Jesus’ Priority of Preaching

Welcome to No Compromise Radio Ministry. Mike Apendroth, Duplex, and we're out to your radio. Radio. I feel like I should play a Kraftwerk song or something like that. Kraftwerk. You ever listen to Kraftwerk?

When I was in college, I would just put it on the album Audubon, and I think it was just one song. And the one song, Audubon, half of it was on one side of the LP, half of it was on the other side. Fa, fa, fa, at the Autobahn.

I think that's what they said. Then they did another album. Well, other albums, true, but another album that I'm thinking about, Tour de France. Tour de France, Tour de France. What is new? Well, I'm back from California.

Glad to be visiting my children. Luke and his wife Hannah live in Encinitas, California, and he is going to Westminster Seminary, Escondido. I sat in on his medieval historical theology class. Don't know what it's called, historical theology, medieval time, not really sure.

Dr. R. Scott Clark. And Kim and I sat in, my wife Kim, Luke's wife Hannah, we all sat in. Clark even asked me a question. I was just going to try to be quiet and sit in the back. I was learning about faith, seeking understanding.

I learned about faith and reason. I learned about Anselm. I thought it was interesting. Some people attribute Anselm to kind of first thinking about substitutionary atonement, not quite full-blown substitutionary, like we would think, penalty substitution, but just the initial kind of thoughts.

And of course, I think we go back to Paul, but I thought it was fascinating. Clark said, just read Athanasius and you will not say it is only Anselm. So I like that. I learned about Abelard. I didn't really know much about Abelard and a bunch of stuff about transubstantiation and mystery.

So I got to sit in a class. I haven't sat in a seminary class for a long time. I wish I could take that class. I'm just glad I don't have to memorize everything for the test. So that was fun to see Luke.

Hannah is expecting, I think, about July 4th. So that's grandpa number two, number two grandchild. And well, that child will have two grandpas as well. And what else happened? I got to preach for my friend, Robert Jewett down in San Diego, Pacific Hope Church.

The second time I got to preach there, great group of people, a wonderful pastor, the smiling Christ-centered preacher, Robert. So I got to do that. That was really encouraging. He told me to preach between 45 and 60 minutes.

And I thought, well, you know what? Tale of two Adams, Luke 4. I'm in Luke. I know about it. I'm kind of on a little vacation. Get away. And I don't want to study. And so I pulled it up and looked at it.

I thought, okay, fine. Here's the sermon. I went over it, I don't know, twice. And I thought, okay, I'll preach about 50 minutes. I looked at my clock when I was done with the material, when I was done with my iPad notes, and I was 30 minutes in.

Now, 30 minutes might be good for a PCA sermon at some churches, but not at this Reformed Baptist Church. So I thought of Hebrews 2 and Hebrews 4 and how Jesus, a truly man, truly tempted, how that's an encouragement to us.

And so the last 20 minutes, it was just winging it, and it probably showed. My eye contact was probably better then. So I was glad to do that. I visited my daughter, Haley, and her husband, Marty, little grandson, Amos.

I haven't felt the best since I've been taking the cancer medications. And kind of my joy level is lower. Maybe happiness is lower, maybe more emotional. Just, I mean, compared to other people who have other big problems, it's a nothing burger, but it's still something.

And, you know, tired naps and GI problems, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I had a moment when I was outside on the lawn in the sun in California, just my grandson, my wife, my daughter, and I had little Amos' shirt off, and he just basically had his diaper on and he was scooting around and just playing and tickling with my...

I hadn't shaved for a couple of days. And seriously, it was 15 seconds of sheer bliss. I kind of teared up a little bit. It was just, I don't know, it was like a drug. I'm not trying to say it's equivalent, but it's like, okay?

Like as simile. And so that was pretty much the highlight of my week. I got to see my daughter, Maddie, and Gracie. They live in the same place there, close by Haley. And we got to go do all kinds of fun things together and hang out.

And glad to see them, godly young ladies, ministering behind the scenes at Christ Church in Carpinteria. Pastor Bo, that's where Marty and Haley go to as well. So anyway, if you're in the area, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Christ Church, Bo Beckendam.

I think I've had Bo here on the radio show. I should probably have him on again. And then I just swung by the Shepherd's Conference for a couple of days to see friends. For the last, I don't know how many years, I don't really go to sessions.

The sessions are my friends and meetings, and it's a good class reunion. Try to encourage and be encouraged. And that happened. So anyway, we're back live on No Compromise Radio. Two last announcements.

Sexual Fidelity, updated and revised. Make it a little more duplex gratia, a little more law gospel. Larger appendix. I think the last one had none. And it will be out on Amazon probably about the time you hear this.

So check Amazon. Don't buy the one on the website. I'm going to have to get that website fixed. Updated and revised. The first one had a black cover, and that was kind of counterintuitive if you're going to talk about purity.

Here I've switched to a 31-day guide on purity, and the cover is a nice white mountain. And then probably about a week after you hear this, the Cancer Book will be out, a 31-day guide to suffering. Cancer is not your shepherd.

I didn't know about the title. I like it. Some people don't like it. I talked to quite a few people at the Shepherd's Conference. They liked it. So off we go. You can get both of those at Amazon .com.

So I need some kind of something to put all these together. 31-day guide to assurance. 31-day guide to purity. 31-day guide to suffering. Working on the 31-day guide for parenting. There needs to be a little sticker to make this kind of a four-pack, a six-pack.

My cave-in rod is selling six-packs. Well, I guess if you don't have a six-pack, then you sell a six-pack. Today, I'd like to talk to you about the subject matter of preaching. Preaching. If I say preaching, what comes into your mind?

Well, since you're a Christian, probably listening to the show. I don't know how many unbelievers listen. Probably not many. Although I met somebody at church a while ago, they like to listen to...they would get mad at me.

They enjoy getting mad. True story. Matter of fact, I haven't seen them around lately. I should probably reach out. Most Christians like preaching, and that kind of tells them they're even a Christian.

It's a fruit or an evidence of being a Christian. You love what you used to hate, and who wants to be preached to? I mean, moral talk's fine, but really preaching God's Word isn't that fun if you're an unbeliever, especially when they say words like fornication is a sin, and judgment is real, and what you reap, you sow.

I don't know why I had that backwards. Backward. If you are an unbeliever, though, and I say preach, then maybe you're like Austin O'Malley who said the classic line, sermons are like pie crust. The shorter, the better.

My grandmother used to make great pies, great pie crust, extra pie crust rolled out flat, baked before the pie with some cinnamon and sugar on there so we could just take little triangles of that while we're waiting for the pie, because that didn't take long to cook.

H .L. Mencken, you heard me quote this before, what is the function that a clergyman performs in the world? Answer, he gets his living by assuring idiots that he can save them from an imaginary hell. It's a business almost indistinguishable from that of a seller of snake oil for rheumatism.

And it's John Stott, I think, in his book on preaching that I still really like, Between Two Worlds, How Do People Perceive Preaching? It is an outmoded form of communication in our postmodern age. Some stress the worldwide revolt against authority and others the cybernetics revolution in which ever more sophisticated electronic media will dispense with sermons, as surely as the automobile has replaced the horse-drawn carriage.

And, of course, that was written before we have a slew of things we have now, including AI. People generally, they don't like preaching. Who are you to preach to me? You're negative, you're harsh, you're critical, you think you're above me, and I don't like preaching, you overbearing brute.

Jesus’ Priority of Preaching

Today, though, I'd like to talk about Jesus's preaching and how a lot of people flocked to hear Jesus, and it was something that Jesus put a high priority on. And if you wanted me to summarize the entire show, besides comedy for the first seven minutes or some humor, humor me, it would be that Jesus put a priority on preaching, and so should you.

Therefore, if you're a pastor or a Bible teacher, have the opportunity to preach, high priority on preaching. If you're an elder and you are working together the liturgy or the format for the service, and you're like, well, like 20 minutes is good for preaching.

The shorter, the better, like pie crust. Then this is also for you. It's for you if your church that you attend puts a high priority on preaching and you receive a well-balanced, full meal on Sunday mornings from the pulpit, 40, 50 minutes, Christ-centered, expositional, you understand the passage better, you understand its context, you understand where it goes within the flow of redemption, et cetera.

If you wonder about preaching, you're like, well, you know what? I'm still not really convinced. Then today is for you because Jesus loved preaching and Jesus put a high priority on preaching so that you, in your mind, should keep it as a high priority.

And many of you probably listen to other sermons, right? It's not only the sermons you listen to from the pulpit locally when you attend church physically, but you probably search out other sermons, right?

We have sermons here on Mondays on No Compromise Radio. And so, you even love preaching so much, you listen to other people preach besides your pastor. Remember, unless I am your pastor at Bethlehem Bible Church, I'm not your pastor.

You don't even know me. You can go talk to him. You can get counsel from him. You can share your life with him. You can watch him. I mean, unless you have been around me, dear NoCo listener, I'm glad you listen.

I'm thankful. I think we have a pretty loyal fan base, if I can use those words, but you don't know me at all. Now, I guess if you've listened to 3 ,800 shows or 3 ,900, whatever we're up to now, I guess there's an aspect of it that you would say, oh, I think I know him.

When I listened to John MacArthur for years, I thought, you know what? It seems like my dad and I think I know him. I know he doesn't know me really, but I know him. And so, it's probably the same thing for some of you.

And I'm happy that I've been able to minister to some of you here via the radio, sometimes at email. If you've got really big problems, I've talked to many of you on the phone and call you. And when I get your number and call you and I say, this is Mike Cabendroth, welcome to Uncompromised Radio, you usually laugh, but I'm not your pastor.

And if I say something and your pastor says something, you better go with what your pastor says. Now, maybe you're at a Calvary Chapel and you're Arminian, they're Arminian and they're continuationist and they don't believe in church membership, and so some theological issues, you take my side.

Okay, fine. But you know what I'm saying. I want you to think to yourself, I know the person behind the pulpit and what comes out of the pulpit. And that ties directly into my discussion today with Jesus, His person and His preaching.

You can't distinguish the two. We've seen in the gospel of Jesus, according to Luke, who Jesus is and how powerful He is, how compassionate He is, how much authority He has. The Father's good pleasure rests on Him.

The Spirit descends like a dove. The genealogy is right. Everything about the person of Jesus is right. And therefore, you don't want to distinguish who He is and what He does, because everything's together.

And therefore, when you know about Jesus and then you think, oh, there's no one like Him, and then now He's preaching, then the value of preaching, I think, should go up in your mind. And then when you hear what He says in preaching, it even goes up higher.

If Jesus loves preaching, you should love preaching. And if you don't, you should ask God to grant you repentance. Well, on No Compromise Radio today, we're talking about Jesus and the priority of the Word proclaimed, the priority of the Word proclaimed.

Jesus is not just a king, although He is one. He's not just a priest, although He is one. He is a prophet. He proclaims the truth of God. And His preaching glorifies God. That's number one. And it saves and sanctifies men and women.

We need preaching. Of course, we need law preaching, because law preaching will tell us God's standards, because it reflects God's holy nature and essence. And it will help guide us when we're believers.

We need law preaching. That's certainly true. Yet, I think we need gospel preaching more than law preaching in this regard. Law preaching is fine and good, and we see all kinds of law preaching in the Bible.

But we have the law written on our hearts. We believe in natural theology. And people know what God expects, because God has put that in their hearts, as I just said, Romans 2. The gospel is in anybody's heart.

So therefore, it needs to be proclaimed. Good tidings need to be proclaimed. Hear me again, because people want to say, you're antinomian or whatever. I just got done saying the law must be preached. It's preached to unbelievers so they can see their sin and run to the Savior by faith alone, through grace alone.

It is needed to be preached to Christians so they know how to live their lives out of gratitude, to glorify God, and to do things that would be good for them. It's like a father to a son. The law must be preached.

Did I mention that? The law must be preached. I think that's true. It sounds like a frat party. The law must be preached. Right there. Here it comes. Yeah, that last one. Gospel isn't in hearts. It isn't in the stars.

I think there's a...I think D. James Kennedy tried to do that whole thing, and maybe it's from Bullinger or somebody in the past, the gospel in the stars. How can you hold people accountable? How can God hold people accountable if they've never heard the gospel?

Well, you can see it up in the stars. You see Orion's belt. I think I only know the Big Dipper, the North Star, and Orion's belt. That's about all I can see. It was weird being in New Zealand and looking up and not seeing the North Star.

That was weird. We need to herald the gospel. Of course, herald the law, but especially the gospel, because no one would ever know without it being heralded. And of course, Jesus is a proclaimer. Jesus is a prophet.

Even in Luke chapter 4, before that, remember when Isaiah 61 is quoted, and I'm trying to find the page right here in this Bible, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Remember, Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. So, Jesus is a proclaimer. And if you hear these words from Luke 4 at the end of the chapter, you'll be convinced of that.

I don't even really have to say much. And when it was day, he departed, Luke 4, 42, and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him and would have kept him from leaving them.

But he said to them, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to other towns as well, for I was sent for this purpose. And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. Three simple verses that give us a window into the priority of Jesus, then and now.

Of course, Jesus isn't on earth physically now, but for his church through his apostolic messengers, we know it's still important today. Preach the word, 2 Timothy 4, 2. God is a speaking God. I don't know if that's ever settled in your mind, but once somebody told me that, I never forgot it.

We can't see God, but he speaks. False gods you could see, but they don't talk. Psalm 115, why should the nation say, where's their God? Our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases. Their gods are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but do not speak. Eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear. Noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel. Feet, but do not walk. And they do not make a sound in their throat.

Those who make them will become like them. So do all who trust in them. And then in verse 9, trust in the Lord. Verse 10, trust in the Lord. And verse 11, trust in the Lord. Jesus had a high priority on preaching, therefore, so ought you, so should I.

Jesus’ Prayer Life and High Priestly Intercession

Now, the passage is really cool. I can't believe I just said cool. It's groovy. What does base mean when people say that's base? Anybody know?

You want answers? I do. I think I'm entitled. What is base? I want the truth. You can't handle the.

Truth. All right. I don't need to know then. It's daytime. Jesus goes and departs to a desolate place. I think the exact same language when he went into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, driven by the Spirit of God.

People have heard about Jesus. There's the word on the street, and so they seek him in chapter 4 verse 42. And they come to him, and they don't want him to go. Isn't that interesting? They don't want him to go.

They don't want him to leave. He goes to a secluded place. We're going to learn a little bit later to pray. And he needs rest. Remember, he's truly human. It's been busy. It's been a busy day, slash days.

And they're seeking him. Different response than when he was in Nazareth, right? In Capernaum, they don't want to let him go. They keep seeking him. They want him to be around. Nazareth, let's throw him off the edge of a cliff, off the edge of a brow.

We don't want him around. And they're searching for him, and they come to him. And it's kind of like the language of, as one man said, in hot pursuit, in hot haste. Crowds see what's going on. They see he's supernatural.

He's powerful. He's doing all these wonderful things, healing diseases and casting out demons. And he's a great preacher, and they don't want him to go. Hey, don't leave us. Again, that is quite the opposite reaction compared to what happened in his hometown of Nazareth.

He needs to get away to rest and to pray. And lots of people, you know, why do I have that here? And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. Oh, because Mark gives us the insight.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left his house, and went off to a solitary place where he prayed. Jesus needs to get away to pray. Now, what most every person does, and I want to do it as well, and I have done it in the past, but I'm not going to do it today, is to watch Jesus and see his prayer life and then tell you the number one thing you should think of when you think of Jesus' prayer life is if Jesus prayed, you better get going.

Should we pray? Yes. I had a good time of prayer this morning, and the majority of my prayer was thinking about all the times that I've sinned lately and what my sins were, and the list was a lot longer than I thought.

Just being open and honest with the Lord. Prayer life is good. Devote yourself to prayer, Colossians 4. Avi, obviously, but is that what we should do when we see Jesus pray? Automatically think, we should pray?

Might I say to you that if you want to secondarily think that, fine, good. We can go to other passages to see importance of prayer, the imperatives of prayer, the law of prayer. But here, it's a narrative.

It's a story. It's a gospel account of the Lord Jesus, somewhat of a theological biography. Jesus is the prayer warrior. That's what I want you to see. He is the prayer warrior. He is the prayer. Finally, there's a person that prays like they should.

That's pretty commendable. Have you ever met a person that prays always like they should, both in content and in time? Well, Jesus, not only the prophet, he's the high priest, and priests sacrifice, and Jesus will, and they pray.

Jesus, your high priest, is a prayer warrior, and he's your prayer warrior. Because later we read in Hebrews 7, consequently, he's able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

He has entered into heaven itself now to appear for us, i .e. to pray in God's presence, Hebrews 9. The high priest would go in on the Day of Atonement to pray for the people, to intercede. Remember what he would wear?

He would wear garments that had onyx stones attached to the shoulders, and on each side, or upon each stone, rather, were engraved the names of the six tribes of Israel. Remember that? You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone, and on the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

Verse 12, you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance, to pray.

That's what the high priest did back in Leviticus 16. Right? He's to intercede on behalf of the people here in Exodus 28 that I just read. You say, well, what does Jesus pray? What's his prayer? Well, I think the wrong way to think about how Jesus prays is he's pleading and crying, and he's speaking to the Father, and the Father doesn't really want to answer, but Jesus just keeps on praying until he finally gets his answer.

We know now when Jesus prays, it's in light of the cross. I love arise my soul, the song by Wesley, five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary. They pour effectual prayers, they strongly speak for me.

Forgive him, oh forgive, they cry, nor let the ransomed sinner die. Jesus pays for our sins, the offering has been accepted, and it's not this, well, the Father really is kind of stingy, so we don't want to think that way.

Why is Jesus praying for us? What is he doing? And most commentators would say because he wants their people, his people, their meaning, the triune God's people, that would be singular again, the three persons of the triune Godhead, that would be plural, right, three in one.

Christ is able to save those who are tempted, Hebrews 2 .18. He provides mercy and grace to help them in time of need, chapter 4, verse 16. Support, mercy, grace, help when people are tempted. O 'Brien said, we may assume that they cover anything and everything that would prevent us from receiving the final salvation, glorification.

He has one for us at the cross. He lives eternally, eternally engaged to bless and protect those who have committed themselves to him, F .F. Bruce. And so Jesus is praying. He's praying that you'll make it.

He's praying when you need help. He's praying that you would be strengthened. Remember Simon Peter? Jesus said to him, I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

I think that's what the Lord is praying for us too, that our faith might not fail and that we'd make it to the end. How wonderful is that? Jesus, the prayer warrior, Jesus in the high priestly prayer in John 17, he prays for his people's preservation, their sanctification, their unity, that they're going to make it all to heaven.

God wants you to be glorified, and he will make it happen, and he does it actually through the prayers of Jesus. Romans 8, who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is it to condemn?

Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who is raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Mike Abenroth, No Compromise, ministry, the priority of preaching and the priority of prayer in Jesus' life.

Mike Abenroth, No Compromise, radio, amazon .com, type in 31 day, and we're going to have a little series going. 31 Day Guide for Law Gospel, One Never Knows.