The preaching of the prophets
and the apostles would be labeled negative preaching today. Most
would say of Isaiah and Ezekiel, John the Baptist and Paul, don't
be so negative. You shouldn't be so critical
of others and other religions. And the fact is, or was, most
of what they prophesied and preached was negative, denouncing their
generation. particularly the religious. And
I find it very hard in my day to say anything positive about
my own generation, religious as it is. In fact, I'm convinced
from the Word of God that we are living in a day of religious
apostasy, or rather in the words of Paul to Timothy, the last
days when most will not endure sound doctrine but shall turn
away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
Yes, these are perilous times in Paul's word. Though many have
a form of godliness or religion, they deny the power thereof,
the power of God, the power of Christ, the power of the gospel.
And it all starts, it's all to be blamed on the pulpit where
men and Even some women are in it for money, self-glory. Men, who Peter say, are unlearned
and unstable and rest or twist the scriptures to their own destruction
and the destruction of those who hear them. Well, in 2 Corinthians
chapter 2, where I'll be reading from, 2 Corinthians chapter 2,
this is a passage we looked at a few weeks ago, and the Apostle
Paul, in one verse here, gives one all-conclusive mark of false
preachers. And then he gives four marks
of true preachers. 2 Corinthians chapter 2, I'm
reading verse 17. The apostle Paul writes, we are
not as many. Stop right there. Paul said there
are many. In other places he said there
are many unruly and vain talkers. John said there are many antichrists,
many false prophets, many deceivers. The Lord Jesus Christ himself
said many false prophets shall arise and deceive many. And so
Paul says we are not as many which corrupt the word of God
or deal deceitfully with the word of God, corrupt the word
of God. Now, I strongly believe in everyone
using the King James Bible for many reasons. The King James
Bible, for many reasons. Number one, it has been miraculously
preserved by God for over 380 years now. It has been used in
the conversion of countless, yea, millions of souls. It is
in the language of the King, the King James. It was written
in the language of the King, and that language is best suited
to declare the God who reigns or the God who is sovereign,
who is absolute monarch. See, this idea of sovereignty
or truth of sovereignty of an absolute monarch who does as
he will, with whom he will, according to his own sovereign will. This
is a lost concept in our day. We have no idea what that means. Well, the Scriptures declares
God to be King of kings. And another reason is everyone
needs the same source to study, the same source to consult. Otherwise, you have differing
versions. Did you ever play that child's
game called gossip? To where someone would whisper
a sentence in the first person's ear and it in turn would be whispered
to another and to another and to another until finally the
last person was to say out loud what they heard. And the end
result didn't even resemble what was first told. Well, that is
what is happening today with all of these perversions of God's
Word. They don't even resemble the
original. God's Word, you see, is not to
be conformed to man, modern man, or the age of man. But man, rather,
needs to be conformed to God's Word. And so Paul says many translate
the truth out of Scripture. Many. More specifically, many
corrupt the Word by making it say what it doesn't say and not
saying what it does say, or that is, adding to or leaving out
from God's Word. You know, the most telling thing
is how the preaching of the Word, that is, verse-by-verse preaching
of God's Word, has been replaced with music, miracles, and testimonial. You want to know what the average
so-called church thinks of God's Word? Look at their bulletin
boards. Thousands of verses in God's
Word full of eternal truth and is the power of God unto salvation,
yet men would rather use their clever clichés than God's Word. That will tell you right there
what they think of God's Word. Well, Paul gives four marks of
true preacher. In verse 17, he says, we're not
as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity,
as of God, in the sight of God speak we in or of Christ. He says, as of sincerity, true
preachers of the gospel, like Paul was. are sincerely in this
thing of preaching for one reason, and that one reason, that primary
reason, is the glory of God. Not their own fame or vain glory,
not for fortune or money, while all of the prophets and all but
one of the apostles were killed for their preaching. They did
not receive fame. They were not famous, but rather
infamous to most. They did not become rich by being
in the ministry. Far from it. The Apostle Paul
was, and most of them, were put in prison and reduced to poverty. Oh, they were sincerely or truly
out to glorify God. Men consumed with the truth,
the word of God, and the need to declare it. Conversion of
souls, you notice I did not say that they were chiefly in it
for the conversion of souls. No. Conversion of souls is not
the primary goal of the true preacher. Because if it is, he
will be more interested in results than the truth. He'll be more
interested in numbers rather than God's glory. And so Paul
says, as of sincerity, or that is, sincerely out to glorify
God and do the souls of men good. The second thing he says, as
of sincerity, but as of God. In other places he said, as though
God did beseech you by us. As the oracles of God, he says,
as ambassadors of Christ. Ambassadors. of Christ, or that
is, ordained and sent by him. Let me ask you, are ambassadors
to other countries, are they elected by the general public?
What about cabinet ministers, ministries or ministers of the
cabinet? Are they elected by the general
public? Do they apply for the job? No,
no. And neither are preachers or
ministers of the gospel. Neither are the ambassadors of
Christ. This is not a profession one
decides to enter, or like a vocation. It is not a position we apply
for and then go to school to study for. No prophet, no apostle
ever applied for the job. nor were they recommended by
men. Paul said, The gospel I received,
I didn't get it from man, and it's not of man, but of God,
of Christ. And so Paul says we're as of
God, or ambassadors chosen of Christ. Now, I realize that anyone
can say that. But you'll know the truth from
the false by these rules in this verse. And the third thing he
says, the third mark he says, as of sincerity, as of God, in
the sight of God. Or that is, true preachers are
conscious of one only who sees them, one only who hears them. They're conscious of one, one
whose approval they seek. And it is God Almighty. As an
ambassador is conscious of the King who sent him. as an ambassador
is conscious of him who sent him with a message to declare,
and wouldn't dare leave out anything the king told him to say. He
wouldn't dare interpret or rather put into his own words what the
king said. Can you imagine an ambassador
going to a foreign country and begin to hem-haw around and apologize
for what he has been told to say? by saying, now this is what
the King really meant to say. Can you imagine? No, he wouldn't
dare do that. He wouldn't dare leave out or
add to or apologize for anything in the King's counsel or testimony,
but stands forth and boldly says, Hear ye, hear ye, thus saith
the King of kings and Lord of lords. That's what the true gospel
preacher does. in the sight of God, conscious
of God who sent him, conscious of what God says which glorifies
God. And he's in it sincerely. Sincerely. Well, the last thing that Paul
says in this verse, the last mark of a true preacher of the
gospel, and finally, and most importantly, is his message. Look at it. He says, as of sincerity,
as of God. In the sight of God, speak we
in, or rather, of Christ. Christ, Jesus Christ, is the
King. He is God. He is Lord. He is salvation. He is the great High Priest,
yea, the only High Priest. He is the only mediator between
God and man. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. Christ Jesus
is the gospel. He is the one and only message
of the preacher of the gospel. Christ is the message of the
messenger. And so Paul says, we're not as
many. which corrupt or deal deceitfully
with the Word of God by translating it away, by adding to it, by
taking away from it, by making it say what it doesn't say, by
not saying what it does say. He says we're in this thing in
sincerity, or that is, sincerely in the ministry for the glory
of God, for the truth's sake, for Christ's sake, and for the
sincere or true good of men's souls. Not for their applause,
not for their approval, not for popularity, not for their money. Paul said in one place, it's
not yours that I seek or what you can give me, but you, he
said. And then he says, as of God,
as though God did beseech you by her, as ambassadors of God,
conscious of the one who sent them, conscious in it for his
approval and in the sight of God, conscious of God listening
and God hearing them and God seeing them. And he says, our
one message, our one message is of God's son. The one whom
God sent us to declare. The one whom God delights in. The one whom angels praise and
sing of. The one whom men must bow before. The one message which men must
hear. Christ and Christ alone. Well,
I hope you heard this message. And if you want it, you can write
to us and we'll send it to you. free of charge until next Sunday. Good day.