influence the soul so we must control it.
  12. Make no provision for the flesh. Don't give sin any encouragement or opportunity. Starve the flesh.
  13. Nip sin in the bud. Reject it immediately at its first appearance.

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.