We have all heard the expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” When God sent His Son as the Incarnation of Himself, Jesus was, “The Word made flesh.” Certainly, Christ spoke the truth about God, but He also showed the truth of God. To see Him was to see the Father.
While the preacher will not accomplish this absolutely as Jesus did, nevertheless our objective is in speaking the Word in our communication of it, to also show the Word in our submission to it. Paul calls on us to do so in Philippians 3:16, “Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.”
There must be OUR DECLARING OF TRUTH, “Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained…”. This is the apprehension of the Word of God. We have attained a degree of truth, and should persistently seek to apprehend the message increasingly—to get a grip on the truth in such a way that the truth grips us. If the sermon does not move us, we may be sure it will not stir the people! This is what it means to apprehend something, and in this case, it is to understand the meaning of the text. We grow our people as we grow in our understanding and help them to do so. Yet, with the clarity of God’s revelation, there comes responsibility—for the preacher, as well as the people, to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only,” (James 1:22). That brings us to our second point.
There must also be OUR DEMONSTRATING OF TRUTH, “let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” This is the application of the Word of God. The rule of truth is established to gauge the straightness of our walk. The revelation of truth is expounded to grow the measure of our understanding. The old cliche’ is, “Practice what you preach.” The familiarity of that phrase does not lessen the necessity of its performance. This is the hardest part of preaching. While grasping the meaning of the text and conveying it in a clear and compelling manner is a challenge, the rubber meets the road when we not only share the sermon, but show the sermon. Am I not a hypocrite if I urge the people to do something (read Scripture, pray, evangelize, give, pursue holiness, etc.) that I will not? This is expressed in a poem by Edgar Guest.
I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
When a weaker brother stumbles and a strong man stays behind
Just to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be.
And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.
One deed of kindness noticed is worth forty that are told.
Who stands with men of honor learns to hold his honor dear,
For right living speaks a language which to every one is clear.
Though an able speaker charms me with his eloquence, I say,
I'd rather see a sermon than to hear one, any day.
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