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In the first part of his sermon on Romans 10:14–17 titled “Called to Preach (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers an important question: what makes a preacher? As he curates a biblical list that describes an ideal pastor, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares the first reason for preaching. Quoting from Romans, he reads, “And how can they believe in whom they have not heard?” The primary reason for preaching is to herald the good news to those who have not heard. As Paul wrote, people cannot believe in something unless they’re told of it. The second reason for preaching, he says, is because a person is called. Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives a number of New Testament examples of people being called to preach the good news. Chiefly, he cites Christ’s calling of the disciples. Lastly, he reminds the listener how important it is for a preacher to be appointed by the congregation. He again quotes passages from the New Testament where the church selected and prayed over certain people to bring the message locally and abroad. A person cannot appoint himself to preach. He must be given the responsibility by the church body. Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by saying that these three points are essential to preaching and the great opportunity to share the promise of Christ.
Fallen nature is such that human beings can seek to justify themselves before God by any means. Christian ministers know that faithful attendance on Sunday morning, while essential to Christian spiritual maturity, does not guarantee the eternal destiny of a person’s soul. A person can spend their whole life in a pew and still not have saving faith. Yet, how often do preachers neglect regular preaching of the gospel to their own congregation? In this sermon titled “Character of the Message” from “Preaching and Preachers” lecture series, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores this dynamic of evangelistic preaching by ministers. It is true that even Christians can benefit from this kind of preaching. Nothing deters self-satisfied Pharisees more than feeling the weight of their sin and hearing about God’s saving grace through Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages pastors to be honest with their assessment of the congregation. While the pew should not dictate the pulpit, Dr. Lloyd-Jones insists that it is the duty of all Christian ministers to be truthful about the spiritual condition of the congregation. Listen as he challenges ministers to know their flock and to care for them where they are.
In this final moment with his students, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses their questions. The lecture contains a wide variety of topics such as hosting a Q&A after the sermon, Sunday school, multi-denominational meetings and societies, children sermons, professionalism, and announcements during the service. In this lecture titled “Questions & Answers (2),” listen to this dialogue as Dr. Lloyd-Jones interacts with these men in a caring and casual fashion. Primary themes from his “Preaching and Preachers” lecture series are emphasized. The power of the Holy Spirit must be evident, not only in the preacher, but also upon the listener. Dr. Lloyd-Jones wants nothing that will detract from this. As preaching must be central, Sunday schools, and other supplementary meetings, are subservient yet strengthened by the solid proclamation of the word. Dr. Lloyd-Jones is an advocate of meeting with ministers across denominational lines and gives practical tips on hosting these meetings. Amidst the variety of topics addressed, his love for the proclamation of God’s word, and his belief that nothing should become a distraction from the centrality of preaching rings again and again. He closes by encouraging his students in these challenging days: theirs is a great and magnificent opportunity to preach God’s word in this most difficult time.
In this lecture on church music and altar calls, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses matters facing the church today that threaten the preaching ministry. Regarding music, Dr. Lloyd-Jones is concerned that congregations are opting for more special singing, quartets, and choirs, and focusing less on the preaching ministry. The more a church is focused on her building, ceremony, special singing and music, the less the church experiences a robust and Biblical spirituality. This leads, he believes, to an entertainment style of ministry. All instruments are to accompany congregational singing alone. Additionally, there is the danger of altar calls. He laments the rise of the altar call, rooting it in emotionalism which imposes a wrong pressure on the will. In contrast, Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents a Biblical case for appealing to the mind. Sinners do not have the inherent power of “making a decision” for Christ; rather they must be regenerated. The conversion of a soul is not produced by an emotionally-based, momentary decision––it is the work of God. What the preacher longs for is solely the work of the Holy Spirit and therein one finds power in preaching––not in the techniques of the preacher but in the movement of God.
For whom is the gospel? Does the Christian gospel seem more palatable for a suburban context? It might seem that a learned man like the apostle Paul would feel more comfortable preaching to philosophers, stoics, and epicureans rather than the common men and women of the city. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones demonstrates in his message on Romans 1:14 titled “The Whole Counsel of God,” this could not be further from the truth. Show Paul a soul – whether that soul be wise or unwise, Greek or Barbarian, rich or poor, slave or free – and he would preach the gospel to them with great profundity and fullness. In this challenging message, Dr. Lloyd-Jones holds up Paul as an example of what it means to be a gospel Christian. The Christian cannot forget that, like Paul, they are under obligation to all humanity. There is a universal need of all nations and all people to hear the gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provocatively says that if preachers today cannot preach to everybody, they should not preach to anybody. Gospel preachers must develop an ability to preach to a range of people otherwise they will give the impression that the gospel is only for a certain type of person. Humbly listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones dispels false ministry methods and calls Christians to once again impart the whole counsel of God to the whole world.
In this sermon titled “No Substitute,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones opens the word of God and confronts the tendency to depreciate preaching at the expense of other forms of activity. As those who have the good news, Christians must tell the truth. Other agencies, politicians, cults, false religions, and nonprofits can do their work, but they cannot preach the gospel. They can ease the pain of the human condition, but they cannot change the heart. The primary task of the church is not to make a person happy, good, or even well off. The primary task of the church is to deliver the truth about humanity and the remedy in Christ. The danger is that the church will tinker with the general symptoms and not address the cause. It takes a specialist to isolate the radical problem and deal with it. This is the work of every preacher, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones. When the church takes care of its primary purpose, God works through it to provide relief to others. The Protestant Reformation birthed hospitals, schools, many other relief efforts, and provided a stimulus to science, literature, etc. Dr. Lloyd-Jones adds that the preaching of the gospel from the pulpit, applied by the Holy Spirit, has been a means of dealing with personal problems that the preacher knows nothing about. Counseling has its place, but most counseling will be done from the pulpit. Anything else is a failure to fulfill the great mandate given to the church.
In his sermon on Romans 10:14–17 titled “The Preacher’s Message (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones talks about the great joy believers have within the gospel. Reading from this Scripture passage, he reminds the listener of the basics of the good news and how it should inspire Christians. He says that preaching is God’s chief appointed role for sharing the gospel to the congregation and unbelievers. Because of this responsibility, it’s important for preachers to integrate the good news into their message. Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers this suggestion with a warning to the congregation: do not grow tired of hearing the gospel. It is easy for Christians to forget the amazing power bestowed by God to those who believe. Dr. Lloyd-Jones takes an opportunity to remind Christians of what they have in Christ. He says that God gave His Son for the forgiveness of sins simply because He is rich in mercy and grace, as seen in Ephesians 2. Dr. Lloyd-Jones expounds upon the daily intercession Christ takes for Christians at the right hand of the Father. He goes on to describe the groaning of the Holy Spirit that prays when believers don’t know what to pray for. With these incredible privileges, Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes with a call to obey the gospel and take joy in the promises within.
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