THE MESSAGE PART 1
The man in Christ has a major responsibility to know and preach the message . The Bible contains different things but it has one central message. The message of the Bible is Christ. When we pick our Bible, it must be to learn Christ.
2 Timothy
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. note
In verse 15, scriptures is used in plural form. It means the contents of the scripture. Notice it is able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Here lies the essence of the scriptures. Salvation in Christ. It is the message of the Bible. In verse 16, all scripture inspired by God. The scripture here is talking about the documentation of the Bible. Different people even animals spoke in the Bible. EVERYTHING in the Bible is rightly stated the way it occurred but this doesn’t mean everything in the Bible is correct. For example in Matthew 12:24, the Pharisees said Jesus had Beelzebub, the Prince of devils. Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
This was rightly stated. The Pharisees actually said it. But does it mean Jesus had devils ? Obviously No. There are many other cases like that recorded in the Bible. We must realise that the Bible is a book. It requires intelligence to understand. It is a Holy book in that it speaks of Christ. For more on Bible interpretations, Click HERE to read my post on the truth only.
MOSES AND THE PROPHETS BORE WITNESS OF THE MESSAGE
The message is Christ alone. All the prophets spoke about Jesus.
John 1: 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
Notice what Philip said. It is this Jesus that Moses and the prophets spoke about.
Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
All the prophets witnessed about Jesus. Notice the emphasis above. Not some of the prophets but all the prophets. It was this message of Christ Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosiah, Malachi and the rest of the prophets spoke about. The prophets spoke about many things. In this many things lie the main thing which is the speaking of Christ . What about the speakings of Christ ? According to the scripture above, that anyone that believes in His names will receive remission of sin. Jeremiah the prophets called this message the new covenant in comparing it to the law.
Jeremiah 31: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
This speaks of Christ. The new covenant is the message which is in Christ. It has always been God’s intention before creation to have all men in Christ. Isaiah also spoke of Christ. Isaiah 53 spoke of the vicarious death of Christ and the outcome of that death. The death was necessary to pay for sin so that men can have the life of Christ as has always been intended by God.
THE APOSTLES PREACHED ONLY THIS MESSAGE OF CHRIST
Acts 5: 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
Notice the emphasis daily, in every house, they cease not to preach Christ. It seems that the apostles do not know that generational curses, first born curses, and many other issues exist. It seems that they do not know that people had issues. They stuck with the message. It is the message of Christ. You cannot exhaust the syllabus. Ephesians 4: 20 But ye have not so learned Christ.
Man of God can’t we just add our opinion or preach the reigning thing ? You cannot! You don’t have the licence. If all the apostles preached was Christ, we cannot be different.
Acts 8: 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
Philip was driven because of persecution. He didn’t start a series on how to kill your enemies. In his escape, he went to Samaria and preach Christ. In the same Acts 8, Philip met the Ethiopian Eunuch and preach Christ to him from Isaiah that the man was reading.
Acts 8: 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Do you realise that why the apostles were persecuted was because they were preaching Christ? If the apostles were preaching the reigning messages of Judaism which is the law in their time, do you think they would have been persecuted? No. They were persecuted because they were preaching Christ.
Paul was not an exception. He stock with the message of Christ just like the rest apostles.
Acts 17: 2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
Acts 18: 5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
Paul had a manner, a custom, a habit. It was the habit of preaching Christ from the scriptures.
1 Corinthians 1 : 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Notice in the above scripture, we do not preach what the people want. The Jews require a sign. Paul didn’t go about preaching signs to satisfy them. The Greeks were scholars so require wisdom. Paul didn’t go about giving them wisdom keys. He stuck with Christ. When they finally believed, the message of Christ became the satisfaction of what they wanted. WE DO NOT PREACH NEED CENTERED MESSAGES. We preach Christ. We are ministers who render services. We cannot serve what was not delivered to us. As messengers, we can only deliver the message we were given which is Christ. This message is the wisdom and power of God. When your members are suffering lack, you don’t start series on how to be wealthy. You preach Christ. When they have issues with conduct, you don’t start a series on morality and the laws. You preach Christ in relation to the conduct.
CHRIST BORE WITNESS OF THE MESSAGE HIMSELF
When Jesus handled the Bible in His lifetime, He looked for what was written of Himself. In Luke 4:17-19, the book of Isaiah was delivered to Jesus. It was what was written of Himself that He opened.
John 5: 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
The scriptures testify of Jesus. Notice, Jesus said they testify of Him. The scriptures bear witness of Christ.
Luke 24: 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Jesus after His resurrection did His first Bible study with the disciples from Emmaus. Verse 27 beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expanded(interpreted) to them the things concerning Himself. Not the things concerning Moses or the law but Himself in ALL THE SCRIPTURES. Jesus preached Himself.
We have seen that the prophets bore witness of the message of Christ, the apostles stuck with the message of Christ and even Jesus stuck with talking about Himself. Therefore, we cannot afford to be different. We have to preach Christ alone. He is the message. Having seen the relevant of sticking to the message Christ, in the subsequent part of this series , we will look at the content of this message of Christ. When we say we preach Christ, what does it mean? It is just to be mentioning Christ in your sermon ? Watch out for the other parts of the series .
A generation has risen who will stick only to the message of Christ with mighty signs. For in this generation, those that will not preach this message are loosing their relevance. You are that generation that will give your all to ensure the message of Christ is preached.
By OBIAZIKWOR EMEKE MODESTY
www.emekemodesty.com