The Manifestation of Sin
A Sermon on the Manifestation of Sin from Jeremiah 17:11
Originally preached June 12, 1955
Scripture
11As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on the manifestation of sin from Jeremiah 17:11, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses the essential problem with humanity, namely, pride. Humanity is convinced that they are smart enough and can handle their own problems. They can understand their own issues and deal with them. They don’t need God to explain their predicament or give help. Moreover, humankind thinks that it can get away with sin. Why does someone look back and forth before stealing a cookie from a cookie jar? It is because they know it is wrong, and at the same time they think they can get away with it. However, no one will “get away” with sin. God sees every sinful act and covetous heart. Notice, too, that anyone who cheats or steals also measures success by dollars rather than by character. And so not only do they lose out on character and basic morality, but they also lose sight of what is important in life. At the end of the day, a thief trades in morality in order to gain material goods. Meanwhile, Jesus asks, “what good is it if you gain the whole world but lose your soul?”
Sermon Breakdown
- Man deceives himself regarding his own wisdom and ability.
- Man deceives himself into thinking he can ignore laws and rules with impunity.
- Man deceives himself into thinking he is serving his own best interests.
- The things man lives for inevitably fail to satisfy and leave him in the midst of his days.
- At the end of his life, man finds he has nothing and has made no provision for what really matters.
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.