The Blindness of Modern man
A Sermon on Luke 12:54-57
Originally preached March 13, 1955
Scripture
54¶ And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. 55And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. …
Sermon Description
Is Christianity based on nothing more than myths? In this sermon on Luke 12:54–57 titled “The Blindness of Modern Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones confronts this false claim, showing that the message of Christianity is based on the historical facts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity. The Holy Scriptures attest to this as the inspired revelation of God the Creator Himself. God testified to His existence and attributes in the very creation of the world and providence. Despite all this, humanity rejects Christianity. They claim that it is intellectually shallow, lacks evidence, and that only those who sacrifice their mind can assent to it. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that those who reject Christianity do not do so because of intellectual objections, but because of the effects of sin. For while people may be capable of extraordinary feats of science, technology, art, and medicine, they are unable to comprehend spiritual truths unless God opens their hearts and minds to understand the gospel. They are not dumb but blinded by sin. They know that if they come to Christ, they must leave behind their sinful ways and give all to Christ. No one is capable of leaving behind a life of sin and rebellion unless God in His grace enlightens their hearts and minds so that they can see the truth of the gospel.
Sermon Breakdown
- Life as a result of sin is characterized by contradictoriness. There is a curious contradictory element in life and in men as a result of sin and the fall. Man seems to be at war with himself and living a double life.
- Life as a result of sin is futile. All of our success eventually leads to nothing because we have failed in the most important thing of all. Our wisdom and understanding are directed to the wrong ends, only towards the temporal and ignore the eternal.
- Life as a result of sin is hypocrisy. Men give excuses for not believing in Christ like insufficient light or intellectual difficulties but these are not the real reasons. The real reason is moral, men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. They do not want to face the moral and ethical demands of Christ.
- The tragedy is that men do not discern the signs of the times. They did not see the meaning and significance of Christ and the events happening. They went headlong into disaster not realizing it. The same is happening today, mankind is not sobered by the terrible things happening in the world. They do not see it is because of sin and separation from God.
- The message is that the one thing that matters is our relationship with God and our eternal destiny. We must stop and ask where we will spend eternity. We must see the eternal significance of Christ.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Luke 12:54-57
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the main issue with people who fail to discern spiritual truth?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the main issue with people who fail to discern spiritual truth is sin. He explains that sin blinds people to the truth about God and themselves. In the sermon, he states: "The real trouble is, I say, that man is incapable of seeing the real meaning of events because he's in a state of sin." This blindness leads to a contradictory nature in humans, where they can understand material and temporal matters but remain blind to spiritual and eternal realities.
Why does Jesus call people "hypocrites" in this passage, according to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus calls people hypocrites because they claim their reason for not believing is intellectual when it's actually moral. He states: "The trouble about Christianity is not intellectual, it's moral." People often claim they need more evidence or have intellectual difficulties with Christianity, but Lloyd-Jones argues these are mere excuses. The real issue is that "men know that if they believe this Christ and go after him there are certain things they've got to give up." They put up a "camouflage of intellectual difficulties" while avoiding the moral demands of following Christ.
What contradiction does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify in human nature based on this passage?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies a fundamental contradiction in human nature where people demonstrate remarkable intelligence in some areas while remaining blind in others. He points out how Jesus noted that people could predict weather patterns accurately (discerning "the face of the sky and of the earth") but failed to recognize the spiritual significance of His presence and ministry. Lloyd-Jones applies this to modern people who display incredible scientific and technological advances while failing spiritually: "Man at one at the same time is a brilliant success and a tragic failure." This dualism represents the contradictory nature of human existence after the Fall.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones relate this passage to the modern world's condition?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws a direct parallel between the people of Jesus' time and modern society. He observes that modern humanity shows "this curious fatal inability" to recognize what's happening before their eyes. Despite tremendous scientific and technological advances (splitting the atom, medical breakthroughs), modern society remains spiritually blind and morally deteriorating. He states: "We have concentrated entirely upon the material and upon the temporal and we have forgotten about the spiritual and the eternal and the everlasting. And that is the essence of modern man's tragedy." The sermon warns that contemporary events themselves are "prophecies of a final judgment."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the ultimate futility of life without God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies that without God, all human achievements and successes ultimately amount to nothing—life becomes futile. Referencing the parable of the rich fool earlier in Luke 12, he points out that worldly success without spiritual understanding leads to emptiness: "The great success is an abject failure. The man who seems to have done everything perfectly has really nothing in the end and he goes out of life empty handed." Lloyd-Jones questions: "What's the point of all our scientific inventions if we don't know what to do with them? What's the value of splitting the atom if it's simply going to blow your civilization to nothing?" Without addressing eternal matters, all temporal successes ultimately end in futility.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggest is the real reason people reject Christianity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly asserts that people reject Christianity not for intellectual reasons but for moral ones. He states: "The difficulty, I say, is never intellectual, it is always moral." He explains that people resist Christianity because they "love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." The real obstacle is that following Christ requires giving up certain behaviors and submitting to His authority: "The moment you meet him and face him and go after him, there are certain things you've got to say goodbye to once and forever." Additionally, pride plays a role—the unwillingness of intellectuals to humble themselves "like a little child" before God.
What solution does Dr. Lloyd-Jones offer to address the futility and contradictions of human existence?
The solution Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers is to put eternal matters first by turning to Jesus Christ. He urges his listeners to stop focusing on everything else and consider the ultimate question: "What happens to me when I die? Where am I going? Do I know God?" He states that the only way to resolve this fundamental question is "in Jesus Christ, the son of God, who's come to bear the guilt of that sin, of your forgetfulness of God." By receiving Christ's forgiveness and becoming God's child, a person can find security regardless of what happens in the world: "You'll be safe, eternally safe in Jesus Christ." The solution is to apply one's mind and heart to God and recognize the eternal significance of Jesus Christ.
Sermons on Unbelief
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.