Exodus 241:-8; 1 Timothy 4:13; Acts 2:42 (texts)
Trinity and Pasig Covenant Reformed Churches • June 15, 2014 • Download this sermon (PDF)
Introduction
Congregation of Christ: Today, we focus on the reading and preaching of the Word of God, as we continue our study of our worship liturgy. It is tragic that so many churches today have thrown away the Biblical teaching about hearing the preaching the word of Christ as the instrument by which faith is given to a believer, “so faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ†(Rom 10:14). And what do we preach? “We preach Christ crucified†(1 Cor 1:23).
The true gospel is the word of Christ, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes†(Rom 1:16). Preaching—or what we commonly call the Sermon—is the primary means of receiving grace from God, as the Heidelberg Catechism (HC) Q&A 84 states, “[the Holy Gospel] is proclaimed and openly witnessed to believers, one and all, that as often as they accept with true faith the promise of the Gospel, all their sins are really forgiven them of God for the sake of Christ’s merits.†Also, according to Belgic Confession Article 29, the faithful preaching of the pure gospel is also the primary mark of a true church.
But today, preaching is a very unpopular idea. Most churches love all kinds of preaching substitutes: sports, drama, dance, talk shows, testimonies, and all kinds of gimmicks. Practice follows theology: if it is human “freewill†that “accepts†Christ, then that freewill must be persuaded by any means possible to accept Christ. They rely on creative gimmicks instead of the Holy Spirit to regenerate a person.
In 1983, Rita Mae Brown wrote in Sudden Death (Bantam, 1983), “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.†By this definition, Isaiah and all the prophets were insane. Paul and all the apostles were insane. Reformed pastors are all insane. We keep doing the same worship service with its ministry of the Word and Sacrament over and over again every Lord’s Day. And then we expect a different result: that sinners who hear the same gospel and never react will one day repent and believe. Because we know that the Spirit is the Lord and Giver of eternal life, not men.
Our text this afternoon is about the sermon, the reading and preaching of God’s Word. Paul commands Timothy, “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching†(1 Tim 4:13). And this three-point call to devotion to preaching is made to all churches in all nations of the world: (1) To the Public Reading of Scripture; (2) To Exhortation; and (3) To Teaching.
To the Public Reading of Scripture
Earlier, we studied the first public worship recorded in Scripture after the exiles returned from Babylon. It is said in Nehemiah 8 that Ezra the scribe read the Book of the Law before all Israel from early morning till the middle of the day. And the result was that the people were convicted of their sin, and they wept before the LORD. So Ezra commanded them to stop their mourning, because it was a day holy to God, and they were to rejoice that they have been forgiven of their sin.
The public reading of Scripture is recorded elsewhere all over the Bible. In our reading in Exodus 24, Moses read the Book of the Covenant before all Israel, and the people made vows of obedience. In the New Testament, Jesus opened his public preaching in a synagogue in Nazareth by reading and expounding from Isaiah 61 (Luke 4:16-22). He said that until John the Baptizer, the Law and the Prophets were preached, but “since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached†(Luke 16:16).
During the time of the apostles, music, drama and poetry were popular in the Graeco-Roman empire. Yet, what did Jesus, Paul and the other apostles use to bring the gospel to the whole world? They used preaching, not music, drama, poetry, or any other kind of entertainment.
The apostles also came reading and preaching the gospel to everyone wherever they went (Acts 8:35; 13:5; 15:21; 17:2-3). Paul wrote to the Colossians: “And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea†(Col 4:16). And it was customary for the Jews to read and explain the Law and the Prophets every Sabbath in the synagogues.
The Westminster Larger Catechism has some useful guidelines for the reading of Scriptures in public worship. In Q&A 108, one of the elements of public worship is “the reading, preaching, and hearing of the word.†Q&A 155 asks, “How is the word made effectual to salvation?†and answers, “The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of enlightening, convincing, and humbling sinners…â€
Q&A 156 asks, “Is the Word of God to be read by all? and answers, “Although all are not to be permitted to read the word publicly to the congregation, yet all sorts of people are bound to read it apart by themselves.†In public worship, only ordained pastors and elders are authorized to read the Scriptures. But privately, all believers are encouraged to read the Bible.
Lastly, Q&A 157 asks a very important question, “How is the Word of God to be read?†The answer: “The holy Scriptures are to be read with an high and reverent esteem of them; with a firm persuasion that they are the very Word of God, and that he only can enable us to understand them; with desire to know, believe, and obey the will of God revealed in them; with diligence, and attention to the matter and scope of them; with meditation, application, self-denial, and prayer.†(all emphases added) Not only is the reading of Scriptures neglected and ignored in many churches today; worse, the Scriptures, if they are read at all, are read without regard, without understanding and without desire to understand and believe them, and without diligence.
To Exhortation
Paul commands Timothy to devote himself first to the reading of Scriptures. Next, he is to devote himself to exhortation. The Greek word for “exhortation†usually means “encouragement,†“comfort,†or “help†(Luk 3:18 ;Acts 13:15, 20:2; Rom 12:8; 1 Cor 14:3; Php 2:1; Heb 3:13, 12:5, 13:22). Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our “Comforter†or “Helper,†the same Greek word for “exhorter†(John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7).
A few examples from the above passages will help in getting the meaning of “exhortation.†In Acts 13:15, the rulers of the synagogue asked Paul and his companions to proclaim “any word of encouragement for the people.†In Acts 20:2, Paul went through the regions of Macedonia and “[gave] them much encouragement.†One of the spiritual gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8 is exhortation, “the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation.†Paul encourages the Philippian believers to give “any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy†(Php 2:1). The book of Hebrews is a “word of exhortation,†a sermon (Heb 13:22), to “exhort one another every day†(Heb 3:13), especially on the Lord’s Day meetings (Heb 10:25).
So Paul commands Timothy and all pastors to exhort, encourage, and comfort their flock through the reading and preaching of the Word and counseling.
To Teaching
In addition to the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers, the early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, which would have included Jesus’ earthly teaching plus what he taught the apostles in his 40 days of resurrection appearances.
In our text, warning or admonition is coupled with teaching. What did Paul teach? It is none other than Christ crucified, “We preach Christ crucified†(1 Cor 1:23) and “Him we proclaim†(Col 1:28). In his missionary journeys, Paul went to the Gentiles “teaching and preaching the word of the Lord†(Acts 15:35). Even during his house arrest in Rome, Paul received his visitors, “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ†(Acts 28:3). The Colossian church were “rooted and built up in him and established in the faith†because they were taught by Paul (Col 2:7). Paul urged the Thessalonians to “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter†(2Thess 2:15).
Paul and all the other apostles obeyed Jesus’ Great Commission to all the world, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you†(Matt 28:20), preaching and teaching the Gospel to Judea, Samaria and to the whole world. They taught nothing else than the commandments of Christ, because this is what their Lord Jesus did himself, “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom†(Matt 4:23).
And Paul commanded Timothy to pass on “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also†(2Tim 2:2).†This is because Jesus warned his disciples about false teachers, such as the Pharisees, “in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men†(Matt 15:9). So Paul warned the Galatians about false teachers, “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed†(Gal 1:8, 9).
In Greek, the verb “to teach†is didasko, from where we get our English word “didactic,†an adjective that describes something that teaches us. In his letters, teaching sound doctrine was very important to Paul. He warns Christians in the churches about those who teach false doctrines, “watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them†(Rom 16:17). The elders are to enforce his command “not to teach any different doctrine†(1Tim 1:3). Avoid all evil, “whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine“ (1Tim 1:10). He warns them about anyone who “teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness†(1Tim 6:3). Because if they were easily swayed by false teachers, they will be like “children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes†(Eph 4:14).
He instructs Timothy and all pastors and elders who has teaching and preaching responsibilities to train themselves in sound doctrine, “trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed†(1Tim 4:6). “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it†(Tit 1:9; 2:1). And this sound doctrine can only be found in Scripture, “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness†(2Tim 3:16-17).
Why then do most evangelicals today insist that doctrine is irrelevant and cause divisions? They say, “I have no creed but Christ.†It is because by these words, they hide their ignorance of the doctrines taught in Scriptures. They are too lazy to read, meditate and study God’s Word, resulting in Biblical illiteracy. So if you ask them about the God and Christ they believe in, they would respond with all kinds of unsound beliefs. Ask them what the gospel is, or what justification or imputation means, or what the canon of Scripture is, or what the difference between law and gospel is, and you get a blank look. Ask them to explain the doctrine of the Trinity, and you will instead hear the ancient modalistic heresy!
All throughout church history, there will always be false teachers. Jesus warned us about them. All the New Testament writers warned us about them. What is their purpose? Prosperity gospelers, false prophets, and preachers deceive, swindle and scheme to be popular, relevant and hip. All for fame and fortune, “for shameful gain†(Tit 1:11).
Dear Congregation of Christ: Let us strive to assemble together every Lord’s Day to the public worship of our Triune God. Whenever we gather together as God’s people in worship, our souls are nourished in three ways.
First, we are immersed in the reading and preaching of the Word of God every Lord’s Day worship services. But we are not to read and study God’s Word only on the Lord’s Day, but every day of our lives, like the psalmist whose “delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night†(Psa 1:2). Because it is through preaching of the Holy Gospel that “the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts†(HC 65).
Second, our souls are also nourished by the comfort and exhortation we hear during the reading and preaching of the Word. God’s Word revives the soul (Psa 19:7) and comforts us in our affliction (Psa 119:49). The words of Christ are the words of eternal life (John 6:63), so that the hearts of his disciples burned within them as he spoke to them (Luk 24:32).
Third, our souls mature and become steadfast by the teaching of the Word of God (2 Ths 2:15). The Word is trustworthy and is sound doctrine, so we are to hold firm to its instructions (Tit 1:9).
The preaching of the Word to our hearts and minds nourishes our souls. But the Lord’s Supper is another means to feed us in Christ. So when we gather together to break bread on the Lord’s Day, it is not merely to remember that Christ has given up his body and shed his blood for all our sins. It is also to be spiritually nourished with his body and blood. And it is also a participation in his one body and blood, as we break one bread and drink from one cup of wine, signifying our unity and our love for one another:
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread†(1 Cor 10:16-17).