The Wisdom of Man
A Sermon on Luke 1:51-53
Originally preached Dec. 20, 1959
Scripture
51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent …
Sermon Description
How does Jesus shatter thinking of what it means to be great? In this sermon on Luke 1:51–53 titled “The Wisdom of Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at Mary’s song of praise and what it tells about Jesus. Worldly people look to what is outwardly strong and impressive. They look to what is grand and dignified. Yet the Bible tells that God uses the weak and the seemingly unimpressive things to shame the wisdom of the world. There is no better example of this than Jesus Christ. He was born as a baby to a family of no reputation in the land of Judea. But it is this Jesus who is the Savior of the world and the Redeemer of humankind. He did this by dying a humiliating death upon the cross of Calvary and rising from the grave three days later. This is a message of salvation, not to those who are prideful and arrogant, but to those that know they are weak and poor of spirit. It is a message for the outcast and the despised. This gospel asks the question of everyone: “do you believe in Jesus or do you trust in yourself for your own salvation?”
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by emphasizing that the gospel is good news and an announcement of what God has done, not what we should do.
- The sermon then highlights how God's actions in sending Jesus condemn and demolish all that humanity trusts in, including human wisdom, power, and righteousness.
- The sermon points out how God chose to send Jesus in a way that contradicts human expectations and wisdom. God sent Jesus as a baby born to a poor virgin, not as a powerful king.
- The sermon discusses how Jesus scatters the proud who trust in human wisdom, brings down the mighty who trust in power, and sends the rich empty away who trust in their own righteousness.
- The sermon shows how God blesses and fills the humble, the poor in spirit, and those who hunger for righteousness. They receive wisdom, adoption as children of God, peace, joy, and eternal life.
- The sermon concludes by pleading with listeners to humble themselves, see their need for Jesus, believe in him, and receive all the blessings he offers.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the True Meaning of Christmas
What is the main message of Mary's Magnificat according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Mary's Magnificat reveals the fundamental principles of the gospel. It shows that the Christmas message is not about vague feelings of goodwill or an exhortation for men to do something, but rather a proclamation of what God has done. In Mary's words, he sees that God "hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts," "hath put down the mighty from their seats," and "hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away." This demonstrates that the gospel completely reverses human expectations and values, demolishing everything in which man naturally trusts.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the world's view of Christmas with the biblical view?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts two common worldly views of Christmas with the biblical view:
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The world often sees Christmas as "just some vague general feeling of goodwill, good cheer, happiness, an occasion for drink, and a spirit of friendliness."
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Others see it as "an occasion when one can be talking about war and peace" or an opportunity "to plead with people to strive to put an end to war."
By contrast, the biblical view is that Christmas is a proclamation of God's action and intervention - "an announcement of what God has done in the person of his only begotten son." It's not primarily about what humans should do, but about what God has done in sending His Son.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe Christmas is revolutionary according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the Christmas message revolutionary because it completely upends human expectations and values. He states: "The most revolutionary thing in the world tonight is the Christian gospel." Christmas is revolutionary because:
- It came in an unexpected way - through a helpless baby born to an unknown handmaiden in a stable.
- It scatters the intellectually proud who trust in their own wisdom.
- It puts down the mighty from their seats, challenging those who trust in power and status.
- It sends away empty those who are rich in their own righteousness while filling the hungry (those who recognize their spiritual poverty).
- It exalts the lowly, making ordinary believers "children of God, members of the heavenly royal family."
How does the gospel relate to human wisdom according to this sermon?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the gospel completely overturns and demolishes human wisdom. He emphasizes that "the world by wisdom knew not God," citing the apostle Paul. The intellectually proud - philosophers, scientists, and the educated elite - despite all their knowledge, failed to find God through their own reasoning.
The gospel makes them "look silly" in two ways: 1. It shows their complete failure to find God through their own intellectual efforts 2. When true wisdom (Christ) confronted them, they couldn't recognize it
Dr. Lloyd-Jones says: "The simplest and the most ignorant Christian has a knowledge and an understanding that is completely denied to such people." What philosophers could not discover through reasoning, God reveals freely to those who humbly receive His revelation in Christ.
What does it mean that "He hath filled the hungry with good things"?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "the hungry" refers to those who recognize their spiritual poverty - people who feel they are sinners, who understand their own moral bankruptcy, who say "O wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
The "good things" with which God fills such people include:
- Righteousness - Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers who have none of their own
- Peace with God - "being justified by faith, we have peace with God"
- Contentment - being satisfied with God rather than constantly striving
- The fruit of the Spirit - "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, meekness, temperance, faith"
- The fullness of God Himself - "that you may be filled with all the fullness of God"
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes this is the true Christmas gift - not just moral improvement but transformation and reconciliation with God.
Sermons on Wisdom
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.