God or Man?
A Sermon on Jeremiah 17:5-8
Originally preached May 1, 1955
Scripture
5¶ Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the …
Sermon Description
Why has humanity strayed away from God? Many men and women go throughout their lives not caring about God, salvation, or eternity. They concern themselves with everything other than God and His ways, yet all were created by God and for God. In this sermon on Jeremiah 17:5–8 titled “God or Man?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that the reason for humanity’s refusal to love and serve God is found in the fact that people are sinners and rebels against God. Adam and Eve listened to the voice of the serpent rather than that of God Himself and fell into sin. However, people are still unwilling to accept that they are sinners; they claim that they do not believe in Christianity because it is intellectually ridiculous. What then is one to make of humanity in sin? How can they be saved? The answer is found in God’s great plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. God saves sinful and rebellious people by sending His only Son to die in their place that they might live as children of God. It is God incarnate in Jesus Christ that overcomes human sin and hatred for all that is good by living and dying as a person. Jesus was then raised from the grave and now reigns and intercedes for all those that trust in His gospel of grace.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by introducing Jeremiah 17:5-8 which contrasts the cursed man who trusts in man with the blessed man who trusts in God.
- The world is obviously not in a state of blessing currently due to wars, troubles, and unhappiness. The question is why is the world like this? The only answer is sin.
- Sin affects the whole of man - his mind, will, and heart. The mind of sinful man trusts in himself. He believes his intellect can understand all mysteries.
- Sinful man believes he can accomplish anything by his own determination and effort. He believes he can solve all problems and deliver himself. This is the fatal error of politics and philosophy.
- Sinful man even believes he can make himself fit to stand before God through good works and morality. This shows his fatal self-confidence.
- The prophet describes the sinful man as cursed. His mind, will, and heart are all against God. He dislikes, hates, and fears God. Sin is a total ruin of man.
- It is foolish and mad for sinful man to put himself at the center and have confidence in himself. History shows man's repeated failures, yet he continues in self-confidence.
- The blessed man is the opposite. He realizes his own sinfulness, helplessness, and hopelessness. He has no confidence in himself but trusts in the Lord.
- The blessed man listens to and believes the Word of God. He relies only on the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning work. His heart centers on the Lord.
- Though the blessed man may not understand all of God's ways, he trusts in God's love and sovereignty. His hope is in God, not his own understanding.
- We must ask ourselves if our hearts are right with God. Do we trust in ourselves or God? We must renounce self and trust utterly in Christ to be blessed.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Trusting in God vs. Trusting in Man?
What is the main text that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches from in this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches from Jeremiah 17:5-8, though he focuses particularly on verses 5 and 7: "Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in men, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord" and "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is."
According to Lloyd-Jones, what are the only two possible positions a person can be in?
According to Lloyd-Jones, there are only two possible positions: either blessing or cursing. He emphasizes that the Bible constantly presents only two alternatives - "It is either blessing or cursing. It is either God or memory. It is either the straight gate or the wide gate. It's the narrow way or the Broadway." There is no middle ground between being a Christian or not being a Christian, and one's eternal destiny depends on which position they are in.
How does Lloyd-Jones define sin in this sermon?
Lloyd-Jones defines sin as man setting himself up as autonomous from God. He explains that "the very essence of sin is the step which men took when he stepped out of that relationship [with God] and set himself up in an autonomous manner and said, I henceforth am going to think my own thoughts as over against God's thoughts." Sin affects the whole person - mind, will, and heart - producing "total ruin" and "entire corruption."
What are the three ways sin affects humanity according to the sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, sin affects: 1. The mind - "Man trusts in men" and puts himself at the center of the universe 2. The will - "Makes flesh his arm" with unbounded confidence in human ability and self-sufficiency 3. The heart - "Heart departs from the Lord" resulting in distrust, dislike, and even hatred of God
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the man who is blessed?
The blessed man, according to Lloyd-Jones, is one who: 1. Realizes his own smallness, hopelessness, failure, and helplessness 2. Has no confidence in himself or other people 3. Trusts completely in the Lord 4. Is receptive to God's Word 5. Relies entirely on Jesus Christ for salvation 6. Loves the Lord and delights in pleasing Him 7. Accepts what he cannot understand, knowing God works all for good
What does Lloyd-Jones say is the root cause of the world's problems?
Lloyd-Jones identifies sin as the only adequate explanation for the world's problems and human unhappiness. He rejects evolutionary hypotheses and political solutions, stating: "There is no other answer. There is no other explanation." He explains that sin entered at the beginning of human history when man queried God and set himself up as autonomous, and this pattern continues to be the cause of humanity's troubles.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast modern man's approach to God with the biblical approach?
Lloyd-Jones contrasts: - Modern man approaches God as a problem to be dissected and examined - Modern man believes his mind can comprehend everything, including God - Modern man thinks he can make himself fit to stand before God through good works - The biblical approach recognizes human limitations and inadequacy - The biblical approach trusts God even when not understanding everything - The biblical approach relies on Christ's work rather than human effort
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the great folly of mankind?
Lloyd-Jones identifies mankind's great folly as his continued self-confidence despite history's lessons. He calls it "honorable folly," "madness," and "stark lunacy" that modern man still puts himself at the center despite thousands of years of historical failures. He points out that "we learn from history that we learn nothing from history," as man continues to believe he can fix the world's problems through his own efforts while defying God.
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.