To Whom then will Ye Liken God?
A Sermon on Isaiah 40:18-24
Originally preached July 4, 1954
Scripture
18¶ To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? 19The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. 20He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree …
Sermon Description
How does the Bible describe the folly of sinful people? While many today claim that to reject God and His revelation is to become enlightened, the Bible denounces unbelief as spiritually bankrupt and foolish. In this sermon on Isaiah 40:18–24 titled “To Whom then Will Ye Liken God?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches the biblical truth that those who reject God inevitably fashion an idol of their own making; whether it is politics, money, power, or fame, everybody worships something. The question is not: “do you worship something?” But the question is: “what do you worship?” The Bible calls all idols what there are: lifeless images that cannot save in the time of need. They are deaf, dumb, blind, and mute. But the God of Scripture is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He hears the prayers of His people and saves them from their sins. God has not abandoned humanity in the midst of their idol worship and spiritual rebellion, but has sent Jesus Christ into the world to die for sinners. Jesus has come and died so that all who believe in Him would not perish but live as children of God. The sermon calls all to forsake their idols and worship the true and living God in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The prophet Isaiah addresses the people's unbelief and ignorance of God.
- Unbelief is foolishness. People believe in idols, princes and judges but not God.
- People go to great lengths to create idols but they are useless and can do nothing.
- Princes and judges fail and wither away but people still believe in them over God.
- Unbelief shows ignorance of God as creator, as shown in nature and the universe.
- Unbelief shows ignorance of God as the controller of history who brings down princes and nations.
- Whether we believe or not, God remains God. We are in His hands and will face judgement.
- It is foolish and dangerous not to believe in and submit to God.
- Despite our sin and unbelief, God sent Jesus to die for us out of love and mercy.
- We should believe in and submit to such a loving and powerful God.
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.