Faith Comes By God's Word
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 3/27/2011 AM |
Text: | I Corinthians 1; Lord's Day 25 |
Psalters: | 174, 89, 10, 65 |
- Wrought by preaching.
- God is pleased to use certain instruments to convey grace to His children.
- The peaching of God’s Word is indispensable for coming to and maintaining a conscious faith in Christ.
- Proof : Romans 10:14; John 5:24,25; 10:3,4,27; Ephesians 4:21; I Thessalonians 2:13.
- Preaching is the authoritative proclamation of the gospel by the Church in the service of the Word of God through Christ.
- The content of the message is from the King in the Bible so He is heard (John 5:24; 10:3,4,27; Eph. 4:21).
- It is authoritative: one of the Greek words for “preach” is “to herald” on behalf of the King.
- How is the preaching of the Word a means of grace?
- The Spirit of God makes the preaching an effectual means (Westminster, Larger, q. 155).
- Accompanying the external preaching must be the Spirit witnessing to the spirit of the elect (Romans 8:14-16).
- The Holy Spirit confirms faith by the sacraments.
- The sacraments are signs, i.e., visible representations of invisible realities.
- And they are seals, i.e., marks of ownership and authority, guaranteeing what is revealed in the sign.
- They are a solemn pledge of Go, guaranteeing what is revealed in the sign, assuring.
- This seal is seen and received only by those exercising faith in Christ.
- How are they signs and seals?
- The clear implication is that we must use correctly the means God uses to give grace.
- Scripture ascribes to nothing else the ability to work faith.
- We are bound to use them if we want grace and increasingly stronger conscious faith.
- Demand the right kind of preaching, i.e., that which gives exposition of God’s Word.
- “It is required of those that hear the word preached that they attend unto it with diligence, preparation, and prayer.”