What is Man?
A Sermon on Psalms 8:3-4
Scripture
3When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Sermon Description
Do Christians think? In this sermon on “What is Man?” from Psalms 8:3–4, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserts the wonder of creation and the fact that only the Christian can really perceive. Psalm 8:3-4 shows how the believer thinks differently from the unbeliever. The Christian mind is guided by the Bible, rather than by the media and news. The Christian should marvel and wonder at creation, not just live life from one news highlight to the next. Is Christianity really against the advance of science? Look at the persecution of Galileo and the Protestant Reformation that pushed science forward. There is a difference between accidental happening and intentional creation. Why are order and laws of creation in place? Learn the difference between a thinker and a superficial reactor. Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses the problem, the contradiction, the uniqueness, and the tragedy of humanity. People are worshippers and the only hope for humanity and the world is that this is God’s world. God visited and redeemed this world. The listener will discover the series of “launchings” of the Son of God. There is great urgency to be encapsulated in Christ before one is launched into the presence of a Holy God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The psalmist considers the heavens and is amazed by God's creation.
- The non-Christian views creation as an accident, but the Christian sees evidence of God's design.
- The non-Christian says Christians oppose science, but Christianity actually spurred scientific progress. The church opposed Galileo due to Aristotle's teachings, not the Bible.
- The non-Christian and Christian see the same heavens, but come to different conclusions. The Christian considers creation and worships God.
- The non-Christian thinks superficially, reacting to media. The Christian thinks profoundly, guided by Scripture.
- The non-Christian views man as the accidental product of evolution. The Christian sees man as created in God's image, crowned with glory and honor, having dominion over creation.
- Man is a mass of contradictions. He achieved brilliance in space travel but fails in moral matters. He worships personalities and events but rejects Christ.
- The psalmist asks what's wrong with man. The answer is man's sin and fall in Adam. Man needs God's redemption.
- The only hope for man and the world is that God still cares for man and has visited him in Christ. Christ came to seek and save the lost.
- The gospel can be viewed as a series of "launchings": Christ's incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming.
- We too will be "launched" in death. We must prepare to meet God by entering into Christ, the only capsule to heaven. No second chance will be given.
- We can never make ourselves fit for heaven, but Christ has done it all. We need only enter into Him.
Itinerant Preaching
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.