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Sermon #3255

Why Preaching?

A Sermon on Romans 10:14-17

Originally preached Feb. 28, 1964

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Scripture

Romans 10:14-17 ESV KJV
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, …

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Sermon Description

Why does the Christian church gather weekly to hear a message when each person could be at home reading from the Bible? In his sermon on Romans 10:14–17 titled “Why Preaching?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this question as he delivers a message about the importance of preaching as it is God’s chief way for the gospel to be heard. Reading is right and good for the knowledgeable Christian, but for someone newly touched by the Holy Spirit, the words of a pastor are formative to their acceptance of the good news. Dr. Lloyd-Jones recalls the Ethiopian man who was reading the Old Testament but could not understand the writings. He needed Philip to come into his chariot and explain its meaning. This is the wonderful power of preaching. In addition to this truth, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains how important it is for believers to gather in church to hear a message. Believers, he says, need to be present for those who need help. Perhaps it is a person has lost a family member, needs encouragement, or needs help understanding the sermon. Believers are there to also lean on each other. He concludes by saying that preaching can be the powerful spark of revival and that the gathering of Christians has the potential to glorify God in ways that didn’t seem possible.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul is dealing with Romans 10:14-17 in this passage.
  2. Verse 13 states that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
  3. Paul then asks how people can call on the Lord if they have not believed, and how they can believe without hearing the message, and how they can hear without a preacher, and how they can preach unless they are sent.
  4. Paul is explaining the normal process by which the gospel spreads and people come to salvation. God can work outside of normal means, but preaching the gospel is the typical way people come to faith.
  5. Some people question why preaching is necessary if salvation is from God. But God ordains both the means and the end. While God can work miraculously, He typically works through the preaching of the gospel.
  6. Preaching is God's normal and customary method for spreading the gospel, though He is not confined to it. Other means, like reading Scripture, are supplementary but not substitutes for preaching.
  7. Preaching is necessary because: 1) Christians still need instruction and guidance in understanding Scripture. 2) The preacher's personality and gifts are used by God. 3) Preaching applies the message in a way that reading alone may not. 4) The church community reinforces the preaching. 5) Preaching explains the message in a way that simply reading the Bible may not.
  8. The word for "preach" in Romans 10:14-15 refers to a herald proclaiming a message, emphasizing the proclamation itself. This is different from simply "reporting the good news" (the meaning of the word in Acts 8:4). Not all Christians are called to be heralds, but all can report the gospel.

Sermon Q&A

Understanding Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Teaching on Preaching from Romans 10:14-17

What is the main biblical passage Dr. Lloyd-Jones is examining in this sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones is examining Romans 10:14-17, particularly focusing on the progression of how people come to salvation: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?... So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say preaching is God's ordained method for spreading the gospel?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that while God isn't limited to one method of bringing people to salvation, preaching is His "normal, customary, ordinary method." He states, "This is God's customary and normal way of working, of bringing his purpose to pass." Just as God uses natural processes like planting and harvesting rather than miraculously producing food instantly, God has ordained preaching as the regular means of spreading the gospel. He emphasizes that "God ordains the means as well as the end" in His salvation plan.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones address the concern about those who have never heard the gospel?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones acknowledges this common concern about the fate of those who have never heard the gospel message, particularly "heathen" people in distant lands and infants who die before reaching the age of understanding. He argues that God, "in his own inscrutable and mysterious manner is able to make this truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ known to whomsoever he wills," regardless of their circumstances. He emphasizes that "nothing is impossible with God," who can give "illumination and capacity and knowledge to anybody" as He chooses.

What are the two main Greek words for "preaching" that Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that there are two primary Greek words translated as "preaching" in the New Testament:

  1. The first word (evangelizo) means "reporting the good news" and emphasizes the content of the message. He references Acts 8:4 where scattered believers "went everywhere preaching the word" - essentially "gossiping the good news."

  2. The second word refers to a "herald" who makes a proclamation, emphasizing the public announcement aspect. This is used in Acts 8:5 where "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them." This is the word used in Romans 10:14.

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe reading the Bible cannot substitute for preaching?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives several reasons why reading cannot substitute for preaching:

  1. Understanding needs guidance: Like the Ethiopian eunuch who needed Philip to explain Scripture, readers often need help understanding biblical truth.

  2. Truth mediated through personality: Preaching is "truth mediated through personality" where "God can use everything about the preacher" to bring truth home.

  3. The power of corporate gathering: The church gathering creates a spiritual atmosphere that impacts hearers.

  4. The necessity of application: Unlike reading where "you can put it down whenever you like," preaching applies truth directly to the hearer who "can't always get out of the congregation."

  5. Biblical terms need explanation: Complex theological terms like "justification" and "sanctification" require exposition that mere translation cannot provide.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about modern Bible translations?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones expresses concern about the proliferation of new Bible translations, suggesting they often arise because "people don't believe in preaching." He argues that modern translations that simplify theological terms like "justification" and "sanctification" with more general language about "liberation" and "freedom" actually "evacuate the terms of their real meaning." He contends that "these great terms... cannot be presented simply by alternative translations" but must be "expounded" and "illustrated" by preachers who can "show the profound content of the terms."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguish between different types of Christian communicators?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes a distinction between two types of Christian communicators:

  1. Every Christian should be able to share the good news (as in Acts 8:4) and "give a reason for the hope that is in him" (1 Peter 3:15).

  2. Not every Christian is called to be a "herald" - an officially appointed preacher who is "sent with a kind of official commission" to proclaim the message publicly (as in Acts 8:5).

This distinction relates to Romans 10:15, "How shall they preach, except they be sent?" suggesting that formal preaching requires a divine appointment or sending.

The Book of Romans

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.