I covet your prayers that I will
be enabled to bring this message the way it ought to be brought.
I'm going to preach on the subject of preaching. I need help to preach. You need
help to hear. Preaching. In verse two, Paul said, in hope,
of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised
before the world began, before me or you were ever around. When there was no creation, when
there was no time, he made this promise, but hath in due times,
his time manifested his word. through preaching what we're
doing right now. God has manifested His Word,
His written Word, His living Word, is manifest not through
our personal, diligent Bible study. Now, I would highly recommend
personal, diligent Bible study for all of us. Read your Bibles.
I guess that's probably the best way we could spend our time is
reading the Word and asking the Lord to show us what it means. But somebody may say, I locked
myself in a room with a Bible and studied and prayed until
I knew what it meant. Did you now? Good for you. That's not the way it works.
That would make something in you above something in somebody
else. And that is the reason you know,
there's too much personal glory in that. I thought of Naaman. coming to Elisha and he stands
out there in his chariots and his robes and his official splendor
and waits for Elisha to come out and meet him. I heard Henry Mahan make this
statement once. was a leper who happened to be
a great man. He didn't understand that he
was nothing more than a leper who just, I said that wrong.
He was a great man. He thought he was a great man
who happened to be a leper. He didn't understand he was a
leper who happened to be a great man. And I love the way Elisha
didn't even come out to it. You see, Ain't been expected
it. Surely he'd come out to me. I'm
somebody. I'm important. And he sent a
lowly servant out with the message. And I'm sure he was angered over
that. He can't come out to me. Who
does he think I am? Doesn't he realize who I am?
And he sends a servant, a nobody, someone with no credentials.
He sends him out to give me the message. Go in the River Jordan
and washed seven times and scripture says he went away in a rage.
He was angry, he came back though. I'm thankful for that, but this
represents what preaching is. I think of another representation
when Samson defeated a thousand Philistines with the jawbone
of an ass. That is the preaching of the
gospel and an apt description of the preaching of the gospel. He has manifested his word through
preaching. What's going on right now? Philip
said to the Ethiopian eunuch, do you understand what you're
reading? Now, most people would say, well, of course I do. Or
here's what I think it means. Here's what how I interpret it. Here's how I take it. But I love
what the eunuch said. He said, how can I except some
man should guide me? You know, there's something so
humbling about that. I can't figure it out. I can't
know it except some man should guide me. And that's true of
every one of us. I can't know it apart from the
preaching of The Word. Paul says, this is committed
to my trust. Who committed it to his trust?
God did. And what a sacred trust. Now
I want you to think about this. Somebody says, does God have
to have preaching to make himself known? No. He could have made
himself known directly, without the use of means. He could have
done that. He's God. He could have put his truth in your heart.
You don't. He could have done that. Or he
could have had an angel preach the gospel. Can you imagine if
there was like an angel so big he'd have to bend his head looking
there with bright clothing and a fiery face? Boy, you'd listen
to him, wouldn't you? But God was pleased. to use sinful
men for the communication of His gospel. God has manifested
His Word through preaching. Now, whenever I try to talk about
a subject like this, number one, I want to preach a gospel. I
don't want to preach about preaching. I want to preach a gospel. And
I want to avoid two pitfalls. First, putting too much emphasis
on the preacher. It's known as clergy, laity,
and I despise that thing. I have no doubt that that's what
the Lord meant when he was talking about the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans
means above the people. You've got God's clergy, you've
got God's special servants, and then you've got the laity. You've
got lay people. That is offensive. That's all you can call that
is offensive and it puts too much emphasis on the preacher. God can use Balaam's ass as easily
as he can use a preacher. Some special preacher dies, oh
what are we going to do? No problem with God. He can raise
up anybody just so easily for him. The emphasis is not on the
preacher himself. This is God's servant. You need
to listen to him. But this is God's ordained means
of the ingathering of the elect. If you're going to be saved,
it's going to be through hearing the preaching of the gospel.
The emphasis not being on the preacher, but the preaching,
the act of preaching. So I want to avoid this thing
of putting too much emphasis on the preacher and this clergy
lady thing, it's wicked. And I also want to put the scriptural
emphasis on the promise of preaching. And notice I said the promise
of preaching, not the promise of the preacher, but the promise
of preaching. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1,
verse 21, it pleased God That's a powerful statement,
isn't it? It pleased God through the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe. And the word preach means literally
to proclaim as a herald. I don't guess there is such a
thing as a news reporter. Everybody's giving their interpretation
of the news, and you know that. You turn on the TV, and they're
always giving their slant. You're not really getting the
news. You're getting their interpretation of what took place, and that's
irritating. You know it is. It is to me, and it is to you
as well. But true preaching is giving God's message, not giving
my slant on it or my interpretation of it, but giving what God says
in His Word. Another example would be a mailman.
A mailman doesn't have anything to do with the content of that
letter he's delivering, he's just delivering the letter. Turn
with me for a moment to 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15. Moreover brethren, verse 1, moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel,
which I preached unto you. The message hadn't changed. It's
the same message I preached yesterday. I'm declaring that message today,
which I preached unto you, which also you've received. And wherein
you stand, this is your standing is in the gospel, by which also
you're saved. If you keep in memory or hold
fast to that which I priested to you, unless you believed it
in vain, for I delivered unto you, first of all, that which
I also received. And this is what I delivered
in my preaching, what I received. How that Christ, oh, this is
the gospel. How that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures. God said in the Old Testament,
when I see the blood, I will pass over you. That's how that
Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. And was buried
and raised the third day according to the scriptures. Now the act
of preaching, look down in verse 11. Therefore, whether it were I
or they, so we preach. There's the word, so we preach.
And so you believed. Now, preaching is a man declaring
what God has said. It's that simple. It's a man, a sinful man, a man
that has all the same weaknesses that you have, the same fears
that you have. It's a man declaring what God
has said from His Word. There is a call to preach. How
shall they preach? except they be sent." Now you've
heard men who claim to be preachers who is evident God never sent
them. I don't want to hear somebody that God hasn't sent. How should
they preach except they be sent? I want to read this to you from
1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. You can turn there if you
want, but listen to this. Thank we God without ceasing,
because when you receive the word of God, which you heard
of us, that's the preaching of the word, you received it, not
as the word of men. This is Paul's take on it. This
is Apollos' take on it. This is Peter's take on it. No,
you didn't receive it as the word of men, but as it is in
truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ, The
Son of God was a preacher. That's an awesome thing to think
about, isn't it? Jesus Christ was a preacher.
I remember Henry Mahan pointing this out out of Ecclesiastes.
And Ecclesiastes means the preacher. And he introduced the message
where Solomon said, The preacher who was also king in Israel. He didn't say the king who was
also a preacher. He said the preacher. That's
how the respect he had for that office. The preacher who also
was king in Israel. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, is a preacher. The Spirit of the Lord, when
he opened his public ministry, he said, the Spirit of the Lord
is upon me. He hath anointed me to preach
the gospel. to the poor. Jesus began to preach
and to teach. Repent. The kingdom of God is
at hand. He said, I must preach the gospel
in other cities. For thereto am I sent. I think
it's interesting. I hear this all the time. Charles
Spurgeon was the prince of preachers. No, he wasn't. Jesus Christ is
the prince of preachers. Never man spake like this man.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the preacher. I love Matthew's conclusion
to the Sermon on the Mount. It says, he spake as one having
authority and not as the scribes. Now that's what is going on when
there's true preaching. Authority. God blessing his word. Now, God has manifested his word
through preaching. What I want us to do tonight
is to see what the Bible says about this thing of preaching. You know, it's been relegated
in our day to a place of secondary importance. The worship leader
is the song leader in most religious institutions. And you'll go into
a lot of places and the pulpit will be over on the side. And
there'll be an altar in the front and a cross you're looking at. The pulpit's over here to let
us know that it is not central, but that's not scriptural. The
promise of the preaching of the gospel. Now it was said of the
apostles in the early church, they cease not to teach and to
preach Jesus Christ. That's our message, who he is
and what he did. Every time we preach. We better
be preaching who he is, the son of God, the man Christ Jesus. What he did, he saved his people
from their sins. They cease not to teach and to
preach Jesus Christ. What did Philip do when the Ethiopian
eunuch asked this question with regard to Isaiah 53? Of whom
speaketh the prophet this, of himself or some other man? Then
Philip opened his mouth at that same scripture and preached unto
him Jesus." Wouldn't you have loved to have heard that message?
Philip going out of Isaiah 53 and preaching to him Jesus. When Saul of Tarsus was persecuting
the church so they had to flee, they were scattered abroad and
went everywhere preaching the word. That's glorious. They have to Get out of town
or they're going to be killed. What does God do with that? He
uses them to scatter abroad everywhere to spread his gospel, preaching
the word. Don't you want to get in on that?
Preaching the word. When Christ gave his final instructions
to his disciples, It was, go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. Look at Luke's account, Luke
chapter 24. Verse 44, and he said unto them,
these are the words which I spake unto you. Well, I was yet with
you that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand scriptures.
You know the way you're going to understand the scriptures?
If he opens your understanding. And the only way you and I will
understand the scriptures is if he opens our understanding. Verse 46, and he said unto them,
thus is written and thus it behooved. It was necessary for Christ to
suffer. It was God's purpose. I'm the
lamb slain from the foundation of the world. It was necessary
for Christ to suffer and to rise from the third day because of
what he accomplished and that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached. There's the message. repentance,
a change of mind with regard to God, a change of mind with
regard to yourself, a change of mind with regard to God's
salvation, repentance, and remission of sins, a change of mind regarding
the remission of sins. You see, the natural man thinks
the remission of sins comes at the end. When I do this, when
I do that, when I do that, I receive the remission of sins. No, Salvation
begins with the full, complete putting away of and remission
of sins. That's what should be preached.
Beginning at Jerusalem and you are witnesses of these things. A preacher is preaching as a
witness to what he's seen and heard. He's not talking about
something he's learned in a, just learned in a book. He's
preaching as a witness, something God has taught him through His
Word. I think of what Paul, what Ananias said to Paul, the God
of our fathers has chosen thee that thou should know his will.
See that just one, hear the words of his mouth for thou shalt be
his witness. Now if I'm preaching. I'm preaching
as a witness, something God has taught me through His Word, not
apart from His Word, only in His Word, but I am preaching
as a witness. What have you witnessed? Well,
I haven't witnessed anything, so now I want to hear a witness,
someone who is giving the Word of God. Turn to Psalm 40 for
just a moment and the Lord describes his preaching and this I find
so interesting Psalm 40 Now, you know that this is Christ
speaking in the first person because it's quoted in Hebrews
chapter 10 and Verse 6, Sacrifice and offering
thou didst not desire, mine ears hast thou opened. Burnt offering
and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I
come in the volume of the book that's written of me. I delight
to do thy will, O God. That's quoted in Hebrews chapter
10 as the very words of Jesus Christ. So we see that this is
Jesus Christ speaking. Now, look what he says in verse
9. He's describing his own preaching. And this is so important. He
says, I have preached righteousness in the great congregation, O
Lord, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. I
have not hid thy righteousness within my heart. I have declared
thy faithfulness and thy salvation. I have not concealed thy lovingkindness
and thy truth from the great congregation. I want you to notice
three words he said he didn't do. He didn't refrain his lips,
he didn't hide, and he didn't conceal. You know, a false prophet
is identified most clearly by what he does not say, not by
what he does. And the Lord gives this warning.
I've not hid. I've not tried to cover it up.
I've not tried to conceal it. I've not tried to remain silent.
If I try to remain silent on something, I'm not preaching
the gospel. The Lord says, I've not hid,
I've not refrained, I've not concealed. And notice the word
thy. He says, I preach righteousness
in the great congregation. That is my message, the righteousness
of God, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Christ being the
end of the law for righteousness, being saved by the righteousness
of God, being saved by my righteousness. I preach righteousness in the
great congregation. Though I've not refrained my
lips, O Lord, Thou knowest, I've not hid Thy righteousness. That's
our message. Thy righteousness, His righteousness
within my heart. I've declared Thy faithfulness
and Thy salvation. And I've not concealed Thy lovingkindness
and Thy truth from the great congregation. Notice that word
Thy. This is the subject matter of our preaching. Him, Him, His
righteousness, His faithfulness, His salvation, His love, His
truth. That is the subject matter of
true preaching. And that was the subject matter
of Christ preaching. And if I'm not hearing that, I'm not hearing
the gospel preached. That's how Christ described His
own preaching. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. I want to understand this thing
of preaching. It's primacy. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 17,
Christ for verse 17, 1 Corinthians 1 verse 17, for Christ sent me
not to baptize. Now I love baptizing people. I love it when people believe
and are baptized, isn't it an encouragement? Every time we
see someone confess Christ and believe it's baptism, oh, we're
so encouraged. This is not taken away from the
importance of baptism, but Paul said, Christ did not send me
to baptize. He didn't send me to get results.
That's the point. That's not what this is about.
Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. Not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should
be made of none effect. Not trying to package the gospel
to make it more appealing to the flesh, to make it less offensive. I'm not going to preach the gospel
with wisdom of words. If I do that, it makes the cross
of Christ a none effect. I'm to preach the cross in its
naked simplicity. Who Jesus Christ, why is on the
cross? What are you accomplished? Four, verse 18, here's the subject
matter of our preaching, for the preaching of the cross. I
tell you what, every time I preach, I better be preaching the cross.
And if I'm not preaching the cross, I'm not preaching the
gospel. Every single time without exception. For the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto
us which are saved, it. The preaching, the doctrine of
the cross is the very power of God. For it's written, this is
what God says, for it's written, I'll destroy the wisdom of the
wise and I'll bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is
the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom
of God the world by wisdom knew not God. Here we have what I've
already quoted. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. That's God's Word. He
says in verse 22, for the Jews require a sign. I need something
I can see. You know, I'd rather say things
like that. I'd rather see a sermon than
hear one. There's never been a more foolish statement. I need
evidence. I need to see some change in
your life before I can listen to what you have. I need something.
You know, our appeal in preaching the gospel is that it's true.
I don't need any other appeal. Well, can't you give me more
proof than that? Nope, don't need to. It's true. The Word
of God is true. I'm not trying to prove to you
that the Word of God, well, you know it's true because archeological
evidence points it out. I mean, what it says is true.
Prophecies have come. You can give all these proofs
that people, no, it's true. You ought to believe the truth.
Everybody ought to believe the truth. The Bible recommends itself
as true. I don't have any question about
that. Somebody questions the Word of God, I know it's so. I know the truth. That's our
appeal. But the Jews, they require a
sign, something they can see to prove. The Greeks seek after
wisdom. We need to find a way to make
this world a better place. We need to improve education.
We need to improve healthcare. We need to improve the economy.
We need wisdom to do these things. But we preach Christ crucified.
There it is, preach. We preach. Christ crucified. That is our message, how God
can be just and justify the ungodly through the work of Christ on
Calvary's tree. Now, unto the Jews, this is a
stumbling block. Well, that's not gonna inspire
anybody to obedience to say that your salvation is altogether
accomplished by what somebody else did, and your works don't
even count. Well, that's not gonna work.
That's a stumbling block under the Greeks foolishness. How's
I going to help change the world? But unto them, which are called
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, Christ, the
wisdom of God. Look in verse one of chapter
two. And I, brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellency
of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
I wasn't trying to wow you with my oratorical abilities or my
ability to persuade, my persuasive powers, for I determined not
to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now, do you hear that? My only
subject is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I'm not interested
in anything else. That's the message. Well, you're
just taking a little small part of the Bible. That's the whole
Bible. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That is the one message of Scripture. Genesis 1-1 through Revelation
22-21. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now Paul tells us how he was,
and I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of
man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. What's
that mean? the gospel to this point. This
is not because I'm not or I'm indifferent about your salvation,
but I'm going to preach the gospel and leave you alone with God
and God the Holy Spirit will make himself known to you. Don't
need my manipulation. And here's why Paul said, I do
this, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God. Turn back to Romans 10. Verse 8, but what sayeth it?
The word is nigh thee, Even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that
is the word of faith, which we preach. There it is. The word
of faith, which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth, the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with
the heart man believeth under righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there's no difference
between the Jew and the Greek. Same Lord over all is rich unto
all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved." Now, note these questions
that begin with a how. How then shall they call upon
Him in whom they've not believed? You can't call upon somebody
you've never believed in. It's impossible. Next question. How shall they believe in Him
in whom they've not heard? You can't believe something you've
never heard. It's impossible. And how shall they hear without
a preacher, a preacher bringing the message? And how shall they
preach except they be sent? They do not preach except they
be sent. Now here we find what God says
about the preaching of the word. Turn with me to second Corinthians
chapter one. Verse 18, but as God is true,
our word, in my marginal reading, says our preaching. Our preaching. Our preaching toward you is not
yea and nay. Now what that means is ambiguous.
Saying yes and no to the same thing. Language open to more
than one interpretation. Double meaning, yea and nay. Paul says our preaching was not
yea and nay, it was not ambiguous. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and
Timotheus, was not yea and nay. Is salvation by grace? Yes, it
is. But no, it's not. You don't do
your part to make it work. Is the blood of Christ sufficient
to save? Yes, it is. But no, if you don't accept Him
as your personal Savior, He won't save you. That's yea-nay preaching.
That is false preaching. It's not even real. Our word
was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and
Timotheus, was not yea and nay. But in him was yea, for all the
promises of God in him are yea, and amen to the glory of God. Verse 17 of chapter 2. For we're
not as many which corrupt the word of God, use the word of
God deceitfully in order to maintain a position. Having a wrong view
and going to the scripture and pulling it out of context in
order to prove what we're saying. 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. Look in chapter four, verse one.
Therefore, seeing we have this ministry as we've received mercy,
we faint not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,
not walking in craftiness, trying to manipulate people, trying
psychological manipulations, nor handling the word of God
deceitfully, using it to maintain a corrupt position by pulling
it out of context, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves
to every man's conscience in the sight of God. What is it
that commends a preacher? The truth. Nothing else is needed. The truth. But if our gospel
be hid, it's hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of
this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. Lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants, for
Jesus' sake. That is our Preaching, now I
wanna close with 2 Timothy chapter four. I just saw a scripture I wanna
read before. This is important for preaching, so bear with me.
Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter five. Had this in my notes. over and
thought, I better get this. This is the manner of preaching. Verse 18, and all things are of God who
has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and given to
us the ministry of reconciliation to wit, namely that God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ. As though God did beseech you
by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. That's the attitude of preaching.
Not throwing the truth out there and saying, believe it, be saved,
don't be damned, I don't care. No, we beseech men to be reconciled. to God, that's the only way to
preach. Not some kind of harsh, not care attitude, I've told
the truth, I've got my job over. No, there's a beseeching, and
I don't even understand what all this means, but we beseech
you as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you be reconciled
to God, and then he makes the, not a more important statement
with regard to the gospel anywhere in the Bible, He hath made him
to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. Now, turn to 2 Timothy chapter
four. This is the last scripture. Verse one, Paul's charge to Timothy. I charge thee before God and
the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead,
the living and the dead, the saved and the lost will all be
judged. There's one judgment at His appearing
and His kingdom. And what is the charge? Preach
the Word. Does the word declare itself
to be God's inspired word? Yes, it does. Preach it. Don't
try to cover it up. Preach it. Don't explain it away.
Preach it. Don't try to use human arguments to prove it to be true.
Preach it. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God. Does the word declare God to
be God? Absolutely. The first cause of
all things, all powerful. God is God, the absolute sovereign
of the universe that everybody's in his hands. Even your, even
the thoughts going through your mind right now are under his
sovereign control. He is God. Does the word teach
that? Preach it. Does the Word teach
and preach and declare that God is one God in three distinct
persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?
Preach it without apology. Preach it. You know, I'm proud
of the Gospel. I love what Paul said. I'm not
ashamed of the Gospel. It's the power of God into salvation.
I love the Gospel. It's a Gospel worthy of the glory
of God. Does the Word declare that God
elected a people? Preach it. Does the Word declare
that Christ is a successful Savior and if He died for you, you must
be saved? Preach it. Does the Word declare that God
gives dead sinners life by the power of His Spirit? Preach it.
Does the Word declare that God justifies sinners by what Christ
did and makes them so they're without guilt, having never sinned
by virtue of what He did? Preach it. Preach the Word. Preach
the Word. That's what we're called upon
to do. Preach the word. Now, Paul said
to Titus, and this speaks of the primacy of preaching, not
the primacy of the preacher, but the primacy of preaching.
God has manifest his word through preaching. That's why this is
so important. God has manifest His Word through
preaching, which is committed to my trust. And may the Lord
enable us all to be faithful heralds of the gospel in whatever
place He puts us in. Preach the gospel to every creature. Let's pray. Lord, we're so thankful for everything
you do. We're so thankful that it's pleased
you by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe, and
that you've manifested your word through preaching. And Lord,
we confess what a humbling thing it is to know that we can't figure it out. and you
are pleased to make yourself known through the preaching of
the word. Lord, deliver us from a low view
of preaching and deliver us from a wrong, exalted view of the
preacher, but teach us the primacy of the preaching of the gospel. Enable us to preach. We ask that
you would send us your word through the preaching of your gospel
and give us the grace to believe your word. Bless this word for
Christ's sake, in His name we pray, amen.