Just Preach!

As I was reading my Bible early this morning, I came across a very interesting verse, Exodus 19:9, which I think has a lot to say to pastors about their preaching.  Now, if you spend any time at all reading what I write about you'll see that a good portion has to do with pastoring and preaching.  That, in part, is because I train indigenous preachers and pastors overseas who do not have access to theological education or pastoral training.  So, as I come across passages in Scripture that particularly apply to the preaching/teaching of the Word of God and the shepherding of God's people I write about them.  Its good for me, for those I'm training, and for believers here in the States who are eavesdropping.

So, Exodus 19 is the chapter in Exodus which begins to tell us about the encounter God's people, the Israelites, have with God at Mount Sinai.  In verses 1-2, the Israelites or Hebrews set up their base camp at the foot of Mount Sinai.  Moses then climbs the mountain to appear before God where he receives instructions from God for His people, which are to be delivered by Moses to the people.  That's verses 3-6.

Once Moses brings these initial instructions from the LORD to the people, telling them that if they would obey Him and keep His covenant they would be His own special people.  The people, all responding in unison, agree to everything the LORD commands (vv.7-8).  Then in verse 9, the LORD tells Moses that when He has something to say to His people He will come to Moses in a thick cloud so that the people themselves would be able to hear Him as He speaks to Moses.  In this way, the people would be able to trust Moses.  Unpacking this verse, I see that God wanted His people to hear His voice through Moses, God's spokesman, as Moses is hearing from God.  This is essentially the same thing that is supposed to happen every Sunday morning as the people of God gather today too.

We gather as God's people, no longer at Mount Sinai, but rather at Mount Zion (Her. 12:18-24), to hear God speak to us through His Word as it is communicated to us through God's spokesmen, who are our pastors.  Their job is to simply preach the Word of God so that we, God's people, can hear our God, the God of the Word, speaking to us through His very inspired words.  In this sense, the pastor is a sort of communication medium between God and His people.  His sermon has one purpose and one purpose only--to convey God's Word so clearly that God's voice is heard by God's people as His inspired words are repeated and explained to them.

Put plainly, what I'm saying is that pastors have the incredibly important job of speaking the very words of God to God's people today just as Moses, the prophets, and the apostles did in the Bible.  This is the same point Peter is making in 1 Peter 4:11 about those who have the responsibility of preaching/teaching God's Word in the context of the local church, that they should do so, as those who are "speaking the very words of God".  This led the English preacher, Charles Simeon to say that, "God Himself speaks to us by the preacher and if preachers preach what is founded on the Scriptures, their word, as far as it is agreeable to the mind of God, is to be considered God's."  John Calvin put it this way when, in writing about preaching, he said, ". . . the reason a man climbs into the pulpit is, that God may speak to us by the mouth of a man".

One can't read through the Bible and not see the primacy God puts on preaching.  Oh, its not that God did not, occasionally, call on His prophets and preachers to use drama, object lessons, stories, parables, and other means of communication but, the emphasis was always on preaching.  The command is to "preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:2).  God wants His people to hear Him correctly because they cannot see Him clearly.  This is why God, in Exodus 19:9, does not allow Himself to be experienced in any sort of visible fashion by His people.  That's why He veils Himself which, is to say that He veils His personal glorious presence from His people so that their attention is solely riveted on His Word.  It seems as though God places the priority in His communication to His people on the hearing of His Word more than He does on seeing Him or even seeing what His Word is conveying.  God does not want His people, in this life, to be focused so much on how they may visually perceive Him as much as upon what they hear Him say through His inspired, infallible, inerrant, and thus, completely trustworthy Word.  

Notice as well, in verse 9, that the result of the people of God being able to hear the very inspired words of God, through Moses, God's preacher,  is that the people find Moses credible and thus, believable.  Its no different for pastors who preach today.  The pastor's credibility as a preacher, before God and God's people, is not the result of his creativity, spontaneity, relativity, or ability to use props, drama, videos, and internet technology.  Rather, he is credible because God's voice is heard, loud and clear, through His inspired words, as they are preached correctly and clearly.  This is not to say that the use of communication tools, internet technology, and other mediums is wrong.  It is to say, they should never become the focal point of the sermon so as to replace God and muddle His Word as the focus of our attention.  In Bible terms, this would be called idolatry.   Perhaps, less emphasis on the medium and more on the message is best.  The fewer communication mediums, between God's Word and God's people, other than the one He ordained, which is preaching, the better.  

The temptation to make preaching more entertaining so as to be more enjoyable and thus more acceptable to those who have so many other things they could be doing on a Sunday morning does not result in credibility with God or His people.  The simple preaching of God's Word by God's man to God's people is considered utter foolishness by those who are not God's people and thus, are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18, 23, 25; 2:14).  Tragically, just preaching, without making the visual and sensory props the main thing, has become foolishness to many of God's people too.  "Just preaching", in the words of the novelist, E.M. Forester,  has become ". . . nothing more than a meaningless echo in a cave."  God, however, begs to differ!  So, one must pick his or her side when it comes to preaching and then be prepared to live and die with the consequences of that choice.

Perhaps, if we pastors gave the most and the best of our time, as we should, to the study and preaching of God's Word (Acts 6:2b) we might not need all the tools to make our preaching more interesting, entertaining, captivating,  enjoyable, and thus, in the world's eyes, credible.  Perhaps if we just preached as though people's eternal destinies depended upon what we said and how we said it, we might give our task the primacy it deserves.  Perhaps, if we just preached God's Word so that God's people actually heard God speaking to them--that would be enough!