Followers of Jesus need preaching. Hearing God’s word preached reminds us of the goodness of our God and His gracious plan for His people. In a typical week, I will listen to the Sunday morning sermon from my home church as well as a couple of other preachers God has used in my life. Preaching helps me stay focused on Jesus and His mission.
Paul the Apostle reminds us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” We need God’s word preached to us regularly.
But sometimes we need to preach to ourselves. The human mind is a battlefield, and we must not allow rogue thoughts and ideas to run wild and unchallenged. Knowing our unique struggles and challenges, we will be well-served with a few well-placed and personalized sermons that we preach to ourselves. Here are some messages I need to preach to myself consistently.
1. Throw off worry and doubt. I need to remind myself that worry is not a spiritual gift, and it must be confronted. The author of Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to throw off “the sin which so easily entangles us.” We have a race to run, and we must rid ourselves of the things that will hinder the successful completion of that race.
2. Advance the Great Commission. We have one mission — the Great Commission — and one life to invest in advancing it. Every believer must take personal responsibility for how they are contributing to advancing the mission of Jesus our Lord. For Kentucky Baptists, one way we advance the Great Commission is by contributing to the Cooperative Program through our local church. When Connie and I tithe to God through our church, we do so knowing that it goes to fund international missionaries, local church planting, training future church leaders, disaster relief, foster care, campus ministry and more. That is not the only way I fulfill Jesus’ mission, but it is part of it.
3. Anticipate discipline and correction. God, our Heavenly Father, graciously corrects His erring children. One of the ongoing assurances of our salvation is the gentle corrective discipline we receive from God when we talk too much, act out inappropriately or hurt another image-bearer. As God continues to shape us to be like Jesus, we must remind ourselves that discipline and correction will be part of His sanctification for us. Do not be discouraged by His discipline, but instead preach to yourself that it will come, and it is for your growth in godliness.
4. Live in peace with brothers and sisters. Romans 12:18 tells us, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” This verse reminds me to live peaceably toward all people on social media, in my church, in my family, in my neighborhood, regardless of political persuasion or any other. While it may not be possible to live peaceably with everyone, it is my responsibility in Christ to try — especially with those who are also followers of Jesus.
5. Be thankful and remain hopeful. Optimism is not the path for a believer but hope undoubtedly is. I remember asking Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, whether he was optimistic about something or other. He answered that he was hopeful. I considered his answer and understood that hope is the Christian default regardless of circumstances. God is at work in the world and no matter how things look, we can be hopeful about the future.
There are certainly other sermons I need to preach to myself — but these five are especially important to me. What messages do you need to be reminded of as you make it your aim to live for Jesus in these days?
Dr. Todd Gray 