Preach the Word

Preach the Word 

by David Brenneman 

"I solemnly 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: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

"For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified.  For when Gentiles who do not have the Law instinctively perform the requirements of the Law, these, though not having the Law, are a law to themselves,  in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of mankind through Christ Jesus." Romans 2:11-16.

There are billions throughout human history who will try to argue in their own defense before Jesus Christ the Righteous King.  Trying to prove how they weren't wrong in living their life their way. 

Was reading in Leviticus this morning and in Chapter 18, the Lord Jesus was telling them of why they were going to be displacing the nations much larger and more numerous than themselves.  He said those nations spewed them out because of the deeds they did.  If you don't think that God would do that today...then you need to remember that He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He does not change. 

When Jesus does return, and it will be soon, indeed millions will vanish, disappear, will be gone at the sound of the trumpet of God.  

Billions will cry out to God to come back. 

This, my Dear Reader, is why true Preacher's of the Word of God should never ever water down the truth of the Gospel message.  

Those who mislead people about the truth of God's word will incur a stricter judgment from God. 

Paul wrote to his son in the faith about everything he would need to remember as a Pastor.  Pastor's are supposed to be men of God, firmly grounded in the truth of God's word.  Elder/Pastor/Teacher is a male in the original language.  We can look at what Paul wrote of the qualifications of an Elder in 1 Timothy 3. 

As he later wrote in 2 Timothy, people will eventually not want to hear what they need to hear.  They will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.  

Even Christians today, who are indeed saved, are at risk of accumulating people to read and listen to who are not truly followers of Christ Jesus. There's no shortage of television preacher's who are not anything but false teachers.  Some are very popular and for good reason, Satan's their promotions manager. 

The first book you ought to only be concerned with is the Bible.  Sure Godly books by reputable Pastor's exist, but the only inspired Word of God is the Bible. 

Before you soak up podcasts or streaming videos of sermons or participate in so-called revivals, start with your feet firmly planted in the Word of God.  Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions in the flesh for its lusts. Romans 13:14.

Jesus is coming again. Is your life being spent on you getting what you want out of it?  Have you kicked aside His plans for you all the while saying you're living for Jesus?  God will not ever be the architect of creating relationships only to set them up for failure.  We set ourselves up for failure more often than not.  I am not saying that we ought to always not give up. In regards to Believers being in a marriage relationship with an unbeliever, Paul wrote that if the unbelieving spouse leaves to let them go.  But too we shouldn't be trying to prove their spiritual state in order to justify the path of life we want to be on.

Each person is to give an account of their own life before Jesus.  What good will it do for anyone to fight the will of God unto death only to have it shown to them by Jesus on that day that they've wasted the life He desired for them? 

Preaching the word in season and out of season.  When people want to hear it and when they don't.  

Jesus said that the world will hate you because it hated Him first because He testifies that their deeds were evil. If we too are testifying that the deeds of the world are evil they will hate us too.

Yet we cannot go through life in Christ and not live in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.  Regardless of what people want to think about God and sin, God WILL judge concerning sin.  Without salvation in Christ Jesus alone, every man, every woman will give an account of their sins because they will not be erased or removed. 

Forgiveness of sins is only through a right relationship with Jesus Christ.  It's only through salvation in Him and in no other. 

Jesus told the Jewish Leaders...go and learn what this means: I desire obedience not sacrifice.  

Are you at a so-called church that isn't preaching the whole counsel of God?  The whole Bible?  Are you among those who believes what you hear outside of the Bible but not the word of God in its entirety?

It doesn't matter what you think is morally right or morally wrong.  It's the Word of God that defines it. 

Are you among those who have accumulated for yourself teachers in accordance to what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear?

Do you not take seriously that you will someday stand before Jesus to give an account of your life?  Those deeds done in your body for you and those for Jesus?

Is it not important to you to live for Jesus who took the bullet for you?  Who pushed you out of the way of the oncoming train to save you?  Who gave His very life so that you wouldn't have to give your own because of your sins?

When people don't want to hear the truth of God they get irate. They get angry.  They don't want to accept that the life they have built up is rubbish in the eyes of God because Jesus isn't a part of it.

Sometimes we need to be reminded to be on the alert. Jesus said we should be alert.  We should be because Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.  He wants churches full of mislead people.  Those false teachers and false prophets came from WITHIN the Church.  People who influenced and infiltrated the Church to preach and teach lies...lies so convincing that millions believe them. 

The difference maker is those who are in the Word of God daily.  Those who are reading daily to see if what they hear is so.

Do not exchange the Word of God for lies.

If you aren't daily in your Bible, start today. Try 1 chapter of Proverbs a day.  Repeat. Add to it other Bible reading.  Ask God questions about it in prayer.  What other books can you possibly read where you can ask the Author anything about it at any time?

You're going to be filled with something today.  It's either filled with something from God or something from the world. 

What will you listen to?  What you want or what you need?

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. Lockman Foundation.