Man's Greatest Problem - Self
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-13
Originally preached June 25, 1961
Scripture
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
“The greatest battle a man faces,” says Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “is against himself.” Why is this the case, and how is this known to be true from Scripture? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “Man’s Greatest Problem – Self,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones works through how Satan tries to bring havoc into the lives of people, especially believers. How does he accomplish this? Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that the devil primarily uses pride to refocus people off the things of the Lord. One of his main methods in this is to take a person’s gift— whether it is singing, speech, knowledge, intellect or even conversion experience — and use it to make its possessor feel self-reliant and that they are above the spiritual state of other believers. How can Christians counter this threat? Scripture says Christians must face their fallenness and who they are with honesty, realizing that all are equal sinners in the sight of God. Additionally, one must see everything they have as coming from the Lord and not themselves, remembering that their gifts are to be used for the encouragement of other believers and the glory of the Lord. This proper view of themselves and what the Lord has given them will allow them to be humble in whatever level of life they occupy, knowing that their sole purpose is to please God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon focuses on Ephesians 6:10-13 which talks about spiritual warfare and the wiles of the devil.
- The devil attacks Christians in the realm of experience by targeting their assurance and enjoyment of the Christian life.
- The devil puffs up pride in gifts, experiences, desires for importance and preeminence which leads to self-satisfaction, feeling invulnerable to falling, selfishness, jealousy and envy.
- The solution is to honestly examine ourselves, realize we have nothing to boast about and are what we are by God's grace.
- We should see ourselves as members of the body of Christ where every part is important.
- We should care about what God thinks of us, not what people think.
- Self in all its manifestations dishonors God, his grace and the gospel.
- We should look to Jesus as our example who humbled himself and made himself of no reputation.
- We should have the mind of Christ - to do the Father's will no matter the cost.
The Book of Ephesians
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.