Jump Start # 1747

2 Timothy 4:2 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 

  We conclude our week long look at how Satan tempts a church. It would be good for preachers and shepherds to give serious thought to this topic. Lower the nets with your thinking. Think deep. If we are clueless to what Satan is doing, he’ll run circles around us. Be on the alert means we have our eyes on him. We’re watching. The peace and health of a congregation is not something that ought to be assumed nor taken for granted. What takes years and years to accomplish can be overturned and destroyed in a matter of days. Tearing down is a lot easier than building. I was building blocks with my two-year old granddaughter the other day. I made a tower taller than she was, carefully placing each block on the next. She came over and in an instant knocked the entire tower flat. It can take several months to build a home. One storm, one fire can destroy that home in an hour. Spiritually, destruction can wipe out years of building. Shepherds must recognize this and be watchful.

Our study has taken a look at:

Tired of the old and fascinated with the new

Indifference

Leaderless leaders

Carnally minded

And we end with talking about the preaching of God’s word. Satan recognizes the power of God’s word. It is through the word of God that faith is built. A faith can be so strong that it can withstand the storms of life.  When Satan tempted Eve, he added a word to what God said. When he tempted Jesus, he misapplied a passage. Used correctly, God’s word will overcome Satan.

The word of God has the power to change hearts and convert a soul

The word of God removes doubt, drives worry and fear away and builds assurance and confidence

The word of God comforts, even those who are mourning

The word of God corrects and warns

The word of God displays God’s will and His plans for us

The word of God shows us Jesus

The word of God strengthens our soul

The word of God gives us hope

The word of God challenges us and motivates us to obey God and to become

The word of God equips us to overcome temptation

We need God’s word in our lives. We need God’s word taught and preached. The preaching of God’s word is something that is very dear to the heart of God. People like Noah were preachers of God’s word. Prophets, apostles, elders, and preachers were all teachers of God’s word.

To the delight of Satan, many places have given up on the preaching of God’s word. Preaching has been replaced with video feeds from current movies, comedy skits and dramatic plays. The audience laughs. The audience is brought to tears. The audience leaves having a great time. But the audience does not know the word of God. Choices are not Biblically based. Lives do not reflect the righteousness that God wants. What is missing is the depth of God’s word in the hearts of the people.

Satan will do all that he can to keep the word of God from our hearts. He will get us to be shallow in our thinking and wanting our ears tickled. Tell us, not what we need to hear, but rather, what we want to hear. We don’t want to change, so don’t go that direction. Make us laugh. Make us feel good. Make us happy. Do this, and you’ll be our preacher. That’s what Satan wants.

The preacher is not being a friend to the audience when he is tickling ears. He may be popular. The people may love him. They may pay him a king’s salary but he is not doing the work of God when he does that.

Sermons that are dry, dull and impractical and are more college lectures than persuading the hearts, do not help the audience. The information may be correct and even good, but is it what the people need at the moment? Lifeless sermons that have no passion in them will never move an audience that is bored and content to sit on the sidelines of life. Sermons must connect. Sermons must move people. Sermons must be relevant, practical and useful. What good is the sermon on a Thursday afternoon? The preacher ought to think about that.

The preacher needs to get out of the office and be with the people. He needs to hear and see what is going on in their lives. He needs to see what is bothering them and what they are struggling with. From that, he can build useful lessons that will deal with worry, fear, and temptation.

Sermons that pass right through our ears without landing will never change us. Satan knows that. He’ll be satisfied with you listening to sermons as long as they are not useful nor challenging you to change. Heads full of information that lack the drive to live the life that God wants is of little good when the storms of life come upon us.

It’s hard to imagine that Satan can use a sermon to tempt a church. He can and he does. Sermons that are out of touch, lacking compassion and kindness, and do more harm than good will accomplish just what he wants.

So, Mr. Preacher, take a long look at what you are preaching. Is it what the folks need? It is presented as Jesus would? Are you trying to help the people or destroy them?

Lifeless sermons ought to be buried in unmarked graves. If the preacher can’t get excited about his message, then how can the audience get excited? Bored preachers, preaching boring sermons to a bored audience is certain death to a church. And with that, only Satan smiles.

It’s time to do better. It’s time to expect better. Get into that Bible and preach…

Roger