Ministry of Self Preservation

I have a startling message to bring before you today, friends, and it is startling because it goes against popular preaching. Popular preaching has a topical message of self-empowerment on your way to heaven. But when I read my Bible and the Book of Acts, I see men of God preaching the Word of God in direct antithesis to our brand of popular preaching today.

My text can be found in the Book of Acts in chapter 7. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 51 and following. The title of my message today is A Ministry of Self-Preservation.

The backdrop of our story today, friends, stands out like a brilliant diamond against black velvet. Stephen is described in Acts 6, 8. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. This stirs the Jewish religious leaders, gets them angry at him, and they arrest him under false pretenses.

In chapter 7, we see Stephen's defense before the Sanhedrin. I wouldn't be surprised to learn if a few Baptist preachers weren't part of that council as well. Anyhow, Stephen then preaches one of the longest sermons found in Scripture, and it's jam-packed with excitement as he is loaded for bear, and he slowly builds momentum in his message with the history of the Jews, with the call of Abraham, and then he talks about Joseph and Jacob and Moses and the history of Moses and the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt by way of the Red Sea.

And then he talks about the golden calf and reminds us hearers of the idolatry of Israel and their stubbornness of heart. And by the time we get to our text today in verses 51 and following, he then points both barrels at them and peppers his crowd with the unvarnished truth of God spoken with the authority of God, and it's too much for them to handle, so they go into a devilish rage. Graham Scroggie had this to say of Stephen, Stephen's day of ministry had scarcely begun when it was violently ended, but the greatness of one's life must not be looked for in length of days.

Stephen means crown, and early did he receive his. Well, let me read us this striking passage of Scripture, friends, picking up in verse 51 where Stephen rebukes the unbelief of the Jews. Here now is the word of God, and may his spirit bless the reading of his holy word.

Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before of the common of the just one, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers. Let me pause here, friends, to say, notice how this preacher in our story doesn't hesitate to rebuke sin in a sermon.

He then calls them out for their lawlessness and despising the law of God, who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on them with their teeth. I believe any preacher of the cross will face bitter opposition and persecution.

When I read about George Whitefield, they peppered his preaching with rotten eggs and threw pieces of dead cats at him. Charles Wesley said of his brother John that he was dragged through a village by an angry mob by his hair, and it was by God's grace and his brother's shortness that heavy stones missed his head. John the Baptist put his finger on the sin of Herod, and it cost him his head.

But we don't preach like that today, because we are too much into self-preservation. Hence the title of my message today, friends. Well, Stephen kept his eyes on Jesus the whole time he was preaching, and was seeing verses 55 and 56.

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Let me pause here, friends, to say, Jesus was standing because he had to get up to go receive him into heaven. For we see in verses 57 and 58 the results of his sermon.

Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. We will pick up the Apostle Paul at another time, friends, and see how God turned his life right side up.

But for now, I want us to see several aspects from our message today, regarding my subject of a ministry of self-preservation. I guess somewhere down the line, pastors got used to a settled ministry that developed into something that was never meant to. We got used to our 401ks and financial security being over a big church.

I've known pastors who, their churches, put them in million-dollar homes, and gave them country club membership, and paid to have their kids go to the best schools. Now, before I go further, I must admit that most pastors don't have it that good. Most are underpaid and overworked individuals because they have to keep two jobs just to pay the rent, as most preachers are bivocational, at least among Baptists, that's the case.

Now, that still doesn't excuse any of us from not preaching the unvarnished truths of the gospel, but many today still are hesitant to do so because of a ministry of self-preservation. I will describe this in the negative by listing what we refuse to preach. A ministry of self-preservation will, number one, not rebuke sin.

Number two, a ministry of self-preservation will not warn of a future judgment that awaits all mankind where a day reckoning will be made before the judge of all the earth. Number three, a ministry of self-preservation will not speak of the terrors of damnation in a burning hell that rages for all eternity for all of those who die outside of Christ's blood. Number four, a ministry of self-preservation will not warn man of their duty of repentance and inform them that unless they repent they will bust hell wide open when to die.

When I first moved to Florida, I visited the head of my denomination in regard to missions and let him know of my availability to preach in the churches in the area that needed pulpit supply or wanted to have revival. He's never taken me up on it, and he doesn't even return my calls because most nice church people don't like to hear disturbing messages. It may bring out the malice in some of them, and we couldn't have that.

The state of the church today as it stands mainly is in a ministry of self-preservation, and it reminds me of a story that Sam Jones always told. If you're not familiar with Sam Jones, friends, let me give you a brief on him. I have walked through his stately home in Cordersville, Georgia, which was built for him by the citizens of Nashville for turning that city upside down in revival under his mighty preaching against sin where at least ten thousand souls were saved.

One of the biggest sinners there was a riverboat captain who was all over the liquor trade on the steam ships in that area. His name was Ryman, and he was converted under Sam Jones's preaching, and after he had his employees pour out all the booze he kept on his fleets of ships into the river, he built an auditorium to hold Sam Jones's preaching. It's been used in modern times as the Ryman Auditorium for the Grand Old Opry.

It was said of Sam Jones that some who resisted his ministry ended up dying through sudden death. Sam Jones always faced opposition in the towns where he preached. When I was walking through his home in Cordersville, Georgia, I saw a placard used to advertise his preaching in a certain city, and someone had scrawled over his face the words Hang Him.

You can go see it there today, friends, if you don't believe me. It's in one of the hallways. He was hotly persecuted as a preacher, and one day while he was at the train station, a man beat him about the face with his cane when he found out it was Sam Jones.

I reckon most of us would rather avoid such unpleasantness so we don't necessarily not preach the gospel, but it is in what we refuse to preach wherein lies the problem. If we don't preach against sin by rebuking it, how can the Holy Spirit bring conviction to our hearers for sin? If we fail to warn men and women and boys and girls about a future judgment and a burning hell, then we shouldn't be surprised if a good portion of our congregations end up going there. If we omit the necessity of repentance and salvation and preach only a only-believed gospel, then we shouldn't be surprised either when the members of our churches who remained unconverted because they never exercised repentance toward God for forgiveness of sin then go on to die in their sins beyond the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

This is a serious matter, friends, because many today have traded a penetrating ministry for one that is more acceptable. It's our self-preservation that stands in our way, that stands in the way of our people hearing what they need to hear to save their souls, and our self-preservation stands in the way of what God wants to do among us but cannot because we have blocked him. I believe Jesus couldn't do much in some villages and towns because of their unbelief.

I believe that's scriptural, but let me tell you that story, friends, about Sam Jones and then I will let you go, but it sums up our subject today perfectly about a ministry of self-preservation, and here are his words. I knew a pastor who, upon taking charge of his church, was met by a delegation of the deacons previous to delivering his inaugural sermon. They said, Now, brother, you mustn't preach about fashion because our fashionable members will be out to hear you.

You mustn't preach about dram drinking or liquor selling because several of our members who are liquor sellers will be out to hear you. You mustn't preach about covetousness because several of our millionaire members will be out to hear you. Oh, well, what can I preach about, he asked in great perplexity, about the Mormons, replied the good deacons.

Give them blazes. There won't be a Mormon to hear you.