Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Preaching

What are the three main types of messages a preacher should prepare according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, there are three main types of messages that a preacher should prepare:

1. Evangelistic messages - focused on bringing people to a first knowledge of God in Christ
2. Experimental messages - dealing with the difficulties, problems, and spiritual conditions of church members
3. Instructional messages - more general teaching that is not as concerned with practical difficulties but focuses on building up believers in their faith

As he explains: "So that, if you like, we might say that there are three main types of messages which the preacher has to prepare."

Why does Lloyd-Jones insist that all preaching must be theological?

Lloyd-Jones insists that all preaching must be theological because:

1. Without theological foundation, preachers often contradict themselves when preaching from different texts
2. Even evangelistic preaching requires theology to explain why people need to repent (doctrine of man, doctrine of the fall, doctrine of sin)
3. Theology provides the reason and foundation for the Gospel appeal
4. The message itself is a unified whole based on biblical truth

He states: "Evangelism, which is not theological, is, in my opinion, not evangelism at all in any true sense. It's a calling for decisions. It may be a calling of people to come to religion or to live a better kind of life, but it cannot, by any definition, be regarded as Christian evangelism."

How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish between a sermon and an essay?

Lloyd-Jones distinguishes between a sermon and an essay in several key ways:

1. Style: "An essay is written to be read. A sermon is something that is to be listened to."
2. Repetition: "Repetition in an essay is bad. But I'm one of those who believes that repetition in a sermon is good."
3. Purpose: Essays deal with ideas and concepts, while sermons are expository and aim to impact listeners.
4. Approach: Essays may play with ideas and handle them lightly, while sermons have an "element of attack" and seek to do something to the listeners.
5. Focus: "If there is an element of attack in an essay, it's correspondingly a bad Essay."

As he puts it, a sermon is not merely elegant production but has a transformative purpose.

What is Lloyd-Jones' definition of expository preaching?

Lloyd-Jones defines expository preaching as more than just a running commentary or analysis of verses. True expository preaching:

1. Starts with the Word of God, not with a subject or idea
2. Derives its theme or doctrine from the text and context
3. Turns exposition into a message with a definite form
4. Shows the relevance of the biblical doctrine to the listeners
5. Has progression, development, and application

He emphasizes: "A sermon is not a running commentary or a mere exposition of the meaning of a verse or a passage or a paragraph." Rather, "the characteristic of a sermon is that it has a definite form, and that it is this form that makes it a sermon. It's based upon exposition, but it is this exposition turned into a message which has this characteristic form."

What does Lloyd-Jones mean when he says a sermon should have "form"?

When Lloyd-Jones speaks of a sermon having "form," he means:

1. It should have a structure comparable to a musical symphony - with parts and portions that make up a cohesive whole
2. It should have progression in thought where each point leads to the next
3. It should have a clear beginning, development, and climax
4. It should be a complete entity with exposition, doctrine, relevance, propositions, and application
5. It should have an artistic element that makes the truth more easily understood and remembered

He explains: "I like to think of a sermon as a construction which is in that way comparable to a symphony. In other words, a sermon is not a mere meandering through a number of verses. It is not mere a mere collection or series of excellent and true statements and remarks. All those are in the sermon, but they don't constitute a sermon."

What is the difference between preaching the gospel and preaching about the gospel?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the difference between preaching the gospel and preaching about the gospel is:

1. Preaching the gospel directly presents and conveys the message to people
2. Preaching about the gospel merely says things about it, analyzes it, or praises it
3. Preaching the gospel makes the preacher a channel through which the word passes to people
4. Preaching about the gospel treats it as something outside the preacher and the congregation
5. Preaching the gospel brings it directly to individuals

As Lloyd-Jones states: "We are not called just to say things about the gospel... The business of the preacher is not to present the gospel academically... We are called to preach the gospel, to convey it and bring it directly to individuals who are listening to us."

What is the relationship between systematic theology and preaching according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the relationship between systematic theology and preaching is that:

1. A preacher must have a grasp of the whole biblical message as a unity
2. Systematic theology should always be present as a background and controlling influence in preaching
3. Each individual sermon from a specific text must be understood as part of the whole body of truth
4. The preacher shouldn't violently impose his system on any text but should check his interpretation against his systematic understanding
5. Systematic theology helps ensure consistency and prevents contradictions in preaching

Lloyd-Jones says: "To me, there is nothing that is more important in a preacher than that he should have a systematic theology, that he should know it and be familiar with it... Each message which arises out of a particular text or statement of the scripture must always be a part or an aspect of this whole, total body of truth."

What is the proper structure of a sermon according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the proper structure of a sermon includes:

1. Starting with exposition of the passage
2. Deriving a theme or doctrine from this exposition
3. Showing the relevance of this doctrine to the listeners
4. Dividing the matter into propositions or headings
5. Arranging these propositions in a logical progression where each point leads to the next
6. Applying the truth as you go along
7. Building to a climax
8. Ending with application or exhortation

He emphasizes: "To me, as a part of the form of a sermon, the progression and the advance and the development of the argument and the case and the reason is absolutely vital. And you end on a climax. You lead up to it, and then the great truth should stand out there dominating everything that has been said."

Why does Lloyd-Jones believe that each sermon should be a complete entity?

Lloyd-Jones believes that each sermon should be a complete entity for several reasons:

1. Some people may not return the following week, so they need a complete message
2. New visitors who weren't present for previous sermons need to understand the current message
3. A complete entity gives satisfaction to listeners and conveys truth more effectively
4. It honors the artistic element of preaching that makes truth more "assimilable" by people
5. The sermon should have a wholeness that reflects the completeness of the gospel itself

He explains: "I think it is for us to see that every single sermon is rounded off, is complete, has this element in it. And what you do next time when you're going on with the subject is in a few sentences or few brief moments, you sum up what you've already said, and then you develop it. But make sure that this one, again, is an entity, and is a whole, and is complete in and of itself."