May 15

“…we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”  —2 CORINTHIANS 4:2

Good preaching is the exposition of the inspired Word of God, is authoritative in what it declares, and is under the anointing of the Spirit of God. It is designed to enable people to hear the voice of God beyond the voice of the preacher. When we take the inspired Word of God and the anointing of the Spirit of God for the purpose of hearing the voice of God, something happens. People meet with God, and lives are saved and transformed. 

The only safe way to preach is out of the text of scripture – not using scripture to back up ideas, but the message comes out of the text itself. We don’t need to know the personal opinions of the preacher. If we preachers preach our opinions, we are abusing the privilege of our responsibility. Paul wrote, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

What we need to know is what God has told us in His Word. The preacher is to work on understanding it well, and then to preach it in such a way that is relevant to his hearers. The apostle Paul says to the Corinthians, “I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you” (1 Corinthians 11:23). He was simply the conduit for what God wanted to communicate to His people. I receive it, says Paul, and then I pass it on. That is the pattern.

Preaching is ultimately preaching about Christ. He is the Truth, which Scripture bears witness to from beginning to end. If it doesn’t lead to Christ, then it may be moralizing or philosophizing with suggested ways of becoming a better person, but it isn’t preaching. A good preacher will ask, “What is it I am saying about Christ? How is Christ released in this message?” The task of any witness for Christ is not to bring people to Christ, but to bring Christ to people, tell them about Him, and then to leave it in the hands of the Holy Spirit to bring them to Christ.

If we want to be relevant we must deal with the things that are eternal – and that’s why the Word of God is the quarry from which we dig the truth.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the preachers who stick to your Word and help give a clear understanding of what You what us to know. All Scripture leads to Christ and I pray that our world gains many more preachers who teach along this path.

TO REFLECT UPON: Am I being enlightened about Christ in the sermons I hear in my Church?