Christmas and Modern Man
A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:20
Originally preached Dec. 23, 1956
Scripture
20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
Sermon Description
Christmas is always a wonderful time of the year. People seem to be on their best behavior, full of cheer, and often become religious during this time. But what is the meaning behind Christmas? In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:20 titled “Christmas and the Modern Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches that the true meaning of Christmas is something that seems offensive, and even foolish, to the natural person. Today’s culture has missed the reason why God sent His Son to Earth in the first place; that is, to reconcile humanity back to Himself. This is the part of the gospel message that is offensive; the Christmas story makes one realize that they are helpless enough that they need a baby to come save them. Christmas is truly a miraculous story. A virgin gives birth to a boy who will save humanity from their sins. This message sounds like foolishness, yet this is the message that all must come to grips with and in hope believe that Jesus was the promised King who will redeem humanity. Some think that He was only a good teacher with good philosophy. This sermon will show that God cannot be made known through religious efforts and earthly wisdom, but only by believing in what the world considers to be foolish.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon opens by posing the question of why the whole world does not turn to and believe in Jesus Christ. The Bible says it is because of the devil.
- The devil opposes God and His kingdom in two main ways: through open persecution and through subtle deception by adopting and corrupting the Christian message. The world celebrates Christmas but misses its true meaning.
- The real message of Christmas is a challenge and humbling of the world. It displays the glory and triumph of God.
- The Christmas message is an announcement of what God has done - He sent His Son. This is a supernatural, miraculous event that does not fit with human wisdom or understanding.
- The world does not understand the Christmas message. To the Jews it is a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. The natural man cannot receive spiritual truths.
- The Christmas message makes the wisdom of the world look foolish. It exposes the failure of human wisdom to know God. The world rejected the wisdom of God displayed in Christ.
- The way God accomplished His work through Christ was contrary to human expectations. Christ came in weakness and humility, not power and glory. This shows the foolishness of human wisdom.
- In Christ, God succeeded where human wisdom failed. We can know God, find righteousness, sanctification, and redemption in Christ. Christ provides what philosophy cannot.
- God's way is one that works for all people, no matter how foolish or weak. It is not limited to the wise and strong like human wisdom.
- We must choose between trusting in human wisdom or the wisdom of God displayed in Christ. Only God's wisdom can save. We must become fools to become truly wise.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the True Message of Christmas
What is the true message of Christmas according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the true message of Christmas is not what the world celebrates. The real message is primarily a challenge to the world's wisdom. It's not about man at his best or a season of goodwill, but rather God's supernatural intervention that humbles human wisdom. As he states: "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" It's about God displaying His glory and triumph over worldly wisdom through the incarnation.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe the devil has adopted Christmas?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that while the devil sometimes works through open persecution of Christianity, his more subtle method is pretending to adopt the Christian message while distorting it. With Christmas, the devil has made it appear that the message is about "man at his best" - focusing on goodwill, friendship, and human kindness rather than the supernatural intervention of God. This subtle distortion turns attention away from the true miraculous nature of Christ's birth and its theological significance.
How does the Christmas message differ from human wisdom according to the sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the Christmas message: 1. Doesn't conform to human wisdom or categories 2. Is supernatural and miraculous at its core 3. Cannot be understood by natural human thinking 4. Makes human wisdom look foolish by comparison 5. Succeeds where human wisdom has completely failed
He emphasizes that the virgin birth cannot be explained by human logic or science, as it belongs to a different order of reality - God's supernatural intervention in the world.
How does God make human wisdom look foolish through Christmas?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines several ways: 1. By showing that human wisdom had completely failed to arrive at knowledge of God 2. By demonstrating that so-called wise people couldn't recognize true wisdom when they saw it in Christ 3. By choosing the opposite of what human wisdom would expect - a stable instead of a palace, poverty instead of wealth, weakness instead of military strength 4. By succeeding through Christ in doing what human wisdom failed to accomplish - providing knowledge of God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the advantage of God's way of salvation?
According to the sermon, God's way of salvation through Christ works for everyone, not just the intellectual elite. While Greek philosophy requires a certain type of brain and leisure to study, Christ can be understood and received by anyone. Lloyd-Jones states: "When the great and the mighty turned their backs upon him and scorned him and curled up their lips at him, the publicans and sinners drew nigh unto him, for to hear him." He emphasizes that even those who can't follow complex arguments can still be saved by Christ, "the power of God and the wisdom of God."
What is the relationship between faith and foolishness according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones quotes Paul, saying: "If any man willeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be made wise." He explains that to the world, Christian faith appears foolish because it believes in supernatural miracles like the virgin birth and salvation through Christ's death. However, this apparent "foolishness" is actually the path to true wisdom. By embracing what the world considers foolish, the believer gains access to God's wisdom, which provides what human wisdom never could: forgiveness, peace of conscience, new birth, strength against sin, and victory over death.
Other Sermons
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.