Blinded by Sin
A Sermon on Psalm 8:3-4
Originally preached Nov. 17, 1957
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
Why does humanity not see creation as God’s own handiwork? In this sermon on Psalm 8:3–4 titled “Blinded by Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this important theological question and shows its significance for the Christian life. The reason that humanity can look at creation and believe it is anything other than the creation of God is because they are blinded by sin. All are born in sin and naturally opposed to God. So they reject God, not because of reason, but because of sinful prejudice. The psalmists teach this, but it is also seen in the New Testament through the life and ministry of Jesus when He performs great signs and wonders to the people. But in the end, the people still cry out for Him to be crucified, for they still did not believe that He was God’s Son. This is because of the sinful principle in all hearts. What is the answer to humanity’s blindness and hard-heartedness? The answer is only found in the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Only by God giving His Son and opening the eyes of sinners can anyone be saved. Salvation is wholly a gift of God wherein He gives salvation freely as a gift.
Sermon Breakdown
- The psalmist looked at the heavens and saw God. He saw God as the creator, the providential sustainer, and the redeemer.
- Unbelievers look at the same heavens but only see the visible and physical phenomena. They fail to see the invisible glory of God.
- Unbelievers fail to pursue the implications and conclusions of what they observe in creation. They have inadequate explanations like chance, accident, and evolution.
- Unbelievers are blinded by sin, pride in human achievement, and enmity towards God. This prevents them from seeing God's glory.
- God uses the simple faith of children and common people to put the unbelief of the sophisticated to shame. The learned are blinded by their prejudice and pride.
- The Pharisees looked at Jesus but only saw a man, not the Son of God. They were blinded by their sin and hatred of Jesus.
- Believers see the glory of God in creation and in Jesus Christ. They worship God as the eternal creator and redeemer.
- We must ask ourselves whether we see God's glory in creation and in Jesus Christ. If not, we are still in our sins and need to repent.
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.