"Preach the Word"

"The Apostle Paul instructed his student and fellow-laborer, Timothy, to “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). The “word” here is the Word of God (the Scriptures) as it reveals and pertains to the glory and greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ and the great salvation HE has attained for and gives to His people by the free, sovereign grace of God. To “preach the Word” is to preach THE risen Christ Who was crucified and died for a people that God the Father gave Him before the world began (1 Corinthians 1:23; 15:4-5). It is to preach both the glory of Christ’s Person as both God and Man without sin, and the power of His obedience unto death as our Surety, Substitute, Redeemer, Intercessor, and Preserver. It is to preach Christ as the Lord our Righteousness by Whose merit we are justified before God and from Whom we receive spiritual and eternal life. It is to preach faith, repentance, and perseverance as gifts from God through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and not as products of man’s self-proclaimed power, goodness, and/or will. It is to preach the necessity of true worship, godliness, and obedience motivated by grace, love, and gratitude. All instructions in righteousness, faith, repentance, obedience, love, and worship are to be taken directly from God’s Word and not man’s opinions and preferences. Let us pray that our lives be motivated by His love and grace in Christ and guided by His Word as it is in Christ." - Pastor Bill Parker