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Sermon #5269

Freedom and Liberty in Christ

A Sermon on Freedom in Christ from Isaiah 5:24

Originally preached March 15, 1964

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Scripture

Isaiah 5:24 ESV KJV
Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the …

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Sermon Description

In this sermon on freedom in Christ from Isaiah 5:24, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses a culture that is driven by temporary happiness and is opposed to any kind of law or call to obedience. He explains that humanity is addicted to experience, but cannot be satisfied. Moreover, he says that the world tries to remove all restraints, but cannot shake off their consciences. Happiness, satisfaction, and freedom cannot be found without discipline. Who is more free to buy a house: one who has constrained themselves to work and save, or one who spends their savings? Think of a good law like a good fence on a mountaintop. The fence gives the peace of mind to walk, run, and jump on the mountaintop without a worry of falling. However, the world thinks that laws and discipline are opposed to happiness and love. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that love for God and for neighbor actually fulfills the law of God.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The prophet Isaiah pronounces judgment on Israel for rejecting God's law and despising His words.
  2. God never judges without reason. He warns and calls people to repentance first.
  3. The words in Isaiah 5:24 summarize why God's wrath is upon Israel. They rejected God's law and despised His words.
  4. This is still the root cause of the world's problems today. People reject God and justify it intellectually.

  5. The sermon will examine why people reject God's law and words.

  6. People misunderstand the law. They think it's against happiness, liberty and love. But God's law leads to true happiness, liberty and love.

  7. People have a wrong view of happiness, defining it as momentary experiences rather than considering the whole person and eternal consequences.
  8. People wrongly equate liberty with license rather than discipline. True liberty comes through obeying God's law.
  9. People wrongly think God's law is opposed to love. But love fulfills the law. The law guides us in truly loving God and others.
  10. People don't understand themselves. They think they are just bundles of sensations or finite beings in an infinite process. But we are made in God's image with eternal souls.
  11. Even primitive societies and humanists recognize the need for some law and order. But people still think they can decide what's right for themselves.
  12. People are sinful by nature. We need God's wisdom, guidance and power to overcome our selfishness and live rightly.
  13. People don't understand God. They think He is opposed to them, but He is holy, loving and all-powerful. We must know Him as our Creator and obey His law.
  14. People need to know the truth about God, themselves and life to find happiness, liberty and love. This comes through faith in Christ.
  15. Only by God's grace through Jesus Christ can we be freed from sin and delight in God's law. We must yield our wills to Him.

Sermon Q&A

What Does Isaiah 5:24 Teach About Why God Judges Nations?

Isaiah 5:24 provides profound insights into why God judges nations and individuals. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones unpacks this verse to reveal timeless truths about God's judgment and human rebellion.

What is the root cause of God's judgment according to Isaiah 5:24?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' analysis of Isaiah 5:24, the root cause of God's judgment is that people "have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts and despised the word of the holy one of Israel." This represents more than just breaking individual commandments - it's a complete rejection of God's authority and law. The preacher emphasizes that "the trouble with men is not merely and not only that he does certain particular things that are wrong...The real trouble is this, when Men rejects the law of God altogether and dismisses it and despises it and treats it with unutterable contempt."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe focusing only on social problems is ineffective?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that modern society's approach of dealing with problems piecemeal (like juvenile delinquency or social issues) through special commissions is fundamentally flawed. He states: "They're dealing with the problem piecemeal, and it doesn't work. It never has worked. Why? Well, because they're only medicating symptoms. They're not treating the disease." The core issue is spiritual - the rejection of God and His law - which manifests in various social problems that cannot be effectively addressed without addressing this fundamental cause.

What are the three main misconceptions people have about God's law?

According to the sermon, people reject God's law because of three major misconceptions:

  1. They see law as the opposite of happiness: "They hate the law of God because they feel that it is the opposite to happiness." They falsely define happiness as momentary experience rather than total wellbeing.

  2. They see law as the opposite of liberty: "The modern men's idea of liberty is license." True liberty requires discipline, as "you cannot have liberty without discipline."

  3. They see law as the opposite of love: "They put love against law, law against love." They fail to understand that "love is the fulfilling of the law" and that true love operates within godly boundaries.

How does the modern view of humanity contribute to rejection of God's law?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that modern people reject God's law because they misunderstand human nature. Modern philosophies like existentialism describe humans as merely "a bundle of sensations" or "a thought center" without moral absolutes. This leads to despair and "nausea" since man cannot find meaning or guidance. The preacher points out this contradiction: "Even your modern humanists...even they have to recognize in practice that you've got to have some limits, that you've got to have some rules." Humanity needs divine guidance because we are fallen creatures who cannot successfully govern ourselves.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the solution to modern man's problems?

The solution, according to the sermon, is to:

  1. Know the truth about God: "Modern men needs to know the truth about God, that God is. That God is holy, God is righteous, God is all powerful."

  2. Understand true human nature: "He needs to know that he's not an animal, that he's not a bundle of sensations that he's created in the image and likeness of God."

  3. Submit to Christ: "If the son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Free from lust, free from all the things that ingenium, free in the freedom that God alone can give."

  4. Embrace the paradox: "Make me a captive lord, and then I shall be free." True freedom comes through submission to God, not rebellion against Him.

Old Testament

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.