The Wisdom of the World
A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:18-20
Originally preached Sept. 25, 1966
Scripture
18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own …
Sermon Description
One must ask themselves if they are wise by worldly standards and if they understand life’s fundamental issues. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:18–20 titled “The Wisdom of the World,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses worldly wisdom in light of Paul’s words to the Corinthians. The world has rejected the gospel for centuries, and its rejection of the gospel is nothing new. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a complete contrast to what humans think of themselves by nature. Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that humanity always seeks to advance itself and improve itself. The gospel, in contrast, knows that humankind needs rebirth, and this must be done by the Spirit. The gospel cannot be changed or modified, since it is perfect and complete in every way. The fundamental problem with humankind’s solutions, Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches, is that humankind’s solutions originate in the human mind. God’s solution transcends human reason and offers the only hope for humanity’s salvation. Dr. Lloyd-Jones mentions that H.G. Wells, a popular author and philosopher, had his own philosophical solutions, but still was devastated by the reality of World War II, and extremely destitute at the end of his life. A person can only be made wise after admitting they are a fool.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a complete contrast to everything else that man thinks and has been taught.
- The Gospel is consequently something that is beyond men's understanding.
- The Gospel differs in every way from all men's ideas.
- Men's wisdom always starts with men, the human scene and begins its investigations from that point.
- Men's wisdom always thinks that problems are mainly intellectual problems.
- Men's wisdom views men as essentially an animal, a reasoning animal.
- Men's wisdom views men as essentially good.
- Men's wisdom says men's need is to be improved, educated and made better.
- Men's wisdom places confidence in man's ability to save himself.
- God's wisdom starts with God, not men.
- God's wisdom says the problem of men is deeper than intellectual, it's at the center of personality.
- God's wisdom says men is a fallen creature, evil, perverted with a mind at enmity against God.
- God's wisdom says men's need is God, to be reconciled to God, forgiven and restored.
- God's wisdom says men needs to be born again, he needs a new nature and a new heart.
- The way of salvation according to God's wisdom is that men is hopeless and helpless, salvation is of God alone.
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.