February
29, 2000
The
Path to True Happiness: John 2, by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
(Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1999, 214 pages).
This
is a collection of 12 sermons on the second chapter of John's Gospel,
originally preached by Dr. Lloyd-Jones (MLJ) in late 1995. MLJ notes that
John's theme is stated near the end of his Gospel:
…but these (i.e., the signs
recounted in his gospel) are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is
the Christ; and that by
believing ye might have life through his name" (20:30).
So
there is a life that can be received through His name. And MLJ says that John's
theme is "perhaps never stated more gloriously" (page 8) than in our
Lord's own words recorded in the tenth chapter:
I am come that they might have
life, and that they might have it more abundantly (10:10)
Not
just life, or not even a new life, but an abundant life. A life which is
characterized by its abundance, its richness, its fullness. And MLJ says that
"in John's Gospel the characteristic of the new is always abundance…This
is the emphasis of this Gospel, as it is, of course, of all the New
Testament" (page 9).
Of
these twelve sermons, five are on the wedding at Cana (verses 1-11), two are on
the cleansing of the temple (verses 13-17), one on seeking signs (verses
18-22), and three on true versus temporary believers (verses 23-25). If you
noted that this does not add up to twelve, it is because there is also included
a Christmas sermon on "the temple of his body" (verse 21).
In
the sermons on the wedding at Cana, there are several important lessons. How is
this fullness to be received? First, there was a lack, a deficiency: "They have no wine" (verse 3),
followed by wise counsel from Mary: "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do
it" (verse 5), and a command from Jesus: "Fill the waterpots with
water" (verse 7). If we seek the fullness of life from Jesus, we must
first of all obey, do what he tells us. Here there are two errors to be
avoided. The first error is too much self-reliant activity; the other is to
emphasize God's part to such a degree that we become completely passive. We can
also fall short by being obedient in general, but not in the details. To know
the details we must be constant in our study of the Bible, and MLJ says he
means "the whole book, not snippets, not digests (or) little portions…(and
not by) taking somebody else's thoughts…(but) I mean really reading it and
studying it (while) praying as you read that the Holy Spirit will enlighten
you" (pages 36-37).
There has never been a great
saint but that he or she has been a great reader of the Bible, a keen
student of it, one who revels in
it, has searched it, and his concentrated upon its detailed teaching
(page 37).
And
then we are to realize the blessing, as we draw the wine out: "Draw out
now, and bear unto the governor of the feast" (verse 8).
Now this is a vital element in
the whole matter of seeking his fullness: keep the commandments,
realize the possibilities, the
precious promises, and when he speaks—act! What does it mean?
Well, here it is: Trust and
obey! For there's no other way! (page 43).
And
then he moves to the nature of the blessing: "thou hast kept the good wine
until now" (verse 10).
It is, of course, a uniquely
Christian emphasis that all blessings are in our Lord Jesus Christ. We
are not interested in a teaching
or theory or rule of life which may be very good in and of itself ,
and may even say a lot about God
the Father. If it does not include Christ, and make him central,
we are not interested; it is not
Christianity (page 48).
The
fullness we are talking about comes through Jesus Christ alone. And it is a
miraculous provision, just as the transforming of the water into wine was
miraculous.
But
MLJ emphasizes that the fullness he is talking about is not conversion.
You can be a Christian—let us be
clear about this. I am not saying you are not a Christian—you
can be a Christian without
knowing this fullness. But I am showing the difference between
existing in the Christian life
and enjoying the life fully. I am drawing the distinction between the
bread and butter of the
Christian life and enjoying the banquet. We are dealing with the banquet
(pages 71-72).
And
this fullness brings in the whole aspect of assurance and security.
You can be a Christian, I say
again, without having assurance of salvation, but you cannot partake
of his fullness, in a real
sense, without knowing that you have done so. In other words, this
doctrine of assurance and
certainty is vital to the whole teaching about fullness….Now that is it.
You can be a believer, you can
know that your sins are forgiven, yes, but the vital question is: Do
you know that Jesus is
dwelling in your heart? (pages 76-77).
The
final sermon on the wedding at Cana is entitled "A Super-Abundance of
Blessing". MLJ says that we are not
only interested in this account because it is an historical account of a
miracle, but because it is also a parable, showing us how this fullness is
received. He does more than merely perform a miracle of turning a little water
into wine—rather there is a super-abundance. Like the twelve basketfuls that
were left over after feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish (Matt
14:15-21). Or like the cup which "runneth over" (Psalm 23:5). God's grace
is characterized not only by its freedom, but by its fullness and abundance.
So there are the lessons of this
first miracle performed by our Lord in Cana of Galilee. It is a
picture which opens our eyes to
the possibilities of the Christian life, which is life indeed, life
more abundant. It is life
developing and increasing until we find ourselves face to face with him,
knowing no longer in part, but
knowing even as we are already known, and filled and glorified
and made like unto him. May God
by his Spirit give us the understanding to realize that this is
Christianity and all this is
meant for us (pages 96-97).
In
the two sermons on the cleansing of the temple, MLJ emphasizes the danger of
taking those things God has appointed for us and using them to serve our own
ends. He finds in the first sermon an application to the church, and in the
second an application to us as individuals. To the unfaithful, compromising
church, Jesus comes with discipline and judgment. As individuals, we must remember
the basic proposition that "our souls are temples in which our Lord comes
to dwell" (page 115).
Here each one of us is called
upon to examine the state of our own soul, this place in which God
wills to dwell. What is the
condition of our soul as our Lord examines it at this moment?…What
use are we making of the gospel
of our Lord and Saviour? (pages 118-119).
In
the sermon on seeking signs, MLJ deals with an interesting point:
Our Lord gave signs in order to
attest to his own person, and in order to encourage belief. Yet at
at the same time he condemned
this request for signs, and that is where the problem lies. He gave
signs , and yet when people
asked for them, he would not give them (page 136).
How
are these reconciled? We are to seek the Lord alone, and we are to concentrate
on what we are given. We are to beware of seeking new experiences, of having a
restless spirit.
He may work miracles, he may do
all sorts of amazing things, but he laid it down at the very
beginning, in the Temple at
Jerusalem, that he only does such things in his own time and in his
own way, and to people who seek
to know him and his glory, people who have a spiritual insight
and understanding, people who…he
can trust. It is to them, and them alone, that he chooses to
commit himself (pages 146-147;
see verse 24).
The
sermons in the last group are on verses 23-25, which says that many who saw his
miracles believed in his name.
But Jesus did not commit himself
unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any
should testify of man: for he
knew what was in man (verses 24-25).
His
first sermon on this passage deals with the difference between true believers,
and temporary believers or "false professors, a designation favoured by
the Puritans in particular" (page 153). The second sermon is on the
absolute necessity of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. Then the third, and last sermon in the book, is called "The
Captain's Inspection".
Here we have a picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ standing and looking at people, and not merely
looking at them, but judging
them, assessing them, and determining their fate (page 198).
A
somber thought. But there is grace here too. For our Captain does not only
inspect us when we enlist, but he keeps on doing so. And the knowledge that he
is watching us even now should be the motivation for us to shape up.
Thank God for this review, for
this inspection. He is giving us a chance. He is telling us: This is
only a preliminary inspection. I
have looked at you: you feel unworthy? Very well. Put yourself
right. Repent. Acknowledge it
all. Confess it all. Then abide in him, and go on serving him truly,
so that when he comes you will
not in any sense be ashamed (page 211).
This
is a classic set of expositions on a marvelous portion of scripture, showing us
the nature of, and means of attaining, the life that is life indeed, a life
abundant and full of grace.
Reviewed
by:
Ron
Maness
ronmaness@aol.com