Help or Hinder? The Pastor/Church Relationship
A Sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:11
Scripture
11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
Sermon Description
How should pastors view the church? How should a church view its pastor? In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:11 titled “For Church and Minister,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the importance of both a church and its pastor, and how the two relate to each other. Dr. Lloyd-Jones begins by laying out three points centered around Paul’s letters to various congregations and his relationship with them. First, an unsupportive church can greatly hinder the pastor and his ministry, and be a source of major contention that makes it hard for the shepherd to do his work. Second, a good church can fill a vital role by encouraging its pastor. This, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, is one of the easiest yet most valuable things a church can do. Finally, as Paul declared in the epistle, a church filled with people seeking the Lord and following the pastor’s instruction is the best testimony he can have. Dr. Lloyd-Jones spends the latter half of his sermon addressing the role of the pastor. Like an ambassador, pastors are appointed by God to their position to speak on His behalf to His people. They are the shepherd, and their responsibility is not just to be the “nice guy,” but rather, one who speaks the truth of God’s word. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones expounds on these points and encourages pastors and churches to interact with each other in a way that pleases the Lord and reflects the relationship that Paul had with many of his congregations.
Sermon Breakdown
- The minister has a vital relationship with the church. The church can hinder or encourage a minister's ministry.
- The minister is an ambassador for Christ, called by God to deliver God's message. He is not there just to please people or entertain them.
- The minister's role is not just to impart knowledge or denounce others. His role is to persuade people through reasoning with them and demonstrating the truth of the gospel.
- Paul persuaded people by reasoning with them from the Scriptures and beseeching them with compassion. Though he used his intellect and emotions, his ultimate reliance was on the Holy Spirit.
- Paul was motivated by knowing the holiness of God, the love of Christ, the blessings of the gospel, and the hope of heaven.
- The gospel message offers forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to God, new life in Christ, and eternal hope. This is the message Paul persuaded people to believe.
- Though the world seems hopeless, Christians have an eternal hope and home in heaven.
- Paul prayed that God would bless the minister's ministry with power and that many would be saved.
Itinerant Preaching
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.