Names Written in the Earth
A Sermon on Jeremiah 17:13
Originally preached July 3, 1955
Scripture
13O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Jeremiah 17:13 titled “Names Written in the Earth,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes a clear and bold statement: sin is deliberate. When sinning, a person knows that they are rebelling against a holy God. The first people lived with God in the garden and knew God personally. It was in this state, Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues, that humankind knowingly disobeyed God. Moreover, circumstances now remind people of God when they have put Him out their minds. Take for example those who are faced with death or suffering: how often do they hear the unbeliever praying out of last resort when they suffer greatly? When this happens, it shows the world that they knew all along that God is sovereign and still they rebel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones elaborates that not only does humanity rebel against God deliberately, they do so while God is providing breath to their lungs and sustenance to their bones. It was not in a desert and famine that people originally opposed God, but rather it was in paradise that they first rebelled against their Creator. Similarly, if one is able to rebel against and curse God right now, it is only because He has put air in their lungs and sustained them up to this very moment.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sin is always deliberate. There is an active and positive element to sin, not just passive.
- There is an element of ingratitude in sin. We owe everything to God yet we turn from him.
- There is blindness to our own real good. We turn from the fountain of living waters to broken cisterns.
- The inevitable consequence of sin is shame, being confounded, and having your name written in the earth.
- Those who forsake God will be put to shame. Their folly will be exposed before all.
- What people relied on will be shown as useless. They will be bewildered and without hope.
- A name written in the earth is unstable, insecure, impermanent, and will be obliterated.
- Fame, power, and worldly pleasure will all pass away. Death comes for all.
- There will be a judgment where the ungodly will not stand. They will be like chaff blown away.
- Even the earth itself will be destroyed, along with all who belong to it. Nothing will remain.
- The greatest tragedy is not having your name written in heaven. That is eternal.
- We must turn to God, confess our sin, and rely only on Christ's work to have our name in heaven.
Sermon Q&A
What Hope Does Jeremiah Offer to Israel According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Jeremiah 17:13, Jeremiah offers Israel hope through his description of God as "the hope of Israel" and "the fountain of living waters." These profound descriptions represent the complete provision God offers to His people.
What Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones Identify as the Deliberate Element in Sin?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that sin is always deliberate, not merely passive. He explains: "Man's resistance to God is not merely passive, it is always active, it is always positive." The Israelites deliberately turned from God to other gods, and all humanity has this same deliberate element in their sin. Even those claiming atheism must actively suppress the innate sense of God within them, "holding down the truth in unrighteousness" as Paul writes.
How Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones Describe the Ingratitude of Sin?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies ingratitude as a core element of sin. He points out how the Israelites forsook God despite all He had done for them—delivering them from Egypt and giving them a land of plenty. This ingratitude extends to all humanity, who benefit from God's provisions (health, family, food, shelter) yet turn away from Him. The ultimate display of this ingratitude is mankind's rejection of Christ, when "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son."
What Does It Mean to Have Your Name "Written in the Earth" According to the Sermon?
Having your name "written in the earth" means living a life without God that is:
- Essentially unstable and insecure - "If a sudden gust of wind comes or a hurricane, it's simply obliterated"
- Lacking permanence - Even if you preserve fame or success, death will still obliterate it
- Unable to withstand judgment - "The ungodly are like the chaff which the wind driveth away"
- Temporary because the earth itself will be destroyed - "The elements shall melt with a fervent heat"
The greatest tragedy is not just that such names are written in earth, but that they are not "written in heaven" in "God's family album" where they would be secure eternally.
What is the Alternative to Having Your Name Written in the Earth?
The alternative is having your name written in heaven, which Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes as being: - "Indelible" - "Written with God's own hand" - "With ink that is eternal" - Secure and inviolable - Something that leads to hearing the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant"
This eternal security comes only through acknowledging sin, forsaking self-righteousness, and trusting in Christ's sacrifice on Calvary.
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.