Titus 1:1-3 (KJV)
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
The message comes from verse three and please notice these words, “through preaching.”
God, the Bible says, has manifested:
· Made visible
· Made known
· Made apparent
· Exposed….
God has, in His time and at this time, manifested His word, through preaching.
I am reminded of Hebrews 1:1-2 (KJV)
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
There is a progression there that, it seems to me, is finished in Titus 1:3
· God spake first through the prophets (of the Old Testament)
· God spake next through His Son, Jesus Christ
· God speaks today through preaching
The word “preaching” comes from a Greek word referring to the public crier.
It was common in those days that any sort of news would be heralded by a “crier.”
I’ve only got what I have seen in old movies to illustrate it:
O’ye, O’ye O’ye.
The Crier would yell out.
At one time newspapers were sold by children on the streets crying, “Hear ye, Hear ye! Read all about it!”
Charles Spurgeon used to tell preacher boys that they should pay the newspaper boys to let them yell out for them and thus develop their preaching voice.[1]
Maybe my favorite crier is Drago on John Wayne’s McClintock.
McC, “Drago, get me some attention.”
Drago, “Ye Haw, People! People! People!)[2]
· The preacher is not a performer, entertaining his audience
· The preacher is not a motivator, exciting his crowd
· The preacher is not a public speaker, espousing his opinions
The preacher has just one duty.
He is to proclaim the message that has been delivered to him.
A preacher does not have to be intelligent, because it’s not up to him to come up with his message
A preacher does not have to be charismatic, because he isn’t trying to win people to himself
· A preacher doesn’t have to be good looking
· A preacher doesn’t have to be well educated
· A preacher doesn’t have to be popular
· A preacher doesn’t have to be likeable
· A preacher doesn’t even need to be easy to listen to
Because a preacher does not represent himself.
Really a preacher only needs two qualifications:
· He needs to be faithful to his master
· He needs to speak so his audience can hear
Truth be told, we have so few preachers in the world today that most professing Christians are hard pressed to recognize one when he hears him.
Before I get to what I believe is the message from God for you I want to point out a couple of preparatory things.
I. PREACHING IS A COMMAND OF GOD
Titus 1:3 (KJV)
But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
Preaching is not an optional part of the Christian life.
It is commanded:
· That we preach
· That we hear preaching and
· That we heed the preaching we hear
One of the signs of the very last days is that people will not tolerate the preaching of the Word of God but 2 Timothy 4:3 (KJV)
… after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
It is a sin to neglect hearing the preaching of the Word of God.
II. PREACHING IS AN APPROPRIATE TOOL TODAY
Titus 1:3 (KJV)
But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
Notice that phrase, “In due times.”
It reminds me,
A. God sent Jesus into this world at the exact time of His will.
Galatians 4:4 (KJV)
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
· Not too soon
· Not too late
At exactly the right moment.
B. God allowed man to Crucify Christ as exactly the right moment.
John 8:20 (KJV)
These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
They tried again and again to take Jesus, to trap Jesus or to trick Jesus, but they were unable because His hour was not yet come.
But as soon as He had finished His work, as soon as His hour was come, John 12:23 (KJV)
… Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
C. Jesus will come again at exactly the right time
2 Peter 3:8-10 (KJV)
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
What I am trying to say is that
D. God has ordained that right now is exactly the right time to manifest His word through preaching.
1 Corinthians 1:21 (KJV)
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.
I can couple this verse with Titus 1:3 and say that, just as it has pleased God to use preaching to save them that believe, it has pleased God to make plain his Word today, through preaching.
This leads me to conclude that
III. PREACHING IS THE ANSWER TO EVERY SPIRITUAL ISSUE YOU FACE
Titus 1:3 (KJV)
But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
· Not counseling
· Not therapy
· Not programs
· Not classes
· Not workshops
· Not discipleship ministries
· Not small groups
· Not Bible studies
God has:
· manifested,
· exposed,
· laid bare,
· made clear His Word
through preaching.
I understand that there are some things preaching cannot solve.
· If you have a medical emergency, preaching isn’t the answer.
· If your car won’t start preaching will not help you
· If your house is on fire, you shouldn’t call your preacher first
I won’t list them all, but you get the idea.
I understand that there are some things preaching isn’t going to help you with.
But in more areas than most of us would care to admit, the answer is to be found, through preaching.
Do you struggle with depression?
The answer is found through preaching
Do you wonder about the future?
The answer is found through preaching
Do you have trouble getting along with people?
The answer is found through preaching
Are you in financial trouble?
The answer is found through preaching
Do you lack discipline at work?
The answer is found through preaching
Do you struggle in your marriage?
The answer is found through preaching
Do your children misbehave?
The answer is found through preaching
Do your parents drive you crazy?
The answer is found through preaching
Do you disagree with something your pastor has preached?
The answer is found through preaching
There are some things that the preaching of the Word of God does not address, but since God has given us in the Bible all things that pertain unto life and godliness[3], it will answer more questions than we generally imagine.
Here’s the problem with preaching and the reason why we generally opt for something else…
A. You have to be patient to get the answers
Hebrews 10:36 (KJV)
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
When we have a question, we want the McDonald’s message.
· Our way and
· Right now
God doesn’t work that way.
Isaiah 28:9-11 (KJV)
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
B. Preaching is considered foolish in this world
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (KJV)
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
That no flesh should glory in his presence.
We’ve been conformed enough to this world that it takes a lot of spiritual maturity to really trust preaching.
We like getting the preacher alone so we’re on equal terms, where we feel safe to challenge his positions and assert our own ideas.
We want to get him to ourselves so, if we have questions he hasn’t answered yet, we can ask him and get a quick answer.
The trouble with that is that you don’t need his answer, you need God’s.
And that does come from the pastor, it comes from the message God gives him.
Conclusion
1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Let me tell you how to get the very best answers to your questions; protect your pastor.
Give him lots and lots of time to
· Pray and
· Study the Word of God and
· Walk in the presence of God.
Keep him as free as possible from waiting tables and washing dishes.
Be active enough in the ministry of your church that he is free from those ministries.
Then, when he steps into the pulpit, embrace his message as the power of God.
Give him liberty to PREACH!
And
· little by little,
· year after year,
· here a little and there a little,
God will answer all your questions.
[1]And in his day, a leading professor of oratory would tell his students to attend Spurgeon’s preaching as often as practicable because he was as perfect an orator as he had heard.
[2]Of course, he began his cry by firing his “hog leg” into the air.
[3]2 Peter 1:3 (KJV)
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: