From the Pastor’s Pen – May 2008

Most of you know I attended the Together for the Gospel Conference and ARBCA General Assembly. During these meetings I was privileged to hear 20 sermons. God’s truth was clearly expounded in each sermon. It was a joy to feed upon God’s Word & be exhorted, instructed & reproved. As Christians it is very important that we prepare ourselves to hear the preaching of the Word of God. Dr. Jim Renihan Dean of IRBS, (Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies) states four truths to help us receive a message. First, we must come with a heartfelt desire to hear God’s Word. There must be urgency & expectancy. David said: “How sweet are your words to my taste, yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth” he expresses the reality that ought to be present in our minds every time we come to hear or read the Word. We must recognize the glory & goodness inher-ent in the Word, & desire it. Second, we must recognize what a great privilege we have & take advantage of it. Peter put it this way to all of his readers: “As newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow by it, if you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” Those who know the kindness of the Lord are instructed to be like babies-to long for their nourishment which is found in the Word of God. When a preacher faithfully expounds the text of Scripture, he provides God’s people with the necessary sustenance for their spiritual lives. Oh that our people would learn to cherish the preached word!Third, We must pay close attention to God’s Word. Luke 19:48 is interesting. Luke says of the people who listened to Jesus that they ‘were very attentive to hear Him.’ The Gospel-writer uses a figurative verb. When used literally, it carries the sense ‘to suspend something’. When used metaphorically, it means to pay close attention-to hang onto someone’s words. It’s almost as if he said that they took their ears and hung them on his lips in order to hear what Jesus said! How often do preachers in the Bible call their audiences to ‘Listen!’? He who has an ear to hear, let him hear!!!!! Fourth, We must keep what we have heard & put it into practice. James 1:22-25 says it all: “Be doers of the word, & not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word & not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes him-self, goes away, & immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty & continues in it, & is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” Paul knew that it was possible to hear in vain, & he hoped that it was not true of the Colossian believers, 1:23. He did not desire nice comments about his preaching, he longed to see spirit-ual growth in his hearers. The goal of preaching is to make an impact upon the hearer. When it does, it will bring forth good fruit, though it may take time to be evident. As stated by Isaiah “My Word shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please”; what a wonderful truth & promise from God. May God’s Word change us daily as we read & listen to it.

Pastor Thomas Winn