Sunday Morning Missionary Part 9

Preach The Word

2 Timothy 4:1-3 (ESV)
¹ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living
and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke,
and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having
itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

Participation in the worship gathering doesn’t end with the music. Paul’s instruction doesn’t just have implications for the preacher, but also those who receive the preaching. Preaching sound doctrine must be heard to be effective. Without hearers of the word the preacher cannot truly preach. But together, we glorify God as preachers proclaim God’s word and hearers listen to be reproved, rebuked and exhorted by sound doctrine.

To reprove is to convict someone of what they have done wrong. When the scribes and Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery before Jesus (John 8:1-11), His response reproved or convicted them of their own sin. “’He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’ And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the eldest, even unto the last” (John 8:7-8a ESV). By the preaching of God’s word, the hearer should be able to identify their sin and therefore recognize their need of a Savior.

The word translated rebuke means to admonish strongly, with urgency, and authority. Jesus rebuked demons (Mark 1:25) when He cast them out of people, a storm when He commanded it to stop (Mar 4:39), and even a follower like Peter when necessary (Mar 8:33). The intent in Paul’s command to Timothy is to not only convince people of their sins, but to command them to stop their rebellion.

By themselves, these first two might come across as harsh and cruel, but preaching is not complete without exhortation. To exhort is to encourage or to spur on. Just as John the Baptist did when he preached the Gospel. While reproving and rebuking may highlight our failures, exhorting encourages us to recognize the grace of God in Jesus Christ. It reminds us that our righteousness, our holiness, our forgiveness, and salvation are secure in Him, and encourages us to pursue Him more fully.

When the word has been preached those that have heard should have a larger and higher view of God. They should have a fuller view of His majesty and holiness, and a greater respect for His grace and mercy; thereby being made ready to live all of life in response to His great work on their behalf.

There is no room for substitutes. What we don’t need is more self-help, motivational, find the power within yourself ear-ticklers. Jesus told His disciples, “The one who hears you hears me” (Luke 16:10). Martin Luther held that preachers were the “mouthpiece of God. He said, “The Creator of heaven and earth speaks with you through his preachers. John Calvin taught, “He (God) deigns to consecrate the mouths and tongues of men to His service, making His own voice to be heard in them. Henry Bullinger wrote in the Second Helvetic Confession, “Preaching the word of God is the Word of God.”

What responsibility this adds to the preacher and his own preparation. Not just in his study and understanding of the Scriptures, but also in his own life, that as he approaches the pulpit he is ready by God’s grace to proclaim God’s word that God’s people might hear God’s voice. But, make no mistake; the responsibility does not just fall to the preacher, but also to the hearer. For how can one preach to another who is so distracted by the worries of life that she can’t pay attention, or whose pursuit of happiness has left him so tired that he cannot stay awake, or who quenches the Spirit and denies the truth.

Sunday Morning Missionaries don’t quit worshipping because they quit singing. They continue worshipping as they meet Jesus in the Word. They bow their hearts in humble adoration as they are confronted with the truth and restored by His grace. Sunday Morning Missionaries worship as they confess their sin and rely on the forgiveness of their Savior. Sunday Morning Missionaries worship as they eagerly submit themselves to God’s word that they might be renewed and made ready to live in a manner worthy of their calling.