Sermon Tone Analysis

Preaching—The Foundation of Unity

Preaching—The Foundation of Unity

As Christians, we probably all agree that preaching is important.

But what’s not immediately obvious is how the act of preaching

As Christians, we probably all agree that preaching is important.

But what’s not immediately obvious is how the act of preaching—and the act of listening to preaching—contributes to the unity of a local church.

—and the act of listening to preaching—

contributes to the unity of a local church.

How exactly does preaching foster unity in the church?

How we can be good stewards of the preaching we hear,

not just for our own individual growth,

but for the health and maturity of the church as a whole?

These are some of the questions we’ll consider today.

I. GOD CREATES HIS PEOPLE THROUGH HIS WORD

I. GOD CREATES HIS PEOPLE THROUGH HIS WORD

The first thing we must realize is that God’s word and God’s people have a unique relationship.

The word of God is not just an optional add-on to the life of the church.

Nor is it just one tool among many which will inform and benefit the people of God.

According to Scripture, the Word of God is actually the source of our very life.

Life Through the Word—Old Testament

One of the great themes of the Bible is the connection between God’s Word and life.

When God gives life, he does so through the power of his Word.

Even in the very beginning, God gave life to the universe by speaking.

“Let there be light,” He said, “and there was light,” ().

Think also of those momentous first words of the Ten Commandments: “God spoke all these words,” says, and Israel was made a nation.

Then there is the stunning vision in of God giving new life to His people after their exile in Babylon:

7 "So I prophesied as I had been commanded.

While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.” .… 10 "So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.”

(, ).

Notice what calls the bones to life.

It is Ezekiel’s spoken word.

Ezekiel prophesies,

the bones come together,

flesh grows over them, and

they live.

The message is clear: God’s people are given life through the power of His Word.

Life Through the Word—New Testament

In the New Testament as well, God’s people are given life by the Word of God.

Indeed Scripture’s teaching about God’s life-giving Word finds its consummation in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word.

John writes at the beginning of his gospel,

1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 "He was with God in the beginning.

3 "All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

4 "In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” ()

What an amazing statement: In the Word was life!

It is through Jesus Christ, the Word of God, that we are brought from death to life and “born again” by God’s power.

Paul makes the same point in : “Faith comes by hearing,” he says ().

No one comes to faith in Christ simply by looking at the world and drawing their own conclusions.

They come to believe in Christ when they hear the gospel message preached to them.

The point is that it is the power of God’s Word that brings God’s people to life.

Because of that, God’s Word is central to the identity and mission of His people.

Christianity is not primarily about

spiritual experience or

warm community or even

acts of service

—though all those things are important in their way.

First and foremost, Christianity is about God’s people hearing God’s Word and responding to it in faith.

That is why we say that preaching is vital to unity in the church.

For the next few minutes, we’ll consider the role of preaching in the church, thinking first about why preaching is uniquely important (as opposed to studying the Bible on your own, for example) and then discussing very practically how preaching builds the church’s unity.

II.

THE UNIQUE ROLE OF PREACHING

Many churches today would insist that they are Bible-centered, and yet they leave preaching as a secondary focus in their church life.

Fellowship, music, small groups, or other activities

take priority and

set the direction of the church, while preaching

becomes kind of an afterthought.

Preaching in the Bible

Relegating preaching to secondary status is simply not an option for any church that wants to pattern itself after Scripture.

Throughout the Bible, the exposition of God’s Word is central to the life of God’s people.

Here are some examples:

When God gave his Law to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, He also gave them teachers, the priests, who were to teach the Word of God to them ().

The Law of course was perfect, but God knew that His people were not.

The Law of course was perfect, but God knew that his people were not.

Therefore he gave them teachers to explain the Law and to exhort the people to obedience.

Therefore He gave them teachers to explain the Law and to exhort the people to obedience.

In , after the wall of Jerusalem was completed, all the people gathered to hear Ezra the scribe read from the Book of the Law.

8 "They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.”

()

In other words, Ezra preached!

Jesus understood that one of the main purposes of His own ministry was to preach.

He said, 43 “...It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.””

()

The Gospel of Mark tells us that one reason Jesus called the twelve apostles to himself was so that “He might send them out to preach” ().

Paul insists that the gospel will only be spread through preaching.

“How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

().

• Paul insists that the gospel will only be spread through preaching.

“How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

().

• Paul tells Timothy: 1 "I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom: 2 "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.”

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We cannot claim that our church is founded on the Word of God unless our church is founded on the preaching of that Word.

Individual Bible study is not sufficient;

Bible studies in small groups are not sufficient;

Bible studies in small groups are not sufficient; coffee hour Q&A’s on Sunday morning are not sufficient.

Only when our church is centered around the preaching of the Scriptures can we truly claim to be a Word-centered church.

coffee hour Q&A’s on Sunday morning are not sufficient.

Only when our church is centered around the preaching of the Scriptures can we truly claim to be a Word-centered church.

Why Is Preaching Better Than Anything Else?

Based on the individualism that marks our culture, we can sometimes think that simply having the Bible is sufficient—

that “me, my God, and my Bible” are enough to bring us to spiritual maturity.

When such thinking is left unchallenged, we can

easily begin to undervalue

the preaching of God’s Word to the community of believers.

So what is it that makes preaching so vital to the life and unity of the church?