Answering Questions No One is Asking

There are many who seek to make the preaching of the gospel irrelevant today. Someone once remarked in regard to a sermon, "you are answering questions that no one is asking." A statement like this plainly implies that those teaching the word of God must be led by the audience and what they desire to hear. Using this principle as a guiede, the truth revealed in God's word doesn't matter. We don't need book, chapter, or verse for what we practice. In fact, we don't even need the Bible at all. We can just preach from human wisdom for that is what the people want to hear.

One has to wonder if the people in Jeremiah's day expected to hear what they wanted from the prophet. Instead they got the truth. "To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Instead their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the Lord is a repreach to them" (Jeremiah 6:10.) Jeremiah had to preach the word.

The Jews did not ask for John the Baptish to preach to them but they got him anyway. They certainly did not ask to be called a "generation of vipers" (Matthew 3:7) but that is what they were. No doubt they didn't want their impenitent hearts revealed publicly but that is what they got (Luke 3:10-14.)

How many more examples could we use? The Jews in Acts 2 didn't ask to be condemned for killing the son of God. The council didn't want to hear Steven accuse them of rejecting Jesus just as their fathers had always rejected the prophets. The Corinthians probably didn't ask for the stinging rebuke they received. Did Peter ask to be rebuked by Paul (Galatians 2:14?) Gospel preachers have the responsibility to preach the word and give Bible authority for everything taught. It may not always be what people want to hear but better to say it and please God than man.