Why Preach?

Well, very good evening to you. It's lovely to be with you. I've heard a lot about you

guys as a church family. All good. I know it's nervous when you hear that sort of thing.

But it's been great getting to know Graham over the last couple of years at ETS. From

St. Andrews, a big hello. We love our partnership in the gospel. We have with you guys as a

church family, even though we're a little bit distant, separated by the water, we were

praying for you at our last church family prayer meeting. So a range of people say hi

and it's a joy to be with you here. Not least to be thinking about this wonderfully

important, central, foundational topic of preaching. But because it's so important,

because we're coming to God's word, let's pray again and ask for his help. Let's pray.

Our great God and heavenly Father, we come before you this evening, Lord, and are very

conscious of the wonder that you, the one who spoke all things into being, the creator

God of the universe, all that is visible and invisible, that you would speak to us.

That not only have you made us, but that you address us. That you haven't left yourself

hidden behind clouds and darkness, but have spoken supremely in your Son, wonderfully and

ongoingly in your scriptures and in our hearts by your Spirit, that we might understand what

you say. Lord, please, we pray, would he be at work in us this evening? Would your Holy Spirit

grant us light, might see, soft hearts that we might receive the good seed of your word,

ears to hear, and lips and hands, feet and faculties ready and willing to obey, to put into practice

that which you say to us? Lord, be with us, we ask it, not for any sake other than the glory of your Son,

that he would be exalted, and that we would grow more like him, both individually, but also as a church

family here at Brunsfield, and in your service. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, I wonder who you are this evening. It's quite nice when you're a visiting speaker and

preacher, because I know very few of you well at all. So I'm going to trade on my anonymity and ask

you an impertinent personal question. What do you think of preaching? What do you make of preaching?

Not, what do you think of John's preaching, or what do you think of Graham's preaching? Come and tell

me that afterwards if you'd like to. But what do you make of preaching itself? What place does it hold

in your own life? And also in how you think the life of a church should be ordered? You see, my hunch

is that there's probably a range of different positions among us, just speaking from, I guess,

my own experience at home and around the place. There'll be those who are fully persuaded that

preaching is absolutely central to the healthy life of a healthy church, that it's something

that you need, that it's something that is non-negotiable. And yet, in such a high view,

can come an element of assumption. The possible danger is that we come week in, week out, and we

take for granted what we hear. We take for granted what goes on, Lord willing, as we're hearing God's

word spoken. And so our own relationship to preaching might start becoming a bit distant. So theoretically,

preaching's great. But myself, as I sit under the preached word, well, I start receding a little bit.

That might be you sitting there. It may be that you're someone who loves church. You love the

people. You love the worship. You love the community aspect. You love the preaching. But it's

one amongst many different things. And you don't quite get why people bang on so much about preaching.

Maybe you're new to Edinburgh or to the different places that you find yourself. And everyone's saying

as you look, as you look for a church, find somewhere where the preaching is good, where it's clear,

where it's central. You're not quite sure why that is such a big deal. Maybe, again, you are someone who

is here tonight who is thoroughly unpersuaded about preaching. This might be a minority of us here

tonight. But it may be that you always have wondered, well, what all the fuss is about? Surely, actually,

in our day and age, sitting and listening to something for 25, 30, 40 minutes is passé. That actually the time

has come to set aside a monologue delivered by someone nearer to a university professor than a real

person. And just get on with living life as God has called you to live. Why all the instruction? Well, hopefully,

whoever you are here this evening, there is going to be something for you as we dig into this question,

why preaching? My hope and prayer is that together we would come up with a renewed and deepened love

for the Word of God. Not only the Word of God out there, but the Word of God as declared in the

preaching of Scripture in our local churches and in any context that we find it, such that wherever we

are on the spectrum, we're going to be more attentive listeners to God's Word, more attentive students

under God's Word, and I sincerely hope, more attentive speakers of God's Word one to another.

Because preaching is never something that stays just out there in front and above me, but rather is something

that actually equips me to serve my fellow Christians. Now, hopefully, you've got a handout in front of you that

Graham has printed off. Graham, this will just help you if you are someone who likes taking notes to follow along

with where we're going, and if you wanted just to know the structure, this is where we are. Please turn with me

if you've got a Bible back to Isaiah 55. That'll be really helpful. I want us to begin just by considering

those two passages that were read so beautifully for us, because our understanding of preaching

is absolutely controlled by and informed by how we understand God's Word to be, what we understand God's

Word as, and what we think God's Word is doing. We're not going to chase down every reference on

this handout. Don't worry if you're having a bit of a panic attack. We're not going to go there.

A lot of the references are going to be there for you to chase down in your own time if you would like

to, to be Borean, to test what it is that I'm saying against the standard of God's perfect Word.

But we'll begin in Isaiah 55, and maybe you noticed as it was being read for us, the stress from the very

beginning. Take a look down with me. At hearing. God is speaking to his people Israel. The whole first

half of Isaiah up to the end of chapter 39 has been about the judgment that is coming on their sin,

and you may well know that in Isaiah 40, the book pivots, and the Lord declares comfort to his people.

So these words in Isaiah 55 sit within this book of comfort, but look at what God is saying. He's

inviting people to come to him. Come all you who are thirsty. You have no money. Come buy and eat.

There's this picture in verse 1 and 2 of lavish provision from the Lord. Instead of famine and

covenant curse, there's going to come blessing and rich provision from God. But look where the Lord

goes in verse 2. Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good. It's interesting, isn't it? Listen to me,

the Lord says, and you will feast. He goes on, give ear and come to me. Listen that you may live.

You see, God is saying to his people as he promises comfort that there is something critical about what

he says to them, such that actually his very words become nourishment and life itself to them,

if only they would listen. Now we are just dropping down here in Isaiah 55 into the middle of rich

truth right through the Old Testament about God's word. If we were to try and do a biblical theology of

the word of God, we would be here for weeks. Begins in Genesis 1 verse 1, where from nothing,

Genesis 1:1

God speaks all things into being. From the very start, God is a speaking God. And all that has life and

breath that moves and has their being in God has that because he has spoken. You sit here tonight.

I speak here tonight. We feel our chest going in and out tonight as we breathe because God is a

speaking God. Life is only found in his word and it becomes explicit here. He goes on that this isn't

just for Israel. This is for the nations, verse 5. Then you have these glorious verses. Verse 6,

seek the Lord, Isaiah says, while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Salvation is at stake,

the pardon of God in verse 7. And then God explicitly spells out what is going on with his word and why it

is his word is necessary for life. Why his word is necessary for salvation. Look with me at verse 10.

It's this beautiful image of what God's word is. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do

not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed

for the sower and bread for the eater. So in the same way is my word that goes out from my mouth.

It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I

sent it. Now we might have a slightly abusive relationship with rain and snow in Scotland.

It's one of those things isn't even as I parked the car and got out and it started raining on me

again I thought oh more rain. It's been chucking it down in St Andrews for a week and you just feel

drenched to the bone. But bear in mind in this context, in this climate, both spiritually but

physically and geographically in Israel, rain and snow are wonderful, wonderful things.

Without it there is no life and God says that is what his word is like. It's like life giving rain

and snow that comes down from heaven. You see what it does? It waters the earth. It makes it bud and

flourish so that it bears a crop. Well God says that is what his word is like. He says it will not return

to me empty. It will do what he purposes for it. And what is that purpose? Well verse 12,

it is his people, those who hear, those who come, those who eat, those who drink, going out in joy and

being led forth in peace. Verse 13, instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper. Instead of briars,

the myrtle will grow the thorns that are the mark of the curse of a world that has been cursed by God

into futility. Well as the life giving word of God goes forth, it is like rain on dry desert ground,

rolling back that which would cling and choke and destroy, such that life might come. The trees of

the field clapping their hands, an everlasting sign that will endure forever. See God's word goes out

that life might spring forth. Here in Isaiah, it's exactly the same there across reference to 2 Timothy 3

2 Timothy 3:15

verses 15 and 16. Famous verses aren't they to do with the inspired word of God. You may well know it,

all scripture is inspired by God. But just before that, in verse 15, Paul says to his protege,

Timothy, who we're going to return to in a little while, that God's word is able to make anyone who

hears it wise for salvation in Jesus Christ. The life that God's word brings is faith in the person

and work of Jesus Christ. We're going fast here over lots of ground, so do come and chat with me

afterwards and chew this over together. But the life giving word of God in Isaiah is precisely the

same as the salvation bringing word of God in the New Testament through faith in Jesus Christ.

And notice that it isn't just a word out there that has to be intuited or figured out.

It is a word that is proclaimed by God himself that people might hear and believe and respond.

We're not left to figure it out grubbing around in the thorns and the dust,

but rather from outside ourselves, God breaks into sin and death with the life giving word

that he himself speaks. And as we'll see, that becomes critical because God is always

a preacher. And he then ordains people to follow after him in preaching that same word.

That's the idea that lies behind Luke chapter 8. Flip with me there, if you would,

Luke 8 · chapter mention

as we scoot through a few thousand years of history and we come to Jesus teaching about his word.

Jesus, the preacher par excellence. If you read Luke's gospel and Mark's gospel, Matthew's gospel,

Jesus has come to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. It's what he does. He says,

I've come that I may proclaim in the different villages of Judea. He's traveling around teaching

the people and teaching his disciples about the good news. And here in this famous parable of the

sower and of the soils, Jesus says the central importance in coming to faith,

the foundational thing on which fruitful discipleship depends is how we receive the word of God.

How we receive the words of Jesus. You can see that there in the parable. There's this

sower who seems rather careless with his seed. Do you notice that? He goes everywhere he can,

scattering it as best he can. The seed, we're told in verse 11 by Jesus, is the word of God. And so Jesus is

the sower, wherever he goes, he proclaims, he scatters, he reaches into his bag of good seed and just

flings it such that anyone and everyone might hear. And it's the response then to that word,

which is absolutely critical. We don't have time to walk through all the different responses,

but some are chilling, some are thought provoking. There's one, isn't there, that is wonderfully

encouraging. Verse 15. The seed on good soil, the one that bears a hundredfold that which is sown,

stands for those with a noble and good heart. And look at how this is described.

This struck me. I was actually preaching on this a few weeks ago at home. This isn't some

grand heroic vision as we might think it, some great effort of faith. It's very, very mundane.

Look at the noble and good heart. They hear the word. They retain the word. And by persevering

in their hearing and retaining, they produce a good crop. If you would know the secret to a fruitful

Christian life, it is to hear the word of God, to hold onto it, to not let it go, to, in the midst

of the distractions of life, hold it in your heart. Speak it one to another that you might do that.

And persevere in so doing. That's where true fruitfulness comes. Jesus goes on to say in verse

18, consider carefully how you listen to the word that is spoken. Verse 21, he says that his true

family are those who hear God's word. There we have it again. And put it into practice.

Let me say this evening that there is nothing more important to the Christian life in following

after the person of Jesus and hearing and responding rightly to the word of God.

There's lots of unpacking we could give that. It's a bold statement to make potentially. But

one implication amongst loads is to simply ask yourself, perhaps over coffee afterwards or in the

quietness of your own heart, what is of the greatest foundational importance to you in your own life?

Is it to hear, to retain and persevere with the word of God? Or is it the various things that clamor for

our attention? Now, if it is to hear the word of God, there's an obvious question, isn't there?

If God's word matters this much, if it's this good, if it brings this sort of life, well, how do we hear it today?

How do we hear it today? It's something that people write theological papers about. It's something that people would disagree on.

There are all sorts of different ways to answer it in part truth. And what I want us to do very quickly in our second point here is to trace through,

if you like, the line that runs from the word of God spoken by Jesus to ultimately the Bible we have in our hands

and the words that we hear from the front, from the preacher, before we apply that more in point number three.

So, whistle-stop tour. Anything that sounds odd here, make a note of it. Come and chat to me afterwards.

I hope that won't be too much, but do push me on any of this stuff.

The first place that we go to to hear the words of God that have been spoken by Jesus is in the inspired testimony of the apostles.

If you were to flip up John chapter 14 and John chapter 17, you would see Jesus speaking to his disciples about the coming Holy Spirit,

John 14 · chapter mention John 17 · chapter mention

the gift of the helper who Jesus is going to pour out once he has ascended to the Father.

And he says to those eleven gathered around him that one of the chief functions the Spirit will play is to remind them of all that Jesus has said

so that as they go into the world to be his witnesses, they're going to be speaking the words of Jesus himself.

And there's a staggering little bit in John chapter 17, verse 20.

John 17:20

Jesus is praying to the Father before he goes to the cross.

And he's praying for the apostles.

And then it's as though he turns, as it were, and faces us.

Because he says, I pray not only for these, my eleven.

Judas has gone out by this point.

He says, but I also pray for those who believe on account of their testimony.

Every single one of us here tonight who has their faith resting in Jesus

believes ultimately on account of the inspired testimony of those eleven,

and then Paul, the apostle untimely born, as it were, converted on the Damascus road.

The particular word of the Spirit to those twelve,

such that we now might in no lesser way

come into the life-giving contact of the word of God and of Christ

than if we lived in that day.

It's a staggering thought, isn't it?

That the Bible you have in your hands,

or on your phone,

or whatever media is your preferred way,

is the

unedited,

unabridged,

and totally powerful

word of God,

such that even if you had been there

when Jesus spoke,

you would have been no better off then

than you are now.

It's an amazing thought.

And what gets even more amazing

is that it is then

those words

that are entrusted to people who aren't apostles,

to people who might speak

the same pattern of words

to those who hear.

It would be really helpful if you turn with me all

to 2 Timothy chapter 1

2 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

and verse 13.

We're going to try not to hop around too much,

but there's a few where it's so important

that we go there.

2 Timothy chapter 1

2 Timothy 1:13

verse 13 and 14.

You'll know probably that

Paul is encouraging Timothy,

one of his closest protégés,

in his own ministry

of teaching the word

and of raising up

others who are going to teach the word

after him.

And look at the chain,

if you like,

of the authority of God's word

that runs from ultimately God himself

through now to Timothy.

What you heard from me,

Paul says,

chapter 1 verse 13,

keep as the pattern

of sound teaching

with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

Guard the good deposit

that was entrusted to you.

That is the good deposit of the truth.

Guard it with the help

of the Holy Spirit

who lives in us.

See, Paul says,

look, the words that I've heard from Jesus,

that the Spirit has taught me,

I now entrust to you.

Guard it yourself.

Make that the pattern

of your own teaching.

Now, Timothy isn't an apostle.

He's one removed.

In that sense,

he's actually quite like us

in many ways.

And Paul says,

there's your pattern.

Chapter 2 verse 2,

just cast your eye down.

And the things you have heard me say,

the gospel that Paul preaches,

in the presence of many witnesses,

entrust to reliable people

who will also be qualified

to teach others.

Now, I don't know how many of you

have ever had experience

of writing academic essays

or even, I suppose,

it doesn't have to be an essay.

It could just be a letter.

You know when you're typing something

and you're not quite sure

how to finish the sentence,

you just go dot, dot, dot,

little ellipsis,

sort of imply something continuing.

There's a sense in which there,

2 Timothy 2 verse 2,

2 Timothy 2:2

is the dot, dot, dot

of the transmission of scripture

through preaching.

We've gone from God's word,

spoken in Jesus,

entrusted to the apostles

and reminded by the spirit,

to then someone like a Timothy

who then in turn

is to pass that on to others

who are going to teach it

and so on and so forth.

Right there,

we get the biblical skeleton,

if you like,

of not only why we preach

in the local church,

but of why it is

of foundational importance.

Actually,

when it matches up

with this pattern

of sound teaching,

and that's a crucial caveat,

when the preaching

of God's word

is in line with

the truth of God's word

as received

and delivered

by the apostles,

then it is the very

word of God

to his people

in any and every

day and age.

And the main theater

in which it's going

to be worked out,

little sub-point number three

there is in the local church.

There are all sorts

of references there

which show us

that the local church

was the place there

where God's word

was preached

and around which

the people gathered.

You get it

in the Old Testament

as well actually,

in Exodus

as the law is given,

Deuteronomy

before Moses dies,

Nehemiah

as the people

are back in the city.

God's people

are always constituted

around the declared

word of God.

Always.

Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

what do the early church do,

those who come to faith?

Well, they devote themselves

along with the sharing

of all their goods

to the teaching

of the apostles.

Acts chapter 6,

Acts 6 · chapter mention

as the Greek widows

are worrying

because they're missing out

on some provision,

what happens?

Well, deacons are appointed.

Why?

So that the apostles

might devote themselves

to the ministry

of the word and prayer.

From the earliest days

of God's people,

preaching the word of God

has been at the very center,

literally and metaphorically,

of the life

of the local church.

And it goes on and on.

1 Corinthians chapter 3,

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

the assumption is

they're gathering regularly

and the word is being preached

and taught.

Likewise in Colossians

and in other places

that we could go.

We're going to turn shortly

to Ephesians,

which is the great place

where we see this.

But an implication of this

for us.

Again,

big statement to throw out there.

Without the preaching

of God's word,

in accordance with the sound

pattern of teaching

that's been given to us,

there is no church.

Church in the sense

that we understand it

in this way,

gathered together.

There is, of course,

the church,

all of those who trust in Christ

at any point in any age.

But the local expression

of God's people

is gathered together

around the red,

sung,

and supremely declared

word of God.

So let me encourage you

to pray for the preaching

of the word here

in Brunsfield.

Not only now,

this evening,

not only in the coming weeks,

but in the coming months

and years.

Not only Brunsfield,

but all the churches

that would seek to be gods

here in Edinburgh

and around our nation.

That at the center

of what they do,

immovable,

amongst all the many

excellent other things

a local church can do,

would be the faithful preaching

of the apostolic gospel

entrusted by the person

of Jesus

and God himself.

That is why preaching,

again,

matters so much.

And it is why

the Lord Jesus

has ordered his church,

as we'll see now

in Ephesians,

such that his word

is right at the center of it.

Final flipping of the pages

in your Bible

as we move towards a close.

Turn with me

to Ephesians chapter 4,

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

if you would.

Ephesians is,

the great letter,

if you like,

about the local church

that Paul writes.

The church matters

in all his letters,

but here he lays out,

if you like,

the cosmic importance

of the church.

Chapter 3,

in verse 10,

Paul says that

the church

is the expression,

the declaration

of the manifold wisdom

of God

to the watching universe.

Have you ever thought of that,

about Brunsfield Evangelical Church?

that as we gather

here and now,

the wisdom of God

in saving people

by grace

through faith

in the death

of his son

is being displayed

to a watching universe.

But actually,

spiritual rulers

and authorities

are looking down

at us this evening

and saying,

God is wise.

how else

would such a diverse bunch,

and you know,

like I said,

I don't know you well,

but I imagine you're diverse.

Even as I look around,

I can see some diversity

have been gathered together

by Christ.

That is what the church is.

And as we get

into chapter 4

and Paul starts

to apply this stuff

very practically

to them,

we see in verses 7

down to 16

the central importance

of the preached word.

We actually sang it there

that Christ has

ascended into heaven,

leading captives

in his wake.

And here,

as Paul quotes

that very psalm there

in chapter 4,

verse 8,

he says that the risen Christ,

as he ascends,

gives gifts

to his people.

And the gifts,

we're told,

are people

who teach

the word of God.

Look down with me there

at verse 11.

So Christ himself,

the risen,

reigning Jesus,

gave the apostles,

the prophets,

the evangelists,

the pastors

and teachers.

Those who teach

the word of God

to Christ's people,

we're told,

are genuinely

the gifts of God

to his people.

Now that might

just sound like

a ridiculously

overweening thing

for a preacher

to say.

And believe me

that if you were to ask

anyone who regularly

preaches the word

among you,

we would be staggered

at this truth

ourselves.

That jars of clay

full of brokenness

and challenges

and sin,

visible and invisible,

might be used by God

to teach his word.

Paul says that's

what the pastor,

teacher,

is doing.

The apostle then,

the prophet,

we can talk about

what a prophet is,

the evangelist.

Teaching the word

of God,

but not

as a full stop

end in itself.

Do you see

how he goes on?

The word teacher

is not a gift

of God

who then is to

puff himself up.

Look at verse 12,

to equip

his people,

Christ's people,

the church,

for works of service.

Some translations

have works of ministry.

ministry,

so that the body

of Christ

may be built up.

See,

here's where preaching

hits the road.

It isn't,

like I say,

just out there,

which we consume

and then go away with.

It is actually

given

so that every

single one of us

as God's people

may be equipped

for ministry,

for works of service.

Do you know that?

Every single one of you

is a minister

of the gospel.

You might want to put

a small M

instead of a big M

depending on where

you've come from

in terms of a church

background or not.

But the whole point

of the declaration,

the announcement

of God's life-giving word,

is that all of his people

together

may engage

in works of service.

Here,

the supreme work of service,

you can see there

in verse 15,

it's not being blown

about by false teaching.

Rather,

verse 15,

it is to speak

the truth in love

one to another

such that as the word

is preached

morning and evening,

week in and week out,

as you study the word

in your small groups,

it isn't just hovering

and kind of pushing

and nudging you

in different ways.

Rather,

it is dwelling

richly among you

as God's people,

as Paul says

in Colossians,

and then being spoken

in turn

one to another.

all of us

gospeling

each other,

speaking that truth

which we have

heard from God,

why?

So that

the body

might reach

maturity.

Do you know,

as a church,

you will never

reach maturity

if you do not

speak the truth

in love

one to another.

You will never

reach maturity

in the Christian life

on your own.

So many people

speak about

so-and-so

as a mature Christian.

Well,

so-and-so

on his or her

own is not

a mature Christian.

Maturity is

something that

God's people

together attain

to as they

speak the word

one to another,

as the word

is declared

to them

by God

through those

whom he has

gifted to

his people.

It's a wonderful,

beautiful picture

of this dynamic

building site

as the whole

body,

we're told,

builds itself

up in love,

verse 16.

All playing our

part.

You could look

at 1 Corinthians 12.

Yes,

the preacher

matters,

but no more

than the person

who cleans

the loose.

No more

than you

as you

over a cup

of coffee

ask someone

how they're

going in

following after

Jesus.

No more

than you

as you

take what

you've heard

and apply it

one to another

in love.

preaching

in action

if you like.

God's word

dwelling among

us richly.

So three

implications

as we close.

Listen,

test,

and speak.

I guess the

first one is

perhaps self-evident

from where we've

been.

We are to

listen to

the word of

God that is

preached to

us.

We come back

to Luke 8.

Jesus says

hear.

He says

hear.

He says

hear.

Consider

carefully

how you

listen.

Luke 6,

Luke 11,

he says that

true blessing

comes as we

hear and

obey and

do the

word of

God that

is spoken

to us.

So another

personal question,

are you a

careful listener

to that which

is preached

to you?

Too many of

us are

armchair

critics,

at least I

speak very

autobiographically

here,

particularly as

someone I

guess who

has the

blessing of

preaching quite

a bit.

I can find

myself sitting

in a sermon

thinking,

oh that's

interesting,

why did he

do that?

And why

did he

structure it

that way?

And oh

gosh,

I wouldn't

have used

that

illustration.

Or oh,

my phone's

buzzed,

let's see

what's

happening

with the

rugby.

We can

have all

sorts of

distractions.

God says

no,

you are to

listen to

that which

is spoken

to you.

There are

lots of

ways that

might work

itself out

among you.

Do you

read the

passage that you

know you're

going to be

hearing on a

Sunday morning

before you

come to

church,

that you

might consider

it beforehand

and meditate

on it?

Do you

speak it one

to another,

ask what

someone made

of the

sermon over

Sunday lunch,

not to

critique but

to apply?

Even if you're

hearing a sermon

that you think,

I'm not too

sure about that,

what is it that

God is saying

to you?

even if it's

one thing

that you

might apply

and retain

and obey.

Listen to

the preaching

that God

gives you.

Secondly,

though,

we are to

test,

this is an

implication,

a secondary

thing,

if you like,

from the

truth that

all of God's

preaching now

must accord,

must line up

with the

sound pattern

that has been

given to the

apostles.

Paul encourages

the Berean

church in

Acts 17,

he says they

were of more

noble character

than the

Thessalonians.

Why?

Because they

eagerly searched

the scriptures

to make sure

that what Paul

said to them

was accurate.

So test,

be Berean.

It doesn't

matter who it

is, whether

it's a stranger

like myself,

or a loved

regular like a

John or a

Graham or

someone from

the church's

past,

whoever is

preaching,

as you listen

carefully,

listen with

your Bible

open.

Such that

you can see

where his

words match

up with

God's

words.

The authority

of the

preacher

extends

precisely as

far as

God's word

and no

further.

It's one of

the key

insights of

the Reformation.

That any

authority within

the local

church is

governed by

and circumscribed

by God's

word and not

man's.

No one sits

above scripture,

no one.

We all sit

under it,

no matter

who it

is, no

matter their

pedigree,

no matter

their impression,

their rhetoric,

whoever they

might be.

Listen carefully

and test what

you hear.

And then,

if it accords

with the word

of God,

I'll speak it

to others.

Do it,

in Jesus'

words.

Obey.

apply that

which you

hear one

to another

and to

yourself.

No matter

how costly,

no matter

how painful,

but you

know,

it's regularly

going to be

joyful.

There is a

sweet pain

to the rebuke

that scripture

brings.

The words

and wounds

of a friend

are a

blessing,

we're told

in Proverbs.

How much

more the

words of

God himself.

So,

as a church

family,

as you

listen to

God's

word,

as you

test

God's

word,

may it

dwell

richly

among you,

working

itself

like a

good

yeast

into

every

corner

of your

church

life.

My

prayer for

you,

a prayer

I pray

every week

for our

church

family in

St.

Andrews,

is that

we would

be

saturated

in the

life-giving

word of

God.

That there

wouldn't be

conversations

happening

each week

that is

devoid

somehow

of the

spirit-inspired

truth

about who

Jesus is

and what

he's done

and all

that he's

doing

and all

that he

will come

to do.

And as

that happens,

as we

listen,

as we

test,

as we

obey,

as we

speak to

all and

sundry,

believer or

unbeliever,

well,

so we're

told Christ's

church is

built.

But why

preaching?

How could

it not be?

How could

it not be

in the life

of any

healthy church

that would

seek to

glorify

Christ?

Like I

say,

there's so

much more

we could

say.

I'd love

to chat

with you

afterwards.

I'm not

dashing away.

If you've

got any

questions,

please do

come and

chat.

But my

prayer for

you as a

church family

is that as

God's word

is preached,

you will be

built up and

that you will

be engaging

in works of

service one

with another

as you hear

the words

of Jesus.

Shall we

pray?

Heavenly

Father,

we thank

you for

your word.

Lord,

thank you

for your

son,

the word

incarnate.

Thank you

for your

spirit who

shines light

upon us

that we

might see

him and

that we

might hear

you.

Lord,

please,

as your

son,

the risen

king,

Christ

himself,

addresses us

as the

word is

preached to

us,

would you

make us

those who

hear?

Lord,

for my

brothers and

sisters here,

whatever the

trials and

sorrows are,

whatever the

joys and

the cares

that pleasure

and riches

can bring,

would you

make them

individually

and together

single-minded

in carefully

considering what

they hear?

Help them to

listen,

to obey.

Help us,

we pray,

Father,

to be those

who do test

what we hear,

that it might

match up

with your

word.

We pray for

the preaching

of the

word here

in St.

Andrews and

in our

sister churches,

that in

every way

the sound

pattern of

your gospel

would be

taught.

And make

us do as

we pray,

Father.

Not only

hearers,

not only

those who

look in a

mirror,

but those

who act

in accordance

with what

we see.

Help us

to be those

who speak.

Lord,

would this

be a church

family where

your word

would dwell

richly in

every member,

where it

would ring

out from

this church

right across

Brunsfield and

Edinburgh,

that your

church might

be built,

that Christ

might be

glorified,

and that in

every way we

would be built

up into his

image,

the one who

perfectly heard

and obeyed

your word.

Truly,

would we go

out in joy?

Would we

be led

forth in

peace?

Would the

mountains and

the hills

burst into

song before

us?

And would

you, by

your word,

through your

spirit, in

the name of

your Son,

bring junipers

instead of

thorn bushes,

myrtles instead

of briars,

for your

everlasting

glory.

Amen.