Preaching for God's Glory or Self Glory

When it comes to preaching we know that Jesus was the greatest of all preachers. He was definitely one that heralded God's message. Another would be the apostle Paul. Paul saw himself as Christ's herald. When he describes himself as an appointed preacher of the gospel (2 Tim. 1:11), the noun he uses means a herald, a person who makes public announcements on someone elses behalf. When he declares "we preach Christ crucified," the verb he uses denotes the herald's appointed activity of declaring abroad what he has been told to make known. When Paul speaks of "my preaching" and "our preaching" and lays it down that after the world's wisdom had rendered the world ignorant of God "it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe," the noun he uses doesn't mean the activity of announcing, but the thing announced, the proclamation itself, the message declared.

Paul, in his own estimation, was not a philosopher, not a moralist, not one of the world's wise men, but simply Christ's herald. His royal master had given him a message to proclaim; his whole business was to deliver that message with exact and studious faithfulness, adding nothing, altering nothing, and omitting nothing. And he was to deliver it not as another of people's bright ideas, needing to be beautified with the cosmetics and high heels of fashionable learning in order to make people look at it, but as a word from God spoken in Christ's name, carrying Christ's authority and authenticated in the hearers by the convincing power of Christ's Spirit (1 Cor. 2:1-5). [James Packer, Your Father Loves You,  Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.] 

 

Today we find a lot of preachers preaching what people “want to hear,” not what they “need to hear.” This reminds me of an episode in the life of Theodore Epp, founder of Back to the Bible radio ministry. He had been used to receiving critical mail from the sermons he preached. One day he realized something was wrong when he stopped receiving this type of mail. He was convicted that the was not challenging the flock enough so he changed his preaching. He stated, "I'm afraid that when I'm pleasing everybody, I'm not pleasing the Lord," he later said, "and pleasing the Lord is what counts." Every preacher needs to evaluate his messages to make sure he is striving to please God, not man. This, in and of itself, is a real challenge for any preacher, but something that must be done in the course of his ministry. This is not to suggest that a preacher is only successful when he is upsetting people! But he must not be apologetic either when this occurs when preaching the truth of God's word. A preacher must first and foremost be faithful to the One he serves because he is fulfilling a divine commission through his messages. Therefore, before a message is delivered, it should be laid at the foot of God's throne with one question: "Is it faithful to You, my Lord?"

There is a tale told of that great English actor Macready. An eminent preacher once said to him: "I wish you would explain to me something." "Well, what is it? I don't know that I can explain anything to a preacher." "What is the reason for the difference between you and me? You are appearing before crowds night after night with fiction, and the crowds come wherever you go. I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all." Macready's answer was this: "This is quite simple. I can tell you the difference between us. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction." [G. Campbell Morgan, Preaching, p. 36.]

 

What Macready told the preacher could be very true of many preachers today. It can be even true of the pew sitting Christian. If we believe the truth of God's word but are not willing to live it, then we can see why we are not filling the pews in our church building. Are we living a fiction or non-fiction life when it comes to heralding the word of God? Something to give credence to for sure!

Doing Your Part In Doing What Is Right

Doing what is right is on most people's agenda for any given day. Of course there are those who have determined to upset the status quo by doing what is wrong. We don't want to go there this morning. Instead we want to talk about doing what is right. In doing so, we have to consider others in the equation, just as Jesus did. We know that in John 17 Jesus prayed for unity and we truly should be seeking to know what this unity is and why it is so important. It definitely has to do with doing what is right in the sight of God.

Let's first take a look at what Paul says about keeping unity in Ephesians 4:1-3. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We, as Christians, are urged to live the moral and spiritual life which is characteristic of true religion. We are to be united! The things that unite Christians are the one body, the one Spirit, the one hope, the one Lord, the one faith, the one baptism, and the one God and Father who is over all. Christians grow to be full-grown when they are involved in the work of the church. We all have different abilities, but we all have ability to work in the church.

When it comes to God's word we definitely want to be following it as closely as possible. Of course none of us know everything about God but we should be trying our best to know what He requires of us to live a successful and joy filled life in Christ Jesus. In order for this to happen, we sometimes need the help of others who have learned truths that we are now ignorant of and need a push in the right direction so we will not remain ignorant. This is remnant of the Ethiopian eunuch who needed the help of Philip to understand his reading of the scriptures from Isaiah 53. Once he was taught the meaning, he went on his way rejoicing and now an Ethiopian Christian (Acts 8:31, 39). It is simply amazing how the truth of God's word can help us do our part in doing what is right. If we were to keep all these truths to ourselves, we would be doing a grave injustice to our fellow man.

Can we now see how important Bible studies can be to assist us in doing good. If we continue to assemble with believers (Heb. 10:25), we will more than likely stay in the Word and continue to do what is good and acceptable in the sight of God (Rom. 12:2). Of course if we choose to leave the company of believers and allow ourselves to get back into the world, expect bad things to happen. Staying in close contact with those who believe like you, worship like you, have compassion like you and are convicted like you, will help you do your part in doing what is right. Make sense? Absolutely!

We should all be encouraging each other to do our part in doing what is good. God wants what is best for us, therefore we should be seeking to do those things which are pleasing to Him. Reading God's word, as well as reading devotionals, on a daily basis are excellent ways in seeking out what you should be doing to aid you in staying on the path leading to the straight and narrow gate which will lead you to eternal life (Matt. 7:14). Since so many are choosing to travel the broad way leading to destruction, we can clearly see the need for us to do what is right. Just remember that we will reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7). Let's make sure we sow to the Spirit so to the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8b).

Paul further encourages us to do our part in doing good by saying this, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10). Are you doing your part? If not, why not? This morning we will learn how to determine if we've done our part where baptism is concerned. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Prov. 14:12). Do right and no worries!

Are You Self-Righteous?

Is it possible to be self-righteous and not even know it? Are you self-righteous? How many times have you ever been asked that question? For some of you this will be the very first time. Self-righteousness is usually a very bad attribute to have but just like everything else, there are some exceptions.

According to Wikipedia, self-righteousness (also called sanctimoniousness, and holier-than-thou attitudes) is a feeling or display of (usually smug) moral superiority derived from a sense that one's beliefs, actions, or affiliations are of greater virtue than those of the average person. The term "self-righteous" is often considered derogatory particularly because self-righteous individuals are often thought to exhibit hypocrisy due to the belief that humans are imperfect and can therefore never be infallible. 

 

So far you are probably thinking, “I sure hope I'm not a self-righteous person, because those folks don't sound like a good group to hangout with.” Well you would be absolutely correct about that! No one likes a hypocrite and will try to avoid them anyway they can. We all know at least one person we would consider to be this way and most likely we are not calling them up to see if they want to hang out with us.

Moses reminded the Israelites of their rebellion in Deut. 9:4-6 when he said, “Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. Here we see that self-righteous can be described as objectionable. 

 

In Job 9:20 self-righteousness is described as self-condemned. Thou I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; thou I were blameless, it would prove me perverse. We see that self-righteousness is condemning because it cannot make pure. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. It is condemning because it cannot save. Jesus said, For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Now this is some serious business! Lastly we can see in Rom. 10:3 that self-righteousness rejects God's righteousness. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. So self-righteousness is condemning because it is objectionable, self-condemned, cannot save and rejects God's righteousness. Do we need to say more? Are you self-righteous?

Let's continue. God's word continues to describe self-righteousness as unprofitable. I will declare your righteousness and your works, for they will not profit you. Isa. 57:12 It is also as filthy rags. But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags. We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isa. 64:6 Most self-righteous people do not realize these things about themselves. Remember the Pharisee in Luke 18:11, 12? He prayed thanking God that he was not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers or even like a tax collector. He reminded God in his prayer that he fasted twice a week and gave tithes of all he possessed. This type of self-righteousness would be described as boastful. 

 

We should all come to the same conclusion as Paul in Phil. 3:4-9. He saw that no matter how he saw himself and what he had accomplish in the name of God, it was very much insufficient. He counted everything but loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ his Lord, not having his own righteousness, but instead that which is through faith in Christ. Are you still feeling self-righteous? Let's hope not!

Area-Wide Sing

 Area-Wide Sing

 

COME ONE - COME ALL

Just a heads up to let all of you know about the area-wide sing on January 26th at 7 pm hosted by the Ridge Avenue church of Christ in Tifton, Georgia.  Join us in singing praise to God and His Son Jesus Christ.  You will be so glad you made this a part of your weekend activities.  The address is 1625 North Ridge Avenue Tifton, GA 31794.  Phone: (229) 382-2737

Are You A Dreamer?

Do you dream? I'm not talking about while you are asleep, but rather dreams that you would consider plans or visions for the future. If we are not dreamers, then all is lost! The prophet Haggai has this to say about our visions. “Consider your ways! You have sown much and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earn wages to put into a bag with holes.” Haggai 1:5b-6 Basically the prophet is saying, even though many times we get what we want, we are never satisfied. Are you feeling that way today? If so, what is it going to take to fill you up?

Walt Disney was a remarkable man of vision. This is what we have been talking about in the last few lessons together – Vision! He never gave up. Early in his career a newspaper fired him because they thought he had “no good ideas”. Go figure! That just made Mr. Disney try harder. When he first started out he couldn't sell cartoons to anyone. Some hinted that he had no talent, but Walt Disney had a dream, therefore he set out to conquer his foes. He found a minister who paid him a small amount to draw advertising pictures for his church. Disney had no place to stay, so that church family let him sleep in the mouse-infested garage. One of those mice which Disney nicknamed, you guessed it, Mickey, became famous – as the world now knows. The early days were tough, but that remarkable, creative visionary refused to give up. Like Mr. Disney, we Christians need to dream big and trust in God for the impossible.

Do we have a vision for our church family? Do we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is able to to the impossible? Jesus had a talk with the rich man and told His disciples that it was “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Matt. 19:24 The disciples then asked Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. 19:26 Amen! 

 

Our God is the same God, therefore, we are in good hands, hands that will not let us down if our intents and desires are genuine and according to His will. We want our away members back because we know the destiny of their souls if they remain unfaithful. We also want to see new faces in our congregation because we also know of their fate if they remain in the world and outside of Christ. Both are good reasons, therefore we must wait on God and allow Him to work through our small number of able bodies to see this come to fruition. If we continue to plant and water, He will definitely give the increase! 1 Cor. 3:6

We are blessed to be called Christian and to know our eternal home is in heaven with our Lord Jesus and our heavenly Father. But we must have a plan for His church and we must all be willing to do our part to make it grow and prosper in our community. People's souls depend on our faithfulness to the call of the great commission. Are we doing our part? We know God is doing His. We need to have a vision and see it through the best we can.

Adding to or Taking from - Does It Matter?

Everyone likes a good book. For those of you who are avid readers, what would happen if one day you pick up your favorite book to read it again and the chapters were different. The book had been shortened or lengthened and the author's name had been changed. Would this matter to you? Would it change the content of the book to maybe make it read completely different? Any change to the book would alter its meaning and could change the whole outcome of any story.

God has written a book called the Bible. Over the years man has re-written it and called it a paraphrase. Is a paraphrase the same thing as the original text? Webster defines a paraphrase as a free translation or explanation. What about a translation? To translate means to render from one language into another: interpret. Don't you like this terminology is a lot better than paraphrase? This means that the many scholars that translated the Old and New Testaments took it from the Hebrew and Greek and put It into English so we could read it ourselves. Does this mean that some of the original meaning could be lost? There is a chance that this could happen but if God knew this translating was being accomplished so that more of the world could hear the gospel don't you think He would have put a stop to it if it was being translated incorrectly? Just a thought!

Over the years, man has put some very unusual twists on different portions of God's word. For example, some say that all a person has to do to be saved is believe or have faith or just confess Jesus. We know that all these are true but none of them alone has saving power. Would you say that man has added to or taken away from the word simply by misinterpreting It? 

 

We need to know what God's word plainly states about adding to or taking away from His inspired word. Here are a few scriptures that will aid in this matter: Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Jer. 26:2; Rev. 22:18, 19 and Gal. 1:8, 9. If you have ever wondered about these scriptures, hopefully you won't any longer with a little study on your part and the Holy Spirit being your guide to truth. Have a blessed Lord's day & always remember that God is in control!

A Work in Progress

Surely you have heard of the song, “He's Still Working on Me.” It is usually sung with the younger children in the church family, but it applies to every Christian, or it should.

CHORUS:

He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.

1. There really ought to be a sign upon the heart,
Don't judge her yet, there's an unfinished part.
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.

CHORUS:

2. In the mirror of His Word reflections that I see
Make me wonder why He never gave up on me.
He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay.

CHORUS:

As God's children we want to acquire a greater knowledge of Him and His word. This is accomplished by reading and studying His inspired word on a regularly basis. We need to realize that God is willing to work with us as long as we allow Him to do so. He will not force anything on us that we do not want but He will always strive to give us what we need as we search the scriptures daily with a ready mind (Acts 17:11). How awesome is that? 

We shouldn't beat ourselves up because we are not growing spiritually at our pace. It could be that God is not ready to reveal to us some truths or aspects of His word because we can't digest them yet. We must be patient and wait on the Lord! We must also be careful not to bind on others what we think should be, because it might be contrary to the word of God for them and we are doing it out of ignorance. Of course our motives are pure, but so was Paul's in the persecution of Christians. We have to put trust in our fellow man as well and pray for each other on a regular basis.  Are you praying and putting trust in your fellow man?