The gospel message preached faithfully from the Scriptures will be a stumbling block to those who want a comforting, encouraging, feel-good sermon each week. Sadly, many modern-day churches are doing just that. But the wisdom of man is foolishness because it has no answers. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov 14:12). What seems right to men is to preach a gospel that fits the culture. It’s non-offensive, and it makes for good crowds. People want a gospel that fits their life, not one that requires change, obedience, faithfulness, and pursuit of holiness. 

I don’t think any pastor, teacher, or member of a church has not experienced some disunity that has arisen out of a non-theological matter. In my decades in the church, I have witnessed one, maybe two theological splits from friends and fellow pastors. That’s it. The rest, well, I am sure your familiar with them all—foolish things.
Paul’s appeal to the church at Corinth had similar issues: “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you” (1 Cor 1:10). Paul had been informed “that there are quarrels among you” (1 Cor 1:11). In the church today, there will be conflicts, often from different personalities, and that’s not uncommon. However, these divisions were substantial.
Many were saying they followed different men—some Paul, some Apollos, Cephas, and some Jesus. This can be deeply problematic even in today’s church, as, for instance, some men follow YouTube sensations who are “celebrity pastors.” They can say some good things, but their main interest is in gaining audiences, not followers.
What the modern-day church lacks is sound, biblical, expositional preaching from the pulpit. Many are doing this, and I am grateful for this, but what lack of this produces is exactly what Paul is dealing with, people following the most culturally-fit so-called preacher on the internet instead of a local pastor preaching the Word.
Paul explains his unpopular position on preaching, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void” (1 Cor 1:17). He knew the cleverness or wisdom in his own speech would be worthless at changing a man’s heart. Only God can do that through the Spirit of God. His proclamation was to preach Christ and nothing else.
Men have tried to reinvent the gospel over the years to make it more attractive. The world wants something new and exciting, even at church.
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Jonah was so displeased at God’s mercy to them, he simply wanted to die rather than live. Not exactly a missionary’s vision. I do not have a concrete answer as to Jonah’s attitude. He’s been reduced from certain death and now seems ungrateful that God has saved a nation. What is beyond my grasp in human terms is God’s continued compassion on Jonah. 

“But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry” (Jonah 4:1). What displeased Jonah? “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). I have to be honest, I am still stumped at the reaction of Jonah.
The facts are, Jonah didn’t want them to repent. He wanted judgment, and we cannot escape this truth. Not only did this displease Jonah, “he became angry” (Jonah 4:1). Angry that the people of Nineveh repented or angry that God granted it? His prayer tells us where his heart was, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish” (Jonah 4:2a). We now have his admittance to why he left. He knew God would be gracious. “For I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity” (Jonah 4:2b).
Jonah didn’t want to preach the message from God. He knew God would be merciful, kind, and gracious. He knew God was abundant in mercy. He knew all the attributes of God. As a Christian today we know these attributes as well. We look at our own lives and see the abundance of mercy, lovingkindness, slow to anger, and compassion God has shown on us. But we are, at times, no different than Jonah. Forgetting His mercy on us and wanting judgment instead of grace to befall our enemies.
Jonah was so displeased at God’s mercy to them, he simply wanted to die rather than live. Not exactly a missionary’s vision. I do not have a concrete answer as to Jonah’s attitude. He’s been reduced from certain death and now seems ungrateful that God has saved a nation.
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There is hope and comfort in the coming of the Lord—there is hope and comfort in being with the Lord even before His coming. The Word of God only provides comfort. In trials, sufferings, death and despair, it’s the Word of God that is the foundation for our hope. 

Grief is a part of human suffering. It’s the curse. Every man will endure it. Some will see great amounts of grief. Others, not so much. No one will escape it. To say this would seem I am a depressed pessimist, but I’m just being biblical. A Christian has a biblical view of grief. It comes mingled with joy. The world doesn’t have this, nor can it. Searching for peace in alcohol or some other mind altering effect, they look, but don’t find. Up until October of 2022, I could have said that grief and joy mixed together is something I couldn’t explain. I had spoken at many funerals, listened to grief-stricken friends over the years, but it was only when my mother died that I understood this.
When Jesus was being led away, He spoke to His disciples concerning their empty loss to come: “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy” (John 16:20). The words of Jesus comfort me. Only those who know redemptive, joyful, magnifying grace can understand that you can grieve, but that will be turned to joy.
Moments of grief will still grip you. At the same time, Psalm 34:1 affirms, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” “All” means “all” here. At times of grief, suffering, and trials as well as the times of happiness, bliss, and joy, we will bless the Lord. When Jesus told the disciples their grief would be turned into joy, that seems like an oxymoron. How? A Christians does not cement his hope in this world. We know death will come apart from the return of Jesus. We know our bodies will decay. We know we will depart from our loved ones. But a resurrected Savior has prepared for us a place: “For I go to prepare a place for you” ( John 14:2), “that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). We rest our hope in this truth—when we leave or our redeemed friends and family leave, they are with the Lord.
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In today’s culture, too many pastors are giving the sheep what they want, not what they need. What is needed today is truth—not a post modern truth, but biblical truth. Feeding the flock a steady diet of biblical preaching is the only true spiritual food. It’s popular to be trendy YouTube-celebrity pastor, but avoid such temptations. Just preach the Word of God—feed the sheep the Word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, so they will get the nourishment they need.

Sheep need a shepherd. Wandering sheep are a danger to themselves. Jesus had compassion upon the multitudes of people following Him: “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Jesus helped multitudes of people—those with illnesses, blindness, lepers, demon-possessed, and even raising the dead. Yet, all these are temporary. Jesus saw beyond their physical ailments; He saw the deep spiritual need. Physical healings, no matter how miraculous, are temporal.
The compassion Jesus felt was genuine, not figurative. Yes, healing was happening, but emptiness still was there. He identified the reason for it: they had no shepherd. The spiritual need for healing far exceeds the physical. One can be healed physically, and yet still die without Christ.
Jesus looked beyond the temporal. He saw them distressed and dispirited. The ESV says, “harassed and helpless,” and the NKJV reads, “weary and scattered.” No matter the rendering, the fact is they were confused and wondering. Even after all the physical miracles, there remained a grave concern—their spiritual condition.
The very ones responsible for being their shepherds were the ones causing confusion and hopelessness. Jesus identified the hypocrisy of these false shepherds: “Therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger” (Matthew 23:3-4).
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If you have been a pastor for any length of time, you know the traditions of a church can create some tension. The key to managing these traditions is making a wise assessment—do they elevate above the commands of God? Often, they do not, but in some cases, they do. A rural church will often have traditions handed down by generations of men, and the current generation does not even know why they do it. 

Jesus asked many questions. One was asked of the Pharisees concerning their traditions: “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matthew 15:3)? Tradition can exist in churches of all sizes, whether rural, city center, or suburban. The “we’ve always done it this way” crowd generally exists in smaller churches and is often deep in family ties. Tradition is not evil in and of itself. Defined, it means “something given or handed down over an extended period of time.” According to Mounce’s Expository Dictionary, “paradosis refers to keeping the traditions of men with the ultimate effect of disobeying the commands of God” (Matt. 15:2, 3, 6; Mark 7:3, 5, 8, 9, 13).
When referring to his traditions as he was being schooled in Judaism, Paul said in Galatians 1:13,14,
And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased.
The Pharisees had a niche for adding to the law and elevating it above Scripture. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:8,
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
Not all tradition is bad. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 states,
So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
Likewise, 2 Thessalonians 3:6 says
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.
It appears that whatever these traditions were, they were spiritually beneficial and did not exceed the authority of Scripture.
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If we are struggling with time management, we can ask the Lord to give us wisdom to recognize where we are lacking, and he will, but we may not like what it reveals. Making good use of our time will often hurt because it interferes with the god-like world we have sometimes created and live in. We often think the world, people, and even God should revolve around us. 

In Jonathan Edwards’s seventy resolutions, resolution number 5 states, “Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.” As a bi-vocational pastor, this is a foundational truth I desire to adhere to as well.
Time is something we will never have more or less of. I am in year nine of my third pastorate. The first two were not effective in regard to time management. In fact, in my second pastorate, “burn out” flared up, and this led to my resignation. I was working 50 hours a week, preaching two sermons on Sundays and one on Wednesday evenings, and the church was 35 minutes away. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I simply resorted to just “winging it” on Wednesdays, heading there in a rush when I would get off work, and a second Sunday sermon was just a half-baked presentation. Now I am older, and maybe wiser I suppose, and I have established a few principals both in my personal life and in the life of the church that have helped me pastor more effectively.
Ephesians 5:15-16a commands, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time.” I must always consider how I walk, “to live, to conduct one’s life.” It is very easy to become distracted and not use my time wisely, and as a bivocational pastor, I must have a disciplined time to study for the sermon.
The preaching of God’s Word is the highest honor and responsibility a man can have, and I should not step foot in the pulpit unprepared. I deeply understand that I am responsible for feeding the flock of God. First Peter 5:2 tells me to “shepherd the flock of God among you.” I should not feed them crumbs.
For this reason, I make sure to dedicate a certain amount of time solely to the preparation of the sermon without distraction. If it is in the morning, evening, or breaks during the day, we must be wise about using this time for preparation and not be foolish and waste time on fruitless things.
I learned many years ago that sermon preparation is time consuming. The philosophy of waiting until the last minute to get a message from God because you think it is more spiritual, well, is just foolish. Honestly, we all have preparation time at some point in our day, but often we just do not want to make use of it.
Making the most use of your time, “to redeem,” is to be wise with the time you have been given.
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