The hardest part of preaching is living. I can’t stand before God’s people and proclaim God’s Word without being painfully aware that I’m a wretched sinner. How can I teach others when I don’t have it figured out myself? Why should someone listen to my exhortation to Christlikeness when I fall so far from it? Awareness of sin nearly paralyzes the whole process.
I suspect all Christians can relate to this, even if they aren’t preachers. All believers are called to share the gospel, to tell others about the faith, to give a reason for the hope within us, and to warn people of God’s coming judgment. Thus, anytime we stand to proclaim God’s word, whether from behind a pulpit or in a living room, the potential to feel unworthy for such a holy task can tempt us to quit before we start.
Preaching Angels?
Awareness of my sin sometimes makes me wonder why God doesn’t send his angels to spread his message to the world. Why use sinners to equip and edify the church when angels would surely serve with more obedience, more boldness, and purer motives.
I don’t claim to know why God does all he does. Perhaps God is more glorified when a sinner who has felt the weight of his sin, who knows he deserves nothing but wrath, and who has been nearly overcome by shame testifies about the very grace that has lifted him from his miry pit. Perhaps those who have been mere moments away from dying of thirst are most equipped to testify to the life-giving nature of water. The angels have not experienced this amazing mercy the same way as redeemed sinners.
I love watching survival shows where people are left in the woods alone. They must build their own shelters, find their own food, and survive the threat of all the other creatures in their vicinity. There are times I desire to attempt such survival techniques. I can easily coach the participants on the show and instruct them on what they should do, but in reality I probably wouldn’t last very long. I would make a wrong move and get attacked by a bear or eat the wrong kind of berry and poison myself.
I may think I understand the difficulty of trying to survive alone in the woods, but truthfully I can’t experience such things from the comfort of my couch. I can’t relate to the hunger of an aching stomach while munching on a bag of chips. Sitting in my living room, I’m not too worried about finding clean water because it’s merely a few feet away in my kitchen. I can tell the participants on the show not to be afraid, but I’m not the one out in the dark with only a thin tent separating me from a vicious grizzly.
Scripture says the angels long to look into the salvation brought about by Christ (1 Peter 1:12). I wonder if they are looking on like I watch a survival show. They understand the logic of it, they see the value of it, the glory of God is on display through it, but there are parts of it they can only marvel at because they have not lived it. If that is true, then perhaps that’s part of the reason God has chosen imperfect sinners who have tasted grace to be the primary propagators of his message.
Keep Sharing
So, what else can I do? I’m a sinner and will be until Christ returns. If I wait until I’m free from sin, then sharing the gospel will no longer be needed because I’ll be with the Lord. God has called me, a sinner, to declare to sinners the greatness of God. He could have called angels to preach, then he would always have a willing and worthy servant to accomplish his tasks. But, in his wisdom, he has decided to call sinners like me. Since that is the case, I will continue proclaiming the good news, not as an expert dispensing his wisdom to fools, but as a broken sinner in need of grace pointing other broken sinners to the ever-flowing fountain of God’s mercy.
Wonderful!!!
James you are a fabulous writer
Thank you.
Sister in law! 🙂