The Church and the World
A Sermon on Ephesians 4:13
Originally preached Nov. 10, 1957
Scripture
13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Sermon Description
What is the church’s role in the world? In an environment that is becoming increasingly secularized, how should the body of believers see itself when thinking about how to share Christ with the world? In this sermon on Ephesians 4:13 titled “The Church and the World,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches on this vitally important subject. Scripture communicates eternal truth; it is relevant for every point of one’s life—right down to the small details. A big failure of the church today, he says, is that it does not speak with authority on issues Scripture addresses. Instead of taking commands from the Bible, many believers derive them from their own philosophizing— in this way, they fail to proclaim the message of Scripture and instead preach the standards of the world. But what is God’s plan for the world? This plan is the only message for the world in the New Testament— that everyone is in need of a savior and must turn to Jesus for forgiveness of their sins. God is coming back again, and the task for believers is to grow in Christlikeness until He comes. Christians are to show the world what it means to grow in the Lord as they await His coming for His bride, the church.
Sermon Breakdown
- God has a plan for the world that centers around Jesus Christ. This plan is currently unfolding and will continue until Christ returns.
- God's plan only applies to Christians, to those who have accepted Christ. It does not apply to the world at large. The only message for the world is to repent and believe the gospel.
- God's plan for Christians is to prepare them as a bride for Christ. The church and its leaders have been given the task of perfecting Christians and making them ready for Christ's return.
- Christians should not be concerned with worldly affairs and politics. Their focus should be on preparing themselves for Christ's return. The way Christians can influence the world is by showing what it means to be in Christ.
- God's plan cannot be stopped. Despite what happens in the world, God will continue his plan of saving all those who are meant to be saved. Every Christian will be made perfect and ready to meet Christ.
- Christians should see themselves as part of God's plan, as the bride of Christ being prepared for his return. They should not let worldly events determine their thinking but should focus on God's eternal plan.
- The church should not waste time on worldly matters but should focus on preparing Christians for Christ's return. The church's message for the world should simply be to repent and believe the gospel.
- God's plan is certain and unstoppable. Though the world continues in sin, God will accomplish his purposes through Christ.
The Book of Ephesians
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.