The Victim of Sin
A Sermon on Isaiah 5:22-23
Scripture
22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Sermon Description
Sin has different symptoms. Some sins manifest in drunkenness and some manifest in self-righteousness, but everyone has to grapple with the sin that is found in the unconverted heart. In this sermon on Isaiah 5:22–23 titled “The Victim of Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the fact that sin is no respecter of persons. It affects the rich, poor, intellectual, and simple. There is no strata of humanity that is unaffected by sin and its consequences. Moreover, wherever sin is found there is also a silencing of a God-given conscience. When a person gives themselves daily to drunkenness, or any other sin, they eventually put a gag in the mouth of their conscience until they completely excuse their sin. Moreover, sin’s pleasure is fleeting: one must go deeper into more unnatural sin in order to get the same high with which they started. When this kind of gratuitous sin occurs in a society, it gives way to a culture that not only sins, but also approves of sin and calls it righteous. Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses civilizations of the earth and points out that no culture has made headway in conquering sin. Listen in to hear how Christ offers forgiveness to everyone who is caught in sin.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sin is no respecter of persons. It affects all types of people. No one is immune.
- Sin makes people insult their own nature. It causes them to find pleasure through artificial means like alcohol or drugs.
- Sin degrades people and destroys the best in them. It blunts their moral senses and conscience.
- Righteousness cannot exist without godliness. Wrong ideas always lead to wrong practices.
- The conscience is always involved in sin. Repeated sin dulls the conscience.
- Sin poisons and corrupts. It makes people cynical and causes them to excuse sin in themselves and others.
- Sin leads to a loss of duty, responsibility and service. It leads to selfishness.
- The only power that can break the power of sin is Jesus Christ.
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.