The Preaching of the Word

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;” (Titus 1:1-3, ESV)
Preaching. To many, the word itself evokes memories of long-winded sermons, often addressing things which the listener does not relate to or thinks are unimportant. Some believe that the practice was a later addition to the liturgy of the early church and therefore of no consequence. It is regularly discarded as being archaic, not a proper approach to people. On the other hand, there are those who use the practice to pound into the minds of any who will listen, their particular beliefs, their hobbies, their schisms, whatever it is that they are selling. Politicians are very good at this and often use the “bully pulpit” to abuse the powers given them by the people who brought them to office. Preaching carries a negative connotation in our day.
Have you ever noticed when reading the Bible that little points that seem of no particular significance later jump off the page at you and make you realize that more than a salutation or side note is there before you? Look at the scripture in Titus. Paul, who often begins his letters with similar salutations, says that he is a servant - one who serves a Master. His Master is God. Next he says that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, using the personal name of his Savior and then the title which means Messiah, the Anointed One. He is an apostle, one who was sent out to carry a message. He was an ambassador for his King, King Jesus. But then he says that there was a special purpose to being sent out by the Christ; he was to carry out a specific task for the sake or welfare of the faith of those chosen by God, the elect. Not only for their faith, but also for their knowledge of the truth was he given this task. He then says that this truth is in agreement with godliness.
Have you ever thought about being godly? To be godly is to be as God, to have God qualities. One of the qualities of God is truthfulness. He never lies. His truth promised eternal life to those who believed His Son, Jesus. He gave us the promise of eternal life, to live with Him forever, and He didn’t lie about that. That promise began before the Creation, before time itself began.
One of the things I really love about God is His timing. He does things in His time, not in my time or your time. Mordecai reminded Esther that she may have been raised up for such a time as was before them, to stand in the face of possible eradication of the Jews from the earth, not just in Medo-Persia, but throughout the empire. This would have effectively destroyed God’s promise to bring his son, Messiah, through the line of the tribe of Judah, for the Jews were named after that tribe. It would have brought to an end God’s promise for salvation to come through the Jews. But at exactly the right time, God raised up Esther. A woman was used by God to save the plan that had begun before the Creation. So time with God is always the right time, the time of His choosing.
Then Paul says that the truth of God’s promise was manifested, published abroad, made known,
through Paul’s preaching. Paul says that was the task that he was entrusted with. To have a trust is to have a solemn obligation. My wife administered her parents’ trust for over ten years and is still dealing with some small problems connected with that trust. She had to carefully carry out the desires her mother and father had put into that trust, to care for her mother after her father passed away, to ensure that her brother got a fair share of the inheritance, and in his case, to ensure that his children got a fair share each after his demise. All of that has been faithfully executed. Paul says he had that kind of trust. He was to faithfully bring the knowledge of this truth to those who had faith in Christ and he was to do it through preaching.
The next time you think the preacher is too long-winded or the topic is not of interest to you, look at the verses in Titus again. The preacher is doing his best to carry out his duties, the duties of the trust that has been handed down from generation to generation, since Christ returned to the Father. Worship is not just about the Lord’s Supper. It is not just about what kind of music we enjoy. It is not about whether we sit in pews or on theater seats, or even on the floor. It has nothing to do with making our attire more important than other things. We are there to worship the King and He is the One who wanted His truth to be made plain through preaching. Preaching is a difficult task, it is a task that carries a heavy weight of responsibility with it. Woe to the preacher who takes the job lightly. Woe to the listeners who take preaching lightly.

The Last Days, Part III

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9-10, ESV)
Will things be so bad in the last days that no man or woman can withstand the onslaught of the evil one? That is what many would
have you think. Because of the sheer quantity of sinful acts in the world today, many people believe that we are heading into the end times and then Jesus will return to set up His Kingdom on the earth for a thousand years. Ignoring the selectivity of giving literal meanings to symbols in the book of Revelation and the refusal of some to understand the historical setting of the book, still the question of societal breakdown leaves many wondering what the end times will be like. Books like Deliver Us From Evil by Ravi Zacharias (available from Amazon.com and other vendors) help one to understand the breakdown not only in the American culture but in every culture that chooses to distance itself from the One True God. To those who understand God’s word concerning good and evil there is no surprise to what we see going on around us. As was true in ancient Israel, women and children and all of the weaker members of society are vulnerable to attack by those whose hearts are filled with evil. A look at history will prove that no amount luxuries and modern amenities will change the human heart. For many, hope was replaced by apathy and that has now turned to despair. There is never an end to the need to accumulate more and more while others are deprived on even the basics for living.
What is God’s response to the evil in the world? Are we merely to wait for the end time? Are we indeed in the last days leading up to the destruction of the heavens and the earth and the creation of new heavens and a new earth? Will God repeat what He did in the days of Noah?
For those who are obsessed with the need for tangible proof of God’s existence, usually through the manifestation of some charismatic gift, who believe that is the power of God, the following scripture needs to be read over and over again. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV) I don’t know about you, but I was taught in English class that the word “the” signified that what followed was superlative. That is, one and only. If the gospel is “'the' power of God for salvation” then it is the supreme power and it is sufficiently powerful enough to save the souls of men and women. There is no greater power. It is powerful enough to turn towns, cities, and even countries around. Notice what this powerful weapon did in the city of Corinth. Corinth was known for its debauchery, its ritual prostitution, its corruption. To call someone a “Corinthian” was surely a term of derision. But notice what the great apostle Paul says in the first letter to the Corinthians after stating earlier that “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:18, ESV). “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (I Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV) The power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the Cross of Christ. Paul said that the cross was foolishness to folks who were dying but that same cross was the power of God to those of us who are being saved. What power! Paul says the power of the gospel transformed men and women in Corinth, people who fit the description of many in our society today. In fact, we should look into the mirror of the gospel and see that in our own hearts there are all kinds of lusts, envy, cravings for things that enslave us to sin. We are set free by the power of the gospel, the Cross of Christ. Paul told Timothy that he, Timothy, was living in the last days. The Corinthian church, which was also living in the last days, was filled with men and women who came out of lives of depravity to live wholesomely. The remedy for our society is the gospel of Christ. Paul told the Corinthians that three things would last forever, faith, hope and love. Love is certainly the greatest of these. But the Corinthians were called to faith in Jesus Christ and a hope for tomorrow. Those three grow in the hearts of men and women who are ready to receive the good news, just like the good and honest soil that Jesus spoke about in the parable of the sower. We must believe that there are folks who want the freedom that comes from believing that they are sinners and that Jesus can set them free. Instead of hand wringing, we should be telling the world the good news of Jesus.