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Sermon #4076

The Minister - Task and Calling

A Sermon on Ephesians 3:7-8

Originally preached Nov. 4, 1956

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Scripture

Ephesians 3:7-8 ESV KJV
Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of …

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Sermon Description

In this sermon on Ephesians 3:7–8 titled “The Minister – Task and Calling,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones lays out the calling and job of the minister as addressed here by Paul. The minister is called and appointed by God alone. He is called to preach the unsearchable treasures of Christ, that is Christ himself. Dr. Lloyd-Jones goes on to show that the treasures of Christ are for all believers. In Christ all that is needed is found, including wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. When one has understanding and realizes their sin, how can they possibly approach the holy God they know they need? He can be approached only in Christ who clothes Christians with His righteousness. Christians can continue their lives with God when they face sin and evil only through sanctification in Christ. Christ sanctifies through the power of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Lloyd-Jones ends with an encouragement – knowing the unsearchable treasures of Christ, that is, knowing Christ, is the greatest treasure. It is a great privilege and responsibility to take that treasure and show it to the unbelieving world.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Paul was made a minister of the Gospel according to the grace of God.
  2. Paul expresses amazement that he was chosen for this role. He considers himself the least of all saints.
  3. Paul received this role through the effectual working of God's power. God's power transformed Paul from a persecutor of Christians to an apostle.
  4. Paul's role is to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles.
  5. The role of a minister is not to:
  6. Preach current events
  7. Express political opinions
  8. Preach patriotism
  9. Preach morality and ethics
  10. Preach religion in general
  11. Tell people to pray and be disciplined
  12. Preach specific teachings of Christ (e.g. pacifism)
  13. The role of a minister is to preach Christ himself and what He gives us.
  14. The riches of Christ are "unsearchable" - they cannot be fully comprehended or described. They are inexhaustible and endless.
  15. The riches of Christ include:
  16. Wisdom and knowledge of God
  17. Righteousness
  18. Sanctification
  19. Redemption
  20. Life
  21. The Holy Spirit
  22. Rest
  23. Peace
  24. Joy
  25. Contentment
  26. Victory over death
  27. An eternal inheritance
  28. We must receive these riches by faith and enjoy them. We must not be like the Laodiceans who thought they were rich but were actually poor.
  29. We have an opportunity to display these riches to the world in this time of crisis.

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.