Church Focus

How do we view the Word of God? Most of us would use words such as innerant, infallible, perfect, inspired, maybe even sufficient. But is that the truth within our church life. Or does the Word of God simply become a confessional tradition? Do we simply acknowledge it but leave it there.

I am concerned that we do not place the Scriptures on a high enough level. I am even more concerned that if we do, we then do not appropriate them into our life and into our church's ministry. Sure service use the Scriptures to some extent. But could we do more? Is the Scripture the foundation to our worship music or is the drummer. I see more and more music where it is about rocking out. Now, I have nothing against rocking out. I grew up with Petra and Rez band. That was my Christian days. Before that, I can remember Ozzy and Black Sabbath. So, it is not the style I am talking about. It is the foundation that supports the style. Where is the Word of God. When we depart from the Word in our lyrics, we open ourselves up to errors. A song may sound great but it may not be strictly biblical. I think that if a song's message cannot be supported from the Word of God then it should be torn out of the church's repertoire.

This is not a post criticizing worship styles. I enjoy many styles. This is about the Word of God. Which brings us to sermonic form, structure, content, and delivery. I am appalled by the lack of Scripture in sermons today. It does not matter the name of the church or the confession they come from. As Amos 8:11 states, there is a famine in the land. Not a famine of food or of drink. But it is a famine of hearing the Word of God delivered. I write as a conservative Southern Baptist. We may have won the battle for the conservative resurgence, but is it possible that we lost the war in our approach to the Scriptures we fought for so earnestly? I hear sermons that stray from the Word of God in a dire manner. I remember a professor many years ago who used to like to say, "He chose his text and therewith departed." I think sometimes today we do not even get to the point of choosing the text. It is not that most of the sermons that I hear are wrong. It is not that they are even delivered poorly. They have good points. There is solid application. There is even enjoyable humor to keep things pleasant. However, the sermons today by and far do not exposit the text. They tell a story. They make a point. But seldom do they hold to the shape and form of the biblical text.

There is one purpose to the preacher. That is to expose the biblical text to his audience. The Holy Spirit makes it relevant and applies it into the believer's life. We as preachers must not fantasize about being David Letterman or Jay Leno. We have a higher calling. We have lost a concept of the holiness of the place of preaching. Where is the Scripture in the sermon?

A prefunctorial start to the sermon?
Loose knit statements through the sermon having little connection with one another?
A vague idea?
A statement meant to validate a stand-up routine?

The Scriptures need to be the beginning, middle, and conclusion of the sermon. They need to be the meat of the sermon - its substance. My role as a preacher is no more sophisticated than that I am herald called to proclaim the message that has already been penned. No preacher is smart enough erudite enough, or crafty enough to offer anything more than this. This is the supreme calling. As Jesus preached the kingdom of God, so shall the preacher today. And that message is careful developed only in the Word of God.

My question is where is the power?

All preachers desire to be powerful speakers. And yet few are. Why is that? It is because the power does not reside within the individual but with in the inspired Scriptures. As the Scriptures are expounded, the sermon becomes filled with power from God. The secret of the great preachers of the past was that they were men of the Word of God. They dispensed with the pride of their own thoughts and ideas and held to the sufficiency of the Word of God.

We need to all ask ourselves if we truly hold to the sufficiency of the Word of God or do we just like the idea? If we desire revival in our churches and in our nation, this is the way that it will come. A people who cling to the Word are people who cling to the Lord. People that do not cling to the Word cannot cling to the Lord. Enough with man's ideas. I crave and desire to here "Thus says the Word of God." Amen!