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Sermon #5278

The Wisdom of God

A Sermon on Isaiah 40:13-14

Originally preached June 27, 1954

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Scripture

Isaiah 40:13-14 ESV KJV
Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? (ESV)

Sermon Description

How has God turned the wisdom of the world into foolishness? The answer is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the opposite of what the world tells is wise and mighty. In this sermon on Isaiah 40:13–14 titled “The Wisdom of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones confronts the worldly pursuit of high-minded thinkers and well-educated leaders. Jesus came from a lowly family in Nazareth. He did not bring a message for the wise and proud, but for the lowly and humble. He did not come to conquer with an army, but to die for the sins of many and to deliver them from Satan. The cross is foolishness to the wise, as the apostle Paul says. What does this mean for Christians today? It means that Christians must not look to worldly wisdom and authority to spread the message of Christ, but they should come as servants as Jesus Himself did. The church cannot become like the world to reach the world, for Jesus never changed who He was and instead He trusted God the Father and did all that He commanded of Him. Christians must trust in the humble power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, not the vain and passing wisdom of this world.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon is based on Isaiah 40:13-14 which emphasizes God's wisdom and ways are inscrutable.
  2. The prophet Isaiah and the apostle Paul expound on these verses to help people believe in God's message.
  3. People struggle to believe because they fail to realize who God is - his power, glory and inscrutability.
  4. The sermon focuses on God's inscrutability - his ways and mind are beyond human understanding.
  5. Romans 11:33-36 and 1 Corinthians 2 quote Isaiah 40:13-14 and expound on God's inscrutability.
  6. 1 Corinthians 2 explains God's wisdom is different from human wisdom. It is hidden and mysterious.
  7. Natural man cannot receive or understand God's wisdom - it seems like foolishness. Only through the Spirit can one understand.
  8. God's wisdom in the gospel is a mystery hidden from the world but revealed to believers by the Spirit.
  9. The gospel is God's wisdom and way of salvation - the incarnation, the cross and free grace.
  10. The incarnation - the Lord of glory becoming a babe and man - is a mystery beyond comprehension.
  11. The cross - the Lord of glory crucified - is a paradox and mystery.
  12. Salvation by grace - freely given by God to those with nothing - is extraordinary and unlike anything in the world.
  13. We must come to God admitting our inability to understand his wisdom and depend on his Spirit.

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.