Sermon Text: Galatians 5:7–12
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 17th October 2021
Sermon Text: Galatians 5:7–12
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 17th October 2021
Our church constitution states, “The spiritual oversight of the Church in matters of doctrine, principles of government, church elections, admission and discipline of members and the administrative oversight of the Church shall be the specific responsibilities of the BOE” (12.2). “The BOE shall consist of the Pastor(s) and Elders, and Supervisory Pastor, if any” (13.1).
As we now look forward to the election of the BOE at the end of next month (Sun, 28th Nov 2021, 4pm), it is important that we understand the biblical necessity, nature and importance of the elders. To help us to be well-furnished with the biblical and constitutional requisites, an expanded version of an article that I previously wrote in 2017 is included below.
In the apostolic times, when the Gospel spread through Judea, Samaria, Asia Minor and in other regions, churches were formed. Their proper spiritual and administrative care became a great concern to the apostles. Paul then wrote to Titus what should be done for the proper management of the church – “thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee” (Titus 1:5).
The apostolic instruction is that the appointment of elders as church officers is vital to an orderly, well-managed church. The ordaining of elders is an imperative. It is on no account to be omitted. Paul’s admonition was that Titus would go through city by city and ordain a body of elders in each congregation (cf. 1 Timothy 3, where Paul also mentioned the appointment of deacons, who are to be assistants to the elders). The elders, then, are to rule and organise the church.
The basic biblical pattern for the proper organisation of a local church is that elders (plural in number) ought to be ordained from within the congregation, in accordance with the biblical requirements of abilities and standards of behaviour. This is corroborated by Acts 14:23 – “And when they (Paul and Barnabas) had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”
Elders ought to be men of sound moral and spiritual character. Their qualifications are plainly laid down in the Word of God, as attested to by Titus 1:6-9, “(being) blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
A similar requirement of conduct is also given in I Timothy 3:2-7. “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
The passages quoted above lay special emphasis upon high morals and sound spiritual abilities and character. So, every man who is considered for the office of eldership ought to be blameless in life and steadfast in the faith. He should be a man of wisdom and discretion. Neither riches nor wealth nor social position can qualify a man to be a ruler in God’s house. Holiness must characterise his pursuit of life so that he may be an example to the flock. Devotion to God – piety – should characterise every ruling elder. He must be a godly, spiritually-minded man. His piety is the measure of his strength. All his duties require godliness, and without it, all his skills and capabilities are of little use in the government of the church. If he is truly godly, then he will truly influence the church for the glory of God. It is the godly influence of the elders that direct the proper conduct of the church.
Though piety is indispensable, it is not the only qualification. Not every church member who is devout is qualified to be an elder of the church. A candidate to the office of eldership must also be a man of intelligence, practical wisdom, experience, and administrative capacity. The best and wisest godly men in the congregation should be selected. From time to time, the board of elders will have to deal with matters of utmost gravity and also grapple with perplexing problems. In such situations, the ablest of minds and the most knowledgeable of men are to be found among the rulers of the church. Men who lack excellent mental capacity would not be able to handle such duties. While we thank God for capable men whom God has given to us, let us also pray for more competent men for the eldership.
The apostle also insisted that an elder should be “apt to teach”. This is not necessarily a reference to public and official instruction, for ruling elders are not those who are called to labour in the Word as teaching elders (cf. 1 Timothy 5:17). There must be, however, the ability to communicate and defend sound doctrines of the Bible. Elders must take every opportunity available to them to increase in the knowledge of God’s Word. They should be diligent and faithful students of God’s Word so that they may teach in the Bible class, and guide worshippers and inquirers in the wisdom of God’s Word. The role of elders is of vast importance in preventing the church from departing from the truth of God’s Word and defending the church against errors of all kinds that will creep in through false teachers. So, the apostle Paul instructed the Ephesian elders, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
In order to implement the biblical requirements for elders, our church constitution states, “The office of Elders shall be borne by spiritually matured and God-fearing men (1 Timothy 3:1-7) and a nominee for election to the office of an Elder shall be a man of not less than six years’ Christian leadership service in the Church or like-minded Church, save that the BOE may in its absolute discretion, shorten the qualifying period.”
Thus, the candidates for election to the BOE must thereby be such spiritual men who “shall satisfy the requirements listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-11. In addition, to ensure better objectivity in selection, they shall fulfil the following conditions:
God willing, I will address the topic of the ruling elders more next week.
Pastor’s note: Many among us remember Bro. Jumar Balicao from the Philippines, who worshipped with us while he was working in Singapore. (His brother Juffrey, together with his wife Nydel, are active members of our church). Jumar and his wife, Olive, have been joining our GYAF online meetings and other online activities regularly. They had earlier shared with great joy that Olive was expecting their first child. However, last Thursday, Sis Olive experienced an emergency medical situation, and their “6-month” baby girl (Ann Lois) was born prematurely on the way to hospital. Though the baby was taken to another hospital for neonatal care and kept in an incubator, it pleased the Lord to call the baby home on Saturday morning. The burial of Anna Lois Balicao was held on Monday by Pr Donald dela Cruz, our missionary in Pangasinan, the Philippines.
Like Jumar and Olive, some others among us also have gone through similar grief of losing their babies prematurely because of failed pregnancies. Experiencing a miscarriage is very hurting for the parents, and one of the hardest things in the world to handle. May the following email I received from Jumar and Olive help those of us who might face such grief, to know that the LORD will comfort and strengthen you too.
Dear Pastor Koshy,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord!
Matthew 5:4 tells us, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
The grief we felt was hurting us deeply for the past few days. We put the body of baby Anna Lois in the grave last Monday, with great comfort in knowing that Anna is in heaven enjoying God's presence.
It has been really hard, but our loving God wants us to go to Him to find rest and comfort in Him. Indeed, I have drawn my strength in God as I continue to lead and comfort my wife during these hard and trying times. In such a sorrowful event like this, we witnessed the importance of how our amazing God has designed the God-given roles of each member of the family, especially the role of a godly father as the leader / head of the family.
We continually praise God as we reminisce now His goodness, providence, and mercy unto us. He never lacks in providing us, no matter how small or big it may be. The fellowship of the saints gave us much comfort, even if we are all physically apart. Those brothers and sisters who included us in their prayers, and even those who recorded their sweet singing of hymns, comforted our souls. We thank the Lord for blessing us with godly brethren in the midst of this trying time. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
Thank you, Pastor, for your comforting words, as well as always keeping us in your prayers. We are now both rejoicing in the Lord as Job did, when he said, "the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21b).
We thank God also for the comforting words of the Lord from 365 Daily Exhortations from God's Word, which came in very timely: "Believers’ afflictions are not indicative of the lack of God’s ‘goodness and mercy’. God may have allowed those dark experiences to serve as a means of chastisement or purification process in believers’ lives. At the same time, He will sustain them with His ‘goodness and mercy’, and help them to emerge from their trials with greater confidence in God" (cf. Psalm 23:6a).
Praise be unto God.
Love in Christ,
Jumar and Olive
“Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” (2 Thessalonians 2:17).
This is a portion of Paul’s prayer for the believers in Thessalonica who were in the midst of persecution and trials. Paul’s prayer, which began in the previous verse, reads: “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). God can give His people comfort amidst the greatest tribulation. As long as we have God to stand by us and the blessed hope of eternal life that His grace bestows in our hearts, all troubles will be counterbalanced. Our God is the “the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Since God is the source of all comfort, let us go to Him in prayer for it. Let us not expect men to provide it, though God may use His children to bring His comfort to us. If, by God’s grace, they be instrumental in God’s hands to comfort us, let us gladly accept it. However, we must ask God to send His comfort into our hearts.
It is important that we do not allow our troubled hearts to slip further into depression by thinking that there is no comfort for us. We must encourage our weary and sad hearts to hope in the Lord for our comfort. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5).
The apostle also prayed for the Lord to “stablish” suffering believers “in every good word and work”. The word “stablish” means make firm and steadfast. When God by His grace comforts our hearts, He will also strengthen us in “good word and work”. The expression “good word” refers to the truths of God’s Word, while the phrase “good... work” relates to the performance of all His good will concerning us in His service.
Trials often compel the hearts of believers to question and distrust the truths of God’s Word, and even to refrain from serving and praising God. However, those who wait upon the Lord for their consolation shall receive His aid to grow in faith and in understanding of His Word, and thereby offer themselves in greater service to the Lord. We may find ourselves being shaken by our trials, but let us seek His strengthening grace in prayer. As Paul assured the believers later in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
Sermon Text: Galatians 5:2–6
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 10th October 2021
Sermon Text: Galatians 4:21–5:1
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 3rd October 2021
Herein is the last portion of the article based on Jeremiah 23, calling the church to stand up and be counted as “the pillar and ground of the truth”.
In the next 2 verses, we note how intensely God expressed His anger to the unfaithful prophets and people: “Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” (vv. 19-20). Indeed, who could withstand such fury of the LORD? Before such consuming wrath, we can only plead, “O Lord, have mercy, hide Thy face against our sins.” The LORD again reiterated His strong displeasure of the prophets of Israel in verse 21, “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.” The LORD was upset with the prophets for taking the office without being called and appointed by Him, hence His damning denunciation: “I have not sent these prophets”!
A similar phenomenon of an increasing number of false teachers and pastors is seen in Christendom today. Is there a preacher or missionary in this conference who is not sent by God? Is there a preacher who has come by his own will? Is there one sent by the devil? Is there a man here who is considering the office of the church without having a clear calling from the LORD? You might think me to be uncharitable, ill-natured and hurtful in raising these questions. But recall how Jeremiah had to proclaim the LORD’s scathing pronouncement that “I have not sent these prophets”. It was Jeremiah versus the entire association of prophets! It is imperative for all of us to understand that a divine call is indispensable to be a preacher of God’s Word. God must first beckon him, equip him with the necessary gifts and qualities, and then train him in His Word to be a preacher. No one should try to become a preacher, without the LORD’s clear appointment. No one can say, “Trust me, I am confident that I will make it.”
One who is called by the LORD will not only have an inner conviction of God’s call, but also the external evidence of spiritual qualities (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:7-9) and the necessary spiritual gifts (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6). Bible colleges cannot make one a preacher. Rather, Bible colleges can only aid those who are called to gain knowledge through godly and faithful teachers. In this respect, pastors are to be careful not to lay hands upon a man who has not proven his calling. “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22), so wrote Paul to Timothy. I dread the possibility of unwittingly ordaining a person whom God didn’t ordain. Beware of men who rush to become pastors, men who quickly want to put on the “clergy cloak”, even though there is little to prove that they are called. None should pretend that he is called.
Dear Gethsemane churches, let us not delight in the number of preachers we have, but pray that they are called and equipped by God. I would ask all the preachers and missionaries present, to examine whether they are truly in the ministry in obedience to God’s call. Is it because the Lord has called you that you are a preacher? Is your heart led by the Spirit? Or is it your own carnal and materialistic thoughts that teach you what to do? If your heart is not guided by the Blessed Spirit and Truth, you had better step down from your post. Let us also pray that God will prevent us from ordaining a man who is not called by Him. May our “sweat and blood” not go into supporting a man who is not called by God. Do not rush to ordain men into the ministry. Your heart will be broken, and you will be dragged into places and situations that you should never be in. Pretentious, ungodly men cannot lead you into righteousness and truth. They will corrupt you; you will then cry and weep, and howl in great misery. May God be merciful to protect our churches. Let His Word defend us!
My dear friends, let me tell you how we become defenders of God’s Word. When we allow God’s Word to defend us, we naturally become the defenders of its truth. We are not supposed to fight the battle with fleshly means; we fight the battle with the spiritual armour God has given. You do not go up to God and say, “Count on me God, here I am. Look at my strength; look at my intellectual ability. Why don’t you enlist me?” “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). If God has not called you, if God has not given you the armour, if God has not equipped you with skill and ability, how can you defend God’s Word? Unless we let God’s Word defend us, we cannot be defenders of God’s Word. May God save us from the folly of human pride that assumes that we are capable of defending His Word by our own human devices and wisdom! If Gethsemane is ever to be a church that defends God’s Word, then her preachers must be moulded by the truth of His Word, and hence unreservedly yield to it.
Likewise, worshippers and church members must also live according to His Word. In this respect, be watchful! Analyse what you hear in the church, whether it is of God. Many false prophets have gone out! 1 John 4:1 admonishes us, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God”. Having heard from one of our conference preachers about an American pastor caught in an adulterous relationship after being in the ministry for twenty years (how tragic!), we can never let our guard down. Anyone who disobeys the Word and does evil is not a defender of God’s Word. By acting against its counsels and living a compromised life of worldliness, he has instead ridiculed and maligned it, and “thrown it away” for the world. “But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings” (Jeremiah 23:22). It is the duty of the church – even every Christian’s duty – to make sure that the preacher is following God’s Word. This cannot be assumed.
O, may Gethsemane churches arise; repent of our unbelief and disobedience; and pray: “LORD, I am prone to wander. O LORD, defend me, deliver me.” May God defend us, that we may be defenders of His holy name and His truth. Defenders of God’s Word are those who stay under its truths, trusting everything it says and appropriating all its counsels by faith and obedience. They believe, preach and affirm it; they do not question it.
Finally, we do well to remember Paul’s reason in giving Timothy advice on the orderly governing and conduct in the local church: “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Blessed be His name! We are not the church of any heathen statue or idol; we are the church of the living God. Just how do we prove that? By being the pillar and ground of the truth! The church ought to show the world the magnificence of God’s Truth by yielding to its authority. God’s Truth rules over us as we submit to its counsels. We in turn, like a pillar, hold up the Truth. In so doing, we are deemed to be defending God’s Word.
In the previous two weeks’ pastoral exhortation, we saw from Jeremiah 23 how those who profess to be God’s people could become miserable custodians of God’s truth and glory. From this account of Israel’s wretched failure to be keepers of God’s Word, we continue to draw more lessons on how we ought to conduct ourselves as “the pillar and ground of the truth”.
In verse 18, the Lord probed the Israelites with these searching questions: “For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?” What an incriminating interrogation! The Lord was challenging the Israelites to prove to Him if they had firmly followed His counsel. But they had exhibited nothing whatsoever to show their unwavering commitment to His counsels.
Those questions will not go down well with churchgoers of our time. They would retort, “Wait a minute! Do we not boldly confess that the Word of God is inspired, inerrant and infallible? Haven’t we affirmed that God has preserved His Word? If we haven’t, then who have stood in the counsel of the LORD? Why question us then? We stand for the Bible, and have perceived that it is His Word. We affirm that not even a jot or tittle shall pass away. Why ask us, ‘who hath marked his word, and heard it?’ Take a look at our Bibles – we have underlined His commandments and promises. We have taken down notes. Why mock us, even though we love His Word?” Similarly, one who is a preacher might say, “I have been trained in a biblical, reformed, fundamental Bible college. I am known as a preacher of God’s Word. I take pains to expound the Bible according to the historical, grammatical contexts of its passages.” Nevertheless, the LORD’s question needs to be answered – “who hath stood in His counsel”? Having heard and known God’s counsel, have you remained true to it?
To be honest, many of us in this congregation ought to mourn over our transgressions of His counsels – “O LORD, we heard your voice and yet we didn’t stand in Thy counsel. We have so often veered from Thy ways. You told us to watch and pray, but we had not obeyed, and had fallen into temptations. Against Thy instructions, we held on tightly to our possessions and refused to give in support of Thy work. You told us to go and evangelise, but we ignored Thy commission. You told us to be a pattern of godliness to Christians around us, but we stubbornly walked in the ways of the world. You asked us to separate from ungodly relationships, but we still continued in them.”
Have you stood in the counsel of the LORD? Have you marked His Word? God is not asking if you have underlined certain verses in your Bible, but rather if you have kept and not forgotten His Word to you. If you were all required to stand up and declare truthfully whether you have kept your pledges made upon your joining the church, what would you say? I daresay hardly anyone among us would be able to say, “I have marked all His words and kept them all.” We have not marked or obeyed all His words. We have not kept our pledges made in accordance to His will concerning us. We have previously said, perhaps with great fervour, in response to His Word: ‘LORD, this will we do.’ So today, God searches our hearts with His piercing questions, “Did you stand in My counsel? Did you mark My Word? Will you defend My Word with your life?”
Kelvin Lim
Gethsemane Children’s Ministry (GCM) thank God for the opportunity to organise a Gospel meeting on the 4th September 2021 at the Gethsemane Media Centre. The Lord has helped GCM to reach out to children, both within and without our church, to come together as instructed by the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not” (Mark 10:14b).
Truly, the Lord is good! Since the Circuit Breaker last year, there has not been a physical gathering of children on a Saturday to learn or hear God’s Word. May this be the start of many gatherings of children on Saturdays for the sowing of Gospel seed among the little ones, and to establish the faith of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ!
Secondly, GCM is thankful to the Lord for this opportunity to minister the wonderful Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to children within our church, and their friends. We have a total of 29 children, among whom 6 were friends from outside: Dorcas Choy (8 years old), and her brother, Daniel (11), Michelle (8), Ethan (12), Philip (10), and Amber (4). May the Lord be gracious to use the Word preached for the salvation of souls among the children and even the unbelieving parents of our little friends. Next, we are also thankful to the Lord for parents who brought their children to hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and for children who invited their friends to this event.
Thirdly, GCM is thankful to the Lord for modern technology. Due to the current restrictions of Covid-19 safe management measures, live singing is not allowed. As such, Bro. Elvin led the singspiration session from home via Google Meet, which was broadcast through the PA system in the seminar room at GMC. Technology also played a part during the activity time (conducted by Sis. Abigail) when the children were taught to make a wordless bookmark.
Finally, GCM thank the Lord for the Word! Pastor Koshy preached on “Jesus, the Prince of Peace” (from John 14:27) to both the children and adults. Indeed, only the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, can give peace as the pandemic sweeps through the world causing anxiety and fear among the people. The world cannot calm nor assure troubled hearts, but the Word is able. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, “and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Sermon Text: Galatians 4:12–20
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 26th September 2021
Sermon Text: Galatians 4:8–11
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 19th September 2021
The record of Jeremiah 23 demonstrates to us how those who profess to be God’s people can become miserable custodians of God’s truth and glory. From this account of Israel’s wretched failure to be keepers of God’s Word, we can draw some precious lessons on how we ought to conduct ourselves as “the pillar and ground of the truth”.
Notice how vexed the LORD was when he spoke the words in Jeremiah 23, because the house of Israel and its prophets have failed to remain faithful to God’s Word. His prophet Jeremiah said, “Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness. For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD” (vv. 9-11).
Surely, the disobedient and unfaithful men in the church cannot be defenders of God’s Word. When we do not give ourselves to knowing and obeying His Word, we dishonour the majesty of His Word. Indifferent and disobedient churchgoers are actually troublemakers in God’s house. They become agents of the enemy of God in His house. By their disobedient conduct, they promote disorderliness, unholiness and defiance in the church.
My dear friends, I will not neglect to put you in remembrance of the church’s duty to hold up God’s Word by her faith and obedience; that is how the church ought to defend it. We do not have to do anything extraordinary to defend His Word. Just believe all that His Word says and do all that it commands. When the LORD in His Word says to the preacher to rebuke the people’s sins, he should do just that. When the LORD says, “Lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us”, you should just obey His Word to you! When His Word commands you to stop loving the world, or beware of loving your parents, spouse, children or siblings more than the LORD, you should readily obey it. If, through His Word, the LORD calls you to give up your life’s career to be a preacher, pastor, missionary or a full-time church worker, you must yield immediately to it. If you have done as the Word of God commands you to, then you have defended God’s Word by your life.
When you hear the LORD’s voice and respond to it as the majestic Word of God, you have allowed His glory to shine through you. Thus, you become a faithful servant of God who gives of himself to do what He requires. On the other hand, if you do not align yourself with God’s Word, you are not a defender. You may teach apologetics or theology, and you may even be a theologian or a polemical writer of Christian articles yourself, but if you are disobedient to His Word, you will never be its defender.
Further note some mind-boggling indictments that the LORD has uttered through Jeremiah. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you” (Jeremiah 27:16a). Why would God tell the people not to listen to their prophets? Because “they prophesy a lie unto you” (Jeremiah 27:16b). Moreover, according to verse 16, “they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.” Everyone who speaks out of his own heart and disregards the truth God has revealed, is a “corruptor” of God’s Word. He is a deceiver of God’s people, certainly not a defender of God’s truth, for he gives credence to his own thoughts over God’s thoughts.
The pulpit is not a place for anyone to show off how clever he is, how smart he is, or how witty he is. This is God’s platform; this is a sanctified place! Too many preachers often desecrate this hallowed place by their self-asserting, self-promoting words, which detract from the truths of God’s Word. They are engrossed in showing off their own intellect and self-righteousness, and in asserting their personal authority. They use the LORD’s name, His church and even His Word for their despicable self-aggrandizement. Such men are abusers of holy things, even His Word and the church. They are not defenders, but defilers of God’s Word.
I readily confess my fear that we who are preachers, if not watchful, tend to serve our minds rather than the will of God. When our preaching becomes a showmanship of our intellectual abilities and oratorical skills, we pervert God’s glorious truth. God forbid that we preach to promote ourselves! Our hearts must love God’s truth. We must give all glory, honour and praise to Him. Let every preacher pray that he will not stand in the pride of his intelligence, but utter the words of God accurately in humble obedience, without distorting them. That is the way we defend God’s Word. We must cease from prideful human intelligence if ever we were to be defenders of God’s Word. So let every preacher pray, “O LORD, teach me and make me to know what Thou hast spoken in Thy Word, and let me only declare that which Thou hast revealed in Thy Word.”
In verse 17, we notice that the LORD was angry with the prophets of Judah because they didn’t defend the righteousness and judgment of God’s Word by preaching against the evildoers: “They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.” They would say to those who were walking wickedly, “God’s peace be with you”! Instead of rebuking them and proclaiming God’s judgment against their sins, they cheered them on by assuring them that no evil would befall them. God detested those pastors of Israel who spoke words of peace to evildoers.
Because of the prophets’ and priests’ tolerance of wickedness among the people, the LORD had earlier severely censured them: “For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD… I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah” (vv. 11, 14). Those religious leaders were men-pleasers rather than God-pleasers. They craved the support of worldly men over God and His righteousness. They permitted and promoted carnal pleasures among men in place of God’s truth, righteousness and judgment. In direct defiance against the Lord’s clear message, they would rather not upset the hearts of the wicked ones among the Israelites!
Jeremiah’s time reminds us of our woeful situation today. Preachers and pastors are increasingly hesitant to rebuke the worldliness and ungodliness in the church. Though many preachers deliver excellent expository sermons with eloquence, scarcely any applies the truth of God’s Word to the lives of the people in order to confront and convict them of their sins. Preachers’ hesitation to rebuke sin has sadly resulted in the worsening moral condition of the churches of our time. As few men on the pulpit today rebuke sin and exhort people to a modest, chaste and holy life, should we be surprised that evil men and seducers wax worse and worse, even in churches? Increasingly, we see churches turning into entertainment centres or academic forums, rather than places of transformation of sinful men unto the LORD’s glory.
It is utterly important that in our churches, we are committed to urge one another unto purity of life through the obedience of God’s Word. If we develop an accepting attitude towards those living wickedly among us, by rationalising thus: “O let us not make a fuss about it. After all, you know, people are prone to err”, we despise and defy the glory of His Word that demands repentance from evil ways and consecration towards godly living. Do not forget, God hated the prophets for despising His truth when they refused to reprimand the wickedness of Israel. By not insisting on Scripture’s demand for personal holiness, they poured contempt on its holy commands. They thus failed to defend the demands of Scripture. The preacher’s hesitation and refusal to denounce sin is a direct challenge to the authority and wisdom of God’s Word.
If we are ever going to be defenders of God’s Word, let every man, who is the head of the family, nurture his family according to God’s Word. Let him also pray, “O LORD, sanctify us by Thy Word. Sanctify me, sanctify my wife, sanctify my daughter and my son.” Let every man, every family and every church wield God’s sword to fight off every sin. Let every preacher, every elder, every man and woman, every youth and every child in the church resolve to fight off sin according to His Word. Nothing glorifies God and His Word more than our willingness to battle against sin and falsehood.