This week we have been looking at Luke 8:9-10.
"And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand" (Luke 8:9-10).
We are trying to answer 3 questions arose in my mind from this passage of Scripture. We have already looked at the first question: "What is preaching's purpose?" We said that preaching is both to reveal and to conceal. Jesus' preaching concealed the secrets of the kingdom, and at the same time revealed the seekers of the kingdom.
Today, we will address the second question that arose in my studies. What does preaching produce? Preaching is definitely productive. Isaiah wrote For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isa 55:10-11). The Word will not return void. Like a double-edged sword, the Word of God cuts two ways. It sometimes bears fruit. Sometimes it brings judgment.
What does preaching produce? Preaching produces softer hearts or harder hearts, but it will never produce the same heart. It can produce brighter eyes or blinded eyes, but it will never produce the same set of eyes. It will produce opened ears or to duller ears, but never the same ears. Preaching produces healing or to hardening.
The Gospel is good news! It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The Gospel often brings forth fruit and produces healing in the hearts and lives of people (2 Thess 2:14, Eph 1:13-14, Rom 1:16-17, Rom 10:13-14). Yet, even when preaching does not produce "results" it is not necessarily ineffective. It may be doing its terrible work of judgment. It may be hardening people, dulling their ears. Isaiah 6:9-10 states, And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." Preaching produces healing or hardening and it can do it from the same exact message! Paul stated that he was the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved AND among those who are perishing. To one he was a fragrance from death to death. To the other he was a fragrance from life to life (2 Cor 2:15-17). Two people can sit under the same message from the same preacher and have two totally different outcomes. One can be gloriously healed. The other can be tragically hardened to the Gospel. This raises a third question, that we will address next: "How should we prepare to hear?"
Until next time…
"And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand" (Luke 8:9-10).
We are trying to answer 3 questions arose in my mind from this passage of Scripture. We have already looked at the first question: "What is preaching's purpose?" We said that preaching is both to reveal and to conceal. Jesus' preaching concealed the secrets of the kingdom, and at the same time revealed the seekers of the kingdom.
Today, we will address the second question that arose in my studies. What does preaching produce? Preaching is definitely productive. Isaiah wrote For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isa 55:10-11). The Word will not return void. Like a double-edged sword, the Word of God cuts two ways. It sometimes bears fruit. Sometimes it brings judgment.
What does preaching produce? Preaching produces softer hearts or harder hearts, but it will never produce the same heart. It can produce brighter eyes or blinded eyes, but it will never produce the same set of eyes. It will produce opened ears or to duller ears, but never the same ears. Preaching produces healing or to hardening.
The Gospel is good news! It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The Gospel often brings forth fruit and produces healing in the hearts and lives of people (2 Thess 2:14, Eph 1:13-14, Rom 1:16-17, Rom 10:13-14). Yet, even when preaching does not produce "results" it is not necessarily ineffective. It may be doing its terrible work of judgment. It may be hardening people, dulling their ears. Isaiah 6:9-10 states, And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." Preaching produces healing or hardening and it can do it from the same exact message! Paul stated that he was the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved AND among those who are perishing. To one he was a fragrance from death to death. To the other he was a fragrance from life to life (2 Cor 2:15-17). Two people can sit under the same message from the same preacher and have two totally different outcomes. One can be gloriously healed. The other can be tragically hardened to the Gospel. This raises a third question, that we will address next: "How should we prepare to hear?"
Until next time…
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