Facing Christ
A Sermon on John 4:27-30
Originally preached Nov. 12, 1967
Scripture
27¶ And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29Come, …
Sermon Description
What does humanity demand from Jesus? In a world that is so violent and where injustices are prevalent, some of the demands from humanity seems wholesome. There is a desire to have peace, justice, and prosperity. These things are good, but are they the primacy of the Christian faith? In this sermon on John 4:27–30 titled “Facing Christ,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones examines the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman and her response to the demands of Jesus. Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that when one truly encounters Christ, they are stripped of their demands and instead listen to Christ’s demands. These demands are not outwardly focused, but instead shed light upon one’s sins. They should be left with the same words as the woman at the well: “Come, see a man who has told me everything I have ever did. Could this be ‘the Christ?’” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes it clear that the nature of true Christian faith confronts one with their sins and that unless the whole position has been changed after encountering Jesus, then one does not have true faith. Often people look at the particular blessings of the Christian life such as peace, consolation or purpose, but they forget that all of these are only the byproduct of the true blessing – Christ Himself.
Sermon Breakdown
- We must submit ourselves entirely to Christ. We often come to Christ with our own demands and expectations. We want certain things from him like comfort, peace, healing, etc. But we will never find the "well of water springing up into everlasting life" until we submit fully to Christ and his way of doing things.
- Christ makes us face ourselves and our sin. He showed the Samaritan woman the truth about herself and her sinful life. We often come to Christ concerned about things outside of us like why God allows suffering or why we face difficulties. But Christ first makes us look inward at our own sin and unworthiness.
- Christ makes us face him. The Samaritan woman came to see that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. We need to know Christ himself, not just his teachings. All of God's blessings are found in Christ. We must see who he is - the Son of God who came to save us from our sins.
- Christ gives us a new understanding of life, death, and eternity. He enables us to see through the world and its emptiness. He helps us see death in a new way and gives us a glimpse into eternity.
- Christ delivers us from illusions and gives us contentment. He frees us from being deceived by the world and gives us contentment in all circumstances through his strength.
- Christ gives us a blessed hope of eternity. He enables us to set our minds on heaven rather than earth. Death loses its terror because we see the glory that awaits us.
- Christ gives us strength through all of life's challenges. The water he gives becomes a well within us, springing up into eternal life. He strengthens us no matter what we face in life.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon on John 4:27-30: Questions and Answers
What does the woman of Samaria's testimony reveal about encountering Christ?
The woman of Samaria's testimony reveals that a genuine encounter with Christ fundamentally changes a person. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out: "Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?" This statement shows that Christ confronted her with the truth about herself first. She was transformed from a woman known for her sinfulness into someone who eagerly shared her testimony with others. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes, "This is the story of a great change, a great transformation that took place in this woman's life... meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ, everything is transformed."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is wrong with most people's approach to Christianity?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, most people approach Christianity with their own demands and expectations, treating God like "some kind of slot machine." They come with specific requests (comfort, peace, solutions to problems) and expect direct results. He explains: "We come with these demands of ours. And we approach him and we demand, as it were, an answer...and almost insisting upon them." This approach is fundamentally flawed because "all the blessings of the christian life are byproducts. They're never direct." People must first submit completely to Christ on His terms rather than approaching Him with their own agenda.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast true Christianity with formal religious observance?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws a sharp distinction between true Christianity and formal religious observance, particularly in the context of Remembrance Sunday. He describes formalized religion as "something purely formal and external...a kind of parade" that can be "national in its meaning," "purely sentimental," or "purely depressing." True Christianity, by contrast, offers "a well of water springing up into everlasting life" - an internal, transformative relationship with Christ that produces lasting joy and satisfaction. He states, "I trust we're all clear that that really has got nothing whatsoever to do with true christian faith, nothing at all. It's almost the exact opposite."
What are the first two things Christ does when we truly encounter Him?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, when we truly encounter Christ:
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"The first thing the Lord Jesus Christ ever does is to make us ask the right questions." He makes us face ourselves and our sin rather than focusing on external problems. "The first great question for every one of us is ourselves... he puts an end to that. He makes us realize that our first question is ourself, just as we are."
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"Having made us face ourselves, he makes us face him." Christ reveals Himself to us personally, not just intellectually. "What he does is to bring us into relationship with himself, to know him... It's the person of Christ himself and not his teaching that gives us hope and consolation."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about receiving comfort from Christianity without being a Christian?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes the bold statement that "this christian faith has no comfort, no consolation whatsoever to offer to those who are not Christians." He explains that Christian comfort is "the result of an argument. It's a deduction. It's a byproduct," which requires accepting certain fundamental truths first. He says: "There is all this glorious comfort and consolation... But you see, unless people have already believed certain fundamental postulates, unless people are already in this given relationship to him, they can't follow the argument." In other words, "You cannot obtain the comforts and the blessings of the christian life unless you first of all become a Christian."
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.