Balanced Preaching Hosea 6:5 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Bible preaching needs to be balanced preaching. Preaching needs to be both positive and negative. There is a heaven but there is also hell. There is mercy with God but there is also the wrath of God. There is righteousness but there is also sin. There is the love of God but there is also the hatred of God. God is a balanced being and preaching that is from the Lord is going to be balanced, as well. Just look at the words of these prophets:
Hos 6:5 – “Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.” [Very negative]
Mic 2:7 – “… do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?” [Positive]
Ezek 22:31 – “Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.” [Very negative]
Jon 4:2 – “… for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.” [Very positive]
Balanced preaching is:
God glorifying – 1 Cor 1:27-29 – “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” Positive preaching does much to promote the preacher and bring him into great favor with his congregation. But his glory soon overshadows the glory of the Lord. Balanced preaching doesn’t build the popularity of the preacher [Amos 5:10 – “They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly”] but it surely brings glory to God. We are not preaching to bring attention to ourselves but to the Lord [2 Cor 4:5].
Preacher compelling – Jer 1:10 – God set Jeremiah over the nations “to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down [all negative], and to build, and to plant [both positive]. This is what we are called to do and if you can’t do both you are not preaching from the Lord. Men who are naturally negative can get up and berate any crowd. That’s not balanced preaching; that’s his natural proclivity. Men who are naturally friendly and who desire to be liked will be inclined to be positive to keep from offending anybody. That’s not balanced preaching either. A balanced preacher needs to preach powerfully against sin and sinners while lifting up the mercy of God to the repentant. And he can’t be afraid of the people to whom he is preaching. He needs only to fear God.
Sinner convicting – Acts 2:37 – “… when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart.” In Acts 2 Peter preached the truth of Joel 2:28-32 and Ps 16:8-11. He exalted Jesus Christ but he also preached against his Jewish audience who “by wicked hands ha(d) crucified and slain” Jesus [Acts 2:23]. The Lord blessed his balanced preaching and brought conviction upon many in his audience. The Lord added about three thousand souls to them that day [Acts 2:41]. So much of what is called salvation today is nothing more than manufactured professions because the preaching isn’t balanced. It’s all positive. Verily, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, but he is coming again in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. There aren’t as many men today who will “shell the corn,” as the old timers used to say.
Life changing – 1 Cor 15:3-4 – “… Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures [negative]; and that he was buried [negative], and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures [positive].” Too many preachers these days only preach the love of God. But it was our sins that killed our Savior. And if a man doesn’t realize his hopeless condition in sin without Christ, he will never repent. And while repentance might be out of vogue, it is not out of the Bible. Sinners must turn from sin to God and it takes balanced preaching for the Holy Spirit to reprove them and to bring the conviction for them to turn.
Conclusion: Let’s exalt our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. However, let us not be afraid of the faces of men and women who need him. They need to know that while he loved them enough to die for them he will also judge them in their sin and send them to hell if they refuse his free gift of righteousness and salvation. Let’s be about balanced preaching!!