A few years back, some of family and friends asked the question, "Why do you want to be a preacher? You could be a teacher, or an engineer, or a lawyer, or something else. Well, I would tell them about the farmer who had 3 sons, like me. He was proud of 2 of them, one who went to UofM and became a doctor, and the other went to MSU and became a High School teacher. Said I am very proud of them! Wait a minute, i thought you had 3 sons, whatever happened to him? Oh well, we don't talk about him. You see when he was young, our mule kicked him in the head, and later, he became a preacher!
Some people say, well uou became a preacher, because you can't do anything else! Like change the oil in your car, or pound a nail in a piece of wood! Well. . .
BUT God has some wonerful news about His Son, Jesus. He comes marching in the world and his occupation is a PREACHER! At the age of 12, he's in the temple, teaching and preaching to the elders and says to his parents as though he did not want to be interferred with. "Know ye not, that I must be about my Father's business!!" What is that? To preach the gospel to the whole nation!
At the start of His ministry after His baptism, He goes into the wilderness and then comes out to start His ministry and gives us these words. "Jesus came from Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. tMark 1:14) Matthew 4:17 says, "From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, 'Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The message of Jesus preaching had one theme -- Repentance!
Repentance was always the message God's preaching, as it began with it's first preacher -- Noah. Then we remember Jonah preaching to the city of Nineveh, Repentance. Now John the Baptist begins his preaching and again it was repentance. There was a difference as explained by John the Baptist hie was by water, and Jesus was by the Spirit and fire.
The ministry of Jesus was 3 - fold, preaching, teaching, and healing, in that order! He preached to the mulitudes and taught one on one with people and healed to verify his ministry. When He was nearby, the people were amazed at His love for them. (Matthew 9:36) The Pharisees were angry at Jesus not becuae of what He did, but because of what He said in His preaching, it shook them up!
Jesus calls the 12 disciples, for one reason only, to train them firt hand how to be preachers and then He sent them out with authority in their preaching. Then the very last words to them is the Great Comission, To PREACH the gospel to the whole world! Peter, preached the 1st sermon on Pentacost, and 3,000 were baptized! Preaching!
Jesus could have changed the world with a snap of the finger, but did not, rather He would change the world thru preaching. Jesus could have wiped out the crime and violence by the snap of a finger but did not! He wanted to preach about what is sin against God and man! Jesus could have been a priest, or a prophet, or a king, NO, He chose to win the world by preaching. He could have written a book, but no He let others do it for Him by their preaching.
Jesus went to the streets and homes, and lakes and mountains to preach. He preached to the poor and rich. He preached to the ones nobody cared for and loved them! His message was forgiveness and repentance and the Kingdom of Heaven. The greatest sermon ever preached by mankind was His -- "The Sermon On The Mount."
"Come down from the cross, Jesus, and we will believe you!" No He chose to stay on the cross and die as a preacher! Today, how will our Lord Jesus Christ build His Church? By great choirs, and bands? By buses that bring the whole town? By radio or TV or the Internet? A Huge sign? No, we must build it by the preaching of God's Word!
Jesus gave His marching orders to His Disciples, and He has never said, "HALT!" The gospel was handed down and given to men like Peter, and Stephen and and Paul, and Timothy and John. But then that was handed down to the "Church Fathers" like Titus, and Iraneas and others. When the Dark Ages appeared the Church stopped growing, because the preaching stopped. But then preachers like Wycliffe and Huss and Savonara began to be heard and we have the Crusades. The, once again, the Reformation Movement began, and preachers are once again heard, Luther, Calvin, and Knox and Whitfield. Then years later another revival began in preaching and we now have the Restroation Movement with preachers like Stone and Campbell and Walter Scott
CONCLUSION: One of the greatest, Paul, wrote these words we will never forget when it comes to preaching. "But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles BUT to those whom God called both Jews and Greeks, CHRIST IS THE POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD. My preaching is demonstration of the Spirit, so that your faith may rest in God's power." (1 Cor.1:23, 2:1). AMEN.
Presented By Larry L. Vollink, chaplain/pastor, Cedar Springs, MI, (616) 655-4129 lawrenceV@comcast.net
