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Corinthians 1:21 “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe.”
God takes great pleasure in the very thing that
is a snare to the intellect and deemed absurd or silly to humanity.
While it may not please others, God has approved the preaching of
the cross of Christ. Others seek something to stimulate the depraved
minds of men, while God searches the human heart. Try as they may,
mortal men cannot comprehend the ways of God. The ways of men only
broadened the gulf of sin and intensify the grip of sin. Even though
men reject it, the proven method of God is preaching.
(I) The Divine Mandate
Writing to his spiritual son Timothy, Paul
said, “Preach the word” (II Timothy 4:2). The divine mandate
is preach! Now is no time to be silent. The evil days are upon us
when men seek those that will feed the flesh, sooth the conscience,
and extinguish any conviction. Today is the day when we need those
that will stand erect, and with the voice of a trumpet, proclaim the
good news. One must be ready even in the midst of adverse times. May
we follow the admonition of Isaiah 38:1, “Cry aloud, spare not,
lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their
transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
(II) The Divine Message
I am reminded of an event in II Samuel 18:22,
that appears to be prevalent in our day. Joab sent a runner named
Cushi to tell David of Absalom’s death. Another runner asks Joab if
he may be permitted to run. To this Joab replies, “Wherefore wilt
thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings?” Ahimaaz was
a man without a message. Paul tells Timothy that the divine message
is the Word of God. If the Word of God is not preached, we have no
message. We may run well, even overtaking those about us, but we
will have nothing to satisfy the hungry hearts of humanity. Listen
to the promise of God concerning His Word, “So shall my word be
that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in
the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
(III) The Divine Messengers
Just as Joab had a select group of men for the
purpose of carrying the message, God has divine messengers. Paul
list them for us in Ephesians 4:11, “And he gave some, apostles;
and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers.” These men are diverse in their talents and abilities.
They are diverse in their ministries. God does not eradicate their
individual personalities. Yet, following the divine method, in the
performance of the divine mandate, heralding the divine message,
they work as one. These men are sent of God (see Romans 10:15).
They are the one’s God has selected.
(IV) The Divine Motive
What is to be accomplished by the preaching of
the Word of God? The divine motive is two fold. It is to save the
lost, and complete God’s purposes in the saints. If the sinner is to
be saved, it must be through the preaching of the Word of God.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
(Romans 10:17). It is God’s Word that reproves, rebukes, and
exhorts (see II Timothy 4:2). After salvation the preaching
of the Word is used to furnish the life of the individual. It is the
tool used by the Spirit of God to conform God’s child into the image
of Christ. Preaching equips the saints for the work of the ministry,
and the building up of the body (see Ephesians 4:12). God’s
purposes are revealed and accomplished through His Word.
Unpopular as it may be, preaching still
delights the heart of God. It may not be palatable to the flesh, or
sensible to the human intellect, but it is the only thing with
proven results.
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