The Foolishness of Man
A Sermon on Ezekiel 36:31-32
Originally preached June 24, 1956
Scripture
31Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. 32Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: …
Sermon Description
God provides emancipation and deliverance from the captivity of sin, but the devil is also trying to provide a “solution.” The Bible is careful to tell and teach how to discern what is true. If this world was the only one, it really wouldn’t matter what one seeks for happiness, but all will have eternal life somewhere. In this sermon on Ezekiel 36:31–32 titled “The Foolishness of Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones dives into the many parts of God’s one way of salvation. Peace, plenty, and joy are all characteristic of this salvation. However, what about self-loathing over sin? Christianity doesn’t start or end with people like the cults do, but rather it brings people to see God and thereby loathe themselves. There is a fountain of evil within all. One does not disdain evil naturally. They crave sin and find entertainment in it; sin is not a result of external circumstances. The world sees Christianity as a kind of “narrowness.” Don't reject the love of God. This is the greatest issue of all.
Sermon Breakdown
- The passage under consideration is Ezekiel 36:31-32 which speaks of remembering one's evil ways, loathing oneself and being ashamed and confounded.
- The sermon examines the Gospel in its various steps and stages. The Gospel brings peace and plenty but also requires self-loathing.
- Self-loathing comes from seeing God. Examples are Job, David, Isaiah, Peter and the Prodigal Son. Seeing God reveals our folly, depravity and ingratitude.
- We should loathe ourselves for our folly in putting our thoughts above God's, worshipping idols and rejecting the Gospel.
- We should loathe ourselves for our depravity which makes us enjoy sin and hate God's law and holiness. There is a fountain of evil within us.
- We should loathe ourselves for our ingratitude in spurning God's love shown in creation, providence and especially the cross. This is the worst thing we can do.
- An example is given of a 77-year-old man who loathed himself for blaspheming Christ 30 years before. When we see God, we loathe ourselves.
- We must ask God to show us himself, sin and the cross so we loathe ourselves. There is no peace without self-loathing.
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.