Man in Sin
A Sermon on Ephesians 2:1-3
Scripture
1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among …
Sermon Description
What’s the fundamental problem with humanity? Is it a lack of education? Poor policies in the public sphere? Why are humans the way they are? In this sermon on Ephesians 2:1–3 titled “Man in Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the problem is much deeper. The problem is this: humanity is dead. Not physically dead––physically, people are very much alive––but in regards to spiritual things, humanity is born dead. Humanity sees no need for God and disregards His word. Spiritual realities are boring to them and they do not find the Bible relevant. As a result, humanity is shaped by the present age under the spiritual realm of darkness and organize their life apart from God. They do not know it because they are dead. The result is eternal death. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that one must know the depths of this problem. As the problem is much deeper than one thought, the solution must be greater than imagined. The delight in the gospel of Jesus Christ comes from understanding this. They were hopeless and dead. Without Christ, there was nothing one could do. Yet God loved them and He has made them alive.
Sermon Breakdown
- Men's state in sin is that of spiritual death. They are ignorant of God, spiritual things and spiritual life. They hate God and spiritual matters. They are unlike God, corrupt and not blessed by God. Their life is miserable.
- Men in sin are governed by the world - its outlook, mentality and organization of life apart from God. They think, act and live according to the world.
- The world in turn is governed by an evil principle, a force of evil that energizes and works in the children of disobedience.
- This evil principle is governed by the devil, the prince of the powers of the air. The devil hates God and wants to ruin His creation. Men in sin are under the dominion of Satan.
- The devil and his forces are unseen spiritual powers that confront even Christians. Christians have to wrestle against them. They are subtle, malignant and clever. They make men think they are emancipated when in fact they are controlled.
- Only the exceeding greatness of God's power can enable Christians to stand against these forces. Without God, no one can stand against them even for a second. All glory belongs to God alone.
The Book of Ephesians
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.