Jesus and the Resurrection
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Originally preached March 26, 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
What is the hope for Christians? Faced with the inevitability of death and departure from this world, all must ask themselves: “What happens when I die? Where is my hope?” The tragic fact is that the world has no hope, so it has no answer to the problem of death. The Christian, however, does have hope. Jesus has died and saved His people from sin and death, and He will return to raise them to new life in the resurrection. The resurrection is the new life that Jesus offers to the woman at the well; it is the living water that quenches thirst forever. In the face of the world’s hopelessness and darkness, Jesus has broken into the world so that all who believe might be saved through Him. In this sermon on John 4:13–14 titled “Jesus and the Resurrection,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls all to look at the gospel of Jesus and to trust in it alone as the only hope for a better future.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text comes from John 4:13-14 where Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that whoever drinks of the water He gives will never thirst.
- The sermon title is "The All-Sufficiency of the Gospel."
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones introduces the sermon by saying that the ultimate test of the gospel is whether it helps us face death.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that only the gospel deals with the problem of death and the afterlife. All other religions and philosophies fail to provide a satisfactory answer.
- Jesus Himself provides the answer through His unique identity, authoritative teaching, miracles, transfiguration, death, and resurrection.
- Jesus' resurrection is a historical fact attested by eyewitnesses. It proves He has conquered death and gives us hope of eternal life.
- Because of Jesus' resurrection, death has lost its sting and power over us. We need no longer fear death or judgment.
- Jesus' resurrection guarantees that all who believe in Him will also be resurrected to eternal life. Our mortal bodies will be transformed into immortal, glorified bodies.
- Eternal life means living in God's presence, free from sin, sorrow, and suffering. It is a life of joy, wonder, and praise.
- At the end of this life, God will say "Well done, good and faithful servant!" and give us the crown of righteousness. We will spend eternity worshiping the Lamb who redeemed us.
- The gospel provides complete satisfaction in life, death, and eternity. It never fails.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Resurrection: Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones mean when he says Christ has "abolished death"?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "abolished death" doesn't mean death has been eliminated, but rather that Christ has "made death ineffective, made it powerless, broken its power, nullified it, or perhaps best of all, defeated it." He teaches that Christ defeated death by literally rising from the dead, being "the first to burst the sun of the bends of death" and "the first rarely to conquer death, the first fruits among them that sleep." Through this victory, Christ has removed the terror of death for believers.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the world's answers about death with the Christian gospel?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that the world's answers about death are deeply unsatisfactory. Greek literature, mythology, poets, philosophers, and other religions offer only "vague and indefinite" speculations. He quotes Bertrand Russell saying, "We stand on the shore of an ocean, crying to the night and the emptiness." In contrast, the Christian gospel provides certainty through Christ who speaks with authority about the afterlife because He came from heaven and returned there. Lloyd-Jones calls the New Testament "the most lyric, the most exhilarating, the most cheerful book in the whole universe" because of its certainty about eternal life.
What evidence does Dr. Lloyd-Jones provide for the resurrection of Jesus?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents the resurrection as "the best attested fact of history." He points to: 1. The empty tomb 2. Christ's appearances to chosen witnesses after His resurrection 3. The transformation of the disciples from fearful to bold 4. Peter's eyewitness account of the transfiguration (2 Peter 1:16-18) 5. The consistent message of the apostles who preached "Jesus and the Resurrection" 6. The willingness of early Christians to face imprisonment for this message
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about the Christian's experience after death?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that Christians don't truly die but "fall asleep" because the "sting" of death (sin) has been removed. He explains that when believers die physically: 1. They don't taste "the bitterness of death, the horror and the condemnation" 2. They are "carried on angels' wings to Abraham's bosom" 3. They go "to be with Christ, which is far better" (Philippians 1) 4. They await the resurrection of their bodies, which will be "transfigured, transformed, glorified" 5. They will experience a life where "there'll be no disease, no weakness, no decay" and "no sighing, no sin, no sorrow, no weeping, no parting, no death"
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the ultimate satisfaction that Christ provides?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that Christ provides complete satisfaction that encompasses: 1. In this life - answering our intellectual questions and the accusations of conscience 2. In death - removing its terror and sting 3. In resurrection - guaranteeing our rising because we are "in Him" 4. In eternity - bringing us to see God face to face, to hear "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," and to receive "the crown of righteousness"
He concludes that Christ "never fails. He gives full satisfaction in life, in death and forever," fulfilling His promise that "whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst."
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.