The Edification of the Church
A Sermon on Acts 9:31
Originally preached Jan. 7, 1962
Scripture
31Then had the churches rest throughout all Judæa and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
Sermon Description
How is the church built up? In this sermon on Acts 9:31 titled “The Edification of the Church,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the church of Jesus Christ can only grow into godliness if the church looks to His word. By studying Scripture as individuals and as a corporate body, Christians are convicted of their sins and built up in the love of God. Part of being a Christian is becoming like Jesus through study and meditation of the Bible. Whether in times of peace or in times of intense persecution, Christians are given the responsibility of using their time to grow and mature. Dr. Lloyd-Jones exhorts Christians not to be lax in times of peace and prosperity, but to always seek to make use of what God has given them. He points to the early church as an example of what this looks like and as an example that the church of today can emulate. In all times and in all places, the church is called to faithfully obey God and seek to become more like Him. This is true in times of peace, as well as in times of hardship.
Sermon Breakdown
- The church was experiencing a time of peace and rest after a period of persecution.
- The church made good use of this time of rest to become edified and built up.
- Edification leads to becoming strong, stable and reliable in faith. It comes through:
- Laying a solid foundation in the faith
- Gaining knowledge and understanding of the gospel
- Growing in the knowledge of God's grace and love
- Understanding God's ways and purposes
- The church grew in number as a result of being edified. This demonstrates the order of edification leading to evangelism.
- We must make use of the peace and rest we have to become edified, as persecution may come at any time.
- We must walk in the fear of the Lord, with reverence and awe of God, realizing we will have to give an account to Him. This leads to having no fear of anything else.
- We must walk in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, enjoying His presence, listening to His promptings and never grieving Him.
- As we become edified and walk with God, He will use us to draw others to Himself and multiply His church.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by the "edification" of the church?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "edification" means to be built up in the Christian faith. He explains that edification involves several key elements:
"It means to be built up. That's the meaning of the word edification. It's a great New Testament word, edification, being built up."
The process of edification includes: - Making sure of one's foundation in Christ - Increasing in knowledge of salvation, justification, and sanctification - Growing in understanding of God's grace and love - Developing a practical, experiential knowledge of God - Understanding God's ways and purposes
The result of edification is that Christians become "strong, stable, reliable" and are no longer "unstable, changeable, fitful, a creature of moods, easily discouraged or disappointed or shaken or defeated when things go against him."
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the relationship between church edification and church multiplication?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that there is a clear biblical order in which edification precedes multiplication. He states:
"The thing that is put first is the edification of the church herself. And the result of that is that she was multiplied. She was increased. Here is an inevitable order."
He explains that when the church is truly built up and strengthened inwardly, outward growth naturally follows. The early Christians first devoted themselves to being edified, and as a result of their transformed lives, others were attracted to the faith and "the church was multiplied."
Lloyd-Jones warns against reversing this order: "The whole danger today is, of course, to forget that. And all the emphasis is put upon evangelism and nothing much seems to happen." He argues that effective evangelism flows from a healthy, edified church.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about "walking in the fear of the Lord"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "walking in the fear of the Lord" is not a craven fear but a reverential awe:
"This is reverential awe. This is what the Old Testament means when it says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
He describes this fear as: - Walking "always as under his eye and in his presence" - Remembering "that you'll have to give an account of everything you've done" - Having "the fear of doing anything displeasing to him" - Experiencing "the fear of failing him, the fear of letting him down" - A "fear that is the expression of love"
Lloyd-Jones quotes a hymn to illustrate: "Fear him, ye saints, and you will then have nothing else to fear." He explains that this reverence for God actually liberates us from other fears because "if our chiefest desire is to please him and to serve him well, then we've got nothing else to fear."
How should Christians make use of times of peace and rest according to this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that Christians should wisely use periods of peace and rest for spiritual growth rather than becoming complacent. He contrasts the early church's response with our typical response:
"Here are people who said, at last, thank God, the persecution has finished. Now then, we've got an opportunity, let's make full use of it."
He urges believers to: - "Redeem the time, which means buying up the opportunity, take it with both ends while things are quiet" - Focus on edification during peaceful times - Build a strong foundation that can withstand future trials - Increase in knowledge and understanding of God's word - Prepare for potential future persecution or difficulties - Not take peace for granted or become spiritually slack
Lloyd-Jones warns: "A day may come when war will break forth... and we'll say, if only we had more time to read our scriptures and to worship together... And then you'll realize that when you had it, you didn't take your opportunity."
What does Lloyd-Jones teach about the comfort of the Holy Ghost?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "the comfort of the Holy Ghost" involves several aspects of the Holy Spirit's ministry to believers:
"The Holy Ghost is with us. He's in us as Christians. He's in the church... Let's enjoy his presence. Let's enjoy his companionship."
He teaches that this comfort includes: - Consolation in times of difficulty - The Spirit bringing scriptures to mind - The Spirit testifying with our spirit that we are children of God - The Spirit's leadings and promptings in our daily walk - The Spirit's role as paraclete (one who comes alongside) - The Spirit's guidance, teaching, and direction
Lloyd-Jones provides practical advice for walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit: - "Never grieve him by sin or by unworthy thoughts" - "Never quench him" or resist his influence - "Seek his companionship" and "yield yourself to him" - "Obey his promptings" and "seek his fellowship" - "Take time... to listen to him" and "have communion with him"
He concludes that as believers walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they become powerful witnesses whom God can use to multiply His church.
Other Sermons
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.