Colossians 1:24-29 – Suffering and the Hope of Glory, Part 2

I believe there is a lack of true preaching in our day, and I also believe this has led to, over time, a lack of the desire to hear true preaching in our day. It is appalling to see what passes as preaching today in many churches.

Pastors’ leaving the Bible behind in their sermons because they think it’s outdated. Other pastors altering and manipulating the content of Scripture to proclaim their own ideas rather than God’s. Still other pastors giving themselves over to entertaining their hearers rather than giving themselves to the study of the God’s Word so both themselves and their hearers grow in the knowledge of the truth.

And it’s not only the fault of these so-called pastors, it’s also the fault of their hearers as well. Those that claim the name of Christ should demand nothing less from their pastors than the untampered and unshakable Word of God, and yet today the commonly held opinion is that preaching is to be conversation not proclamation, a comforting experience not a challenging one, a dialogue not a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, and a side dish to the worship of God’s people not the main substance of our gathering.

David Platt once posed a question we need to hear afresh today, “What if we take away the cool music and the cushioned chairs? What if the screens are gone and the…air conditioning is off and the comforts are removed? Would the Word of God still be enough for His people to come together?” Would it? Therefore, there is an urgent need in the Church today to not only hear true preaching, there is a need to be taught what true preaching is as well. Our passage today deals with such realities.