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By April J. Buchanan | Religion Columnist

From the beginning to the end, all of Scripture displays the power, the glory, and the character of God. Scripture does not record sinless men who need no Savior; it records a perfectly holy, just, righteous God, fallen man and only One who is perfect and came to save sinners: Christ Jesus our Lord.

When God’s Word is not held in honor in the pulpit, men feel no fear of the God Scripture speaks of, therefore grace is not something they cry out for. “Oh God, I am undone. I am a wretch. Save me. I have no hope but You Lord.”

Men sit under such shallow preaching that sin doesn’t sound so bad because God is not declared Holy. They hear of a god that is just longing for them to let him in their hearts, not a God who commands them to Repent and Believe!

Pastors come to the pulpit claiming new revelation from God every week. Are we to believe that God doesn’t want His Word preached but rather the new message He is said to be giving? Is God inspiring men to preach something new because even He is tired of the same old message?

Did Paul tell Timothy to Preach the Word but a time is coming when men will grow weary of that Word and God will give them something new to preach because the Bible will lose its power? Therefore, people will heap up for themselves teachers who will tell them something new and encourage them to listen for God to give them downloads and fresh words to live by. Is that what Scripture says, or did Paul tell Timothy to Preach the Word and that there is a time coming when people will not endure sound doctrine but will heap up teachers who tell them what they want to hear? (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

It is less offensive to claim new revelation and “preach what is on one’s heart” than to open the Bible and Preach the Word.

Many professing Christians don’t know the God of which they claim to love because they don’t hear God’s Word preached; they hear messages that are inspired by the imaginations of man’s mind. That becomes the god they know and love.

Many professing Christians find the holiness, the wrath, and the justice of God offensive. They are ashamed of the Gospel and share a gospel that offends no one and saves no one.

The Gospel is not just for the lost, it is for Christians.

We need the WHOLE counsel of God not just a pastor’s favorite isolated verses. We need to hear God, therefore, we need to hear God’s Word opened and exposited every week.

A pulpit that does not preach the Word is both powerless and in disobedience.

Man-centered preaching or any sermon that is not Christ-centered, is a message wrapped in Biblical language but powerless to save and powerless to sanctify. God has invested His power in His Word.

Grace and Peace

Soli Deo Gloria