02.08. Preaching, a Saving Ordinance in the Christian Life
08. Preaching, a Saving Ordinance in the Christian Life
How is it that the Word of God is read for weeks and months together, with so little profit? How is it that it is often preached with great ability, and with much earnestness — and yet it never gets beyond the outward ear of some who sit and listen to it? The truth is, there are many hearts which the Word of God has never yet effectually reached. A person may hear sermons with much attention; he may thoroughly understand what he hears, and store it up in his memory — but if God’s Word goes no farther than this, it will not be a saving word to his soul. If the Holy Spirit does not apply it to his conscience, very little good will be done.
Now James, speaking of the Gospel, calls it, ’the engrafted word.’ He uses this striking expression to show that it must not only be preached to us; it must not only be sounded in our ears; it must not only be listened to with gladness — but it must work its way into our hearts. ’Receive,’ he says, ’the engrafted word.’ ’Receive it,’ as you would a friend who is welcome to your house. You would not bid him stand at the door without. You would let him in, and give him a choice place by your hearth. ’Receive it,’ as you would some remedy which was able to save your life. Surely you would not place the bottle by your bedside, and merely gaze upon it. You would eagerly drink its contents, as that which was likely to cure you.
’The engrafted word!’ What is the process with a graft? It is not enough to take the slip and fasten it on the tree; but we must cut it into the tree, or else it will take no effect. Just so must the Word of God enter it — it must get below the surface, and touch the very heart. Thus David says, ’The entrance of your words gives wisdom,’ and again, ’Your word have I hid in mine heart.’ And Paul thus exhorts us, ’Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’ — let it not only float in your imagination — but enter your heart, and lodge deep in your soul. But this expression seems to teach us something further. It teaches us that God’s Word has a life-giving power — it must live within us. Should we be content to see the graft fixed ever so firmly in the tree? No, it must live and grow there, and produce a better and more abundant crop of fruit. And so too must it be with God’s Word. It must be a living word within us. It must work a mighty change there. Its power must be felt within. Have you thus received the Word? You have heard it again and again. It may be, you have listened to it with deep attention. You have been struck by it. Perhaps the Preacher’s words have made you thoughtful for the moment. You have gone home with deep searchings of heart. You have had a glimpse, as it were, of the world to come. You have been forced to look into your own heart. You have seen it to be very sinful, and you have felt your pressing need of a Savior. But have you received the Word? Have you heartily welcomed it to your soul? If it is indeed grafted by the Master’s hand — then you will know it by this token — it will be fruitful; it will spring up.
It does indeed make one sad to think on how few hearts the Word of God takes real and saving effect! How many listen and listen — and yet come short of being converted! Some seed falls by the way-side — and it is soon snatched away. Some falls, as we imagine, into welcome ears — but it takes no root. And some too is quickly choked by the stifling business, and cares, and worry of the world. Thank God it does sometimes light upon a better soil — and there it sinks in, and grows, and brings forth fruit unto eternal life.
Take heed HOW you hear. It is not a light matter to listen to a sermon. That sermon may be for the saving or the condemning of your soul. Every sermon you hear is for eternity. And just as the stroke of the blacksmith’s hammer either makes the iron harder, or breaks it in pieces — so it is with the preached Gospel. Be sure, it never leaves anyone as it finds him. It either makes his heart tender — or it leaves him more hardened than before. It is either ’the savor of life unto life’ — or the ’savor of death,’ to his soul. But let us inquire how we should receive the Word. There is something that we must leave behind — and something that we must bring with us, to the hearing of God’s Word.
We must leave behind our PRIDE. The man who comes to church with a proud, self-satisfied spirit is pretty sure to get no good for his soul. It is ’the hungry’ whom God loves to fill with the good things of His Gospel; but ’the rich’ (those who imagine that they have need of nothing) ’He sends empty away.’ It has been well said that ’Only a broken heart can receive a crucified Christ!’ The WORLD too must be left behind. How many think of the world, and the world only, all the six days of the week. Ay, and even on the Sabbath morning, the world still occupies their thoughts and hearts. When the hour of service comes, they hurry off to the House of God; and then they find themselves but little disposed for Prayer, and ill prepared to listen to the Word. And what wonder is it that it should be so? The world has been allowed to have full sway over them — is it to be expected then that they should be able in a moment to put it aside at their bidding? No, it still hovers around them. It clings to them, and they cannot shake it off. It creeps in as their companion in the very House of God! It stands by them, when they are upon their knees. It fills their minds, when they would be thinking of God. It blocks up the door of their hearts, lest the good seed should enter in. The minister of Christ speaks words of solemn consequence — but the heart is too full of earthly cares, and plans, and pleasures, to receive them. Like the inn at Bethlehem, there is no room there to welcome Christ. Yes, the world must be left behind, if we would profit by God’s ordinance. And there is yet another thing, too, that must be laid aside — and that is, SIN. In the words, which I just now quoted, James speaks of ’laying apart all moral filth and evil,’ and then, he says, ’Receive the engrafted word.’ The heart must be cleared out and emptied — before God’s truth can lodge within us.
Ah, here is the secret reason why so many are moved by sermons, and are yet unchanged by them; why so many are fully convinced, and yet remain unconverted. They feel persuaded that sin is ruining their souls, and that Christ alone can make them happy; that if they would only give their whole hearts to Him, they would feel a joy which they have hitherto missed. And yet they do not close with Christ. And why? Because they love their sins better! You will find perhaps hereafter that there was some sin — some little sin — some secret, hidden, heart sin — which you would not give up; and that that sin kept you from Christ, and hindered you from entering His blessed kingdom!
Oh, if your conscience whispers, ’Alas! so it is with me!’ then I would affectionately urge you forthwith to part with that sin, whatever it may be, and however much it may cost you. Part with it, though it be dearer to you than a right hand or a right eye — or you must never hope to see God in glory. But there is not only something which must be laid aside — but also something that we must bring with us to the hearing of God’s truth. Here, again, we will take James’s words. The apostle says, ’Receive with meekness the engrafted word.’ A humble, meek, and teachable spirit is what we need. And this is the frame of mind that God will bless. God loves to teach the humble, child-like heart: ’The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way.’ Pride nips the tender bud — and no fruit is brought to perfection. If we go to the house of God to pass judgment on the sermon we hear, and to set up our own wisdom against God’s teaching — the I am sure that we shall hear in vain. But every true servant of God will come with a mind to obey. He only waits for a discovery of the truth, and then he will follow it. His language is like that of Job, ’What I see not — teach me.’ He is ready to say with Cornelius, ’We are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded by God.’
Whether you open your Bible at home, and sit down to read it, or whether you come to the house of God to listen to the preaching of it — be humble; for it is not man who speaks, but God. Remember your need of a heavenly Teacher. Put up a secret prayer to God, that He would clear away the mist from before you, and shine upon His own Word. Entreat the Holy Spirit to apply the truth to your heart, and to take of the things of Christ, and show them to you. Thus will those truths, which hitherto perhaps have been hidden from your soul — break in with new life, shedding peace and joy into your heart! But just consider, brethren, the wonderful power there is in God’s Word. It is ’able to save the soul’ — not merely to enlighten, to comfort, to quicken — but to save.
What! you may say, can God’s Word save? Is not this too much to declare? When received into the heart, and engrafted there by the hand of God — it has saved, and it does save. We do not mean that it has power in itself to save a soul — but that it is an instrument which God uses for this purpose. It is the hammer by which He breaks the rock in pieces, and then puts it together in His own best way. Neither do we mean that the Word saves a man in a moment — at once. Salvation is a work that must not only be begun — but carried on, in the heart of a child of God. He is not saved by a single sermon. His attention may be powerfully aroused, and he may be led to seek salvation in earnest. He may be set forward on the road that leads to Heaven. But he needs continual grace and teaching, before he safely reaches his journey’s end. But how does the Word do this? How does it save? It saves a man by first showing him that he is ruined by sin — that he is under the wrath of God, and that he cannot save himself. What a blessing when we have learned this lesson — when we stand stripped of our own righteousness, pleading guilty before God! Happy for us, if the Word of God has taught us this. It is one thing to acknowledge our guilt; but it is quite another thing to feel it — to feel sin as a burden weighing down our souls, that we long to get rid of!
Well, this is part of the teaching of God’s Word, when applied to the heart by the Spirit. It convinces of sin. It brings us to a standstill. It leads us to cry out with all earnestness, ’I am a sinful man! O God, be merciful to me.’ This is one stage of that blessed process by which the Word saves — it shows us our absolute need of a Savior.
But, thank God, we are not left there. This is only a part of the work, though a most important part; for, until the sick man is made conscious of his disease — he will care little for the physician. But the Gospel not only reveals to us our disease and our danger — but also our remedy. It says to the convinced and trembling sinner, ’Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ This is the glory of our message. This is the blessed errand on which we are sent to you — to tell you of God’s love — of Christ’s atonement — that the door of Heaven stands open to you. We beg you, in Christ’s stead, be reconciled to God.
Thus does the engrafted Word save. When it comes with quickening power to the soul . . .
it awakens men from their slumber;
it lays bare their hearts;
it shows them that they are undone;
it points to the cross;
it tells them of a Fountain in which they may wash and be clean;
and it tells them too of that indwelling Spirit, who can make them fit to dwell with God above.
How great are the triumphs of God’s Word! What did it effect on the day of Pentecost? And what has it effected since? Has there never been a time in our own experience, when we have felt sad and down-hearted? We have looked for comfort — and found it not. We have gone to our Bible, with a secret prayer, that God would give His blessing — and then He Himself has shone upon its pages! The dark, heavy cloud has passed away — and some bright ray from His everlasting truth has beamed in upon us with its cheering light; so that we have got up gladdened and rejoicing. And is there not many a one who owes all his happiness to the simple preaching of God’s truth? He was once careless and worldly — but he went to the Lord’s house, and there his attention was arrested, and his conscience pricked. He heard, he listened, he believed. He became a new man in Christ! Are we going too far then when we speak of this as the great instrument in God’s hands for saving souls? Oh, it is saving many, daily and hourly! May it save many more! May the words spoken from our pulpits never be spoken in vain! Shall we not, one and all, pray, and that earnestly — that God may be pleased to make His house a ’Bethesda,’ ’a house of mercy,’ to numbers who meet within its walls — a place where they may get light, and comfort, and peace to their souls — that God will pour out upon those who worship there ’the Spirit of grace and of supplications — and that He will give life and power to His own Word? Ask for this. Ask God to give to yourself and others what we so much need, the quickening, sanctifying, comforting influence of His grace.