(Acts 20:27 KJV) For I have not shunned to declare unto you
all the counsel of God.
The first definition from the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary for the word
breach is:
1. The act of breaking; or state of being broken; a rupture; a break; a
gap; the space between the severed parts of a solid body parted by violence;
as a breach in a garment, or in a wall.
When we look at the definition from the dictionary, we see that the word
breach carries with it the meaning of a break, a rupture, or a gap. The
subject of this article concerns itself with the problem of preachers who
breach rather than preach. In Acts 20:27, the Apostle Paul had informed the
elders from the church of Ephesus while he was in Miletus, that he had
fulfilled his duty to them by bringing them the whole counsel of God. In
Acts 20:27, the word “shunned” is the Greek word “
upesteilamhn”
(hupesteilman) which carries with it the meaning of “conceal, keep back,
keep silent about, shrink from.”
In Acts 3, Peter preached the first major sermon of the New Testament
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. This sermon was so powerful that it got
Peter arrested.
(Acts 4:2-3 KJV) Being grieved that they
taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the
dead. {3} And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold
unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
However, it did not matter because Peter’s sermon was so potent that
five thousand men were saved.
(Acts 4:4 KJV) Howbeit many of them
which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five
thousand. This verse states that five thousand men were
saved and I can guarantee you that many women and children were saved. This
would mean, with a crowd that size, the Gospel was now on its way around the
world.
In Acts 7, Stephen preached a sermon which was so cutting that it cost
him his life.
(Acts 7:59-60 KJV) And
they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit. {60} And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud
voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he
fell asleep. The moment that Stephen fell asleep,
the next verse mentions Saul who became the Apostle Paul and I believe it
was Stephen’s sermon which the Lord used to draw Saul because it contained
the full counsel of God.
In Acts 19, Paul preached a major sermon to the people at Ephesus and
that sermon was aimed at the false teachings of Diana. This sermon which
Paul preached had the entire town in an uproar.
(Acts 19:32 KJV) Some therefore cried one
thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part
knew not wherefore they were come together. The
town was in such consternation, that many of them did not even know why they
had assembled. They did know this much that something was really going on.
July 8, 1741 at Enfield, Connecticut, Jonathan Edwards preached his
famous sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God.” His sermon was a
catalyst for the Great Awakening which pervaded this country into a renewed
commitment to Christ. He spoke vehemently about hell and that wicked sinners
should have no rest because they could be plunged into an eternal hell at
anytime. The considerations in his sermon were powerful, in fact, so
powerful that you can remember this one but do you remember the title of the
sermon your Pastor preached last week?
In April of 2007, Lee Iacocca penned a book entitled, “Where have all
the Leaders gone?” I read that book and although it is secular in nature,
there are many good principles which leaders can follow to regain their
edge. What I would like to do is ask the question, “Where have all the
Preachers gone?”
We have looked at a few of the most famous sermons both inside the Bible
and outside. One thing they all had in common was they produced spiritual
results. People that heard these sermons did not walk away yawning. They
were called into question concerning their salvation status and their
Christian commitment after salvation. People who heard Peter, Stephen, Paul,
and Jonathan Edwards were convicted to the heart. Preaching to conviction is
to be the goal of every sermon. So what has happened to the preachers of
today? Where are the Spurgeons and the Moodys today? Why are the seminaries
graduating the walking dead when it comes to preaching? The majority of
pulpits are so dead today, that the wood that makes the pulpit gives a
better testimony.
You take someone like Joel Osteen who outrightly refuses to talk about
sin, hell, damnation, and salvation. He penned a book called “Your best life
now.” If he or his people do not get saved, then their best life is now
because eternal life in the lake of fire is not life. So what has happened
from the time of Jonathan Edwards when the full counsel of God was preached
to the modern preacher who has many gaps in their sermons. I would like to
explore some of the reasons why this has happened. I do not expect these
breaches to be closed because as we draw closer to the last day,
Christianity will become increasingly neutralized.
Christianity is undergoing an attack of neutralization. Neutralization
is the act or process of neutralizing. Neutralize is to counteract the
activity or the effect of something. One must admit that the effects of
today’s Christianity are way inferior to the effects of Christianity two
centuries ago. When sermons were preached two centuries ago it brought about
conviction. Today Christians leave the church and can’t wait to get home to
turn on the NFL or get to McDonalds. They do not even consider what they
heard. So let us look at some reasons the sermons have become extremely
weak.
Counterfeit Bible Versions
This is the main reason why sermons are so weak. The modern versions are
based on inferior manuscripts and within these inferior manuscripts are many
omissions and deletions of vital parts of the text. This results in the
translators bringing forth a seriously corrupted version. Since these
pseudo-bibles are tampered with, they are no longer the complete word of God
and God places anyone who removes or adds to His word under a curse.
(Rev 22:18-19 KJV) For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add
unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in
this book: {19} And if any man shall take away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life,
and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in
this book. When this book is used to preach, the
blessing of the Lord is off of it because God cannot bless sin. Tampering
with the word of God is an offense with hell as its reward. This is why with
the advent of the modern versions starting in the early 20th
century, the church has become weakened and an almost invisible entity. Can
God bless sin? The answer is no and tampered with, counterfeit versions are
under the curse of God. Since I cannot go into a full explanation here, I
will give one example and my website URL where you can see the total
corruption in these modern versions.
(1 John 5:13 KJV) These things have I written unto you that believe on
the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life,
and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
(1 John 5:13 NIV) I write these things to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
There are thirteen words missing in the NIV in just this one verse
alone.
No Convictions in Preparation - No Convictions Preached
If a preacher is not convinced that he is holding the revealed word of
God in his hand, then he is going to have no convictions and his sermon will
show it. A sermon that lacks convictions is a dead, dry useless sermon. A
preacher must believe what he is preaching or else it will show. When
Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon, he was convicted about the fact
that the unbeliever could be plunged into an eternal hell at any time. His
sermon was a warning to the unbelievers who heard him. What kind of warnings
do we hear in today’s preaching? If a preacher does not believe his own
message, neither will his congregation and it will turn into just another
place for Chinese auctions or Las Vegas nights.
Exaltation of Man
If there is one thing which has supplanted the teachings of Scripture it
is the teachings of man and his commentaries. How many times in sermons do
we hear the teachings of man overtake the teachings of Scripture? What I
mean by that is in many sermons there are more writings of men quoted rather
than Scripture. It is the Scriptures which convict and convert the sinner,
not the writings of man. This is not to say that an occasional quote is
wrong but when someone’s thesis becomes the foundation of the message, then
there is no message. People need to hear what the word of God is saying and
not what some man is saying. As soon as the exaltation of man occurs, the
church dies. Show me a church which has become stronger on the teachings of
man and I will show you a social club.
Omitting Salient Parts of the Scriptures in the Message
This sort of dovetails the idea found in the first part about corrupted
manuscripts. Here I am speaking about a preacher who intentionally skips
over or ignores important Scripture verses which will bring about a
conviction. Many preachers do not want to offend their congregations so they
will leave out Scriptures which deal with hell, giving, the cross,
sanctification, must be born again, etc.
(Gal 5:11 KJV) And I, brethren, if I yet preach
circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the
cross ceased. Too many preachers are preaching
lenient sermons which only enforce the lazy and sinful lifestyles their
congregation is involved in. The early Christians literally gave their lives
in obedience to Christ and kept their testimonies strong. Quite frankly, I
don’t think there is enough testimony in many entire congregations which
could equal just one martyr for Christ. Preachers need to teach the whole
counsel of God and tell their people that unless they become saved, they
will be judged and sent to eternal hell. Whenever we skip over parts of
Scripture we do not like or that we think others will not like or take an
offense at, then we have violated Revelation 22:18 by taking away from the
word. Stephen left nothing out of his sermon and it cost him his life.
Churches worried About their Tax Exempt Status
The First Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.
One of the major reasons that churches will not preach truth is because
of their fear of the IRS. They do not realize that the church is protected
under the First Amendment. It must be realized that the IRS does not make
the laws of the land. The laws of the land are made by Congress and since
the Constitution along with the Bill of Rights prohibits Congress from
passing any laws which either prohibits the free exercise of religion or
abridges freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is guaranteed to every citizen
of the United States including pastors in pulpits because if the main stream
media and TV and Movies have the right under the constitution to attack
Christians and the church, then guaranteed under the same constitution is
the right of the Christian and pastor to preach the Gospel. The IRS is an
illegal organization which is just the collection agency for the privately
owned Federal Reserve. The churches must stop kowtowing to this organization
and must preach the truth regardless of what they may attempt to do. If
Christians in a congregation only give because they get a tax deductible
receipt, then they are not giving. The idea of tax exemption and
incorporating a church is to control it. Whenever a church is incorporated
it becomes an entity of the state and must stay in line with the dictates of
the state. Literally, many churches have made the IRS their god and fear
them more than they do the God of Heaven.
Unbelievers in the Pulpit
There is nothing which can instantly kill a church more than placing an
unbeliever in the pulpit.
(Psa 50:16-17
KJV) But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my
statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
{17} Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
In Psalm 50:16-17, God says to the unbeliever, why should
you declare my statutes (Word) since they hate instruction and literally
have cast His words behind them, which is to say they have intentionally
despised them. Unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit living in them
because they are unregenerate. To understand the Bible, one MUST be saved so
the Holy Spirit can illuminate the Scriptures. Will the unbeliever who
drinks alcohol read the passages against alcohol? Will the unbeliever who is
a sodomite preach against sodomy? They will not have understanding of the
truths of Scripture and will remain in darkness along with the entire
congregation. Unbelievers are a mission field and not a group to pick
preachers and elders out of. They are spiritually dead and the dead can do
nothing nor understand anything spiritual.
Worry about Sermon Time
Too many pastors concern themselves with getting their congregation out
really quick. Their people can spend hours watching football or baseball on
Sunday afternoon but oh what crime if the sermon goes more than twenty
minutes. Twenty minutes is hardly enough time to develop one point
thoroughly. When pastors concern themselves with time limits, they are
cheating their congregation out of eternal truths. May I make a suggestion
that if that is the kind of church you pastor, then take a TV and roll it up
front and keep it covered. Then if someone makes a comment on the length of
the sermon, then in the middle of the sermon, excuse yourself, then go over
to the TV set and turn it on and then preach on priorities. We must never
concern ourselves with time limits because the truths of Scripture must be
carefully expounded because they are eternal in nature. There are going to
be no football or baseball games in Hell and the congregation must be made
aware of it. If they are not concerned about their eternal soul, then they
are free to stay home. We do injustice to the Scriptures when we set time
limits on expounding them.
No Calling in the Preacher’s life
150 years ago if a person believed they had the calling of being a
preacher, then they would accompany the sitting pastor on his duties. He
would go along with him to the homes on visitation, hospital visits, he
would help out with weddings and funerals. He would be an apprentice for the
length of time needed to determine whether or not he had a calling to be a
preacher. In the 1500-1600’s if a person wanted to attend seminary or Bible
college, they would have to learn a foreign language just to gain a hearing
to see if they would be let in and normally what was required was Latin.
Today, there is no calling needed just a checkbook and you can get into any
Bible college or seminary. Many graduates who go into the pastoral ministry
just see it as a job to escape the corporate world and set their own hours.
Since there is no calling on the preacher’s life, he will not set out to
seek the calling on the people he is preaching to so they may serve the
Lord. Church will only be a weekly routine. You can tell a pastor has no
calling on his life if he works without any fervor for the kingdom of God
including seeing his people become saved and matured in the faith. I
remember some years ago I knew a man who was a boiler operator and lived
across the street from the church. He saw his buddy, the pastor, coming and
going, many times, then, lo and behold, he got the calling to be a preacher.
The church paid for his education and when he graduated, he said to a friend
of mine, “Now I can catch up on my golf.” That was his calling, to get out
of being a boiler operator and to live an easy life. Did the Apostle Paul
live an easy life? Did Peter live an easy life? Did Stephen live an easy
life?
Politics Mixed with Biblical Message
Politics does not save neither does it grow a Christian. When churches
adulterate the pure message of the gospel with politics all it does is take
away from the gospel message. The people come away thinking about the
political aspect of the message and maybe on the way home they may get into
a car wreck and go to hell as a good Republican or Democrat. While many
preachers bemoan certain political administrations, they neglect to realize
that Christianity was birthed in one of the most repressive political
empires in history and that was the Roman Empire. You did not hear Jesus,
Paul, Peter, or any of the Apostles preaching against the Roman Empire.
These brethren were concerned about seeing people saved and they were
arrested by the Romans because the message was convicting.
(Acts 17:6 KJV) And when they found them not,
they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying,
These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
Preaching politics does not turn a person’s world upside
down which is what the Gospel does in a person’s life. Once a person become
saved, they are changed and their outlook changes on everything. Regardless
of what people think, politics does not have anything to do with the true
Gospel. This also goes for the preaching of the New World Order. If the
bankers achieve their goal, it is only because the Lord has allowed it not
because they are super intellectual.
Minimal Study Time
One of the biggest sins the pastors commit against their congregations
is that they spend minimal time in Bible study. There must be a commitment
to chain themselves to a desk for long periods of time to be able to wrestle
with the meaning of Scriptures rather than spend minimal time and wrest the
Scriptures to their own destruction.
(2
Pet 3:16 KJV) As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these
things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction. The Gospel
ministry must be entered into with the realization that much time must be
spent in Bible study. There are too many pastors who re-warm previous
messages by changing some words and trying to present it as new material. I
remember once telling a friend of mine when he shared his sermon title with
me in a church that he preached that message about 4 weeks prior. I always
made it a rule to carry around an unpreached sermon in my Bible in case I
was ever called upon to preach. Preaching must be seen as an eternal portal
because what you say can be used of the Lord to bring someone to salvation
if the Holy Spirit opens their spiritual understanding. This has a much
better chance of happening with a sermon that has been prayed over and
worked over intensely rather than one that has been warmed over. Your
effectiveness in preaching will be proportional to the time that you spend
in studying.
Social Justice Sermons
This subject is closely related to politics but with a slightly
different aspect. It is preaching against those who have much material
wealth. It is preaching that wealth should be redistributed. Basically, it
is communism dressed in religious terms. No person can become saved nor can
a Christian grow if someone preaches a sermon condemning the wealthy and
exalting the poor. Social class preaching does not bring anyone to Christ,
it only exacerbates the hatred of existing situations. Which one of the
Disciples were rich? Which one of the Disciples lacked anything?
Summary
These eleven settings when found in a church brings it down. Anytime
there is an adulterating of the pure gospel message, it weakens the effect,
even to the point of no effect. When a sermon is delivered, it must be
preached for a conviction, even if it offends the good givers or any other
prominent folks. The pastor must not allow the people or the government to
determine what is preached. The pure Gospel must be preached fearlessly and
if the pastor is preaching the truth, then he should not be concerned who is
offended but he should care that it is filling the breach which is found in
the lives of every unbeliever. It also fills the breach which is found in
believers, who may have blind spots to their own pet sins. The Bible is the
eternal Word of God and must not be viewed nor preached as a newspaper. The
Word saves and it condemns. Preachers must preach with conviction so the
effect is salvation of souls and the raising of dead Christians to a newness
of their Christian life. Let us study the lives of preachers like Paul,
Stephen, Martin Luther and other notable Christians and learn their secrets.
The greatest secret is no secret and where we started is where we finish.
(Acts 20:27 KJV) For I
have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
We start with the full counsel of God and we finish with the full
counsel of God. So let us preach and not breach.