Most People Despise Bible Preaching
Jeremiah 26:8, "Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die."
There is much to be said about today's passage. Obviously, as a pastor, God has given me a command to preach His Word. 2 Timothy is one of the pastoral letters and 2 Timothy 4:2 says, "Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." Jeremiah as a prophet had been called by God, to preach His Word. So, he goes about his business of preaching what God commanded him to speak (26:2), and then the priests, the prophets and all the other people in the temple surrounded him and told him "Thou shalt surely die."
People are okay if what they hear is generic or pleasing, but when the preaching becomes personal and contrary to whom they are they withdraw or sometimes even become adversarial. The people of Jeremiah's day so despised what Jeremiah had prophesied in obedience to God's command, that they wanted to kill him!
I want to list a few things that are applicable to us as God's people concerning the Word of God being preached by any of God's servants:
First, we must be warned that not all who hold positions of church leadership, such as in this case (priests and prophets), love and promote the Word of God. I have found that "religionists" are the most adversarial when it comes to Bible preaching. I define a "religionist" as someone who isn't saved, but who has a form of godliness. These people are very dangerous.
Next, you must ask yourself, "Do I love Bible preaching?" Even when the message is contrary to where I am currently in my spiritual walk. I think it is important to have an attitude that says, "Every sermon is for me!" Even if I am living what is being spoken, I need to be reminded of the truth and examine my own walk in the light of the message. Am I living in obedience to the Lord as fully as possible? Have I simply accepted mentally the truth being spoken, but I'm failing to live the truth spoken faithfully on a daily basis?
Do you take time to meditate upon the things concerning which God is speaking to you? Don't hear it, then brush it off. Ponder it, meditate upon it, think about how you can live the truth more wholly in your own life.
Finally, make sure to encourage those who preach God's Word to keep it up. It is easy to get discouraged when people don't seem to be listening and putting into practice the things God gives them. The people in our text were facing judgment because they failed to obey the Word of God.
LET'S LOVE THE WORD OF GOD, EVEN WHEN IT HITS US HARD, AND DO OUR BEST TO PUT INTO PRACTICE!
Psalm 119:165, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them."
Enjoy the day rejoicing in the Savior.
Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott
MEDITATIONS
1. What is your relationship to the Word of God? How are your reading habits? Do you love and promote God’s Word?
2. Has there been a time when you got upset during a Bible message? Why was this your response?
3. How would you describe Bible study and meditations? How much of each are you involved in? How has it impacted your life?