The
Primacy of
Preaching
[A Reformation Day Sermon October 28, 2001. Preached at Trinity Covenant RCUS, Colorado
Springs, Colorado]
by
Rev.
David Fagrey
Pastor, Grace RCUS
Rapid City, South Dakota
Trinity Covenant
Church
RCUS
Colorado Springs
Pastor C. W. Powell
The
Primacy of Preaching
[A sermon by Rev. David Fagrey, preaching at our
Reformation Conference, October 28, 2001, at Trinity Covenant Church]
It pleased God by
the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. --1 Corinthians 1:21b
Introduction: The Reformation was not
only a restoration of the true Gospel, but it was also a restoration of the
primary means of communicating the true Gospel: preaching.
The
Modern Attitude. We live in a time when many
people (even in churches) are questioning the whole idea of preaching. Many
people think preaching is old-fashioned and out of date. Preaching was
necessary back in the days when most people could neither read nor write and
did not have their own Bibles.
But today, we are a more cultured and educated
people; we can read the Bible for our selves. Plus, there are plenty of study
Bibles and Bible study books. We also have the Internet. ‘There is nothing that
the preacher can tell me that I can’t get somewhere else. Why do I need the
preacher to tell me something that I can read for myself?’
Furthermore, it seems kind of ridiculous for a man
to stand up and shout at a congregation for 30 minutes. That doesn’t seem to be
the best way to communicate with people. It doesn’t allow for any dialogue or
feedback. It is not very personal.
It would be better to sit down together either
one-on-one or as a group and guide each other along the pathway of truth. That
is more dignified than standing up and talking down to people.
A president of a Reformed college said: “we have to
face the fact that people don’t want to be preached to or lectured to.” And
listen to this slogan from a modern church: “Come to our church, our pastor
won’t preach at you.”
People don’t want to be preached at. Plus, the
Gospel can be better communicated through puppet shows, dramatic skits,
liturgical dancing, and multimedia presentations.
Ways to Boost Attendance. In
May 1991 an article appeared in the Wall-Street Journal, documenting some of
the new methods currently being used by local churches to boost attendance and
attract the unsaved.
One example cited was that of a staged wrestling
match featuring church employees. To train for the event, 10 church employees
got lessons from a professional wrestler, in pulling hair, kicking shins and
tossing bodies around without doing real harm. That is just one of many such
examples.
Our generation is not the first to look down on
preaching. Preaching was also de-emphasized before the Reformation. There was
very little, if any, preaching. Many priests could not even read the Bible. All
the emphasis was on ceremonies and dramatic pictures and statues.
This is the same thing that is happening today. The
rituals and ceremonies and pictures may be different, but that is where all the
emphasis lies.
Now, today, we’re going to see from the word of God
that preaching, though it is foolish in the eyes of the world, is the most
important function of the local church. Preaching is the primary method that
God has chosen to communicate the gospel and to communicate His grace.
Theme: The primacy of preaching.
Let’s begin with the words, ‘preacher’ and ‘preaching’. Paul did not invent
these words. These words came from the culture in which Paul was raised.
Herald. The word ‘preacher’ [keruj]
means ‘a herald’ (we have the Reformed Herald).
In ancient times a herald was an official spokesman (ambassador) for a king or
a military general. A herald would make public proclamations on behalf of the
king.
For example, Pharaoh commanded heralds to go ahead
of Joseph’s chariot and to cry, “Bow the knee” (Genesis 41:43; cf. Daniel 3:4;
2 Chron. 30:1-10; 36:22). The herald’s words were the official words of Pharaoh
himself. A herald is one who publicly proclaims an authoritative message from
the king.
A preacher is a herald or an ambassador who publicly
proclaims an authoritative message from the King of kings Himself – the Lord
Jesus Christ.
The word ‘preaching’ [kerusso] always refers to a
verbal, public proclamation. And it is different from teaching or evangelizing.
Teaching is Different. When
it comes to teaching, for example, there are many ways to teach and to instruct
people. You can instruct someone privately (Acts 20:20) or by a letter. But
preaching always refers to verbal, public proclamation. A pastor is called to
preach and teach. Preaching is a distinct act than can be distinguished from
teaching.
Evangelism is Different. Preaching
can also be distinguished from evangelism. The word ‘evangelize’ [euaggelizo]
means to communicate good news. It refers to all kinds of ways of communicating
the gospel, not just publicly. The gospel can be communicated in private
conversation or in a letter.
In Acts 8:35, Philip’s private conversation with the Ethiopian eunuch is described by the
term ‘evangelize.’ But his public
proclamation of Christ in Samaria is described by the term ‘heralding’ or
‘preaching’ (Acts 8:6).
The word ‘evangelize’ is used to refer to all kinds
of ways of communicating the gospel. The word ‘preaching’ is used only for verbal, public proclamation.
All Christians are called to evangelize – to share the good news (Acts 8:4:
euaggelizo), but not all are called to preach.
All Christians are called witnesses (cf. Isaiah
43:10; 1 John 5:10), but not all are called preachers.
Necessity for a Call.
Only certain men are called preachers. In the NT,
only apostles and pastors are called preachers.
Those who are to be preachers must be called and
appointed to that office. No one can decide on his own to be a preacher and
then just start preaching. No herald just decided on his own to start making
public proclamations for the king. He needed to be commissioned and appointed
to that task. Preachers also need to be commissioned and appointed.
In Romans 10:15, Paul asks, “How shall they preach
unless they are sent?” One cannot preach unless one has been sent or appointed
to preach.
Mark 6:13-14: “And [Jesus] went up on the
mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then
He appointed twelve, … that He might send
them out to preach”! The 12 apostles
did not send themselves. They were sent to preach (cf. Mark 6:7-13).
The Apostles.
The
apostles were official heralds of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were appointed to
publicly proclaim the word that the Lord commanded them to proclaim.
And before the apostles died out they appointed
other men in the church who would carry on the work of preaching God’s word.
The Apostle Paul commissioned Timothy (who wasn’t an apostle, but a pastor) to
“preach [herald] the word” (2 Timothy 4:2).
And Paul commanded Timothy to teach others what he
had taught him: “commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others
also” (2 Tim. 2:2). The Lord commanded the apostles to preach His word. The
apostles commanded the church to preach the Lord’s word and train others to preach the Lord’s word.
No Invention.
Preaching
is not an invention of the Church; it’s a commission that she receives from the
hand of the Lord through the hand of His apostles. It’s a commission that she
is to pass on from one generation to another. And preaching is to continue
until Christ returns.
Christ has determined that “repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in His
name to all nations” (Luke 24:47). The gospel shall be preached to all nations, “and then the end will come” (Matt.
24:14). Preaching is to continue until the end of time. Therefore, preaching
can never be out-dated or old fashioned.
The Primary Method.
Preaching
is to be the primary method of communicating the gospel. This was the primary method
of Jesus Himself. After John was put in prison, the first thing Jesus did was
He “came to Galilee, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14).
Mark 1:38: “Let us go into the next
towns, that I may preach there also,
because for this purpose I have come forth.” I came to preach, Jesus said. He
said His highest priority was to preach the gospel. It should also be the
church’s highest priority.
The Chosen Method.
It
is through preaching that the Lord continues to speak today. He could have
chosen to speak to us directly from heaven, but He has chosen to speak to us
through the voice of man.
And I think if we were honest, we prefer it this
way. Exodus 20:19: After God audibly
spoke the ten commandments from the top of Mount Sinai, the people said to
Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest
we die.” Therefore, God spoke to His people through Moses. Cf. Deut 5:25.
God speaks today through preaching. 2 Corinthians 5:20: “we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God were pleading
through us: we implore you on
Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
Not a Private Opinion. When
the preacher says, be reconciled to God, he is not sharing his opinion or giving
advice. He is publicly proclaiming an authoritative message from the King of
kings Himself.
To reject the ambassador is to reject the one who
sent him. Luke 10:16: “He who hears
you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me.” To reject the herald is to reject
the King.
Preaching Is Authoritative.
Preaching is authoritative public proclamation on
behalf of the King. According to one commentator: “the preacher does not share, he declares. It is for this very reason that small group Bible studies
can never replace the preaching of the Gospel. Preaching is not a little talk.
It is not a fireside chat” (Arturo G. Azurdia, Preaching: The Decisive Function, an article appearing in the book The Compromised Church).
Azurdia: God is not asking for
discussion. “As the Lord of the universe, He is declaring a word that demands
compliance from His creatures.” Therefore, “the Gospel demands a method of communication
that is authoritative.”
Azurdia: It might be okay for
parents to teach the alphabet to their children by putting on a purple dinosaur
costume and singing the ABC song. But this method would be radically
inappropriate for the parents of Jon Benet Ramsey in making their television
appeal to find their daughter’s murderer.
Authoritative Method. The
Gospel demands a method of communication that is authoritative. Yes, God wants
all Christians to share the gospel,
but He also wants us preachers to declare
the gospel publicly with all the authority and forcefulness and passion we can
muster.
Now, the Lord not only confronts men through the
preaching of the Word, but He also saves
men through the preaching of the Word. “The message of liberty actually sets
people free.” V.21: “it pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” Cf. Acts 26:18.
I said in my first sermon that God saves us through
faith – a faith that He supplies. Well, how does He give us faith? Does God
give us faith while we are staring at a sunset or watching Monday night football?
Faith comes through the preaching of God’s word. V.21: “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching [khrugma] to
save them that believe.”
God causes people to be born again while listening
to a sermon. 1 Peter 1:25: you have
been born again by the word of God, which was preached to you!
Romans 10:17: “Faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.” “And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
(Rom. 10:14). Cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-2.
Our confessions say the same thing. Heidelberg
Catechism Q.65: The Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts “by the preaching of
the holy gospel.” Belgic Confession: faith is “wrought in man by the hearing of the Word of God” (art.24).
Canons of Dort: “it pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel” (5.14).
It may seem foolish, but God has chosen to use this
foolish method to save His people.
Not by Drama or the Dance. God
has not promised to save people through drama or contemporary music or
liturgical dancing or wrestling matches. He has promised to save people through
the preaching of His Word. He might make an exception to His rule, but His rule
is preaching.
God has not promised to save people in plane
crashes. He may and He has, but He has not promised to. It is only safe to go
where God has promised to save.
Other alternatives might draw bigger crowds. But
just because a church grows does not necessarily mean people are getting saved.
Cancer grows too.
God could have easily chosen a different method. He
could have chosen drama if He wanted to, but He didn’t. Nowhere do you see the
Apostles using Drama. They could have. The Greeks in those days invented the
theater. But the Lord commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel (1:17).
Preaching is even more important than baptism.
Let us not try to be smarter than God. The Bible
says, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men” (v.25). God has chosen the
foolishness of preaching.
Keeping His People
God has chosen to use preaching not only to save His
people, but also to KEEP His people saved. In other words, when it comes to the
perseverance of the saints, God primarily uses preaching to preserve His
saints. V.18: “the message of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are BEING SAVED
[present tense] it is the power of God.”
The Power of God. The gospel is the power of God. It is
spiritual food (spiritual steak) for our soul. Faith comes more than once by
hearing and hearing the Word of God. Jesus is the author and finisher of faith,
and one of the ways that He finishes faith is through the preaching of His
Word.
Pierre Marcel: “private Bible reading is not
sufficient to make the believer ‘a full man’ and to induce him to apply the
teachings of the word. Private Bible reading leads one to the service of
preaching, and preaching, in turn, leads one to personal Bible reading. But
preaching occupies the central place” (The
Relevance of Preaching, page 63).
It’s the Food.
It is
not that personal devotions and Bible study aren’t important. But preaching is
to be central. That is why the pulpit is at the center of the church. Preaching
is the most important thing, just like food is the most important thing about a
restaurant.
Is it old-fashioned to think that the most important
thing about a restaurant is to have good food?
Imagine a restaurant, which advertises everything
about itself except the food. “Come to this restaurant: it has great service,
great atmosphere, all the table settings are china, fancy napkins, beautiful
background music, reasonable prices, all the waitresses are neatly dressed,
great location, a lot of parking, accessible to the physically disabled, food
is so beautifully arranged on the plate.”
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FOOD? If the food is no good, I
don't care how fancy the restaurant is.
If the food is no good, then the restaurant is no good.
If the spiritual food is no good, what good is the
church? I don't care how many whistles and bells a church has. The most
important thing about a church is the preaching of pure doctrine of the gospel.
Through it God grants and nourishes faith.
Now, if we really believe that, then the least we
can do is invite as many people as we can to church in order to hear the
preaching of the word. If God saves people through preaching, then the most
important thing you can do is to tell someone to come to church and hear the
preaching of the gospel.
And if God uses preaching to sanctify and preserve
His people in the faith, then as Christians one of the most important things we
can do is to come and listen regularly Sunday after Sunday to the preaching of
the Word. Staying away from preaching is to stay away from the very place where
God saves and preserves His people.
Therefore, may we never be ashamed of the
foolishness of preaching or of the reformation. To the praise of the glory of
His grace!
[Edited slightly] Return to Menu
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Write:
Trinity Covenant Church RCUS
Pastor C. W. Powell
6050 Del Paz Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Phone:
719-590-1477
Email
