When The Preacher Is Finished

This past Thanksgiving, I spoke at our community's annual Thanksgiving service. Here is the rough draft I prepared. It is unedited and sloppy, but I wanted to share the thought.
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We gather tonight to celebrate another year of God’s blessings upon our families and our community. I realize that much of our blessings are the result of a direct and consistent application of hard work, yet I know that the good sense to appreciate the value of work, the knowledge to know how to work, the skill to apply that knowledge, and the health to accomplish it all comes from the Lord.

As I ponder His goodness, I eventually get to the thought ‘How do I make sure that God’s blessings continue in the years to come?” How do I insure that my children enjoy His benefits even when I am gone?

I found some help in a sermon Moses preached.

Deu 5:33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

Knowing a good bit of the story, I remember that Israel didn’t always follow Moses’ advice. The writer of the book of Hebrews also noticed.

Heb 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

They had the good news preached to them, but because they only heard it but did not live it, they never experienced it.

The same opportunity is presented to us.

I realized that my blessings, and my children’s blessings, are not sealed and delivered by the preacher’s words. My blessing is determined by what I do once the preacher is finished.

What makes our country great and our families blessed is not the endless supply of good sermons that are preached every week. But the fate of nations and the quality of lives are determined by what we do when the preacher is finished.

I want to establish at the very beginning that a preacher is necessary.
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

I am not saved because I heard a preacher tell of Jesus and His cross. What I did when the preacher was finished will determine my eternal future.

I am not a Christian because I hear my pastor preach twice each week. What I do when the preacher is finished is what makes me whatever I am.

I am not a good father just because I take my family to church. What I do when church is over is what identifies what kind of man I am.

I am not a good citizen because I’ve heard sermons about praying for governors and paying my taxes. What I do when the sermon is concluded defines what kind of citizen I am.

I am not honest just because I said amen when the preacher said we should always tell the truth. What I do after the preacher sits down reveals the depth of my integrity.

Your relationship with God is not defined by how well you listen to the sermon; your relationship with God is determined by what you do when the preacher is finished.

In hindsight, we criticize the Israelites for not listening to Moses and refusing to accept his leadership, yet with all that history to enlighten us, we forget what our preacher said before Deacon Willet has said the closing prayer. And by the time we hit the food bar at Ryan’s, we’ve already decided that his opinion is really no better than anybody else’s, and so we’ll just keep on doing like we’ve always done.

Let me remind you again of what the writer of Hebrews was trying to tell us. If we ignore the Word of the Lord like Israel did, we will wind up like they did. Always wandering, but never finding their place. God supplied all their needs, but they were never content. They never found that rest, the peace their soul desired.

In the morning service this past Sunday, we set aside a few minutes to allow anyone who wanted to stand and state what they were thankful for. For most of us, the list went like this: Salvation, Family, Country, Friends, and Things.

Preserving these blessing depends on what we do when the preacher is finished.

Salvation
The Book of Acts is the only book in the Bible that contains sermons preached to those outside the church telling them how to get in. But in each instance, what the preacher said was not the deciding factor. It was what those listening did after the preacher was finished. From Jerusalem to Samaria, to Ephesus and beyond, churches were established when men and women responded when the preacher was finished.

Beginning with the book of Romans, the apostles sent letters to those who responded to their preaching telling them how to transition from a law-based to a faith-based relationship with God.

Your salvation depends upon you taking action after the preacher is finished.

Family
Just because the preachers says “till death do you part” does not mean it will automatically happen. The success and happiness of your marriage, and ultimately your family, depends on what you do once the preacher is finished.

Love is not the rush you get when you see that cute new girl at work. Love is the responsibility that makes you get in your truck and drive home to your wife and kids when you know that you could have made it with that sweet young thing.

Don’t pat yourself on the back because you finally got the courage to shake loose from the restraints of your dull old life and are now chasing your dreams. It might not be too many mornings before you wake up and realize you are living a nightmare.

True meaning and self-esteem flows from your relationship with Christ. Without that in place, everything else will eventually disappoint.

We seldom come to church…the name of Jesus is only spoken in our homes when we are either scared or mad…and then we wonder why our families are fractured.

We won’t miss a ball game, school dinner, turkey shoot, or square dance, but think nothing of skipping church. When the fair is in town, some will rush to the fairgrounds every evening as soon as they get off work and will stay until the gates are locked that night. Every night they’ll throw their money down for the same old hot dogs and cotton candy, they will ride the same old carnival rides, listen to the same old blaring music, and throw a ball and miss the same old target.

But come to church three times in one week? I’ve heard the lesson on tithing 36 times. I can recite the 23rd Psalm and I know all the pieces of the Great Commission. Why do I need to hear it again?

"Tell me, again, Brother Graves, why do you come to church? You can’t distinguish the words of the sounds or enjoy the music, and you can’t quite make out what the preacher says. Why do you come?"

“I come because I want the devil to know what side I’m on.”

Your family’s future depends on what you do when the preacher is finished.

Country
The prophet said if we would turn from our wicked ways and pray that God would heal our land.
2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Just listening to the preacher describe it will not make it happen. Bowing your head reverently while the pastor prays the Sunday before Election Day is not enough. You need to find your own quiet place and ask God’s blessing on our nation and commit your ways to Him.

Friends
Luk 6:27 -35 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
Luk 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
Luk 6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

You may have wished I’d have talked about something different, but when we gather this time next year I want to be still enjoying the blessings of salvation, family, country, friends, and things. But whether we do or not all depends on the choices we each make. And all those choices take place after the preacher has finished.

Your future hinges on your response to God’s Word.


©2006 Doug Ellingsworth