When the prophets of God spoke in the Old Testament, each
distinctly declared what “thus saith the Lord.” Their message was only that
which God said. The same must be true of God’s preacher in our day. We must
preach what God has said. Paul instructed Timothy, “preach the word..” Preach
only the word of God and all the word of God. It is not my opinion of what God
has said, nor my ability to speak it, nor my illustrations to explain it but the
words of God that He uses to save His people by revealing Christ to them and in
them. Again Paul said, “we preach Christ crucified.” We preach Christ as He is
set forth in the scriptures and what the scriptures say He has done. Sermons
today are designed to be entertaining, to cause no offense, to meet the approval
of hearers and to reflect the learning and abilities of the preacher. Only the
sermon that is full of scripture glorifies God and benefits the hearer. The
scriptures are to be set forth in their context and in the context of the whole
of scripture. “No scripture is of any private interpretation…” It is the holy
scriptures which the Holy Spirit uses to make us “wise unto salvation through
faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (II Tim. 3:15) The word of God is the “sword of
the Spirit” by which He probes and opens the minds and hearts of sinners. The
preacher’s own words will surely return unto him void but God’s word will not
and will surely as He said “accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper
in the thing whereto I sent it.” Most do not wish to hear only God’s word.
Nevertheless, “he that is of God, heareth God’s words.” It was said of a
faithful preacher of old, “Prick him anywhere and he flows bible..” Let me
preach the gospel of God’s glory and grace shown to sinners through the
cross-death of Christ which enabled Him to be just and the Justifier of all who
believe. Such preaching is “unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are
saved, and in them that perish:” May our preaching be for God first and let us
leave the results to Him. May the testimony spoken by those who heard John the
Baptist be mine: “John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this
man were true.” (John 10:41)