This Modern Condition
A Sermon on Materialism from Isaiah 5:8-10
Scripture
Woes for the Wicked
8¶Woe to those who attach house to house and join field to field,
Until there is no more room,
And you alone are a landowner in the midst of the land!
9In my ears the Lord of armies has sworn, “Many houses shall …
8¶ Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! 9In mine ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even …
Sermon Description
Materialism is a trap so subtle that most probably do not even realize they are bound to it. It calls from every crevice of the culture and seeks to measure life by this world, its focus entirely on the here-and-now and what can be gained, from riches, to popularity, to belongings. In this sermon on Isaiah 5:8–10 titled “This Modern Condition,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches a warning against this trap, reminding of the dangers of living in a mindset enraptured by this temporary world. Every second Christians spend longing for the world is a second they are not gazing on the goodness of their God. What are some things he urges the listener to note? First, materialism’s smallness—it takes all of life and measures it by what someone has. Second, it is selfish—the logical outcome of this worldview is for a person to think entirely of themselves and their existence here and how they can progress. What causes materialism? Ultimately, that God is not in a person’s thoughts. Naturally, when people cease thinking eternally, they begin to focus on this world more. Scripture issues several warnings against this, and God has acted on these warnings throughout history. Dr. Lloyd-Jones exhorts the listener to care for their souls and to not put off addressing spiritual things. After all, what advantage is it to someone if they gain all this world has and yet loses their soul in the end?
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.