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Search The Scriptures: August 4, 2001
WHY PREACH THE WORD?
INTRODUCTION:
A. Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Search the Scriptures bible study
program. I am J.R. Bronger and for the Danville church of Christ, I am delighted to have you
study with us for the next several minutes.
B. My friends, the Danville church of Christ just concluded an exciting and, I’m happy to say,
a most edifying week. As those of you who visited with us know, we just concluded a Vacation
Bible School Friday evening. The times we spent together was for teaching the bible, it was,
after all, a bible school. We did not resort to games and gimmicks in order to interest young
people. Instead we taught them the bible. Frankly, ladies and gentlemen, the Christians at
Danville do not have the attitude that seems to be gaining popularity today. And that is, that
before young people will listen to the bible - you have to lure them with incentives. I have more
respect for youth than that. I believe the gospel will still attract people today as it did in the first
century. Last week at the Danville church of Christ we witnessed that. On behalf of all the
Christians at Danville, I say thank you for being our guest last week. This is something we will
endeavor to have again next year. Also, I want to express my appreciation to the capable men
who taught our adult class. These men not only know the bible, but they remained true to the
bible in their teaching. Also, Dale Robins who conducted our services from night to night and
who taught our teenagers did a most remarkable job. I gladly commend this man to all. Thanks
again to everyone who participated.
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C. To begin our study for this morning, I would like to ask a question. And, I’ll admit that
coming from a preacher it sounds like a harebrained question, but I’ll ask it anyway. And it is,
Why preach the bible? That is, why preach the bible - the scriptures - the word of God? Now, for
those of you who are familiar with the bible know of its various commands to do just that - that
is, preach the word. For example, there are such passages as 2 Tim. 4:2 that says, preach the
word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering
and teaching. Without doubt this text demands that the word of God be preached. Also, there is
1 Cor. 9:16 where we find the apostle Paul maintaining that woe is me if I do not preach the
gospel! He is stating that he would be condemned by God if he did not preach the word. And,
my friends, we also understand that the underpinning for such statements as these is the great
commission of Christ. In Mk. 16:15, Jesus demands that his disciples go into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature. Luke recorded the Lord’s command this way in Lk. 24:47,
and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. Therefore, when I began our study by asking you the question Why
preach the bible? You could have correctly answered by saying, Well, the reason to preach the
bible is because we are commanded by God to preach the word. And, as we have seen already,
this is exactly right. God has commanded that his word be preached to all people throughout the
world. But the question goes much deeper that. Therefore to simply say, We are commanded to
preach it is an insufficient answer. I say this because there are many - and I do mean many
preachers who are preaching what they understand to be the word of God, who - in truth - do not
believe it’s necessary to do so. That is, many preachers are preaching the bible who do not
believe that it’s imperative to do so. For example, take the Presbyterians who follow closely
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the teaching of John Calvin. Calvin was a French theologian who taught that a sinner comes to
God only because he has been elected [or hand-picked by God] before he was ever born to
become a Christian, and that he cannot resist God’s preordained selection. In writing about this -
the Presbyterian Church says in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter VII, Article
III, [their statement of doctrine and belief] that God will (and I am reading now) “give unto all
those that are ordained unto life, his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe.” But
before commenting on this, let me point out that these same people believe that one who is
elected and called by the direct operation of the Holy Spirit, can (and again I am reading from
their publication on page 75) “neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace.” So,
my friends, according to the Presbyterian Church there is absolutely no reason to preach the
word. According to them, the word of God is unnecessary to convert the sinner, and further it is
unnecessary in keeping the saved in fellowship with God. According to them, you don’t need the
word to convert, and you don’t need the word to perfect. So, the question I asked to begin our
study must be answered by the Presbyterians. Why Preach the Word? I would like to have a
Presbyterian preacher let me know why he preaches the word of God. But to be fair, however,
the Presbyterians are not the only ones who cannot answer, logically, this question. Many within
Pentecostal or Holiness churches cannot give a reasonable answer to this question either. I say
that because like their associates within the Presbyterian Church - they do not find it essential to
preach the word in order to convert the sinner. Among those churches you are likely to find some
preacher or leader saying, Anyone who confesses Jesus does so by the Spirit of God - therefore
this is testimony that he is saved. This statement is often made in an effort to paraphrase and give
commentary on the writings of the apostle John in 1 Jn. 4. John does write in verses 2-3, by this
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you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not
of God. However, the Pentecostal and Holiness churches mistakenly conclude that John is saying
that one cannot confess Jesus is Christ without first receiving the direct intervention and
operation of the Holy Spirit. But, ladies and gentlemen, this is not what John is teaching. To
discredit the Holiness argument - all we need to do is point out that even an atheist could confess
that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Would this mean that atheists who truly believe that Jesus of
Nazareth lived - have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Well it would according to the
Pentecostal application of this text. I will have more to say about this a little later this morning.
But, presently let me return to our primary thought, and that is, Why preach the word? If these
Pentecostal Churches believe that one does not, nor can one, confess Christ until he has received
the direct operation of the Holy Spirit (and this precisely what they teach), then Why do they
even bother preaching the word? That is, Why do they schedule revivals or crusades in order to
preach the word? So you see, my friends, this question is not so easily answered by many with a
“Well we are commanded to preach the word!” However, the question I really want us to
consider this morning is, since we have been told to preach the word, why? That is, why has God
told us to preach the word? We have already seen some within denominationalism cannot
straight out answer that question. But, there is a scriptural answer, so to answer the question,
Why preach the bible? Let’s consult the bible itself.
I. First, we are to preach the word, because the bible is the only means through which the Holy
Spirit convicts sinners. Paul said in Eph. 6:17, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God. The word of God is the Spirit’s sword. That is, the word of God is the instrument, or agent,
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or medium that the Holy Spirit uses to touch and convict the hearts of men and women. Jesus
tells us in Jn. 16:8 what the Holy Spirit would do when he would be sent from heaven. The Lord
said, and when he has come, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment. But, my friends, the fact we must establish is this. Does the Holy Spirit convict
sinners of sin directly - or does the Holy Spirit use a tool of some sort, such as the bible? Well,
we’ve already observed that the word of God is called the sword of the Spirit. Therefore, if the
Spirit was to use a mechanism to convict sinners it would be the word. So, what you I must be
interested in is, how does the Spirit convict one of sin? Does he do it directly or indirectly? If
indirectly, is it by the word of God? Let’s consult the bible because God has provided us with an
answer of how the Spirit convicts. In Acts 2:14 we read that, Peter, standing up with the eleven,
raised his voice and said to them, men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be
known to you, and heed my words. The words of Peter were not just his words, verse 4 reminds
us that Peter and the other apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Thus, my friends, Peter was preaching the
words given to him by the Holy Spirit. Every word and every syllable leaving the mouth of Peter
were under the personal direction of the Holy Spirit. In explaining this phenomenon Paul wrote
in 1 Cor. 2:12-13, now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we
also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches,
comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Whenever Paul or James or Peter spoke of the will of
God they were under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit of God. Therefore, when Peter
lifted up his voice - preaching - he was speaking the words of the Holy Spirit. Now, consider
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what happened to those who were listing to the preaching of the words of the Holy Spirit on that
day. Acts 2:37 says, now when they heard this [that is, when these people listening to Peter
heard what he said by the Holy Spirit], they were cut to the heart [that is, their hearts were
touched and affected by the words of the Holy Spirit. Now, remember, my friends, the words of
Peter were not his own, they were the words of the Holy Spirit. Those words cut the heart of
those who heard them. Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin,
and through the inspired words preached by Peter, these people were convicted of their sins.
They were cut - or pricked - in their hearts. And, wanting to be forgiven of the sins of which they
were convicted they], said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall
we do? And, my friends, we cannot ethically leave this passage without noting the answer given
to their question. An answer, I might add, which was actually given by the Holy Spirit. The next
verse, verse 38, says, then Peter said to them, repent, and let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Ladies and gentlemen, it is in this way, that one is able to confess Jesus is Lord by the
Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 12:3, therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by
the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the
Holy Spirit. No one can affirm that Jesus is Lord without acknowledging the teaching of the
Holy Spirit. Whenever one reads the testimony of scripture establishing that Jesus is Lord, he is
saying that Jesus is Lord by the Holy Spirit. This, however, does not suggest that one is saved or
lost. It just tells us that no one will ever say that Jesus is accursed as a result of the teaching of
the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit tells us - through the inspiration of scripture - that Jesus
is Lord. And whosoever reads that document can say that Jesus is Lord by the Holy Spirit. The
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Spirit of God informs and convicts only by means of the word of God. This is why it is
imperative for the word of God to be preached. But, I want us to consider something very
important as it pertains to this issue. By the close of the first century most inspired men had died.
That is, by the beginning of the second century A.D. most men who were under the direct
inspiration of the Holy Spirit had died. Therefore, there would be a need to maintain the teaching
of the Holy Spirit for coming generations. So the question now becomes, Does the Holy Spirit
speak directly through inspired men in each subsequent generation, or does he continue to use
the words of the men he first inspired? I am thoroughly convinced that the Holy Spirit ONLY
speaks to us today through the words of the men he inspired in the first century. Remember,
Jesus promised in Matt. 24:35 that heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no
means pass away. To insure that this word did not pass away, those men, under the direct
influence of the Holy Spirit, wrote down the message given to them by the Holy Spirit. Paul said
in Eph. 3:3-5, how that by revelation he made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly
written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery
of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been
revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. How may we - today - come to know
about the Lord? Through the writings of those men who were under the direct control of the
Holy Spirit, which is through the bible. Paul said that his message was given by the Holy Spirit
and that he wrote it down and that you and I can read it - and when we do, we can understand it.
The instrument the Holy Spirit uses today to convict the world of sin is the same one used in the
first century - it is the words of the inspired apostles and prophets. The only difference is this. In
the first century the men themselves were living, today we have the words those men wrote. And
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just as the Holy Spirit directed the tongues of inspired men in the first century, he also guided
their pen. Let me see if I can illustrate this. In Rev. 2:1 we notice the bible says that John, the
writer of the book of Revelation, said he was told, to the angel of the church of Ephesus write.
And each of the seven letters to the seven churches began the same way. That is, write!
However, my friends consider carefully how each letter concludes. Rev. 2:7 says, he who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. How did the Spirit speak to the churches?
The answer is - By the writing of John. That is, the Holy Spirit spoke to those churches, not
directly, but by the inspired writing of John. This is why it is imperative that the word of God is
preached, because without it no one can know what the Spirit of God says about sin and God’s
means of forgiveness.
II. But there is a second answer given to our question, Why Preach the Word? And that is,
because the word of God, alone, shows us the way to heaven. That is, the bible is the only means
by which anyone can know of heaven and the way to heaven. The bible claims to be a light from
God. Psa. 119:105 says, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Then, verse 130
also says, the entrance of your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. It is only
through being taught the word of God that we come to know God. Jesus said in Jn. 6:44, no one
can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last
day. Ladies and gentlemen, our friends in Pentecostal Churches have a field day with this verse.
They like to wave it around, and claim that Jesus is implying that the only way to come to him is
to be drawn miraculously by the Holy Spirit of God. But, this is not what the Lord is saying at
all. Look very carefully at the verse, and you will find that the Holy Spirit is not even mentioned
in it. The verse actually says that the Father will draw us to Christ. Also, note that the verse does
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not tell us the means by which (or how) the Father will draw us to Christ. Therefore, the question
remains to be answered, How will God draw us to Christ? To answer this, all we need to do is
read one more verse. Verse 45 finds Jesus continuing with his thought of verse 44. He says, it is
written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught by God. Therefore everyone who has
heard and learned from the Father comes to me. There you have it - my friends - Jesus says we
are drawn to him when we are taught about him. No one will be drawn to Christ without being
taught the Word of God. To come to Christ we must be taught the bible, the Holy Spirit inspired
word of God, then (according to this verse) we must hear and learn what is being taught. That
is, the word of God must be taught, and it must be listened to and understood. And, when this is
done with a sincere heart, then we will come to the Lord for salvation. Paul expressed it this way
in Rom. 10:13. He says, for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. This calling
is equivalent to coming to the Lord. But how can one call on the Lord. We don’t have to guess
how to come to the Lord, because Paul answers by asking a series of questions with the intent of
telling how one is to call on the Lord. He writes in verse 14, 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? Ladies and gentlemen, one cannot call
upon [or come to] the Lord until one has believed in the Lord. But one cannot believe in the Lord
until one hears the word of God ABOUT the Lord. And one cannot hear about the Lord until one
is taught the scriptures - in this case - by a preacher. Therefore, he concludes in verse 17, so then
faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So then, Why preach the word?
Because, without it being preached no one [including you] could learn what is necessary to go to
heaven. The word of God is God’s light to illuminate our pathway to him. This is why Paul
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wrote in 1 Cor. 1:21, 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. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, whenever someone desiring to be saved asks, What
must I do? They need to be directed to the teaching of the scriptures. Paul said in Acts 20:32, I
commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you
an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
III. This brings us to a third answer to our question, Why preach the word? And that is, because
the word of God is the seed of the kingdom. In explaining his parable of the sower, Jesus began
in Lk. 8:11 by saying, now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. There are, at least,
two religious groups who contend that in order to be the church of the New Testament, that a
line of succession must be drawn throughout history from the days of Christ to the present. Many
Baptist Churches - ignoring their beginning in the 1600's - claim that an unbroken line of
succession can be traced from the days of John the Baptist until today. Thus - according to
them - making the Baptist Church the New Testament Church. Then there is the Roman Catholic
Church who makes the same unproven assertion. They believe the modern Catholic Church is
the church built by Christ, because - they say - there is an unbroken line of popes since the days
of the apostle Peter, whom, they believe, was the first pope of the Catholic Church. It’s almost
laughable to hear some Baptist preachers link themselves to such groups as the Catharists, and
the Waldenses, and others in an effort to establish some loose and questionable line of
succession. But, it is equally amusing to read the Catholic claims of a papal chain to justify the
Catholic Church. What both these groups fail to understand is the word of God, and not some
capricious succession, is the seed, or the origin, of the kingdom of God. All people know and
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understand the eternal principle of reproduction established by God at the beginning. He said in
Gen. 1:11, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that
yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth; and it was so. And, my
friends, this truth is not lost when discussing the kingdom of God. The power is - and has always
been - in the seed, to reproduce after its kind. If you plant a watermelon seed, you will grow
watermelons. Likewise, if you sow the seed of the kingdom (the word of God) in 2001, the same
thing will grow that grew when that same seed was sown in A.D. 33, and that is the kingdom of
God. These people who build their faith upon an unbroken line in history have no reason to
preach the word. They need to center their preaching on this chain of succession instead of the
bible. It is imperative, however, my friends, that we preach the word of God in order to sow the
seed of the kingdom in the hearts of men and women who are lost. And when those with honest
and good hearts hear and obey that word, they are born again into the kingdom of Heaven. This
is because the power of reproduction is in the gospel, the word of God.
IV. However, ladies and gentlemen, there is yet a fourth reason to preach the word today. And
that is, because the word of God saves the lost. James, under the direction of the Holy Spirit,
wrote in James 1:21, therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive
with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. There can be no
misunderstanding of this verse. It states clearly that the word of God saves souls. Therefore,
James says that man is to receive that word. The question that should jump out at us is this; How
does a sinner receive that word? By the way, I seldom hear preachers talk about receiving the
word of God. Usually they are telling people to receive Christ. I would not have such a problem
with this if they understood receiving - like James understands receiving. James explains in the
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very next verse how one receives the word. He says, but be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves. Receiving the word that saves is obeying the word that saves. If
preachers had this in mind when they told people to receive Christ, then I could applaud what
they are saying. If they meant that people were to obey the words of Christ in order to be saved
then they would understand the biblical meaning of receiving. Sadly, however, this is not what
they mean by receiving Christ. They only mean to have faith in him, not obey what he says. But
ladies and gentlemen, the reason the bible needs to be preached today is because it saves the
souls of those who obey it. Paul wrote in Rom. 1:16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek. “But,” someone might be saying, “I thought we were saved by grace.” Yes,
it is indeed true, we are saved by grace. But, grace does not exclude obedience to the word of
truth. To the contrary, grace not only does not remove obedience - grace demands it. The Holy
Spirit said in Titus 2:11-12, for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in the present age. Please take note of what is being said here. The grace of God
appeared (That is, become known in the person of Jesus Christ and his gospel). But, the verse
also says that this grace is teaching us. That is, it is telling us what is required. This brings us to
what else is said in these verses. To receive this grace we must deny (abstain from) ungodliness
and worldly lusts. And we must live (that is, conduct our life) soberly, righteously and godly,
while living in this present life. So you see, instead of eliminating the need for obedience, grace
demands it. And this is why the word of God needs to be preached today.
V. And then finally, the word needs to be preached because it will serve as our judge in the last
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day. Jesus said in Jn. 12:48, he who rejects me, and does not receive my words, has that which
judges him; the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. My friends, it will be
this word of God, the scriptures, that so many wish to discredit and minimize - that will be our
judge when we appear before God on judgment day. Therefore, it must be preached today!
CONCLUSION:
A. And with this solemn admonition I must close for today. Please stay tuned for some important
closing announcements, and be with us next Sunday morning at 7:00 A.M. as we again Search
the Scriptures. And, until then, for the Danville church of Christ, this is J.R. Bronger saying
goodbye for now.