Preaching Myself Happy

This past Sunday night I started preaching through the book of Romans. I have long wanted to preach through this book but knew it would be a monumental challenge and a place where we would camp out for many years. My heart was blessed by just preaching through the first six verses of Paul’s salutation to the Romans. He has more doctrine in his opening remarks than many preachers have in a month of Sundays.

The longer I preached the more the truth resonated in my heart and filled me to overflowing. I could not contain the joy that welled up deep inside. I could identify with Paul when he called himself a bondservant. The more I meditated and preached on the grace of Jesus and plan of God to send Him to earth which was prophesied 500-1,500 years before the birth of Christ and well over three hundred times, the happier I became.

One man commented after the service that it had been a long time since he had seen a preacher preach himself happy. I had never heard that phrase before but that is exactly what happened. I found the truth of the scriptures touching and blessing my heart first and foremost. I want to be more than a preacher of the Word of God. I also want to be a life long student. The first person I preach to is to be to myself.

I have many times studied myself happy in the scriptures. Sitting alone in my office prayerful pouring over the scriptures and mining truth like a miner digging for coal, I felt like the truth was molten lava burning in my heart about to erupt. God’s truth ignites my passion, wells up my deepest affections, and refocuses my priorities which are apt to get out of whack. It has been pure joy and good old fashioned fun to stand before congregations of a few dozen as well as hundreds to preach or teach that truth. At times I feel it inside of me. God has used His truth to consume my thoughts and control my actions and burn in me like an inferno. Like a starving man after a hard day’s work I crave the meat of the word of God and it should affect me first and foremost before it is ever preached from the pulpit.

Too many preachers are good at telling everyone else how to live but do a poor job of living truth before the parishioners and at home. Their sermons are more of do what I say and not what I do messages. I have failed miserably to live up to every sermon I have preached but that is my desire. I want to live truth, experience truth in my own heart and life, and then deliver it to spiritually hungry people.

I am humbled that God chose me to preach. I was born to do this. He chose me and appointed me for this task in my mother’s womb like Jeremiah. [Jer 1:5] In about twenty five minutes I will enter the sanctuary to begin worship and to preach another message from Romans. I intended to preach through about five or six verses earlier this week but was stopped in my tracks after studying one verse. God’s word is alive and sharper than a two edged sword. [Heb 4:12] It is good for the soul. I am anxious like a race horse in the starting gate ready to be released. I am already happy because God’s word has moved my soul again tonight. I have tasted truth and it was sweet to my soul like honey. [Ps 119:103]

When was the last time you read yourself happy, studied yourself happy, or listened yourself happy with the scriptures? In our hurried lifestyles we often fail to stop, to reflect, to ponder, and think deeply on the scriptures but when we do, they are sweet to our souls. God can use His truth to nourish our souls and to renew the joy of our salvation. Are you finding God’s word dry, stale, and tasteless? If so I can assure you the problem is not with the Bible but is with you. Do you hurry through devotions or do you let the honey of scripture fall onto the pallet of your soul producing pleasure, the pain of repentance, and the pure joy of new revelation of Jesus Christ.

I long to be a preacher who preaches himself happy and to preach and teach to a congregation who listen themselves happy and all of us learn to read ourselves happy in Jesus. Let us be forewarned that Jesus is not just looking for readers and hearers only but for doers of the word also. [James 1:22] Whether you are studying, reading, meditating, listening, or preaching; may the Lord use His word to produce an exultation in Him that defies our circumstances and our feelings.

I must go now. The preaching hour approaches and I feel myself all happy inside. I rejoice that a crowd will assemble both in the pews and before televisions to feast on the juicy, savory, everlasting, truth of scripture. May it produce a joy and a maturity that cannot be replicated by any other means.