The Message of the Bible
A Sermon on Genesis 3:1
Originally preached Oct. 9, 1955
Scripture
1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Sermon Description
Why is it so important to understand the narrative of Scripture? In this sermon on Genesis 3:1 titled “The Message of the Bible,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the great story of the Bible by looking at the fall of humanity into sin, and the death of Jesus—the only remedy of sin. The state of the world can only be accounted for in the story of the fall. When humanity sinned against God, the whole world fell into sin, and they became slaves of the devil. No other story can account for the sin and evil that is in the world. Only the word of God tells why the world is in the terrible state that it is, and God’s word alone gives the answer to all the world’s problems. The glorious truth of Scripture is that God has sent His only Son to overcome sin, Satan, and the fall. Jesus is the new man who has come to redeem the whole world. This is the story of the world: humanity sinned against God, but God has sent Jesus to make all things new. This sermon confronts all with the truth of God’s salvation in Christ and the need to repent.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Bible begins by asserting that God exists and is eternal. We cannot fully comprehend God with our limited human minds.
- The world was created by God, not the result of blind chance or accident. God created the world and everything in it perfectly.
- God created human beings uniquely in His own image. Humans were originally created morally upright and lived in harmony with God.
- Evil entered the world through the temptation of Satan, who is opposed to God and seeks to destroy His creation. Through Satan's temptation, humans rebelled against God and fell into sin.
- As a result of the Fall, humans are now helpless to escape from sin and are under the judgment of God. The problems we experience in life stem from sin and rebellion against God.
- God has provided the solution to the problem of human sin in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus conquered sin and the devil, and offers redemption and eternal life to all who believe in Him.
- We must recognize our sinfulness and helplessness, repent, and put our faith in Jesus Christ as the only solution to our deepest problems. He will receive all who come to Him and give them new life.
Sermon Q&A
What is the Essential Message of the Bible According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the starting point of the Bible's message?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the Bible starts with "In the beginning, God." He emphasizes that before addressing our personal problems, the Bible begins with God as the creator and source of all things. He states, "The only way to understand you is to start with God," contrasting this with modern approaches that start and end with human beings.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the original state of creation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes God's original creation as perfect and paradise-like. He states that God "made everything out of nothing by his own power. And he made it absolutely perfect. He looked at it and he saw that it was good and it was called paradise." He explains that man was made in God's image, was upright, righteous, holy, and lived in communion with God.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the cause of humanity's problems?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies sin and the fall of man as the root cause of all human problems. He explains that Satan entered God's perfect creation and tempted Adam and Eve, leading to man's rebellion against God. This rebellion brought about "thorns and thistles, illness and disease, problems on all hands." He states that this explains "why we are what we are and things are what they are."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the biblical view of mankind with modern views?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts the biblical view that man was created perfect and fell, with the modern evolutionary view that man "is as he is now because he has not yet reached perfection, but that he's evolving and advancing and developing in that direction." He challenges the notion of human progress, noting that despite thousands of years, the same problems of jealousy, murder, and coveting persist today as they did in ancient times.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones present as the solution to humanity's condition?
The solution Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents is God's intervention through Jesus Christ. He explains that "God coming into the wreckage" provided salvation through "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of God." He states that Christ "has gone to the judgment for us... has borne our sins and their punishment in his own body on a cruel cross," and that "whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe the Bible is relevant and practical?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the Bible is the most practical book because it directly addresses the human condition and our real-life problems. He states, "There is nothing in the world this evening that is so practical as the teaching of this book." He rejects the notion that religion is merely theoretical, saying "Religion is not escapism. It's everything else that is escapism. This is realism."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about human helplessness in relation to sin?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that humans are helpless to overcome sin on their own. He states that man "is quite helpless. That he's brought a curse upon himself and he can't escape it. He wants to. He'd like to, but he cannot." He describes mankind as having been trying to get back into Eden ever since being expelled, but being unable to do so without divine intervention.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the judgment that awaits humanity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that all humanity is under God's judgment, both in this life and after death. He states, "It is appointed unto men, all men, once, to die. And after death, the judgment." He emphasizes that "Death isn't the end. We go on, and we go on to all eternity." This reality, he argues, is why the gospel message is so urgently needed.
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.