The Lie of Sin
A Sermon on Psalm 107:17-22
Originally preached Jan. 30, 1955
Scripture
17Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
19Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
20He …
Sermon Description
God is to be praised with one’s whole life because He is God. Sin is the singular cause of all troubles in this world, manifested in various ways. In this sermon on Psalm 107:17–22 titled “The Lie of Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at the third representation of sin—sin as disease. This is the illness of the soul, of humanity, of life. Sin is not only rebellion, but it is also transgression–a deliberate and continual going against God’s indicated will, thus taking the health of one’s soul. People are architects of their own troubles. The extraordinary paradox is that everyone is chasing happiness, but the result is unhappiness because it is not being sought in the right way. People search for the best, but find the worst. Sin always robs people of innocence, refinement, delicacy, judgement, and energy. The craving for evil exponentially continues to increase. Christ came to kill the poison of this disease through His death so that all could be reconciled to God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The psalmist calls upon people to praise God because he is good and his mercy endures forever.
- The psalmist calls upon the redeemed in particular to praise God because he has redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
- The psalmist's message is that all of mankind's troubles stem from sin, though sin manifests itself in many different ways.
- The psalmist uses four examples to illustrate how sin manifests itself in different ways, though they all share the same solution: crying out to God.
- The first example is of men lost in the wilderness, crying out to God, who brings them to a city. This illustrates sin as going astray and missing the mark.
- The second example is of men in prison, bound in fetters, crying out to God, who delivers them. This illustrates sin as bondage and slavery.
- The third example is of a sick man in bed, losing appetite and nearing death, crying out to God, who heals him. This illustrates sin as sickness and disease.
- The fourth example is of men in a storm at sea, crying out to God, who stills the storm and brings them to their desired haven. This illustrates sin as being in peril and danger.
- Sin is transgression, which means walking away from and offending against God's will and way for us. If we don't live according to God's laws, we will suffer.
- Sin is iniquity, which means we deliberately do wrong and commit crimes against God.
- We are fools for sinning and bringing affliction upon ourselves. We think we know better than God.
- Sin always robs and takes from us. It robs us of innocence, purity, refinement, balance, peace, health, and taste for good things.
- The habitual sinner even loses taste for sin and needs new sins and stimulants. Sin reduces us to refuse and throws us on the scrap heap.
- But when we cry out to God, he sends his word and heals us. He deals with our sin by forgiving us and giving us new life in Christ.
- Christ gives us abundant life, health, joy, and rejoicing in place of misery. He enables us to live according to God's laws.
Sermon Q&A
What Does the Bible Mean by Sin as Sickness? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Explains
Based on Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Psalm 107, I've created questions and answers that explore his teaching on sin as spiritual sickness.
What is the main picture that Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses in this portion of Psalm 107?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Psalm 107 uses four different pictures to illustrate the same fundamental truth about sin and salvation. In this sermon, he focuses on the third picture: sin as a sickness or disease. The picture shows someone lying sick in bed, in a state of affliction, suffering from pain, having lost their appetite, and drawing near to death. This represents the spiritual sickness that sin causes in the human soul.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define sin as transgression?
According to Lloyd-Jones, transgression means walking away from, ignoring, and offending against what God meant for us. He compares it to breaking the laws of health: "There are obviously certain laws of health. And if we want to enjoy health, we must observe those laws." Similarly, God has made humans to live according to certain spiritual laws and principles. When we violate these principles, we bring spiritual sickness upon ourselves. Transgression means not living according to God's rules for our spiritual well-being.
What does the psalm mean when it calls sinners "fools"?
The psalm says, "Fools, because of their transgressions and because of their iniquities, are afflicted." Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that a better translation would be "fools by their course or by their way of transgression and their iniquities afflict themselves." He emphasizes that humans bring their afflictions upon themselves through their foolishness. The ultimate folly of sin is that people think they know better than God. As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "Sin really just means this, that we think that we know better than God."
How does sin rob people according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones explains that sin always robs and never gives. It presents itself as offering everything, but actually takes everything away. Specifically, sin robs us of: - Innocence - Purity - Refinement and delicacy - Balance and judgment - Inward peace and joy - Taste for good things - Eventually, even the taste for bad things
He quotes the poet Lord Byron, who at only 36 years old wrote, "My days are in the yellow leaf, the flowers and fruits of love are gone," illustrating how sin had left him exhausted and empty at a young age.
How does Christ heal the sickness of sin according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that God's healing of sin works in several ways:
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First, Christ removes the cause: "He first of all deals with the infection or the growth, the canker, whatever it may be, and he takes it out of us." This is forgiveness of sins.
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Then Christ gives new life: "This New Testament doctrine doesn't merely tell us that our sins are forgiven. It goes on to tell us that we are given new life." This is regeneration or being born again.
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Finally, Christ gives abundant health and joy: "The Lord Jesus Christ doesn't merely tide you over the crisis and make you feel a little bit better on that sick bed. Not at all. He has dealt with a disease. He gives you new life."
As Lloyd-Jones quotes Jesus: "I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
What is the remedy for the spiritual sickness of sin?
The psalm says, "Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions." Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that the remedy is to cry out to the Lord in repentance and faith. In his concluding appeal, he urges: "Acknowledge and confess that you are as you are because of your own sin. Repent. Acknowledge it. Confess it. Don't plead anything, but admit it all. And then believe him when he tells you that he sent his son to die for you and for your sins, and that he will give you life anew. Repent. Believe, and you will prove it to be true."
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.