Psalm of the Day: Psalm 47
Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 27:1-14
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:33-44
We ought to notice, lastly, in these verses the declaration of our Lord as to one of the objects of His coming into the world. We read that He said, "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, for that is why I was sent." An expression like this ought to silence forever the foolish remarks that are sometimes made against preaching. The mere fact that the eternal Son of God undertook the office of a preacher should satisfy us that preaching is one of the most valuable means of grace. To speak of preaching, as some do, as a thing of less importance than reading public prayers or administering the [ordinances] is, to say the least, to exhibit ignorance of Scripture. It is a striking circumstance in our Lord's history, that although He was almost incessantly preaching we never read of His baptizing any person. The witness of John is distinct on this point "Jesus Himself did not baptize." (John 4:2)
Let us beware of despising preaching. In every age of the Church preaching has been God's principal instrument for the awakening of sinners and the edifying of saints. The days when there has been little or no preaching have been days when there has been little or no good done in the Church. Let us hear sermons in a prayerful and reverent frame of mind and remember that they are the principal engines which Christ Himself employed, when He was upon earth. Not least, let us pray daily for a continual supply of faithful preachers of God's Word. According to the state of the pulpit will always be the state of a congregation and of a Church.
1 Corinthians 1:21 - For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, help me to cherish the preaching of your Word.
Action Plan: How did the sermon preached at my church last Sunday change me and conform me in into the image of Christ? If there is little to no fruit, whose fault is that and how can it be resolved?
This devotional was taken from The Gospel of Luke by J.C. Ryle published in 1858
and adapted by Pastor Tim Lewis of New England Shores Baptist Church.
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