A Fear of the Lord
A Sermon on Jeremiah 2:19
Originally preached Dec. 4, 1960
Scripture
19Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Sermon Description
What is the essence of sin? What is it that makes sin so destructive and alienating from God? In this sermon on Jeremiah 2:19 titled “A Fear of the Lord,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that sin is not merely something that people do, but it is a state of the heart and mind. At the center of this state is the complete absence of the fear of the Lord. Just as the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the absence of this fear is the ground of sin and evil. But humanity does not see sin as the deadly thing that it is. To people, sin is a game and a source of fleeting worldly pleasure. But God tells that all those that sin will suffer for their sin in this life and the next. The truth of the gospel is that God comes to humanity not only in judgment, but also in grace. God has not left anyone without hope—He has sent His only Son into the world to die upon the cross so that sin would be vanquished. All those who repent and believe in Jesus are freed from sin and its curse, and they are made righteous children of God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The prophet Jeremiah is addressing the Israelites who are threatened with calamity but don't understand the cause of their troubles.
- God sent prophets to plead with the Israelites to repent and return to Him.
- Jeremiah 2:19 says "Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee." This means sin carries its own punishment.
- The essence of sin is lacking the fear of God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
- Because the Israelites lacked the fear of God, they forsook His ways. This is the cause of mankind's problems today.
- Sin is evil, wicked, and bitter. It is the opposite of good, righteousness, and holiness.
- The sinful life is a "slide" downward and backward, not upward and forward.
- Sin's consequences are inevitable. It always carries its own punishment which can be physical, spiritual, loss of character, slavery to sin, unhappiness, etc.
- We must know and see that sin leads to evil and bitterness, repent, and turn to God. He will forgive us, give us new life, and bless us.
Old Testament
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.