1457. Christ the Preacher, with His Hearers Angered

Christ the Preacher, with His Hearers Angered

"And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath" (Luk_4:28).

After Christ had spoken the gracious words, and they doubted; after Christ had told the people that their doubts would make impossible their blessings; then, "All they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong" (Luk_4:28-29).

How soon were the people angered! The sad part of this refusal is that it came as a result of gracious preaching and of faithful warning.

The men, who are withstood to-day, are not the men who deny the faith. Let a man stand in the pulpit and preach the Word, and he will be denounced.

Let a man proclaim the more sure Word of Prophecy, and he will be derided.

Let a man set forth the marvels of Revelation and he will be decried.

As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so will men withstand the Truth.

As Korah rebelled, so will men rebel.

The day has come when the one who follows the example of Christ, the minister who stands in the pulpit with an open Bible, believing the Word of Truth, and proclaiming it with gracious words, shall be refused by the populace.

The time has come when men will not endure sound doctrine. The church with itching ears is heaping unto herself preachers with itching ears, who will turn aside from the faith once for all delivered unto the fathers.

If a preachers wants to be popular, he must not preach the Word.

If a preacher wants to be applauded, he must not proclaim the sound doctrine.

If a preacher wants a high place in the synagogue, he must turn aside from the faith.

The world desires profane and vain babblings and the expositions of science, falsely so-called.

The world desires men in the pulpit who prophesy smooth things. They prefer the man who calls light "darkness," and darkness "light."

This is an age of the unruly, of the vain talkers, and of the deceivers. This is the age of men who speak for filthy lucre's sake; of men who hold men's person in advantage, for profit; of men who are as blind dogs which cannot bark, saying that to morrow will be as to-day, only much more abundant.

As the age goes on, towards its weary close, the time will come when the scene enacted on that Sabbath Day in the long ago, in the city of Nazareth, following the gracious testimony of Christ, will be enacted over and over again.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR