Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. The power of the gospel rests
not in the zeal with which it is proclaimed, nor does its communication
depend upon the level of oratory or theological depth with which
it might be delivered by men. Rather, its power is seen in
the simplicity of the truth which defines it, and its declaration
is effectual unto the salvation of its hearers, only as it is
accompanied by the presence of the Spirit of God, to open the
eyes of the blind to see its truth, and unstop the ears of
the deaf, that they might hear it. Paul clearly understood this
as he declared that he preached with no ulterior motive, nor
any agenda which he was trying to accomplish. He told the Corinthians
that he was compelled to declare it, for though I preach the gospel,
I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me. Yea,
woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. So it is with everyone
who is called by God to declare these unsearchable riches. This
is not a part-time occupation, nor is it a profession which
is pursued by men desiring to enrich themselves with this world's
goods, or who expect that their every need should be supplied
by others. Neither is it the calling of those who love to
have the preeminence, gathering unto themselves a following of
adoring hearers while promoting their status as a prophet, teacher
of mysteries, or anecdotal genius. The preaching of the gospel is
not for the purpose of gaining converts, though it is certain
that some will hear it and believe according to God's sovereign
purpose. The preaching of it is not for the purpose of gaining
members in a local congregation, though some will indeed hear
it and will be added to the Church. Rather, the declaration of the
gospel of Christ is for the magnifying of Christ's name and His eternal
purpose in the unfolding of the work of redemption for lost and
ruined sinners. Thus there is no useful purpose
in handling the word of God deceitfully, nor walking in craftiness, much
less being dishonest in our declaration of his word. So we read Paul's
statement, but we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,
not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully.
For we are not as many which corrupt the word of God, but
as of sincerity, but as of God. In the sight of God speak we
in Christ. The most common form of walking
in craftiness and handling the Word of God deceitfully is found
as some preachers shun to declare the whole counsel of God. They
do this by declaring only those parts of scripture which seem
to agree with their distorted notion of a gospel, which requires
the participation of men. Many of them pay lip service
to believing that salvation is by grace alone, but they belie
their true sentiments by seeking to use the world's wisdom to
gain converts or win souls. They dishonestly declare that
Christ has paid the debt of sin while also declaring that men
must believe it in order to make it effectual. This would be no
payment at all but merely a partial deposit which depends on a further
transaction. Such is not the gospel. Paul
said, For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and
ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. His preaching was not an
exercise in displaying human talents, nor trying to persuade
men to believe by eloquent arguments designed to appeal to the natural
reason of men. He had but one message, which
is the very heart and soul of the gospel, which is Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. Sheer folly and pride would cause
a man to declare any other message than this. Those who are given
grace to be proclaimers of this gospel are nothing more than
servants to those who are appointed to be the heirs of eternal life.
They have no status which would cause them to become lords over
their hearers. Paul did not build himself as
a rock star, nor expect that his message would be heard because
of anything which he either was or promoted himself to be. He
clearly stated that the only means whereby the message which
he preached would be heard was if the Lord was pleased to shine
upon it with the light which only he could grant. He knew
that the only way for any man to see this truth was to be shown
it in the same fashion as he was. The only place that the
glory of God can be seen at all is in the person of Jesus Christ.
No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. It is impossible
that a man could ever be acquainted with God in any sense except
that he be given eyes to behold Jesus Christ, who is the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Seeing the glory of the Redeemer
of sinners is the revelation of His glory, which He is pleased
to shine in the hearts of His elect. None of His disciples
could in any wise claim that they had arrived at this conclusion
through human reason. And Jesus answered and said unto
him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
The glory of the gospel is in Christ, and not those who preach
it. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream dot net.