Jesus Comes First!

Are you a preacher?  Has God called you to preach God's Word, The Bible?  Well, preaching can be hard.  Some "regulars" might leave or try to cause a "church split" if you decide to preach the Bible instead of just teach The Bible.  Therefore, the cost of obeying God might sometimes be quite high.

Perhaps you once tried to preach the Word, maybe when you had just gotten out of Bible school.  But then, you saw the negative reactions of some of the members of your church to such preaching of "sound doctrine" from the pulpit.  Perhaps you sensed or experienced the negative reactions of one or more of your deacons as well.  Did those deacons tell you, "don't rock the boat"?  Did they tell you to "tone it down and bit"?  Did they tell you, "you need to think about your future and about your family."  Did you listen to those church members and deacons?"  Did you follow their "advice"?

Timothy was a young preacher.  Timothy heard some instructions from his elder Paul.  Paul said to Timothy:

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;  Preach the word;  be instant in season, out of season;  reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;  but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

Yes, Timothy was straightly charged that he was to obey the command of Jesus and "preach the Word".  Paul also warned Timothy that, in his day as well as in these present times which we are now living, many people would not "endure sound doctrine".

Well, you already know this by experience.  You were told by some of your professors in Bible college that you should just teach the Bible -- but then call it preaching, (i.e. call it expository, verse-by-verse "preaching" even though it is just "teaching".)  You were then told by some people in your church to stop preaching, and teach instead, but still call it preaching.  ("We like that verse-by-verse 'preaching' like our "old pastor" gave us, so please tone it down a bit!")

Well, what happened?  Yes, you threw in the towel.  You cried "uncle!!".  You capitulated.  You decided to move down from fiery hot preaching to lukewarm, Laodicean verse-by-verse Bible study, AND you gave in and called it "preaching".)  You gave the people want they wanted and now they are happy, (spiritually asleep, but sleeping with smiles on their spiritually asleep faces.)

Well, did you do the right thing?  You already know the answer.  God called you to preach, but you decided to teach instead.  You decided to "buy a ticket to Tarsus" and go to sleep down in the hull of the ship rather than to preach to the sinners in Nineveh who happen to be "goat" members of your church who think that they are "sheep".  You decided to not "rock the boat".  You decided to give in to the "will of the people".  You decided to avoid "militant" soul-searching preaching.  You decided to disobey God!

I call you to repent!  Who am I?  I am a nobody, just like you are.  That is not the point.  Peter was just a fisherman.  But let's think right now about your responsibilities before Christ.  You will stand at the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ one day.  Will you be ready?  Will Jesus say, "well done, thou good and faithful servant?"  Will you instead stand "speechless" before Him?

Perhaps you just need a little jolt from your lethargy.  I guess we all do from time to time.  These are the last days, and these End Time, Laodicean Age days are characterized by spiritual sleepiness and lukewarmness, including (all too often) sleepy, lukewarm sermons from the pulpits across the land.

Have you been further discouraged by Rick Warren and his promise of preacher "greatness" (if you will just sin a little by softening your message)?  I have news for you:  The old paths worked for the preachers in the past.  God has still "chosen the foolishness of preaching" to save the lost.  God never changed.  Preachers have changed, but not God and not His inerrant Word, the Bible.

Jesus still comes first - not the people or the deacons.  Jesus still comes first - not Rick Warren - not your wicked Bible school professor who told you that "The Bible has errors" and that "You don't have to 'preach the Word' as God commanded.  "Just teach verse-by-verse and call it preaching!"  Yes, those wicked people don't matter in the end.  Jesus still comes first.

So go back to the high ground.  Reject the advice of the wicked as they tell you to stop obeying Jesus and the Bible, to not preach as God commanded you to do.  Reject the advice of New Evangelicals who tell you that the old Fundamentalist Baptist preaching of the past is "outdated".  Jesus and the Bible must come first!

Finally, when you do stand before that great Bema Seat, what will matter anyway?  Will the size of your congregation that you had on Earth matter in that day?  Will the fame and prestige and nice salary you had among your denominational or fellowship peers matter to you then?  Will not all of that be just so much "wood hay and stubble" on that great day?  Only what you did for Jesus will matter then.  He has His own standards.  Jesus will reward you according to your faithfulness to Him.  All of your "wood hay and stubble" will be burned up that day.  Will you have "blood on your hands" on that day - the blood of those "tithing" lost members of your church that you refused to preach to?  God forbid!

Only your obedience to Jesus and the Bible will matter then.  Therefore, preacher - awake from your slumber!  Preach the Word!  Jesus must always come first!

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