‘Pastor, Please Faithfully Deliver God’s Word to Us.’
“Thus says the LORD, 'Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the LORD'S house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word! 'Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.' And you will say to them, 'Thus says the LORD, "If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened” (Jeremiah 26:2-5).
Why do we pastor keep talking about our personal stories during sermons? Our congregation wants to hear God's Word, but why do we, after reading the Scripture, spend more time boasting about ourselves or sharing our own personal experiences rather than explaining what the Bible says? We often end the sermon with unfunny anecdotes or irrelevant stories. So, our congregation says, ‘I don't want to waste my time like this. After attending Sunday service and leaving the sanctuary, my heart feels unsettled. How am I supposed to live out my faith in the world for the rest of the week when I feel this way?’ Although the congregation remains silent, I believe many of them have plenty to say about our sermons. It feels like criticizing or commenting on the pastor's sermon is a kind of taboo within the church, so they can't speak out freely. Yet, sitting in the pews every Sunday, they find that our sermons no longer move them or inspire any desire to listen. As a result, they often find themselves looking up sermons from other pastors online instead. They’re not sure if they should keep attending their church and listening to our sermons like this. 😥
We pastor, who preach the Word, are not humbly receiving and faithfully delivering God’s message (Jeremiah 23:28). As a result, the congregation members are suffering from spiritual malnourishment. Since the Word of God is not being consistently and properly provided through us, the congregation members are spiritually undernourished. Consequently, they are wounded and spiritually unwell (Ezekiel 34:16). Moreover, they have been “scattered and become food for all the wild animals," falling victim to plundering (Ezekiel 34:5, 8). Right now, the congregation members have become prey to wolves, as "the wolf snatches them and scatters them" (John 10:12). It is our responsibility. It is our fault. This is because we have not humbly received God’s Word and faithfully delivered it to the congregation. We need to repent and turn back. We must faithfully proclaim God’s Word to our congregation. But how should we faithfully deliver God’s Word to them?
First, we must proclaim every word of the message the Lord has commanded, without leaving anything out.
Look at Jeremiah 26:2: “Thus says the LORD, 'Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the LORD'S house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them Do not omit a word!” The prophet Jeremiah faithfully conveyed God’s Word to the people of Judah, proclaiming every command of the Lord without leaving anything out. What was the entirety of God's command that he proclaimed to them? Look at Jeremiah 26:4-6: “And you will say to them, 'Thus says the LORD, "If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened; then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth.” This command from God declared that as a result of the people of Judah’s disobedience to His Word, Jerusalem would become desolate like Shiloh, without inhabitants (v. 9), and “a curse among all the nations of the earth” (v. 6). It was a proclamation of Judah's impending destruction and ruin (20:8). The prophet Jeremiah faithfully delivered all the words the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people (26:8).
We pastor must faithfully deliver God’s Word to the flock entrusted to us by the Lord. We must proclaim to them every word God has commanded without leaving anything out. If the Word God commands us to preach is: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2), “Repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with your repentance” (Acts 26:20), “Be earnest and repent” (Revelation 3:19), “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart” (Acts 8:22), “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent” (Revelation 3:3), then we must proclaim these words to the congregation exactly as they are, without omitting anything. We must neither add to God’s Word (Proverbs 30:6) nor take anything away from it (Revelation 22:19). Regardless of whether the congregation finds the message pleasing or not (Jeremiah 42:6), we are called to proclaim all that God has commanded us faithfully and without compromise.
Second, we must proclaim God’s Word with the hope and expectation that perhaps people will turn from their evil ways.
Look at Jeremiah 26:3: “Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds” [Korean Modern Bible: ‘Perhaps they will listen and turn from their evil ways. If they do, I will change my mind about the disaster I plan to bring on them because of their sins’]. The prophet Jeremiah faithfully proclaimed every word of God’s command to the people of Judah without omitting anything. He did so with a heart full of expectation, hoping that some among them might listen and turn from their evil ways. Jeremiah delivered God’s entire message with this anticipation in his heart. The reason for this is that it reflected God’s heart and expectations for the people of Judah. God’s desire and hope for the people of Judah were that they would hear His Word delivered through the prophet Jeremiah, correct their ways and actions, and turn back to obey and follow His commands. By doing so, they would lead God to relent and not inflict the disaster He had planned to bring upon them (26:3, 13; 18:8). This was God’s heart toward the people of Judah. Furthermore, God’s heart was to bless the people of Judah by carrying out the “good” or the “blessing” He had intended for them, provided they listened to and obeyed His Word (18:10).
We pastor must deliver God’s Word to the flock entrusted to us with God’s heart and expectations. We must faithfully proclaim God’s Word with the hope and anticipation that they might turn from their sinful ways. We should proclaim His Word with the expectation that they may leave the path of disobedience and return to the path of obedience. And with the same prayerful hope and anticipation, we should proclaim God’s Word with a heart that desires His blessings to be poured out upon them when they repent, turn back, and obey His commands. Likewise, the congregation should listen to God’s Word with an expectant heart. Today, at this very moment, they should attentively listen to God’s Word with a longing and expectant heart, asking, “What message is God seeking to convey to me (us) through His servant, my pastor?’ Especially as they hear His Word, they should strive to obey, repent of their sins, and turn back to God. In doing so, they come to understand, even just a little, the heart of Heavenly Father, who desires to bless them and takes joy in doing so. With this understanding and trust in God’s heart, they must listen to His Word.
Third, we must proclaim the Word of God “again and again.”
Look at Jeremiah 26:5: “to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened.” The prophet Jeremiah did not deliver God’s message to the people of Judah just once. He proclaimed God’s Word “again and again” to the people of Judah. Why did he proclaim God’s Word to them persistently? The reason is that God’s heart and expectation were for the people of Judah to receive His Word through the prophet Jeremiah, repent, turn back, and obey His commands. Therefore, carrying God’s heart, the prophet Jeremiah faithfully proclaimed to the people of Judah everything that God had commanded. He said, “From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until this very day, the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again” (25:3). In other words, the prophet Jeremiah faithfully delivered the message God gave him to the people of Judah for 23 years, diligently proclaiming God's Word to them (v. 3). Yet, the people of Judah did not obey God’s Word (vv. 3, 4), so God sent His servants the prophets to them “again and again” (v. 5). Despite this, the people of Judah did not listen to God’s Word (vv. 3, 4; 29:19). They did not obey God’s Word but instead acted according to their own ways (25:7). Therefore, God continued to send His servants the prophets again and again to the people of Judah, urging them to obey (26:5). The prophet Jeremiah, in obedience to God’s Word, faithfully proclaimed God’s message continuously until the people of Judah listened and obeyed.
We pastor must faithfully and consistently deliver God’s Word to the flock entrusted to us by the Lord. We must speak again and again to them (35:14). We must proclaim God’s Word to them whether they listen or not (Ezekiel 2:5, 7; 3:11). Additionally, we must teach them “again and again” (Jeremiah 32:33). And we must warn them persistently (Jeremiah 11:7). We are called to keep proclaiming God’s Word until they listen and obey.
Finally, fourth, we must proclaim God’s Word with our lives at stake.
Look at Jeremiah 26:14: “As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right” [Korean Modern Bible: ‘I am in your hands; do what you think is best’]. When the prophet Jeremiah faithfully proclaimed God’s Word to the people of Judah, without omitting a word and with the hope that they might turn from their evil ways, the result was that “the priests, the prophets, and all the people seized him and said, ‘You must die!’” (v. 8). In other words, the priests, prophets, and all the people who heard God’s Word through the prophet Jeremiah in the house of the Lord seized Jeremiah and said to him, "You must die!" (vv. 7-8). The priests and prophets told the officials and all the people, "This man (Jeremiah) deserves to die" [‘This man must die’ (Korean Modern Bible)] (v. 11). At that time, the prophet Jeremiah replied to them: ‘I am in your hands; do what you think is best’ (v. 14, Korean Modern Bible). The prophet Jeremiah, even knowing that his life might be taken, faithfully proclaimed all the words God had commanded him to deliver to the people of Judah. In other words, he risked his life to obey God’s command and faithfully declared God’s message to the people of Judah.
We pastor must proclaim God’s Word to the flock entrusted to us by the Lord, even if it means risking our lives. We must not consider our life dear to ourselves when we fulfill the mission we have received from the Lord, the task of testifying to the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). We must recognize that the mission given to us by the Lord is more important than our own lives. And when proclaiming God’s Word, we should not hold our lives in higher regard than the mission God has entrusted to us. However, at this moment, we are filled with worry, fear, and anxiety. Right now, as we proclaim the Word of God, we are sensitive to the reactions of the congregation, worrying, and even fearing. We are concerned with how the congregation perceives us. As a result, we are altering the message God has given us. Instead of proclaiming God's command to "repent," we are preaching what the congregation wants to hear, such as "be restored," "be healed," and "receive blessings." By doing so, we are actually strengthening the hands of those who are sinning, preventing them from turning away from their sins (Jeremiah 23:14). Yet, despite this, we still expect changes in the lives of the congregation. How foolish must this be in the eyes of God? We must first humbly receive and obey God’s Word ourselves, living transformed lives. Then, we must faithfully deliver God’s Word to the congregation. As we do so, even if we face difficulties, pain, or hardships, we must proclaim God’s Word with our lives at stake. Even if we feel threatened in our lives, we must faithfully carry out the mission of proclaiming the Word that the Lord has entrusted to us.
I would like to conclude this reflection on God's Word. There are many believers who long for God’s Word. They desire to hear it, to obey it, and to live according to it. Yet, they are not hearing God’s Word. Even during weekly worship, Wednesday/Friday/Sunday morning prayer services, they are not hearing God’s Word through their pastors. As a result, they are becoming spiritually malnourished. They are earnestly pleading with us, crying out from their hearts, "Pastor, please faithfully deliver God’s Word to us." Therefore, we pastor must proclaim God’s Word without omitting a single word as He commanded. We must proclaim God's Word with the hope and expectation that perhaps each one will turn from their evil ways. Furthermore, we must proclaim God's Word again and again. We must proclaim the Word of God with our lives at stake. I sincerely hope that both you and I will be faithful in proclaiming God’s Word.