The Wisdom of Man
A Sermon on Luke 1:51-53
Originally preached Dec. 20, 1959
Scripture
51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent …
Sermon Description
How does Jesus shatter thinking of what it means to be great? In this sermon on Luke 1:51–53 titled “The Wisdom of Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at Mary’s song of praise and what it tells about Jesus. Worldly people look to what is outwardly strong and impressive. They look to what is grand and dignified. Yet the Bible tells that God uses the weak and the seemingly unimpressive things to shame the wisdom of the world. There is no better example of this than Jesus Christ. He was born as a baby to a family of no reputation in the land of Judea. But it is this Jesus who is the Savior of the world and the Redeemer of humankind. He did this by dying a humiliating death upon the cross of Calvary and rising from the grave three days later. This is a message of salvation, not to those who are prideful and arrogant, but to those that know they are weak and poor of spirit. It is a message for the outcast and the despised. This gospel asks the question of everyone: “do you believe in Jesus or do you trust in yourself for your own salvation?”
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by emphasizing that the gospel is good news and an announcement of what God has done, not what we should do.
- The sermon then highlights how God's actions in sending Jesus condemn and demolish all that humanity trusts in, including human wisdom, power, and righteousness.
- The sermon points out how God chose to send Jesus in a way that contradicts human expectations and wisdom. God sent Jesus as a baby born to a poor virgin, not as a powerful king.
- The sermon discusses how Jesus scatters the proud who trust in human wisdom, brings down the mighty who trust in power, and sends the rich empty away who trust in their own righteousness.
- The sermon shows how God blesses and fills the humble, the poor in spirit, and those who hunger for righteousness. They receive wisdom, adoption as children of God, peace, joy, and eternal life.
- The sermon concludes by pleading with listeners to humble themselves, see their need for Jesus, believe in him, and receive all the blessings he offers.
Sermons on Wisdom
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.