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Sermon #5554

Blinded by the God of the Age

A Sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Originally preached March 26, 1961

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Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ESV KJV
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of …

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Sermon Description

What Paul preached determined how he preached it: the nature of the gospel in the glory of God provides the power. Look at the biggest problem confronting humanity today in considering how Christ was treated on earth: why is the Son of God rejected? In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses the vital urgency of proclaiming the message of the gospel and the various groups who have rejected Christ as the Messiah over the years. Both an able person and a fool are ignorant of the gospel and reject God. There is no new knowledge. “The gospel is revelation; it is not man’s straining to try and discover.” The world cannot know God by seeking; He must reveal Himself. If the God of this world has blinded people, the gospel is hid from the unbeliever. The gospel alone explains the state of this imperfect world today. Unbelief is always a result of prejudice, and a refusal to face the facts. Do not boast in ignorance and glory in shame. It is never clever to reject this message. There will be eternal punishment without relief. Be amazed by His glory — God in the flesh. Turn to the Lord, He alone gives sight.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by introducing the topic of unbelief and why some do not believe the gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses two common but false views about unbelief: that there is nothing in the gospel to believe and that unbelief is due to intelligence or knowledge.
  2. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that these views are false because intelligent and unintelligent people believe and disbelieve, and there is no new knowledge that disproves the gospel. Unbelief is due to the devil blinding unbelievers to the truth.
  3. Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses the tragedy of unbelief. Unbelievers do not recognize their lost and sinful state or the consequences of unbelief. They glory in their ignorance and shame.
  4. Unbelievers cannot see God's plan of salvation, the glory of Christ, the meaning of Christ's death and resurrection, the benefits of belief, or the hope of eternal life. Their inability to see these spiritual truths is tragic.
  5. The only one who can remove the veil of unbelief is God. Unbelievers must recognize their blindness and cry out to God to give them sight.
  6. Those who receive sight are able to see the glory of Christ and rejoice in him. They can say they have found light and life in Christ.

Sermon Q&A

Why Did Jesus Face Such Intense Rejection During His Time on Earth?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon, Jesus was rejected during His time on earth because of spiritual blindness among the people. The sermon explains that this rejection wasn't due to lack of evidence or intellectual problems, but because "the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Even when Jesus performed undeniable miracles before their very eyes, the religious leaders responded with hatred rather than belief because their minds were spiritually veiled from perceiving the truth.

What Does "If Our Gospel Be Hid" Mean in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the phrase "if our gospel be hid" or "veiled" means there is a spiritual barrier between the message of salvation and those who don't believe it. This isn't about the gospel lacking clarity or power, but rather that something is blocking people from seeing it. The apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a veil, referring back to Moses coming down from the mountain with his face veiled. Similarly, unbelievers have a veil over their spiritual eyes that prevents them from perceiving the truth and glory of the gospel message.

Why Do Intelligent People Reject the Gospel According to Lloyd-Jones?

Lloyd-Jones addresses why intelligent people reject the gospel by explaining that unbelief is not an intellectual problem but a spiritual one. He points out that both intelligent and unintelligent people can be found among believers and unbelievers alike. The determining factor is not intellectual capacity but spiritual perception. As he states, "The able men and the fools are found in the same camp, and thank God, on the other side, there are great brains and people who haven't much intelligence." Unbelief stems from spiritual blindness caused by "the God of this world" (Satan) rather than intellectual objections.

How Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones Explain the True Cause of Unbelief?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the true cause of unbelief is satanic blinding: "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not." He compares this spiritual blindness to:

  1. Having a veil over one's eyes
  2. Being in a thick fog
  3. Being physically blind
  4. Being tone-deaf to beautiful music

This blindness is the devil's work, who "poisons the mind" and creates "a perversion of taste" that prevents people from seeing the beauty and truth of the gospel. This explains why the same evidence can lead some to belief and others to continued rejection.

What Is the Tragedy of Unbelief According to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several tragic aspects of unbelief:

  1. People are unaware of their true spiritual condition: "There is nothing which is more tragic to me than that a man should be unaware of the state and the condition in which he is."

  2. People actually boast about their unbelief: "They not only don't believe this gospel, they glory in the fact that they don't... they think this is marvelous."

  3. People are ignorant of being lost: "They don't know they've got a soul. They don't know the real greatness of men."

  4. Most tragically, they miss seeing the glory of Christ and God's plan of salvation: "But you wish you could make him see because the sight is so magnificent. Well, multiply that by infinity and you see the position of the poor unbeliever."

How Can Someone Have the Veil of Unbelief Removed?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the veil of unbelief can only be removed by turning to Christ. He quotes Scripture saying "when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be removed." He acknowledges that neither he nor any preacher can remove this veil through persuasive arguments: "I can't make you see. I've often tried to... But I can't. Nobody can."

The solution is for the person to recognize their spiritual blindness and cry out to Christ to give them sight. Lloyd-Jones concludes by encouraging people to "recognize your blindness while there is still time" and "cry out unto him and ask him to give you sight, and he won't refuse you."

Sermons on Knowledge

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.