Christmas Advent devotion: Not Just Words - Matthew 12:37

Matthew 12:37            For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

As a preaching pastor and teaching elder, this verse is taken very seriously by me. I’ve preached since I was 21 in various churches, meeting places, and streets. I’ve often expressed the Gospel in challenging ways and I’ve also experienced some sharp criticisms for doing so.

I don’t like to see people upset with what I preach, but at the same time, I won’t preach a Gospel that is watered down or untrue. The words that I use and how I say them are all under Christ’s judgment; so in the end, it’s not what other people’s feelings or opinions that are important, it’s about the truth of the Gospel and the uncompromising demands that Christ expects of all of us.

Over the decades that I’ve preached, I’ve dealt with various people who feel they’ve been picked upon by the pastor and pressured by a bully pulpit. However, in almost all of the cases, personal dislikes, questionable lifestyle choices, and selfish addictions or obsessions were at the root of their protests. They didn’t care if Jesus was actually challenging them; they didn’t give a hoot if it was clear from statements made in the Gospels. If it offended them, it was clearly wrong in their eyes. Rather than be challenged and changed, they chalked it up to bad preaching and a misguided messenger.

Life is too short to get sermons wrong. Souls will end up in jeopardy by pointless preaching. Preaching the Word, teaching the Truth, and healing the people are not easy in a society that is self-absorbed. It always comes at a cost to the preacher; it always comes down to Christ’s judgment of our words.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we live in a world that thinks it can get along without Your challenging ways; some of us even belong to churches that are keen to please society and go along with the maddening crowd. Remind us that our allegiance is to You alone, and not the world or culture we live in. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest nativity drawing called “Massai Madonna.” It’s a depiction of Mary and Jesus as if they had been living in Africa. You can view a larger version of the image at the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6450888287_328ef9574d_b.jpg