THE PRIMACY OF PREACHING
Mark 1:35-39
(Antioch Baptist Church: Sunday Morning November 17th, 2024)
I am so excited that we finally get to begin our journey together. There is so much about Antioch that I do not know. However, I have learned that one of the greatest aspects of a new relationship is the joy of discovery. I look forward to learning about this church as a whole and especially becoming familiar with the individuals who make up this congregation.
It is also true that there is a lot about me that you do not know. Fortunately, in His infinite wisdom, God has led me to a text that will show you a little bit about who I am and hopefully help you see what my priorities will be as your pastor.
Just before my first pastorate I went to my pastor and I asked him, “what advice would you give me about being a pastor?”. He didn’t hesitate, he smiled and said, “love your people; if you do that, everything else will fall into place”. I have done that for the last 16 years and I can assure you, Edwin Talley’s advice was spot on! I cannot make you a lot of promises, but today on November the 17th, 2024 I promise that I will love you. Even if you refuse to love me in return, by the grace of God I will love every member of this church.
Back in 2005 when I surrendered to the call to preach I went to another former pastor of mine and I asked him, “what advice would you give me about preaching?” His advice was simple and biblical, he quoted the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:2 and said, “preach the word”.
I don’t seek to be entertaining; I don’t tell jokes (I am not opposed to humor in a sermon, I am just not good at it so I don’t do it), I don’t tell a lot of personal stories, but I strive diligently to “preach the whole counsel of God”.
There are many scriptural reasons that I focus on preaching but one of the primary reasons that I do so is because Jesus put a great emphasis on preaching. That fact is illustrated in our selected text. I would like to look at one of many interesting encounters between Jesus and Peter and preach on “The Primacy Of Preaching”.
In the opening verses of this chapter Mark provides us with a brief summary of the ministry of John the Baptist. Then he tells us about the baptism of Jesus, His temptation in the wilderness, the call of His first Disciples, and His authoritative teaching in a synagogue in Galilee.
This first chapter of Mark also records many of the miracles that Jesus performed including: the healing of a leper, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, and there is a great summary of His healing of a vast multitude in verses 32-34:
v32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.
In response to the many miracles of Jesus a vast multitude of people were seeking Him. In one of the most astonishing moments of His earthly ministry, instead of returning to the crowds Jesus informed His Disciples that they would press forward and go to other towns so that He could “preach there also”. With such an action Jesus illustrates the importance of preaching the gospel.
- As we examine The Primacy Of Preaching, we will begin by considering:
I. THE PREACHER’S PREPARATIONS
v35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
Jesus is the Son of God and if it was important for Him to get away from the crowds and the other demands of ministry to spend time with His Father, then it is important for us as well. Furthermore, prayer is of paramount importance for those who stand and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, preaching and prayer are intertwined.
Leonard Ravenhill said, “The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The pulpit can be a shop window to display one's talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off. Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer”.
I can’t make you a lot of promises, but I can assure you that long before I come into the office, (in fact usually long before the sun comes up) I will “depart to a solitary place and pray”.
In my preparations for preaching I use scripture references, I consult commentaries, I read supplemental books, and I listen to sermons on the selected text. These are all good and important but they will be of no benefit to you if I fail to spend ample time in prayer. Though you may never stand and preach a sermon it is important for every born-again believer to follow the example of our Savior and find a secluded place and spend time with our Heavenly Father. Personal prayer is of supreme importance if you seek to live and life that is pleasing to the Lord.
- The actions of Jesus show us the proper preparations for the preacher. As we move on to verses 36-37 we see:
II. THE PREACHER’S PRIORITIES
v36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”
Surely Peter assumed that as soon as he found Jesus and informed Him that “everyone was looking for Him”, Jesus would immediately rush back to where they had been and minister to the waiting crowds. What Peter didn’t realize is that Jesus didn’t come to earth to work miracles. The Savior did not come to draw large crowds. It was not His purpose to make people happy. Certainly Jesus did all of these things but they were biproducts of His ministry, not His primary focus.
I have been involved in ministry long enough to know that church members have many expectations of their pastor. They expect him to visit the sick, officiate weddings and funerals, serve as an administrator, moderate business meetings, cast a vision, lead in the observance of ordinances, and many other important tasks. I want you to know that it is my desire to meet your expectations, However you must understand that though these things are important and though they may be priorities, they are not my number one priority.
My priority is to “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching”. (2Timothy 4:2). Corresponding to this Paul said in Ephesians 4:11-13 that Jesus “gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”. The preacher/pastor is tasked with many important responsibilities, but the Scriptures make it clear that his priority is the preaching of the whole counsel of God.
- The reason that preaching is a priority is because preaching is:
III. THE PREACHER’S PURPOSE
v38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”
Instead of returning to the multitudes, Jesus and His Disciples traveled on and began to preach in the Synagogues of Galilee. Jesus was cognizant of the reality that the crowds that were looking for Him were only concerned with physical miracles. As I mentioned earlier, Jesus did not come to perform signs and wonders, His miracles were a means to an end. They served as attesting signs that proved that He was who He said He was, but they were not His primary purpose. The Lord declared in Luke 19:10 “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost”. His preaching and teaching was a vital part of this process. Furthermore, the preaching of the Gospel is essential in His process of saving lost people today. The Apostle Paul said, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe”. (1 Corinthains 1:21)
If you think that you have hired a pastor who can grow this church or fill it to maximum capacity, I am afraid that you are going to have buyer’s remorse! I do not have the ability to build, grow, or fill a church. The Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase”. (I Corinthians 3:6-7).
I do not have the power or ability to grow this church. Bro. Tracy does not have the ability to grow the youth ministry. Sister Rhonda doesn’t have the ability to grow the children’s ministry. Bro. Craig doesn’t’ have the ability to grow the music ministry. The Sunday School teachers do not have the ability to grow the educational ministry. Others who may not have a specific title do not have the ability to grow Antioch Baptist church. However, if we are faithful to the work that God has entrusted and enabled us to do, if we keep the Word of God in its proper place, if we will plant and water, then God will give the increase.
- Jesus illustrates the preacher’s preparations, priorities, and purpose. Then in verse 39 we see something of:
IV. THE PREACHER’S PASSION
v39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee…
Jesus proceeded to the “other towns” with the intention of preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and He continued to do so throughout the remainder of His time here on earth. His passion was reaching people with the good news that salvation was available and it was found in Him.
There are many things about ministry that I am passionate about. I enjoy making visits. I love being there for my brothers and sisters in Christ when they are in great need or in the midst of an unexpected tragedy. Oddly enough, I enjoy preaching funerals (weddings not so much). I love working with God’s people to carry out the ministry of the local church. There are many things about being a pastor that I love, but preaching is my passion! There is nothing as exciting and fulfilling as telling people about the amazing grace, love, mercy, and salvation to be found in Jesus Christ.
Though you may not be a preacher or a pastor, you too have the opportunity and responsibility to be involved in this process. The word “preach” means to herald or proclaim. All who belong to Jesus are His ambassadors and it should be our passion to tell the world about our Savior!
Today I have mentioned several things that I do not have the power to do. I do not have the ability to grow a church, comfort a troubled heart, reclaim a backslider or save a lost soul. But amazingly God has allowed me to be a part of each of these things. However, I fully realize that if anything positive ever happens as a result of my work in the ministry, it is only because of His power.
- As we close I would like to consider:
V. THE PREACHER’S POWER
v39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and casting out demons.
Jesus traveled the region of Galilee preaching, casting out demons, cleansing lepers, giving sight to the blind, making the deaf hear, the mute speak and giving the lame the ability to walk. He fed thousands with minimal resources, calmed troubled seas, walked on water, and even raised the dead.
I cannot do any of these things but I can tell you from experience that I have been involved in many amazing miracles. Before you get worried and think that you have gone and hired a charismatic to be your pastor let me explain: Throughout my time in ministry I have seen people at the point of death be healed and restored to full health. I have seen people who were never supposed to walk again run marathons. I have seen marriages and other fractured relationships mended. I have seen homosexuals delivered from that lifestyle and born again. I have seen backsliders restored and atheists come to faith in Christ. I have seen lost people from various circumstances surrender to Jesus and receive salvation.
I have been a part of some absolutely amazing miracles in the past 20 years, but I didn’t do any of them. All I did was point people to the One who was the answer to their greatest need. I did this through the preaching of the Gospel. Sometimes it was from a pulpit in a church. Other times it was standing in front of a casket in a funeral home. Sometimes it was on the radio or the internet. Other times it was in someone’s living room, inside of a gas station, or in a grocery store parking lot. Regardless of the method or location, it was not I who worked the miracle, but it was God’s plan of using the “foolishness of preaching to save those who believe”.
Paul said in Romans 10:9-15 “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”
Those of us who belong to Christ are saved because at some point in our lives we heard and responded to the preaching of the Gospel. If you have never surrendered to Jesus you are lost and headed for Hell. The great news of the Gospel is that if you will repent and believe on the Lord Jesus you can receive salvation and eternal life. I implore you to do that today!
It will not take you long to notice that as your pastor I will make mistakes. When I do, I assure you that I will be humble enough to admit it and to apologize. But I will never apologize for being laser focused and borderline obsessed with “The Primacy Of Preaching”. As Paul said in Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation”.
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