If We Had But One Sermon To Hear
It has well been said that preachers, as dying men, preach to dying men. Some people heard their last sermon last Sunday. Others will hear their last sermon this week. If we knew that we had one sermon to hear, what would we like that sermon to be?
1. We should not want it to be a sermon to sooth our itching ears, because this is not soul saving preaching. This kind consists of fables, but not the WORD which will save our souls (2 Timothy 4:1-4). The idea of everybody is all right, take your choice, or do what you think is right, is not the preaching of the apostles.
2. We should not want to hear a dramatic lesson with theatrical effects to stir our emotions, but have nothing for our intellect. The great swelling words of vanity are characteristic of false teachers, but are really clouds without water (Jude 12-13).
3. We should want clear and plain preaching of the gospel without any effort made to spare our feelings, but which will clearly show us our duty to the Lord. This preaching should include the plan of salvation as found in the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:46-47). This preaching should rebuke sin and compliment righteousness.
4. We should want Christ exalted as Savior and Lord. This twofold teaching is what causes people to escape the pollutions of the world (2 Peter 2:20). We should want to be challenged to receive Christ as Lord and to walk in Him (Colossians 2:6).
5. We should want to be challenged by this last sermon to greater love (John 13:34-35); greater works (1 Corinthians 15:58); closer prayer life (1 Thessalonians 5:17); more meaningful worship (John 4:24); and to lead a dedicated life of purity (James 1:26-27).
6. We should want our shortcomings to be rebuked and our sins brought out so we would see the need for repentance (Numbers 32:23; Luke 12:2; 13:3, 5). We should want exposed the things that are contrary to the will of God, such as the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). God holds us responsible if we do these things.
7. We should want all religious error exposed so we would not be guilty of practicing it. We should want Paul's statement that if another gospel is preached than that which he had preached, then let it be accursed (Galatians 1:8). The idea of "faith only" saving someone should be shown by James 2:17-26 to be false. The doctrine of "praying through" should be shown by Matthew 7:21-23 to be false. Any other false way must be exposed in the searchlight of the word of God.
8. We should want chapter and verse preaching from the word of God. Peter's sermon on Pentecost day had quotations from Joel 2:28-32; Psalm 16:8-11; 101:1; and 2 Samuel 7:11-12 (Acts 2:14-36). Every sermon preached by an apostle or one the apostles laid their hands on, was choked full of scriptures. They showed that the New Testament was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. They gave an authoritative gospel because they were inspired and they proved beyond a shadow of doubt what they said by the scriptures. The only authoritative preaching today is the unbiased preaching of the Word of God.
9. We should want that last sermon to have a tender appeal to obey the Lord. As Paul stated, "Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men" (2 Corinthians 5:11). On Pentecost day, Peter answered their inquiry with "repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). Then He with many other words testified and exhorted them to save themselves from that untoward (crooked) generation (Acts 2:40). The Lord instructs his servants to go out into the highways and hedges, and compel men to come in (Luke 14:23). The closing chapter of the Bible states, "And the Spirit and the bride say, come. And let him that heareth say, come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).
In short, if we had but one sermon to hear, we would want that sermon to include, TRUTH, the WHOLE TRUTH, and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.
From Our Archives, 1988
By: Clifford Dixon