Lecture #3 Preaching the Heart of Worship

(11) Why is preaching the heart of worship?

Answer #1 Because preaching is the means of grace.

Preaching as a means of grace must be put in the context of sin and grace. Man is born a dead sinner, Dead means dead, Ephesians 2:1. As a dead sinner, he cannot repent and believe. As a dead sinner, he is carnally minded, at enmity with God and will not repent and believe, Romans 8:7; I Cor. 2:14. To hear and believe by the gospel requires a work of grace.That work of grace, in the deepest sense, precedes the preaching of the gospel and is a regenerating work of grace below our conscious experience. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, ”John 3:3 It involves a spiritual resurrection of the dead soul of the sinner, Ephesians 2:1, 5; John 5:25. It involves giving the sinner eyes to see, ears to hear, and opening the heart that he might believe the point of Jesus’ miracles. One must be “of God,” that is, born of God, John 8:47; Matthew 11:25-27; John 6:37, 39, 40; Acts 16:14. It is the work, first of all, of Christ, the eternal Word, I Peter 1:23. It is a work which God is able to work in the heart of the smallest child. Psalm 22:10.

That work of grace God effectually and irresistibly calls into the conscious spiritual activity of saving faith in the elect, under the preaching of the gospel. II Timothy 1:9, 10; John 5:25; Colossians 1:13; I Peter 2:9 The result of that saving calling is that in the preaching of the gospel we hear Christ speaking to us, calling us as by name, John 10:4, 27 By that saving calling, Christ Himself brings us to Him, saving His lost sheep, John 10:16. The result is that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” preached. Romans 10:13-15, 17. That work of grace is grounded in election, John 6:65; Acts 13:48; Eph. 1:3-6; I Peter 2:3-7. It is that work of grace which God works in the hearts of elect children, Mark 10:13-14; I Timothy 3:15.

In harmony with that work of grace, the preaching of the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. Romans 1:16. There is a twofold effect of preaching. It saves the sheep of God out of mere grace, John 10:27. It leaves the wicked and unbelieving without excuse, Mark 4:11, 12; John 8:43. This twofold reality is God’s purpose. I Peter 2:7-9. This twofold reality is grounded in the eternal election of God’s sheep. John 10:25-29. Preaching, as a result, is a savor of both life and death. II Corinthians 2:15-16. By implication, faith is not man’s decision, but a work of grace rooted in God’s eternal decision. Matthew 11:25-27; John 6:65

Answer #2 Because by the preaching we have communion with God.

By that work of grace in the preaching of the gospel we hear Christ, and it is only by preaching that He is spiritually present in the worship of God. Preaching works this wonder: by it we hear and know the voice of our Savior, though the manner is by faith, through a work of the Spirit in our hearts. John 10:4, 27. Objectively, by the Word of God preached, and subjectively, by the power of the Spirit in our hearts, God speaks to us. He calls us unto faith. He feeds our faith in the Spirit, so that our faith grows, I Peter 2:2. To depart from that principle of preaching as a means of grace is to depart from the Word of God itself and to corrupt the worship of God.. We are commanded to preach. By Jesus, Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15 By the consistent calling of the church to preach the word, II Timothy 4:1, 2. God wills to work faith in no other way. Romans 10:13-15.

Implications: The introduction of substitutes for preaching such as plays, skits, and drama (all of which were found in pagan temples) and the modern versions of the same, including movies, etc. has no promise of God’s blessing nor did Christ command such things.. The personal witness of the believer is not a substitute for the preaching, but intended to bring men under it, John 4:27, 28, 39-41. Sending children out of worship, particularly from the preaching, is to take from them the Word of the gospel and forbid them to come to Christ, Mark 10:14. Preaching is also for the children, both in public worship and in regular catechism instruction, which is the preaching specifically directed to the lambs of the flock, John 21:15

To reduce the preaching to a superficial exercise, as brief as possible, is to work the spiritual starvation of God’s people. It is an evidence of God’s judgment upon unbelief. Amos 8:11. It is not the practice of Christ nor of the apostles, whose sermons were not short, something to be quickly gotten over with. Matthew 5-7; Mark 4:1, 34-35; Acts 2;Acts 20:7

The positive calling: That we continue regularly and attentively under the means of worship and preaching, not neglecting them, Hebrews 10:25. That our worship be reverent, sober, and orderly because God in Christ is present with us in the preaching.