The Condition of Man
A Sermon on John 5:44
Originally preached July 6, 1958
Scripture
44How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
Sermon Description
Why do people refuse to believe in Jesus? What stops someone from looking to Him for hope? In this sermon on John 5:44 titled “The Condition of Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes a third look at John 5:44 and unfolds the root cause of unbelief. Considering this verse and the whole of Scripture, the answer is sin. Like a festering cancer in the body, sin renders one spiritually dead and unable to believe. In the flow of John 5, the Jews become a perfect illustration of this destructive reality. Jesus has framed the condition of humanity in the context of the seeking of honor. No one can believe because they seek their own honor, not the honor that comes from God. The heart is blinded by sin. While affirming this truth, Scripture also declares that sin renders all as fools. They are fools in that they proclaim that there is no God. Sin corrupts the ability to reason, encourages longing for the hedonist experience, and causes the worship of self. In seeking their own honor, the Jews are made fools blinded by sin and unable to believe. Thus, sin is the disease that blinds and paralyzes against belief. In this sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains and unlocks the remedy to the disease of sin.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sin makes men foolish. Men refuse to face facts, think clearly, and are governed by desires.
- This foolishness manifests itself in putting men before God. This leads to an overestimate of men and ignorance of God.
- The honors that come from men are essentially a sham, trivial, decaying, and capricious. The honors from God are eternal and unchanging.
- To know God is eternal life. Christians have the honor of being known by God, adopted as his children, and given access to him.
- Seeking the honors of men means setting time before eternity and rejecting God's free gift. This is the height of foolishness.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Faith and Seeking Honor
What does Jesus identify as the main obstacle to belief in John 5:44?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon on John 5:44, Jesus identifies seeking honor from other people rather than seeking honor from God as the main obstacle to belief. As Lloyd-Jones explains: "How can ye believe which receive honor one of another, and see not the honor that cometh from God only?" Jesus is analyzing why some people find it impossible to believe in Him - it's because they have a mentality that simply lives to "give and to receive honor one to another."
Why does sin make mankind foolish according to Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones argues that sin makes mankind foolish because it distorts our perspective and priorities. In his sermon, he states: "Sin, in the last analysis, makes men a fool." This foolishness manifests in several ways: refusing to face facts about life and death, failing to think clearly about fundamental problems of existence, and allowing desires to govern reason. Lloyd-Jones calls modern views of humanity's problems "unutterably superficial" because they fail to recognize that man himself is "essentially wrong" at his core due to sin.
What is the difference between worldly honor and God's honor?
According to Lloyd-Jones, worldly honor is: - Essentially a sham and artificial ("the bubble reputation") - Trivial even at its best - Subject to decay and corruption ("moth and rust doth corrupt") - Capricious and unreliable
In contrast, God's honor includes: - Being noticed by God before the foundation of the world - Having God set His affection upon you - Being sought by God and drawn by His love - Knowing God personally (which is eternal life) - Being adopted into God's family - Having access to God's presence at all times - Enjoying fellowship with God - Being an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ - Spending eternity in God's presence
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the folly of seeking human honor?
Lloyd-Jones describes the folly of seeking human honor through several contrasts. He says those who seek human honor rather than God's honor are: - Putting man before God (grossly overestimating man while showing "appalling ignorance of God") - Choosing temporary, decaying honors over eternal ones - Setting time before eternity ("the pleasures of sin for a season") - Striving and sweating for man's ephemeral praise while refusing God's freely given honor
He calls this "utter folly," asking: "Is there anything which is quite as mad and as vain and as foolish as this? To strive, to sweat, to agonize, to spend money and time and energy in trying to obtain men's honor and favor? And to refuse to receive the honor which comes from God for nothing?"
What solution does Lloyd-Jones offer to those seeking worldly honor?
Lloyd-Jones concludes his sermon by urging his listeners to come to Christ "just as you are." The solution is to: 1. Recognize the folly of seeking human honor 2. Acknowledge and confess sin and need 3. Come to Christ without pretense ("just as you are, without one plea") 4. Receive God's freely given grace
He quotes the hymn: "Just as I am of that free love, the height, length, depth and height to prove, here for a season then above, O lamb of God, I come." The answer is to turn to Christ, who will "receive you and give you the gift divine."
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.