The Ungodly Man
A Sermon on the Ungodly Man from Psalm 1:3-4
Originally preached Jan. 13, 1963
Scripture
3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Sermon Description
What separates Christians from the rest of the world? How can one know for sure someone else is truly saved? Scripture gives many tests of salvation, but few are as vivid as the portrait painted in this passage. In this sermon on Psalm 1:3–4 titled “The Ungodly Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the vast difference between those who are rooted by the river of life and those who will blow away like chaff. Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents five differences between the godly and the ungodly person. These differences are profound and have eternal consequences. Due to sin, people are no longer as God originally created them to be, but instead they are empty and in desperate need of salvation. Listen and discover why unhappiness characterizes the ungodly person and understand the only remedy is found in Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The ungodly man is nothing but a relic, a remnant, a ruin, a wreck. He is like chaff - the worthless husk that remains after the grain has been removed.
- The ungodly man has no form or shape to his life. He is constantly changing and inconsistent. There is no pattern or governing principle. He is hard to define.
- The ungodly man has no roots or foundations. His life is superficial, light, and insecure. He is subject to changing circumstances and does not know how to handle difficulties.
- The ungodly man's life is lifeless and cannot grow. He ends where he began and only gets worse over time. There is no possibility of improvement or development.
- The ungodly man's life bears no fruit. It does not provide real satisfaction, joy or happiness. Its end is death.
- In contrast, the godly man is like a tree. His life has wholeness, form, roots, life, and bears fruit. He can grow in knowledge and grace.
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.