This is the pastor’s charge at SGC. Sound, Christ-centered preaching is the centerpiece of our gathering. If we do anything on Sunday, we preach. God has the mic at SGC. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: The Gathering: Why Sunday Matters
TEXT: 2 Timothy 4:1-5
TITLE: The Priority of Preaching
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA:
POINTS:
1. The Awesome Charge to Preach
2. The Urgent Need for Preaching
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The charge could not be more serious—(1) I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. This was not a private talk between friends. This was not a casual conversation between pastors. This is a divine charge given, received, and to be carried out in the very presence of God and Christ. Paul says, Timothy, I charge you to preach the Word and remember—God is watching!”
“The solemnity of the charge is rooted in three Christological realities Paul abbreviates.”
“Jesus will appear again. He is coming back, and when he does, he will judge the living and the dead as he fully establishes his kingdom. These eschatological certainties motivate Timothy to wake up every morning and say—I must preach, I must proclaim God’s Word, I must herald the gospel because Jesus…”
“Whatever the season, whatever the situation, whether it is convenient or not, whether it is safe or not, keep preaching the Word. Stand by it. Stick to it. Whether you feel like it or not, as a pastor called to preach, preach your heart out, and don’t stop preaching.”
“When you preach:
reprove—Preaching is meant to correct people where they are wrong
rebuke—Preaching is meant to warn people who don’t heed correction
and exhort—Preaching is meant to urge and encourage you in Christ. Pointing and pushing you upward and inward to Jesus with complete patience and teaching—Don’t be consumed with fruit. Preacher, be patient because you know God alone can change hearts. So trust Him and keep preaching because His Word will not return void.”
“This divine charge has two profound implications: First, when your pastors step behind this pulpit, we are not entirely free men. We have been given a divine and holy charge to preach the Word. Second, Timothy’s charge has profound implications for the Sunday gathering.”
“As a preacher, I am not free to invent a message. I’m not at liberty to pedal my lifestyle tips. I don’t have a license to give you psychological pep talks. My calling is not to entertain you. It’s not to affirm you. God has determined my message and I am called to commit myself to passionately proclaiming and confidently commending His message to all He gathers to hear it. Your pastors are called to preached God’s Word—the easy and the hard parts…”
“We do a lot on Sunday. We sing, serve, give, pray, and operate in the gifts. All of it is built on and a demonstration of God’s Word, making it glorious. But none of it is more essential and central to our corporate worship than the preaching. This isn’t our idea—it’s God’s.”
“You can read and study your Bible alone and with others. You can read and listen to sermons online. But when God’s people gather together in the name of Jesus, in humble obedience and with faith-filled expectation, believing the Spirit is powerfully with us and eager to work in us, there is a unique outpouring of God’s grace through faithful, Christ-centered preaching. That’s a promise!”
“Paul says, Timothy, your congregation naturally drifts AWAY from the truth. They get bored. They get itchy ears, i.e., they get curious and restless. They don’t want something true; they want something new. They want a message that complements their preferences and affirms their perspectives. They idolize and are captive to their personal preferences so much that they become intolerant of the message of truth. They find a messenger with a message telling them what they want to hear.”
“When we turn from the sure foundation of God’s Word and the gospel, we become dangerously vulnerable to intellectual novelty, harmful speculation, and worthless sensationalism. When we turn away from God’s Word, we always turn to something inadequate and inferior in every way.”
“HB Charles said to preachers—How you preach is what you think about the Scriptures. I take that to heart. And I want you to take this to heart—Your presence, or lack thereof, reveals what you think about God’s preached Word.”
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Peter 4:11
Hebrews 4:11-13
Ephesians 4:14
Jeremiah 5:31
QUOTES:
John Stott- “They do not first listen and decide whether or not what they heard is true; they first decide what they want to hear and then select teachers who will oblige by towing their line.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones - “The evangelical always gives primacy to preaching. When people cease to be interested in preaching, they cease to be evangelical. If you put discussions before preaching you are beginning to deny your evangelicalism. The church starts with preaching. Revivals, reformations, have always been great restorations of preaching. To the evangelical, nothing compares with preaching. Even reading is very secondary to preaching – “truth medicated through personality,” the impact of a man filled with the Spirit proclaiming the message of God!”
A Pastor’s Prayer:
”My Master God,
I am expected to preach today,
but go weak and needy to my task;
Yet I long that people will be edified with divine truth,
that an honest testimony will be given for you;
Give me assistance in preaching and prayer,
with heart uplifted for grace and passion.
Present to my view things pertainate to my subject,
with fullness of matter and clarity of thought,
proper expressions, fluency, fervency,
a deep emotion to accompany the words I speak,
and grace to apply them to people’s consciences.
Keep me conscious all the while of my defects,
and let me not gloat in pride over my performance.
Help me to offer a testimony for yourself,
and to leave sinners inexcusable in neglecting your mercy.
Give me freedom to open the sorrows of your people,
and to set before them comforting consolations.
Give Your power to the truth preached,
and awaken the attention of my slothful audience.
May Your people be refreshed, melted, convicted, comforted,
and help me to use the strongest arguments
drawn from Christ’s incarnation and sufferings,
that people might be made holy.
I myself need Your support, comfort, strength, holiness,
that I might be a pure channel of Your grace,
and be able to do something for You;
Give me then refreshment among Your people,
and help me not to treat excellent matter in a defective way,
or bear a broken testimony to so worthy a redeemer,
or be harsh in treating Christ’s death, its design and end,
from lack of warmth and fervency.
And keep me in tune with You as I do this work.”
APPLICATION:
This is a pastor's charge. It belongs to Tom, Tim, and me. But its implications are enormous for you as well. So BE HERE next week when we talk about sitting under the preached Word. Today, here’s our two-fold application:
1. Receive your Pastor's gratitude—You love the preached Word!
2. Heed your Pastor’s plea—Pray for us!