Faithful Preaching

Q: What does the Bible say about faithful preaching?

The Bible emphasizes the importance of faithful preaching as a requirement for ministers and a pattern exemplified by the Apostle Paul. The Scriptures underscore the vital role of faithful preaching in the life of the church. According to 1 Timothy 1:15, faithful preaching is central to the apostolic ministry, as exemplified by Paul, who called himself a pattern for preachers and believers alike. This pattern is based on dedication to God's glory, a commitment to the gospel, and heartfelt care for those to whom one preaches. Faithful preaching is not just a task but a stewardship demanded by God.

Q: How do we know that the gospel is true?

The truth of the gospel is affirmed through the declaration that Jesus Christ came to save sinners, as highlighted in Paul's writings. The gospel is affirmed as true through the statements made by the Apostle Paul, particularly in 1 Timothy 1:15, where he proclaims, 'This is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' This assertion reveals not only the purpose of Christ’s coming but also serves as a reliable testimony about the nature of salvation. The gospel's truth is further corroborated by Scripture's witness, emphasizing that it is not through human effort but divine grace that we are saved. This truth stands as the foundation for all preaching.

Q: Why is the doctrine of grace important for Christians?

The doctrine of grace is foundational for Christians, highlighting that salvation is a gift from God, not earned by our works. The doctrine of grace is crucial for Christians as it highlights that salvation is entirely by God’s grace and mercy, as noted in Titus 3:5, 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.' This doctrine liberates believers from the burden of works-driven salvation, emphasizing our complete reliance on God’s unmerited favor. Additionally, it assures Christians that their standing before God is secure, resulting in a joyful and obedient response to His commandments, which naturally produces good works as evidence of faith.

Q: What is the significance of the Apostle Paul as a model for preachers?

The Apostle Paul serves as a model for preachers due to his unwavering commitment to the gospel and dedication to God's glory. The Apostle Paul is significant as a model for preachers because he lived out the principles of faithful preaching. He exemplified dedication to God's glory above his own, as he proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that all things should be done for God's glory. Additionally, he was wholly committed to the gospel of Christ, emphasizing the necessity of preaching it and defending it fervently. His life and letters provide a pattern for preachers, illustrating that true ministry is about shepherding people towards Christ and serving their spiritual needs selflessly.

All right, I want to speak to
you today on this subject, faithful preaching, faithful preaching. Now, this is something that is
very important to me because this is what I want to be, a
faithful preacher. This is something I want to do,
faithful preaching. And this is something God requires.
It is required of a steward, a servant. Let it be faithful.
Now the Apostle Paul was a faithful servant. And he didn't hesitate,
not a bit, to call himself a pattern for preachers, a pattern for
believers. What's a pattern? An example.
We used to build houses and we made a pattern on the ground
of a rafter or a joist and make the pattern and just cut all
the others according to that pattern, take them up and they'd
fit. And Paul didn't hesitate to call himself a pattern for
preachers, a pattern for believers, an example to be followed. He
said in I Timothy 1, 16, I obtained mercy that in me Jesus Christ
might show his longsuffering, his mercy, His grace for a pattern,
an example to those who would hereafter believe on Him to life
everlasting. Is that not you and me? Are we
not those who will hereafter, after Paul's preached and gone
back to glory, that we are those who will believe to life everlasting?
Jesus Christ, I obtain mercy that in me Jesus Christ might
show forth His longsuffering, His mercy and grace for a pattern,
an example. And I'll tell you how wise, wise
I would be and you would be if you're a preacher listening to
me, or a believer, or a teacher, how wise we would be to study
this man's ministry, study his message, study his methods. You see, this is a man whom God
blessed. We don't have any doubt about
it. God blessed him. God blessed him with his presence.
God blessed him with his power. And both preachers and other
believers would do well to sit at the feet of the apostle Paul.
God designated him as the apostle to the Gentiles. That's us, isn't
it? Gentiles. And we do well to study
his message, his ministry, his methods. You see, this man, more
I suppose than any other man, was dedicated to the glory of
God. He wasn't seeking self-glory. I'm afraid I see too much of
that today in things that people do in the name of God, in the
name of religion. I see so much of this self-glory,
vainglory, calling attention to one's self. And Paul didn't
do that. He said, all that we do in word
or deed, let it be for the glory of God. Let it be for the glory
of God. And he was dedicated to the glory
of God. And then he was separated to
the gospel of God. He said that, I'm separated,
obsessed with, dedicated to the gospel of God. Woe is unto me. if I don't preach the gospel.
Necessity is laid upon me. I must preach the gospel. I'm set for the defense of the
gospel. This man played a one-string
fiddle. He said, I'm determined to know
nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He
didn't talk about the gospel. He preached it. He didn't go
around telling people he was going to preach the gospel. He
already did preach the gospel. He, when he opened his mouth,
he preached the gospel. He said, God didn't send me to
baptize or circumcise or organize. He sent me to preach the gospel.
That's what I'm going to do. Dedicated. And then he was committed. This is important. I said, first
of all, he was dedicated to the glory of God. Secondly, he was
separated to the gospel of God. And thirdly, he was committed
to the eternal good of his hero. of his heroes. Now, we can't
have too much concern for our well-being and welfare and comforts
and luxuries. Preachers that live luxuriously
and expensively, they don't reflect the call of God. They don't reflect
the humility of their master. They don't reflect the the methods
and ministry of these apostles. No, they don't. No, they don't.
And he was committed to the people to whom he preached, not to himself
and to his family. He was committed to the people
to whom he preached. He said, My heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is that they might be saved. He said, I have
great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart for my brethren
I hear a lot of people talk about give for this and give for that.
Why don't they give? Why don't they do what Christ
told the rich young ruler to do, sell what you have and give
it to the poor? Quit talking about other people giving and
start giving yourself, of yourself and from yourself. Paul, the
pattern, I love him. I covet to be like him and to
preach the message he preached. You know, Paul knew that there
was then and would be thereafter many false prophets, false preachers,
false religionists, con men under the name of God, seeking to draw
disciples after themselves, making merchandise of people. So in
his epistles, this is what I want you to see. Talk about his preaching.
He often used this phrase. Now, this is a faithful saying. This is a faithful saying. He
said that quite often. What's he mean? This is a sure
thing. This is a certain testimony.
This is a faithful saying, meaning this is trustworthy. You can
bank on this. You can rest in this. This is
a truthful report. That's what he's saying. When
he... Now, don't believe everything you hear, but believe that which
is faithful, truthful. trustworthy and certain. And
when Paul makes these statements, I'm going to give you a few in
a moment. When he makes these statements and precedes them
or follows them with this statement, now this is a faithful saying.
What he's saying is this. You can bank on this. This is
true. This is trustworthy. This is
sure. This is God's Word. Let me show you a few of those
statements that he begins with the phrase, This is a faithful
saying. Turn in your Bible, if you have
one handy there, turn in your Bible to 1 Timothy 1.15. 1 Timothy
1.15. And here Paul says this, now
this is a faithful saying. What did I say it was a while
ago? This is true. This is trustworthy. This is
certain. You can bank on it. And he says,
this is a faithful saying, And it's worthy of acceptation by
all men. It's worthy of acceptation by
all men. What's the statement? That Jesus
Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I'm chief. That's my faithful saying. That's
sure. That's trustworthy. That's certain. You can bank
on it. You can believe it. You can rest
in it. Jesus Christ came into this world
to save sinners. of whom I am chief." Who came
into the world? Christ Jesus. Christ, that's
His heavenly title. Jesus, that's His earthly name.
Christ, Son of God. Jesus, Son of Man. Christ, anointed,
ordained Messiah, promised prophet, priest, and king. Jesus, the
man, the second Adam, I shall call his name Jesus." The angel
said to Mary and Joseph, that holy thing to be born of Mary is the Son of God. Call his name
Jesus. Call his name Jesus. Yes, he
came into the world. What did he do? Who is he? Christ
Jesus. What did he do? He came into
the world. Now, I didn't come into the world. I was born in this world, but
I didn't come in this world. But Jesus of Nazareth came into
the world. You know what that means? He
came in the flesh. That means He existed before
He came. He existed, He was before He came. He's the same yesterday,
today, and forever. You see, He was before He came
into the world. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. He prayed in John 17, Father,
glorify me. This is Jesus of Nazareth now
praying. Glorify me with the glory which
I had with thee before the world was. Oh, he was before he came
into the world. That's how he could come into
the world. He was sent into the world. That's
why He came. He was sent into the world, in
the fullness of time. But when the fullness of time
was come, God sent His Son into the world, made of a woman, made
under the law. God sent Him. He was born of
a woman. Great is the mystery of godliness. Paul wrote in I Timothy 3, God
was manifest in human flesh. And we beheld His glory," John
said, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full
of grace and truth. And He was made in the likeness
of flesh. He came into the world. But He
didn't come into the world clothed in deity. He came deity clothed
in flesh. You see, He made Himself of no
reputation, took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of flesh. Bone of our bone, flesh of our
flesh. Who came? Christ Jesus. What did He do? Came into the world. Why did
He do that? Why did He come into the world?
Well, He came to set an example, preacher. It's not what it says.
That's what a lot of people say, but that's not what God said.
Well, He came to reform the world. No, no, that's not what it says
either. Well, He came to condemn sinners.
No, He said, I came not to condemn the world. I came not to condemn
the world. Well, why'd He come? It says
here that this is that fateful saying, that Jesus of Nazareth,
Christ Jesus, came into the world to save sinners. That's why He
came into the world. He was the only one who could
save sinners. The only one who could. There's
none other name unto heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. Other foundations can no man lay than that which is
laid, Christ Jesus. I'm the way, the truth, and the
life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. I tell you, if sinners
could be saved any other way, He wouldn't have come. And he
came the way he did because that's the only way sinners can be saved.
God would not submit his only begotten son to such horrible,
terrible treatment if there's some other way. There is no other
way. He died just for the unjust to
bring us to God. That's why he came. By his life,
he said, I'm come that they might have life and have it more abundant. by his life and by his death
and by his resurrection, he came to save. This is a faithful saying. This is true. Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners. What kind of sinners? But Paul
says the chief of sinners, of whom I'm chief. Christ didn't
come to save nice sinners. There are no such animals. Christ
didn't come to save good sinners. There are no good sinners. He
didn't even come to save good men because there's none good,
no, not one. He came to save sinners, bona
fide, genuine sinners, the chief of sinners. The Scripture says
He's able. He's the only one who is able
to save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him, to the
gutter most. to the farthest extreme of sin
and degradation. There's no one that Christ can't
save. There's no one who's fallen so low or lives so desperately
ill that Christ can't make him clean. He said, come to me, all
ye that labor in a heavy laden. I'll give you rest. He said,
whoever one that thirsteth, come to the water. Don't bring anything
with you, just come. Come ye sinners poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love, and power. Let not conscience make you linger,
nor fitness fondly dream. All the fitness He requires is
to feel your need of Him. You furnish the center. Christ
is a sufficient Savior, Chief of sinners. If you'll go through
the Bible and note the people whom he saved, you'll find them
to be great sinners. He passed by the Pharisees and
the religious leaders, and he showed mercy to sinners. He said,
I didn't come to call the righteous to repentance. I came to call
sinners. That's a faithful saying, and it's worthy of acceptation.
Now, here's another statement that Paul begins that way. This
is a faithful saying. You'll find it in 1 Timothy 4,
7 through 9. Listen. Paul says, But refuse
profane old wives' fables, hearsay, fables, traditions, and exercise
yourself to godliness. For bodily exercise, bodily gyrations
and bodily emotions bodily outward signs profit little. But godliness
is profitable in all things, having promise of the life that
now is and the life which is to come." Now, this is a faithful
saying. This is true and sure and worthy
of your acceptation. Now, you refuse all these old
wives' fables and customs. and profane, blasphemous things,
and you exercise yourself to godliness. Now, what's that mean? Well, in the preceding verses,
if you'll go back and read 1 Timothy 4, Paul has warned the people
about preachers, preachers who would come and preach such things
as this, forbidding to marry, forbidding to marry. It's right
there, 1 Timothy 4. commanding people to abstain
from meat, keeping holy days, Sabbath days, certain days, wearing
certain clothing, religious novelties like crosses and beads, and talking
about the position of the body, the kneeling, the bowing, the
crossing, going to certain holy places and shrines, and temples. These are exercises of the body. This is bodily exercise. I'm
exercising when I raise my hand and when I cross myself, when
I count my beads, when I do my crossing, when I do all these
things on my knees and crawl down to the temple and go overseas
to visit the holy shrines and holy places. That's exercising
the body. And this bodily exercise has
little or nothing to do with the souls welfare and relationship
with God. God does not look on the outward
flesh. He looks on the heart. God does
not look on the outward form and ceremony and exercises and
all these things. A man can do all these things
and his heart be far from God. That's what Paul's saying. Don't
be deceived by these things. Don't be deceived by people who
put you in bondage to these things. Exercise yourself to godliness. Hear God. Receive His Word in
your heart. Repent toward God in your heart.
Believe God in your heart. Worship God in your heart. Pray
from your heart. It doesn't matter whether you're
standing on your head or kneeling on your knees, if your heart's
right with God. Walk with God in attitude and
spirit and love. Love the Savior, love your brethren,
exercise a life and attitude and spirit of godliness. I tell
you, a man can stand in church and wear a half a dozen beads
and fourteen crosses and raise his hand for three hours like
Adolf Hitler used to raise his so many hours, and his heart
be as hard as steel and as cold as ice and as far from God as
east is from the west. But a man can sit in his living
room in his chair and not do one, not move one physical muscle
and his heart be resting in, trusting in, praying to, worshiping,
loving his God and loving other people. And you know what I'm
talking about. Old Sir Walter Raleigh was going
to be beheaded. And they put him on the chopping
block to cut his head off. And they all liked him. He was a likable, charismatic
fellow. And somebody said to him, uh,
does your head, is your head comfortable? Is your head line
all right? And he looked up and said, the
position of the head is not important. What is important is the condition
of the heart. That's what I'm telling you.
Don't be deceived by all this emotionalism and exercise of
the body. and screaming of the lungs and
clapping of the hands because you can't see the heart and God
looks on the heart. My son, he said, give me your
heart. He says, keep your heart out
of the issues of life. Exercise yourself to godliness
and you'll know something about life now and life hereafter.
And that's a faithful saying. Here's the third one quickly,
2 Timothy 2. He says this is a faithful saying.
This is true. This is sure. If we be dead with
Christ, we shall live with Christ. Now, there are two thoughts expressed
here. Number one, if we're in Christ
by God's covenant mercies, elective grace, if we're in Christ, in
Christ when He lived, in Christ when He died, crucified with
Christ, buried with Christ, risen with Christ, if we be dead in
Christ, then we'll live. That's what he's saying. If we
died in Christ and rose in Christ, then we're seated with Christ
in the heavenlies. He said, because I live, they
live because they're in Christ. You see that? Well, here's the
second meaning. If we'd be dead with Christ, we'll live with
Him. If you are really dead with Christ, if you really do love
Christ, if you really are crucified with Christ, then you'll live
in Him and with Him and for Him. That's just so, but no question
about it. Christ is your life. I hear people say, well, Christians
ought to pray. I say, they do. They say, Christians
ought to love God. They do. Well, Christians ought
to live an honest life. They do. If a man's dead with
Christ, he'll live with Christ. He will. There's no question
about it. He belongs to Christ. Christ
lives in you. And that's the results of Christ
living in him. Oh, he's not perfect. I didn't
say that. He's not without fault. I didn't say that. But the tenor
of his life and the bent of his will is to glorify his God. And he's not going to willfully,
deliberately bring shame and reproach on his master. No, he's
not. What's this? This is a faithful
saying. He says, if we suffer with him, we'll reign with him.
But if we deny him, he'll deny us. You get that? This is a faithful
saying. If we suffer with Him, we'll
reign with Him. We'll live with Him eternally.
We'll be glorified together. But if we deny Him, He'll deny
us. In other words, if you believe
the gospel, really believe it, committed to it, then you'll
suffer with Christ. You'll take His reproach. You'll
take whatever persecution comes to you because of that gospel.
You won't be ashamed of it. You're not going to be ashamed
of the gospel, ashamed of your Lord. You'll suffer with Him.
He said, my brethren, don't be amazed if the world hates you
and hated me. They crucified Him. If you believe the gospel, you'll
take the reproach. You won't deny Christ. You won't
be ashamed of Christ. But if we do deny Him, He'll
deny us. That's just, that's true. And
then go on, if we believe not, this is a faithful saying, if
we believe not, He's faithful and will not deny us. Will not
deny himself. He can't deny himself. Now what
this is saying is no man has perfect faith. You don't, I don't,
no one else does. Abraham denied, denied the Lord. Peter denied the Lord. Abraham's
faith failed two or three times. Peter's faith failed. Yours will
too. We have lapses of faith. We don't
have perfect faith. He never fails. He never fails. We experience unfaithfulness,
but not Christ. If we believe not, if we go through
these times when our faith is so weak and so small, He'll never
forget us. The soul that on Jesus hath leaned
for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes. That
soul though all hail, should endeavor to shake, I'll never,
never, never, never forsake." Here's the last one, Titus 3,
5. It's not by works of righteousness which we've done, but according
to His mercy He saved us with the washing of regeneration,
shedding of blood, sprinkling of blood, which He shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. that being justified
by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life. This is a faithful saying. We're
not saved by works, we're saved by God's grace. And Paul said,
this is a sure saying, a faithful saying, and I will that you preach
it and affirm it constantly that they which believe in God might
be careful to maintain good works. Now, two things here. If a man
understands these two things, he understands the gospel. If
he doesn't, he doesn't understand the gospel. It's not by works
of righteousness which we're saved, but by grace through faith. It's a free gift of God. But
Paul said, that's a faithful saying. This is too. I will that
you preach and affirm constantly that they which do believe unto
salvation and those who do believe in God will be careful to maintain
good works. Not saved by works, but we're
not saved by a faith that has no works, because true faith
worketh by love. All right, this is the title
of the message, Faithful Preaching. On the other side, Jesus washes
the disciples' feet. If you want these two messages,
send $2, and we'll mail them to you right away. Until next
week, God bless you.

Faithful Preaching

What does the Bible say about faithful preaching?

How do we know that the gospel is true?

Why is the doctrine of grace important for Christians?

What is the significance of the Apostle Paul as a model for preachers?

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Faithful Preaching

What does the Bible say about faithful preaching?

How do we know that the gospel is true?

Why is the doctrine of grace important for Christians?

What is the significance of the Apostle Paul as a model for preachers?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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