FEEDING YOUR SOUL TO FEED THE SHEEP

Every man of God is a student of the Word of God. A daily feeding of our soul is needed that we might be equipped to feed and lead the flock. It is not enough to study to preach a sermon, but to open God’s Book with an open heart to hear from the Lord. Only as we grow can we elevate others. As I master the contents of Divine Truth, the Spirit uses it to master the communicator by Divine Truth.

The most important thing that I have ever since coming to follow Christ is to regularly ingest and digest “the whole counsel of God.”  Morning by morning has found me going through all the Bible in view of prayerfully applying the Scripture in my daily life. Though I certainly have intentionally focused on a portion of the Word as I prepared to preach and teach, I have found that having an overview of all the Bible has helped me proclaim the truth out of the overflow of the Spirit’s instruction to me. 

“The need is for a rigorous and widespread personal Bible-reading program that is separate from your preparation for the sermon. Such reading enriches your knowledge and understanding of Scripture, and helps you integrate that knowledge with your ministry of the word. It also enriches your biblical, systematic, and gospel theology, and enables you to adequately and intelligently critique the commentators that you read.” (Tim Patrick, The Whole Counsel of God, location 2680, Kindle edition). 

Context is crucial in correctly communicating Biblical content. Of course, there is the immediate context of the paragraph and chapter, but also of the particular book as a whole. But, to get it right goes beyond to the context of the testament and indeed the context of all the Bible. I will not convey the message correctly, unless I have studied the Word comprehensively.

THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE

Because God’s Word is God-breathed, it is sufficient to address every matter that may arise in church life. Paul puts it, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim.‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬‬). So, I have practiced, and have advocated to other pastors, preaching through books of the Bible. The Holy Spirit knows in advance the needs that will arise in the life of the church over the course of the year. When we prayerfully prepare such a sermon series, we will find it amazing how the text for that Lord’s Day had the needful application for that particular season in the life of the church.

However, though it does not surprise God, there will be occasional times in the life of the church that shock us—and the church faces a crisis that demands to be addressed. We should not be so rigid—should I say stubborn—to say that we ought never depart from the plan for one morning worship service. Tim Patrick, in his book, “The Whole Counsel of God,” speaks to this.  

“As much as we would love it if our churches always ran like clockwork, they never do. Sometimes, a congregation is rocked by a significant event that demands a response, and sometimes that response means that we need to change our best-laid plans. These types of events might be internal to the church: perhaps one of our young people is involved in a serious car accident, one of our leaders is caught in an extramarital affair, or one of our Bible study groups openly challenges the pastor’s authority. We do not much like to think about these sorts of things, as they are the worst parts of church life, but, sadly, in a fallen world, they do happen from time to time. Only naive church leaders would think that they could altogether avoid such situations as they tend the people of God. 

Some big events might be external to the congregation. These could include a natural disaster, such as a wildfire or flood in the local area; a controversial piece of legislation passing into law; or even something as monumental as the coordinated terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in the United States.” (Location 2566, Kindle edition)

Indeed, when September 11 happened, I recall our church building full of people looking to me to share a Word from God about this event—which I did. I would return to the preaching calendar and make adjustments by the next week. This will not happen often, but it will sometimes be needed. Yet, even then, a solid exposition of a text will be vital. Scripture is sufficient.

THE WORK OF A WATCHMAN

There are a number of metaphors used to describe the role of the preacher. He is a shepherd who leads and feeds the flock of God. He is an overseer who is responsible to guide and guard the servants of God in their labor. He is an elder who is mature in faith and has wisdom to share and a life to emulate, as he fathers the family of God. He is a farmer who casts the seed, cultivates the soil, and conserves the harvest. The preacher is a builder who makes sure the church is built on a solid foundation of faith in Christ and is cemented together in love, built in such a way as to display the glory of God who indwells them.

There is a common thread that runs through each of these—the man of God has oversight of God’s people. He watches over the flock, the work, the family, the field, and the house of God.

He is a watchman on the wall.

That is the way God describes the work assigned to the prophet Ezekiel, and as such is instructive for those who preach the Word of God to the people of God today. Twice, God stresses His servant’s grave accountability to warn the people as he watches over their souls—here in chapter three and again in chapter thirty three of the book that bears the prophet’s name. While all of us have a work to do for the Lord, we are given different assignments. How can one know if he is designated for the ministry of the Word, gifted and set apart for this duty? Not all are, but some are—I am and you might be.

Let’s examine Ezekiel’s selection to this special service. While the specifics of his experience are not likely to be identical with ours, there are general principles that do apply to each preacher.

He is CALLED, (1:1-2:4).

“In the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month, while I was among the exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth [day] of the month-it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile—the word of the Lord came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar Canal. And the Lord's hand was on him there.” (1:1-3)

The preacher has a divine calling. He knows what he must do and has no doubt that is his assignment. It is not of his choice, but God’s. Ezekiel did not decide on being a prophet as one of several vocational options. It was God’s call.

Ezekiel’s call was dramatic—a vision of God’s glory, an experience of celestial beings, an audible voice speaking to him. Those were things unique to Ezekiel’s call. But the main point and one that is consistent throughout the Scripture is that it is an unmistakable call, confirmed by God.

Moses had the experience of the burning bush. David had the duty of caring for sheep as a boy and Samuel anointed him to shepherd God’s flock. Isaiah saw the Lord and heard His commission while worshipping in the Temple. Jesus came to Peter, James and John and summoned them to follow Him. Paul was knocked to his feet by Christ, the Light of the World, and raised up to preach the light of the Word.

God still calls. It is not for me to say how God will speak to you, but He will! Sometimes it is a sudden summons, as one flips a light switch, and for others a gradual dawning of understanding as a sunrise. My call was more like the latter. Irrespective of the unique manifestations, there is the universal mandate—the call of God is clear—like the sounding of a trumpet.

His hand rested on Ezekiel and His hand will rest on you, if He has reached out for you to be a watchman. You have this awareness of an unseen hand that is placed on you—the call of God to preach the Word. It isn’t the supernatural signs that indicate the call, but the spiritual sense that is undeniable.

The call is CONFIRMED (2:5-6).

“Whether they listen or refuse [to listen]—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words, though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions. Don't be afraid of their words or be discouraged by [the look on] their faces, for they are a rebellious house.” (2:5-6)

Not only would Ezekiel know that he had been set apart as a watchman, but the people would know. His message and his manner would communicate his call and they would confirm it. They might not want to hear what he had to say, and refuse to accept it, but in their heart of hearts they would know he had been sent by God. When they looked on the wall, they saw a watchman. They recognized it was Ezekiel.

We note this confirmation by God’s people throughout the Sacred Volume. The nation of Israel welcomes Moses as their deliverer. The people of God submit to David as their King. The sons of the prophets affirmed that the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha, as the man of God. James and the other Apostles affirmed the Lord’s call to Paul. The church laid hands on men like Barnabas and Timothy, expressing their conviction of God’s selection for this ministry. This was the attestation of the people of God to the designation of the preacher by God.

I was not called by the church. But, when I announced my call, it was affirmed by them. Several came to me and said how they had seen God at work in me. They commended me to the ministry. They licensed me to preach and later I was ordained as a pastor, then installed by the vote of the congregation after being thoroughly examined as to my call. This confirmation has continued again and again as I have served the Lord through the years.

I have heard those who say they are called to preach, and after listening to them it was obvious they missed something somewhere! I have watched some who said they had this call, but their lifestyle denied it, and eventually moral failure or doctrinal error—sometimes both—manifested the sham.

The one called and confirmed has a work that is CONSUMING (2:7-3:3).

“ ‘And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you: Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.’ So I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and there was a written scroll in it.” (2:8-9)

“He said to me: ‘Son of man, eat what you find [here]. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.’ So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.

‘Son of man,’ he said to me, ‘eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.’ So I ate [it], and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.” (3:1-2)

You cannot speak for God unless God has spoken to you. The watchman had a warning to share, and that word had been given to him by God. His authority would be divine, for the source of his message would originate in heaven. He is not like the boy who cried, “Wolf!” when there was none.

The preacher is a man who hungers for truth and feeds his own soul on the sweetness of Scripture. He consumes it as the sustenance of his spiritual vitality and is then consumed with sharing it as his Scriptural ministry. Unless you are constrained to get alone with God and meet Him in His Book, then you are not suited to go before men on His behalf. People don’t need your opinions—they need God’s Word.

Moses alone in the desert hears from God. David alone in the fields with his father’s sheep communes with God, preparing his life work and message. Isaiah is alone in the Temple when God appears to Him. John the Baptist is alone in the wilderness before his public ministry begins. Paul went away into the isolation of Arabia at the outset of his missionary work. We must hear from God in order to speak for God.

There are many demands on the pastor. There are several responsibilities assigned him. But, preeminent over all is prayer and the ministry of the Word. Not even good things must detract from the main thing (see Acts 6:1ff). If he is not responsible in His speaking, then he will never be succeeding. He cannot speak publicly, if he does not spend time with God privately.

Called, confirmed, consuming and the preacher is COMMIITTED (3:4-11).

“But the house of Israel will not want to listen to you because they do not want to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hardheaded and hardhearted. Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.

I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Don't be afraid of them or discouraged by [the look on] their faces, even though they are a rebellious house.’ Next He said to me: ‘Son of man, listen carefully to all My words that I speak to you and take [them] to heart.

Go to your people, the exiles, and speak to them. Tell them, “This is what the Lord God says,” whether they listen or refuse [to listen].’” (3:7-11)

The preacher must be courageous. His convictions must be solid and though he will be tempted to quit, he resists the urge to run and keeps sounding the alarm. He longs for the people to heed his voice. But, even if they do not, he knows that he will answer to God for staying at his post.

It was a hard-headed congregation that Ezekiel would serve. But, God assured him he would make his head harder than theirs! Every preacher must have a hard head of conviction and a soft heart of compassion. If he gets those reversed, he will be a washout rather than a watchman.

A soft-headed preacher who is squishy in his convictions, will soon compromise the truth. A hard-hearted preacher will drive the sheep and not lead them. He will hurt them and not heal them. His disposition will undermine His declaration. The preacher needs to remember that God is watching the watchman. He wants hard-headed, soft-hearted men.

Called, confirmed, consuming, committed and COMPELLED—that is the preacher of the Word (3:12-4:17)

“Now at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.’” (3:16-17)

Ezekiel was compelled to speak. He was literally borne away by the Spirit (3:12-15) and bound up in his service (4:1-17). The man of God was carried, captivated—and thus, compelled.

Why would a man preach the Word? Because he cannot do anything else!

Now, don’t read that as a lack of capacity for other vocations. In fact, most are engaged in other lines of secular work—and rather successful in it—when they are called to spiritual service. Tending sheep and mending nets—God’s call doesn’t come to the lazy but comes to the laboring.

But, despite the ability to do other things, the man of God has been set on the wall, given an assignment by God—and is compelled under heaven’s authority to do his job. His call is clear. His call has been confirmed. He is consumed with it and committed to it. Roll all this together and it equals—compulsion.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel were contemporaries. Jeremiah’s congregation was the Jews in Jerusalem and Ezekiel’s was those in Babylon. Both men had difficult duty and were tempted to give up, but they did not, because they could not. There was a fire in their soul that could not be extinguished—a compelling force that had to be released. A preacher must preach! If you can’t do anything else, then do it! God has called you. This is the work of the watchman.

Without Christ, there is no salvation. Run to Him and be saved. Repent of your sins and receive Him as your Lord. Trust Him to make you a new person. Flee the wrath to come.

Oh, Christian! Are you living outside the will of God? Your Father will correct you. His discipline is done in love, but may be painful—for you and for others. Confess your sin. Call out for mercy. Commit your way to His direction.

The blood is off my hands. I pray it will be on your heart, and not on your head. I have sounded the warning, will you heed it?

“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of everyone's blood…” (Acts 20:26)

ATTENTION! THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD!

 

Tim Patrick writes this in “The Whole Counsel of God”:

“One part of the service that deserves particular comment is the up-front reading of the Bible. Imagine the situation. We’ve made sure that the ministry of the word is central and the meeting has been planned meticulously. In the middle of the meeting, the reader of our Bible passage steps up to the lectern. The microphone crackles while he fiddles with it. He begins to read with a deadly serious look on his face. His bespectacled eyes set themselves firmly on the small print of his personal Bible, which is different from the version both in the pews and on the data projector screen. He begins to read the long but exciting text of 1 Samuel 17, concerning David and Goliath. The reading is monotone, dull, sonorous. Eventually he announces the end and sits down, to the relief of those who are still trying to keep awake and keep their eyes on their own Bibles. Your planning has been scuttled at the last possible moment by poor execution of one of the key things the Bible has urged you not to neglect: the public reading of Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13).” (Location 2375-2376, Kindle edition)

If there is anything that grinds my gears in a worship service, it is this! Sometimes we may blame a layman that we have entrusted with this sacred duty, but most often it is the preacher I have heard read and he does it like it is a drudgery rather than a delight—something that is required but nothing rewarding. The perception I get is that this is just something he has to get through, and I am already wondering if I will react the same way to his sermon!

There is really no excuse. It is one of the things that I have given attention to as I have stood behind that sacred desk with the precious Word of God in my hands. To show reverence for the Bible, I ask the audience to turn there and stand in respect as I read it. Across the years, I have sought to read it with honor and with the sincerity and intensity that the Scriptures merit. If it is an Old Testament story, I want to convey the drama it contains. Should it be a Gospel account of Jesus, I want the congregation to feel as though they are traveling back in time, gathered with the crowd, watching and listening to Christ, and when a passage from Paul or Peter is read, I want the people to be gripped by it. 

This is the Word of God!  Here is the commandment: “Till I come, give attention to reading,” (1 Tim. 4:13). It is not optional!

THE PRIMACY OF PREACHING

In the book, “The Whole Counsel of God,” the author, Tim Patrick, makes the point in chapter nine that the Word of God is to be central in worship. Practicing what he is preaching, he grounds this exhortation in Scripture, underscoring Acts 2:42, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

The foundation of doctrine—teaching, instruction, exhortation, application—was central to the church as the apostles gathered the people for worship. From that flowed fellowship with one another, as truths they held in common united them, and inspired them in obedience to Christ’s command to partake of the Lord’s Supper and directed them in their prayers. See Patrick’s diagram shared below.

Patrick points out that the church had abandoned preaching—and no wonder it plunged into heresy. Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation by the truth of Scripture and demanded that preaching be restored to the worship of the church.

In this chapter, the author quotes Kent Hughes,

“God’s word must infuse everything. The careful reading of the word must be central. Hymns and songs must be word-saturated. Prayers must be biblically informed, redolent with biblical reality—often reflecting the very language and structure of Scripture. The preaching of the Word of God must be the Word of God. Such service requires principled, prayerful thought and hard work . . . it must happen in our hearts. Corporate worship must be word-centered if it is to glorify God as it ought.” (Worship by the Book, D. A. Carson ed., p. 159).

Paul commanded, 

“Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” (1 Tim.‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭16‬‬).

His final exhortation to his protege was to, “Preach the Word!” (2 Tim. 4:2a). Let us make sure that when we gather for worship that there is the primacy of preaching. It is why our pulpits are not off to the side, but centrally located. The focus is on the Word of God—not the human instrument, but the Divine message—and all flows from that.

MAPPING OUT YOUR MESSAGES

 When preaching through books of the Bible, first determine the overall message of that book, then look to how the book naturally divides. You can start with chapters and look at topics from the headings, but remember that chapters are constructed typically to give a more uniform reading pattern, and sometimes break up the particular theme and topic. Referring to study Bibles and commentaries in preparing the sermon series will help with this. Typically, they give an overall outline of the book. Then, after breaking them down, take the calendar and insert the individual messages as you determine the title, text, and thrust for each sermon. Here is an example of part of the sermon calendar I worked up as I preached through Luke’s Gospel.

FEED THE FLOCK

In preaching through books of the Bible, we must realize that our aim is not to just get through a book, but to get through to the people. We are not just giving out Scriptural information, but aiming for spiritual transformation.  In feeding the flock, the sheep need a well-balanced diet.  They may be lacking in a particular area, where a weakness needs to be addressed.  How can a good shepherd know unless he is regularly among the sheep in ministering to them.  His pastoral care informs his preaching choice.  Weigh these words:  

“A good preacher should know the flock intimately and have a consciousness of both their immediate circumstances as well as their characterizing values, idols, strengths, and challenges. For example, a church made up of people who are very confident in their salvation as a result of a robust understanding of justification, but who at the same time lack care for one another, might need to hear a series on James. On the other side, a congregation that has a very legalistic approach to being Christian might need to consider Galatians or Romans. 

Just as each week’s sermon ought to be preached with an awareness of these things, so too should the entire preaching program be shaped with them in mind. This highlights for us again that the work of feeding Jesus’s lambs with his word is intensely pastoral and missional, and that it requires the local overseer to be walking closely and sharing life with his people. An internet preacher cannot do this for a congregation, and an internet preaching plan cannot serve them well either.” (The Whole Counsel of God, Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid, Kindle edition, location 791).