Preaching of the Word of God
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning.
Today, we come to week 4 out of 5 dealing with 5 aspects of New Testament worship.
So far we have discussed singing, prayer, and communion.
Today, we are going to talk about the preaching of God’s Word.
And then next week, we are going to look at Christian giving.
When I think about preaching the Word of God, I cannot help but think about it from the perspective of my tremendous responsibility.
I have the responsibility to preach it truthfully and fully, without neglecting to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
I have the responsibility to know the Word which I preach (2 Tim. 2:15).
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
And I have the responsibility to preach the Word, “in season out of season,” which means we must preach both the comfortable truths and the UN-comfortable truths — preach the truth whether it is popular or not, whether it is politically correct or not, whether it is “en vogue” or not (that’s 2 Tim. 4:2).
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
It is a tremendous responsibility, and there is a very real sense that when someone takes this pulpit, he needs to understand that the authority for what he speaks is not within himself — it’s in “Thus saith the Lord.”
My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
6. If a preacher understands that correctly, that WEIGHS on him tremendously!
7. That’s why we read in various places in the O.T. about our first point this morning:
THE BURDEN OF PREACHING:
THE BURDEN OF PREACHING:
The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
The burden against Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste And destroyed, Because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste And destroyed,
The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.
The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.
The burden against the Wilderness of the Sea. As whirlwinds in the South pass through, So it comes from the desert, from a terrible land.
(And there are several more examples of this in the book of Isaiah.
2. We won’t look at this, but go look at Jeremiah chapter 23 sometime, and you’ll see this phraseology about “the burden” some more, and you will see that the false prophets were hijacking that phraseology, and God wasn’t happy with it!
3. Let’s notice a few more, though:
The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
(And we could list some other examples as well, but we see the point).
Question:
Do we think that Isaiah, that Nahum, that Malachi, that others ENJOYED pronouncing these woes upon the various audiences to whom they spoke?
Of course not!
I certainly don’t think these men of God enjoyed having to pronounce doom upon these various people (and I’m of the opinion that any preacher who ENJOYS having to preach hard sermons needs to find another line of work!) …
I had three different people request of me in recent months to preach a sermon this year on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage — Matthew chapter 19 and some other passages.
(Let me say that I appreciate having an audience that actually REQUESTS of me to preach such a hard topic).
But as I said a few weeks ago, how preaching on Church Discipline is one of the most difficult things I have to preach, and there’s only 1 or 2 topics more difficult — Well that’s one of them that’s more difficult!
It’s not difficult to understand, but there can be some very difficult, heartbreaking circumstances that come out of that discussion.
These men we’ve read about so far had to preach, “Thus saith the Lord,” or they weren’t doing their job … and it’s the same way today.
It truly is a BURDEN — It truly is a responsibility that WEIGHS on the heart tremendously that those who do not preach with regularity just simply probably do not realize.
Let’s talk about a preacher from the O.T. who really felt the burden of preaching — We alluded to his ministry earlier — The ministry of …
Jeremiah:
Jeremiah:
Jeremiah is often called “the weeping prophet,” and when I read Jeremiah and Lamentations, I can see why!
Jeremiah had it rough!
… But Jeremiah preached the truth!
Jeremiah was ordained a prophet while he was still in the womb, according to Jer. 1:5 (which says a lot about sanctity of life in the womb!).
Jeremiah was called to fulfill his role as a prophet while he was still a youth (Jer. 1:6-7).
Jeremiah experienced some trepidation because of this …
But the Lord told him NOT to be afraid of the peoples’ faces, for God was there to deliver him!
Jeremiah is a GREAT case study for preachers!
I think Jeremiah is a needed study for preachers to give us boldness to preach the truth no matter what!
Jeremiah did, and it cost him severe discomfort and persecution.
I want us to read from chapter 1 what God tells Jeremiah his central theme is going to be — the theme of Jeremiah’s preaching.
Again, we don’t know an exact age, but Jer. 1:6-7 says that Jeremiah was “a youth” (Heb. word tells us somewhere between the age of infancy and adolescence) — So, I imagine he’s likely a teenager and here he is embarking on the journey as God’s prophet.
Would YOU be a little nervous?
I know I would be!
But I’m reminded of what Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12 - “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
Jeremiah needed to do likewise!
So let’s read the exchange that follows Jeremiah’s calling.
Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”
Then the Lord said to me: “Out of the north calamity shall break forth On all the inhabitants of the land.
(Show Captivity Maps and how armies came from the North)
For behold, I am calling All the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord; “They shall come and each one set his throne At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, Against all its walls all around, And against all the cities of Judah.
I will utter My judgments Against them concerning all their wickedness, Because they have forsaken Me, Burned incense to other gods, And worshiped the works of their own hands.
“Therefore prepare yourself and arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them.
For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land— Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land.
They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”
9. Now, in spite of any trepidation that Jeremiah had, don’t you know he was encouraged to know that the Lord was with him as he preached?!
10. Well, the Lord promised to be with preachers today too — Matt. 28:20
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
11. Was it always easy?
No!
In fact, Jeremiah almost gave up one time!
Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.
What Kind of Preaching Do We Need Today?
What Kind of Preaching Do We Need Today?
The same kind of preaching that has always been needed!
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
“The Word” - not self-help books and pop-psychology, not “Ted-talks” and “pep-talks” like a football coach at halftime — The Word of God!
Can a preacher give a “pick-me-up” sermon that resembles the halftime speech in some ways?
Sure … But it better come from the Word of God, not man!
“Ready (instant) in season and out of season” - Always have a message from the Word ready to go at a moment’s notice, and always preach the truth when they want to hear it and when they don’t!
“Convince” - Convict with Scripture.
“Rebuke” - Correct those who’ve gone astray.”
“Exhort” - Encourage and lift up, edify!
“With all longsuffering and teaching” - Never forget the words of Jesus that said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12) - Sometimes the truth needs to be introduced incrementally in ways that people can have time to process it, meditate on it, and be convinced by it. (longsuffering: Be patient with people!)
For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
2. We need preaching today that “covers all the bases.”
Yes, that means the basics, but also the meatier matters as well.
The first principles of the oracles of God, (the milk, Heb. 5:12-13), as well as the meat from being skilled in the Word of righteousness.
And yes, it means we are going to have to cover some topics that require some very TOUGH acts of repentance at times, extremely tough in fact.
But notice as Paul shunned not to declare to them the whole counsel of God, he became … FREE or Innocent from the blood of all men (Acts 20:26)!
Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
3. We need to preach the cross!
We need to preach Jesus Christ!
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. (Ethiopian Eunuch)
4. We need to preach the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
The rest of the chapter goes on to defend the resurrection of Jesus Christ and describes why it is absolutely CRITICAL to the foundation of our faith!
Why? Because without the resurrection of Christ we are of all men most miserable (1 Cor. 15:19) …
And “if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Cor. 15:17)
5. Finally, we need to preach unabashedly and unashamed!
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
That’s the kind of preaching we need!
It is a tall task in tall order!
But we preach it every Sunday, we teach in Bible classes on Sunday and Wednesday nights — We preach and teach on it in Gospel Meetings and Lectureships and VBS’s … and hopefully every chance we get by evangelizing to those in our community that we know and love!
Why?
Because the message of Jesus is the most important message the world has ever known or WILL ever know!
Have you accepted and obeyed that Gospel message?
