Introduction: Not A Time For Weak-Hearted Preaching
By Fred Jackson and Jody Brown
November 22, 2002
(Agape Press) - A well known Bible teacher and author is calling on pastors to confront false beliefs from the pulpit. John MacArthur says no epoch in history has witnessed the rise of as many dangerous belief systems as the 20th century.
In a recent address to students and faculty at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, MacArthur recounted scores of dangerous teachings that had dotted history, from pre-reformation sacramentalism to current day post-modernism and inclusivism. All of these, he said, run contrary to biblical truth.
Baptist Press reports that in MacArthur’s words, "This is not a time for weak men in weak pulpits in weak churches preaching weak messages." MacArthur says the aim of good Bible teaching is to conform church members to Christ’s image.
According to MacArthur, shallow preaching produces shallow worship. With that in mind, he says he can walk into a church and listen to the music for 15 minutes and tell how profound the people’s understanding of God is because it will be reflected in that.
MacArthur, host of the radio program Grace to You, also appeared recently on a weekly radio program hosted by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. During that broadcast, Mohler commented that many pastors focus more on entertainment than on conveying biblical information -- "theological evasions," he calls them.
"[Pastors] are avoiding some of those texts that would require them to preach some of those doctrines that might cause offense in the contemporary world," Mohler observed.
MacArthur agreed, saying that too often, pastors take "a man-centered approach" and let the culture dictate their message. That sort of preaching, he said, gives the message a biblical allusion -- but in the end "prostitutes the intent of Scripture."
(© 2002 AgapePress all rights reserved.)
I. YOU NEED AN UNMISTAKABLE AWARENESS OF GOD’S WORD. Hebrews 4:12-13
Illustration: How To Handle A Knife
I have several pocketknives at home. I’ve come to find that there are certain ways to handle a knife, especially when it’s open. Closed, I can toss it, stick it in my pocket, or squeeze it in my hand. It does very little harm. But open, it becomes a fierce weapon with the ability to injure or even kill. It must be handled with care, caution, and respect. That’s why you would exercise great care before you give a knife to a child.
Likewise, the Word of God, the living and powerful sword, must be handled with even greater care, caution, and respect. When closed, it is docile and harmless. But opened, it has the ability to injure or even kill, especially if it is in the hands of one who is unskilled in the Word.
A. Preaching Should Point Us Back To The Word. 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Note: Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, gave us a new understanding of God’s message. The Words of Christ were actually a reaffirmation of the Old Testament message. His mission was not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. New Testament believers tend to think that Jesus only changed things. But His true purpose was to show us how God really wanted us to live. He came with the message that true religion was internal, not external. “You missed the point!” He seemingly screamed from the mount. But the religious and worldly people of His day didn’t get it. In some respects, we haven’t changed much.
B. Preaching Should Lead Us Away From Self-Righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5
II. YOU NEED AN UNALTERABLE ATTRACTION TO GOD’S KINGDOM. John 18:36
Note: The Jews expected the Messiah to be a military and political leader, but He was more concerned with what men were because what we are determines what we do.
Example: A liar can tell the truth on any given occasion, but unless there is a change of character he is still a liar, even though he may tell the truth at times. But his propensity is still to lie because that is who he is. An honest man, on the other hand, may tell a lie occasionally, but usually tells the truth, even when it puts him at a disadvantage, because that is who he is. There is no political or social reform that can change the character of a man. Only Jesus Christ can do that. See Matthew 6:10
A. The Kingdom Will Not Come Through Social And Political Reform. 1 Peter 2:13-14
B. The Kingdom Will Not Come Through Divine Laws And Religious Traditions. Matthew 7:28-29
Note: A rabbi commonly sat down when he taught. If he spoke while standing or walking, what he said was considered to be informal and unofficial. But when he sat down, what he said was authoritative and official. Even today we speak of professors holding a “chair” in a university, signifying the honored position from which they teach. When the Roman Catholic pope gives an official pronouncement, he is said to speak ex cathedra, which literally means to speak from his chair. When Jesus sat down and delivered the Sermon on the Mount, He spoke from His divine chair with absolute authority as the sovereign King. (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (c) Moody Press and John MacArthur, Jr., 1983-2002.)
III. YOU NEED AN UNWAVERING ALLEGIENCE TO GOD’S PRIORITIES. Matthew 6:31-34; Mark 12:28-31
Illustration: The Worst Hypocrisy
What was so bad about [the Pharisees’] hypocrisy? If we think of it as consisting merely in their teaching or pretending one thing while in fact practicing something contradictory, we will miss Jesus’ main point. What He nailed them for was that they were using God and the things of God as a means to some other end. That’s what was insidious about the Pharisees’ example. "They do all their deeds to be noticed by men" (Matt. 23:5). ... Theirs was a problem of priorities: their first priority was social status, to which end God was but a means. What greater affront to God could there be? Better to ignore Him altogether than to exploit Him as a means to something else you value more highly. (John Boykin in The Gospel of Coincidence. Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 5.)
A. Our First Priority – Love God. Romans 8:28
B. Our Second Priority – Love Our Neighbor. 1 John 4:20-21
IV. YOU NEED AN UNENDING ACCUMULATION OF GOD’S BLESSINGS. Matthew 5:3-12; John 10:10
Note: Blessedness. Condition or state of being in God’s grace or favor. The Bible contains the words "bless," "blessing," and "blessed," but not the noun "blessedness," although the idea of a spiritual state of beatitude in which believers enjoy God’s fellowship permeates the Bible. Bless translates the Hebrew ’ashrey and baruwk and the Greek eulogeetos and makarios. All are used of believers, but only baruwk and eulogeetos of God. These words suggest divine protection, evoking believers’ trust in their benefactor. They know God as the origin of every good thing in both this life and the next. The English word "blessedness" is derived from the root word for "blood" and suggests something set aside through sacrifice and in the Bible through Christ’s sacrificial death for sins. Every aspect of the Christian life is embraced by blessedness with no credit assumed by the person experiencing it. It is purely God’s grace. (Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Copyright 1996 by Baker Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
A. Blessedness Is An Inward Contentedness That Is Not Affected By Circumstances. Psalms 32:1
Illustration: Half-Hearted Happiness
To love God wholeheartedly, we must be convinced that our only happiness is in Him alone. We cannot believe this until we renounce all other efforts at happiness. If we look to God to supply half our happiness, we can only love him with half our hearts. (William Law in Christian Perfection (a contemporary version by Marvin D. Hinten). Christianity Today, Vol. 36, no. 9.)
1. God desires happiness for His children.
2. Blessedness is a part of God’s character, and He desires that His children be blessed.
3. The blessedness God desires for us is a state of joy and well-being that does not depend on physical, temporary circumstances.
B. Blessedness Is A Spiritual Happiness That Is Not Available Through Carnality. 1 John 2:15-17
1. The Sermon on the Mount offers a new way of life based on a completely new way of thinking.
2. It is impossible to follow Jesus’ new way of living without first having His new life within.
3. Jesus is not teaching that meekness, humility, etc. are more likely to make us happy.
4. The Beatitudes are divine judgmental pronouncements, declaring that we are either blessed or cursed.
Conclusion: Satan’s Beatitudes
If the Devil, whom we don’t hear much about today, were to write his Beatitudes, they would possibly go something like this:
· Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, and too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians in Church --- they are my best workers.
· Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked --- I can use them.
· Blessed are the touchy, with a bit of luck they may stop going to church --- they are my missionaries.
· Blessed are those who are very religious but get on everyone’s nerves --- they are mine forever.
· Blessed are the troublemakers --- they shall be called my children.
· Blessed are those who have no time to pray --- they are easy prey for me.
· Blessed are the complainers --- I’m all ears for them.
· Blessed are you when you hear this and think it is about other people and not yourself --- I’ve got you.
(Author Unknown)
