Despised and Rejected of Men
A Sermon on Numbers 11:4-6
Originally preached May 26, 1957
Scripture
4¶ And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, …
Sermon Description
The world is home to much sin. Sin has a way of turning people from Christ and perverting their hearts and minds. In this sermon on Numbers 11:4–6 titled “Despised and Rejected of Men,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on the topic of the most tragic cause of sin: failing to realize the beauty of God’s salvation, and having contempt towards God and His love. He goes on to express several different ways that people express this kind of contempt. First is through attitudes and actions. Second is by showing preference to other things rather than to God. Both of these expressions can be traced throughout history. The sinful nature of humanity has always shown contempt towards God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones goes through parts of history from the time of the Israelites to that of Jesus and traces the contempt humanity has expressed. He concludes by asking the listener to view themselves, their attitudes, and their preferences to see if they have been guilty of showing contempt. The good news, however, is that it is never too late to turn from the sin of contempt and leave all behind to run to Jesus.
Sermon Breakdown
- The passage under consideration is Numbers 11:4-6. The Israelites are complaining about the manna God has provided and longing for the food they ate in Egypt.
- This attitude shows the devastating effects of sin. Sin makes us creatures of lust and desire, distorts our minds, and makes us believe lies about ourselves.
- The worst effect of sin is failing to appreciate the salvation God has provided. The Israelites showed contempt for the manna, a miracle that demonstrated God's power, love, and provision.
- Likewise, mankind shows contempt for God's greatest miracles and acts of love. People show contempt for Christ's incarnation, death, resurrection, and offer of new life.
- People prefer sin and the world over God's offer of rest, peace, joy, and eternal life with Him. They treat with contempt the Christian life, fellowship with saints, and God's promises of heaven.
- We must examine our own attitude toward the gospel. Passively ignoring it or preferring other things is showing contempt, just like openly rejecting or blaspheming it. We must confess our contempt, ask forgiveness, and receive the eternal life Christ offers.
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.