Sin and the Modern Man
A Sermon on John 3:19-21
Scripture
19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that …
Sermon Description
What is the source of humanity’s hostility to the gospel? Many are offended at the message of Jesus and claim they have no need to be saved. In this sermon on John 3:19–21 titled “Sin and the Modern Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached that the rejection of the gospel is because people have an unbelieving nature. Jesus came into the world to save sinners and set them free because humankind is fallen and in sin they stumble over this message and reject it. This message of salvation can become a message of condemnation when people reject it. Humankind is hostile to those who call them to forsake their sins and turn to Christ in order to be saved. They are openly hostile to those who preach that Christ Jesus is the light of the world. Only the message of Christ that sinners reject and despise can save them. This is why God must show the light of Christ by opening the darkened hearts and minds of fallen men and women so that they can see and love Christ for who He is. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but in order to save it through His Son Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sin and evil are not negative, but are positive. They are active and grip men.
- Unbelief is not negative, neutral or passive. It is active and men hate the light.
- The Bible and Jesus' teaching show that men hate the light. They hated and killed Jesus.
- Men show hatred of the light in violent and non-violent ways e.g. contempt. Both are terrible.
- Hatred of the light is universal and in all men by nature.
- The hatred of light is strange given men love light in other areas e.g. knowledge, health.
- Men hate the light because it prohibits what they like, awakens their conscience, hurts their pride and reminds them of death and judgment.
- Men can't continue in sin when they think of death, judgment and hell. So they hate the light.
The Book of John
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.