Everything else fades
The one who climbs the mountain to listen to God and carries the Word back to the people needs to realize that, in the end, everything else but the Word fades. Of course good preachers will utilize and harness what is available to help people understand the Word of God preached. But even the best and most skilled use and reliance on pop psychology, personal illustrations (which should be shunned like the plague and rarely used), pithy stories, clever antidotes, and illustrations from history, science, politics, and the realm of human scholarship ought not replace sound exegesis and exposition of the text of Scripture. I am not saying that such assistance ought not to be utilized in explaining the text, but material outside the Word is not the Word of God preached.
We hear in the Isaiah text quoted above that all but the Word of God fades away. Israel was to remember this in exile, for it would be the promises of God and the power of His Word that bring redemption. Surrounded by the greatest and most powerful military and political structures and systems known to man, exiled Israel was to remember that there future was based solely on God’s Word to them, for only that Word had the power to bring about a solution to their sin, rebellion, and captivity.
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is
like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades…
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.
As I will discuss later, we often trade away God’s Word for other, lesser things. We’ll always be attracted to pithy or emotive stories delivered by the preacher as if they (i.e., the stories and illustrations) are God’s Word. They are not. No matter how well delivered, or how touching, or “relevant,” or applicable, the tools to drive us to the Word are not the Word of God preached. We should not confuse them, nor allow the congregation to think they are. As the ministers of the Word, we know there is no other stream by which we find salvation and the power to live within the realm of the Kingdom of God. Everything fades, except the Word of God.
The life of God’s community depends on it
Finally, the life of our church, the vitality of the community of faith depends on that very Word that will not fade. As the Apostle Peter in his first epistle writes, the church community is formed by the very Word spoken:
“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For,
‘ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS,
AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS.
THE GRASS WITHERS,
AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,
BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER’
And this is the word which was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:22-25).
The faithful minister of the Word realizes that his congregation ultimately depends, not on his preaching prowess, rhetorical skills, mastery of illustrations, or personal spiritual journey. The fate and health of the local community of faith is nourished to health by the only stream of God’s Word. The preacher knowing this is then committed to doing the proper study and homework, faithfully exgeting the text. Every sermon, no matter the form, style, or method of delivery, is s subtle reminder to the congregation that there is “no other stream.”
The posts on Friday and/or Saturday are rough drafts and thoughts for a manuscript I am preparing, Letting the Lion Out of Its Cage: Meditations on the Importance of the Sermon . This is the final post for the thread, “No other stream.” Next week, I begin the next chapter, “It’s not about you.”
Posted by Chip Anderson at 07:24 AM. Filed under: Meditations on the Importance of the Sermon • First things first •
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