Sovereign Grace Church

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.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:21

It pleased God to save you and me (all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ) by the foolishness of preaching.  It is written:

“Where is the wise? where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  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.  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:  That no flesh should glory in his presence.  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” 1 CORINTHIANS 1:20-31.

Our LORD calls, through the preaching of the gospel, those whom He must save.  Our glory, indeed our rejoicing in this labour, is and ought to be the preaching of the person and the work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  As we read in 1 Corinthians 1 “let him that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord”. Paul wrote “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” GALATIANS 6:14.

Beloved, when necessity is laid upon us to preach the gospel, we have nothing to glory of, for it is the LORD who gives this burden to preach the finished redemptive work of Christ.  When you and I hand out gospel tracts, gospel sermons, gospel books, or make invitations to hear the gospel preached; it is encouraging to call to our remembrance that it is this blessed means, the preaching of Christ and Him Crucified, that the LORD will bless to the salvation of His people.

Preaching is the means that pleased God to save them that believe. For “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” 1 CORINTHIANS 1:21; “Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice” PHILIPPIANS 1:18.

Our Lord teaches us that no one may enter into the Kingdom of God except by being born again.  Every born again believer was born from above by the preached word of the gospel and by the Spirit.

The Lord declares, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water* and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” JOHN 3:5; “Then will I sprinkle clean water* upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” EZEKIEL 36:25-26; “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water* by the word" EPHESIANS 5:26.

In Ephesians 5:26 water* is a type or a figure used to describe the word of God.  Though there has been much commentary about the meaning of the word ‘water’ in John 3:5, our Lord is referring to the word of God (the gospel of His work and person preached). Indeed the God’s word states plainly “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (ROMANS 10:13-14).

May the Lord be pleased to use us to bring the preaching of the Gospel to the ears of every creature, and they that hath ears to hear, our Heavenly Father, will indeed let them hear the Gospel of His beloved Son.

Why is preaching the gospel our most important and urgent task?  Quite simply, because our God has commanded us to, our Lord declares “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (MARK 16:15-16) Amen!