A New Quality of Life
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Originally preached May 21, 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
Does the saved person comprehend Christianity? Have they also been changed by it? While good doctrine is necessary, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains in his sermon on John 4:13–14 titled “A New Quality of Life” that the Christian doesn’t merely follow a teaching but instead the Christian’s life is changed by the Holy Spirit. It is not about what they do but what is done to them. He describes that the Holy Spirit changes people in a moment and over time. Every Christian is changed instantly when they are regenerated and given new life. Moreover, every Christian undergoes some degree of change through sanctification, which means being changed progressively over the course of an entire lifetime. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that one of the best ways to perceive these changes is to look at the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of a changed life; a life that is impacted by the Spirit and given new life. Dr. Lloyd-Jones goes on to detail these fruits and categorize them. The Christian asks themselves: “Do you find that you have been changed by the Holy Spirit? Do you have a new heart with good desires and joy?” All are encouraged to listen and hear how to gain clarity on the state of the soul.
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus offers full satisfaction for the whole personality including the mind, heart, and emotions.
- The gospel provides complete satisfaction for the heart and emotions, not just the mind.
- Emotion and sentimentalism are different from the true joy and happiness offered in the gospel.
- The Holy Spirit produces joy and satisfaction in the heart in two ways: directly by filling our hearts and indirectly by producing the fruit of the Spirit.
- The first three fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, and peace which provide positive satisfaction.
- The next three fruits of longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness are negative in that they help restrain our sinful reactions to others that rob us of joy.
- The final three fruits of faithfulness, meekness, and temperance promote joy and help us maintain it.
- Faithfulness or reliability of character provides stability and steadiness which allows us to continue experiencing love, joy and peace.
- Meekness is essential to maintaining joy and is the opposite of an aggressive personality that demands one’s rights.
- Temperance or self-control provides discipline and balance without being repressive. It allows our joy to be expressed in the proper way.
- Occasional revival experiences are valuable but the Spirit’s continuous work of producing fruit in us leads to greater, lasting joy.
- It is possible to experience unspeakable joy now through the Spirit’s work, not just during revivals.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Water That Satisfies: Questions and Answers
What is the main theme of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon from John 4:13-14?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses on Christ's promise of complete satisfaction through the "water that I shall give him." The sermon explores how Christianity offers a fullness and final satisfaction that quenches all spiritual thirst. As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "Our Lord offers us a fullness, a final satisfaction. He says, whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never know, never thirst as long as the world standard. Now that is the promise, and we must be very careful never to detract from it or to reduce it in any sense whatsoever."
How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish between religion and Christianity?
Lloyd-Jones makes a crucial distinction between religion and Christianity. Religion, he explains, is merely "taking up a teaching" or adopting a moral position that one tries to conform to. Christianity, in contrast, involves something supernatural happening to a person: "This is not something that we take up with the mind and adopt and then try to conform ourselves to it. There is that element in it, but that's not the main thing. The main thing here is this, that something has happened to us, that something has been done to us, something we could never do ourselves, something that God alone can do."
What does Lloyd-Jones teach about regeneration and its importance?
According to Lloyd-Jones, regeneration (being born again) is "the differentiate of Christianity" and "the most vital and central doctrine of all." He explains that through regeneration, we receive "new life, a new nature, a new heart" and become "partakers of the divine nature." This supernatural transformation is what makes it possible for any person, regardless of natural temperament, to experience the joy, peace, and love that Christ offers: "This is the only way whereby it becomes possible for any one of us, any one of us who may be by nature the most miserable creature ever born, to rejoice and to be happy."
What are the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23, and how does Lloyd-Jones categorize them?
Lloyd-Jones identifies the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit as: love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith (faithfulness), meekness, and temperance (self-control). He categorizes them into three groups:
- Positive fruits (love, joy, peace) - these are active, positive qualities the Spirit produces in us
- Negative fruits (long suffering, gentleness, goodness) - these help preserve the positive fruits by restraining negative reactions
- Stabilizing fruits (faithfulness, meekness, temperance) - these promote and maintain joy through consistent character
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the difference between true spiritual joy and emotional sentimentalism?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christian joy is fundamentally different from mere emotionalism or sentimentalism. True joy is produced by the Holy Spirit, not worked up psychologically: "I'm not talking about emotionalism or sentimentalism. I'm talking about the joy of the Lord. I'm talking about the joy of the Holy Ghost." He explains that the world "can always recognize the psychological" and "isn't taken in" by artificial joviality. Genuine spiritual joy "belongs to another realm altogether" and is produced by the indwelling Holy Spirit, not human effort.
Why does Lloyd-Jones believe that a Christian should not be miserable?
Lloyd-Jones asserts that misery contradicts the essential nature of Christianity: "A miserable Christian should not only be ashamed of himself, he should realize that in many ways he is contradicting the essential teaching of the New Testament." He points to the early church as described in Acts 2, who ate "with gladness of heart, praising God." Lloyd-Jones argues that since Christ promises satisfaction and the Holy Spirit produces joy as fruit in believers, sustained misery represents a failure to appropriate these promises and possibly resistance to the Spirit's work: "Allow the spirit to do his work, my dear friend. Don't resist him. Don't stand in his way."
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.