Preach the Word
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In a recent issue of Glass Window, a contributor recalls that several years ago, The British Weekly published this provocative letter: It seems ministers feel their sermons are very important and spend a great deal of time preparing them. I have been attending church quite regularly for 30 years and I have probably heard 3,000 of them. To my consternation, I discovered I cannot remember a single sermon. I wonder if a minister's time might be more profitable spent on something else?
For weeks a storm of editorial responses ensued. . . finally ended by this letter: I have been married for 30 years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals--mostly my wife's cooking. Suddenly I have discovered I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet . . . I have the distinct impression that without them, I would have starved to death long ago.
Believe it or not it is not uncommon to hear of these types of verbal disdain over preaching in the church. Such a thing foundational and primary to our gathering is not off limits anymore. One guy even told me once, I love the videos. The music is off the hook. I don’t mind the prayer.... but the speech, Shane the speech, when that starts I wanna take the pen in the pew in front of me and I wanna stab myself in the ears.
Others suggest… I don’t naturally want to sit down and listen to someone talk to me, scold me, or even tell me what to do. I would rather be motivated through film, energized over a cool drum or guitar solo, or stirred through a moving piece of art. Right now I know of a SCB church that plays Christian movies instead of preaching, the pastor says “nobody cares about preaching anymore. So why waste my time.” Many used to joke about the preaching but now in our day and age preaching has become a real stumbling block for many.
Steve Lawson writes, “we live in a day in which the phrase Stop preaching at me, oh your just preaching at me, has become almost a slogan.”
And the church is hearing it. Sermon are being shortened. Other services that involve preaching are being canceled. The primary focus of the local church is now fellowship ministries, small group studies, special interest or focus gatherings, even children's ministries, and of course music and drama performances even movie and video clips. And why not is this not how we see things today? A modern day Heretic I call Church consultants, asked me once how much time I spend preparing for my sermon on Sunday. I told him bout 15-20 hours … Good golly Miss molly. Thats your problem right there. Why not spend more of your time on things that really matter.
An article from 9Marks ministries writes, “Why spend all this time poring over God’s word? And why as a congregation did we devote an hour to my (sometimes painful) monologue? I’ve been asked such questions before. And I’ve been gently rebuked by well-meaning friends. They ask things like: Why do you single out preaching over other forms of worship? Doesn’t this just reflect your Western prejudice toward rational, reasoned, and orderly discourse? Nobody will remember 95% of what you say anyway. In other words, they say, stop wasting your time—and ours!”
Like I said before of course we think this way… sitting and listening to a sermon is one of the most unself-centered things we do throughout the week. Many today may not want to throw it out altogether, but want it changed dramatically. There was a movement in the SBC in Hawaii where the convention began to pressure Pastor’s to stop preaching the Bible, doctrine and theology but preach stories and humorous anecdotes. No one cares about that stuff. I said if we are not going to preach the scriptures, doctrine, or theology then why even preach at all. To which the convention director, nodded his head while pursing his lips. Almost as if he was considering it. This is why today sermons are short discourse of self help and life coaching principles trying to suggest its ok to be selfish, finding the principles of Ayn Rand finding virtue in self-centeredness. This is why many pastors today are plagiarizing sermons. Many pastors’s are buying sermons online. Why pastors are spending less than an hour on their sermon every week. Why pastors are presenting dramas musicals and even movies in lue of sermons today. Even pastors today have a low view of preaching.
Dr. Robert Godfrey writes, “Only in the last forty years or so has the centrality of preaching seemed diminished. Perhaps the weakened state of the church today can be attributed in part to a loss of conviction about the spiritual importance of preaching. As sermons have gotten shorter and evening services have disappeared, Christianity in North America seems to have become shallower.”
So maybe before we abandon preaching and live in disdain for the speech, maybe we should take at look as to why we do what we do when we come to church.
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
The grass wither, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
The Necessity of Preaching
The Primacy of Preaching
The Goal of Preaching
The first thing we will look at is what the scriptures outline for preaching in the gathering of believes on the Lord’s Day. The second thing we will explore is the primacy of preaching in the gathering of believes on the Lord’s Day. Finally, we will see the beauty of what we are trying to accomplish when we proclaim the word of God to exalt Christ and Christ alone.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world causes us to doubt the real power of the preaching of the Word of God, it is the truth of the scriptures and the power of the Spirit of God that will open our eyes and hearts to what will bring authentic and meaningful transformation in our lives with Christ.
I. The Necessity of Preaching
- Preach the Word.
A. Even though there is not a … Thou shall preach on Sunday scripture, it is pretty clear by good and necessary consequence we can deduce from the scriptures that preaching is necessary. It is what was done throughout all of Biblical and church history.
B. Teachers, the priests, were appointed by God to teach people the word of God.
And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.”
C. Even a picture of preaching on Sunday when the Israelites returned.
Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.
They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.
D. We find in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus began his public ministry by getting up before his hearers reading and teaching from the book of Isaiah. In Acts chapter 2 we see the power of God, not by Peter’s preaching of life coaching principles, but the preaching of Joel chapter 2. Remember in Acts 6 deacons were created so that the apostles would be able to devote their time to prayer and to preaching and teaching the Word. The elder qualification of the scriptures show that they must be able to teach. Paul shows in the scriptures that the gospel will only be spread through preaching.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
E. And Paul instructs the young Pastor Timothy to preach.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
F. As we can see in the scriptures, this is the way it is to be done, because it is always that way it has been done. Yes, the eyes may excite, but it is the ears that will empower.
II. The Primacy of Preaching
- Not just present but, primary.
A. Preaching is the lifeline of the church. This is not an overestimation. If you center in on preaching in the history of the church we will see that every mountain peak in the church, without exception or question, are saturated with preaching. One of the tings you find in the low points of church history are time of low and even non existent preaching. The greatest preachers in church history are always during the golden eras of history. These are the times when God raised up preachers of the Word of God.
B. As a student of church history, we cannot even begin to think about the possibility of a revival, until we all recapture the primacy of preaching. One of the true golden eras of Christianity was the time of the Puritans. Puritan Historian Steve Lawson says, “Is it any wonder our churches are so weak? The Puritans used to say this: If you had one hour to give, if you sat at home by yourself and read your Bible, or if you came to church and sat under a one-hour exposition of the Scripture, which of those two would most benefit your soul?” The Puritans would have said ten times out of ten, to sit under the preaching of the Word of God would be the greatest sanctifying effect upon your spiritual life. It’s not an either-or. It’s a both-and. But we cannot allow the preaching of the Word of God to be diminished. We’ll never have a reformation without a wave, a new generation of preachers of the Word of God.”
C. But why primacy? Why is it the center of our gathering. Why is singing, praying, Lord’s supper, baptism, announcements…ect. Important they all are in our service but it is the preaching of the Word that is 1st and foremost? Why in most churches is the pulpit the center of the church sanctuary. Why everything else is cut out or shortened if it will interfere with preaching. Why preaching must be protected at the expense of all other elements of the worship service. Why is it primary? Because it is the Word of God. And let me say that preaching is primary if and only if it is the Word of God. Paul command Timothy to preach, but not just preach, but to preach the Word.
D. It is when the Word of God is preached, is when the church actually becomes what the great reformer Martin Luther called God’s Mouth House. The scriptures are clearly the voice of God. The word of Christ. So if we are hearing the Word of God read and the Word of God declared we are hearing the Word of the living God.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
E. The sermon is primary because it is the declaration and exposition of the mind of the living God. If the sermon is not the Word of God than it is the mind of man and why would anything merely mortal be primary. If it is from the mind of man, then it will always be limited. The mind of man can only go so far so why would that be primary. And remember that even Jesus when He began to preach, he did not shoot from the hip, he preached from the book of Isaiah. If it comes from the mind of man, then it will not have the power of God.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
F. And did you know that it is even forbidden and condemned for sermons to come from the mind of man.
Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
G. Preaching the Word is primary because, God’s Word is what convicts, converts, builds up, and sanctifies God’s people.
Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.
H. Dr. Robert Godfrey writes, “Preaching is important. It is the power of God unto salvation. It must be valued by the Christian community as families value food. Preachers must use the best of their time and abilities to nourish their flocks with the Word of God.”
III. The Goal of Preaching
- To Exalt Christ.
A. The goal is simple. To present the person and work of Christ as the center and the substance of all of scripture. No matter what scripture we preach on we will always find our way to Christ.
B. And we preach Christ unto salvation to those who don’t believe and to nurture the faith of those who do believe. Preaching Christ for life for those who do not believe and for life more abundant for those who do believe. For newness of life for those who don’t believe and for a greater joy and appreciation for those who do believe.
C. Please Please Please do not think that the gospel is only for those who do not believe. The gospel, the exultation of the persona and work of Christ is just as important for believers as for unbelievers. The Gospel is not the abc of Christianity. The Gospel is the A-Z of Christianity. The Gospel is necessary for us as Christians. It will always be necessary.
which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,
How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
D. All of our Good Works and Sanctification must and must always be motivated by the Gospel. The Gospel is not just the spark, but the fuel for our lives as Christain. But Shane every week? Don’t like hearing about the person and work of Christ every week, but no problems hearing about how God wants to make you rich and successful every week.
E. And that is why we struggle with preaching especially the preaching of the word. Sin in our lives cause us to want to hear what we want to hear. And what we want to hear is what we want to hear. And we love the darkness instead of the light because our deeds are evil. And it is the person and work of Christ that will bring us salvation, sanctification and finally glorification.
F. Because the judgement of God is coming. The wrath of God is coming. Punishment for evil doers is coming. But we find hope in the gospel the good news of the person and work of Christ. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures and he was buried… The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance...
G. The promises continue that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts… all who call upon the name of the Lord.
H. How amazing and how awesome is he who brings life and life more abundant. The most amazing news of the person and work of Christ. How can we even think or suggest losing this wonderful thing called preaching the Word.
Christ is worthy of exaltation. And we rejoice when He is glorified. We rejoice when he is magnified. Preaching is not just to be present, but primary… because exalting Christ is primary for all of life.