Incarnating Truth
The quality of the seed (the Word of God) is what matters most, and its effectiveness depends on the moral purity, wisdom, and spiritual power of the preacher.
The preacher delves into the concept of 'phronimos,' an adjective describing one who is thoughtful, sagacious, and discreet, emphasizing the importance of combining understanding with wisdom and insight. Jesus teaches that a truly wise person is one who puts His words into practice, demonstrating genuine faith in Christ's finished work. The sermon highlights the significance of building our lives on the solid foundation of Christ's teachings, as depicted in the analogy of the wise man who built his house upon the rock, contrasting it with the foolish builder whose house crumbled in the storm.
Text
A farmer sows wheat and, granted that the soil is fertile, his harvest will be only what the seed was, allowing for the slight natural retrogression that usually follows each careless planting. Is it not plain that the quality of the seed is what matters most? Would it not be folly for the farmer to grow more and more and poorer and poorer wheat? Let him look to his seed if he would improve his harvest.
Should someone object that the seed is the Word and that since the Word remains always the same it will produce the same effect wherever and by whomsoever it is preached, I would reply that the first is true but not the second. Verily God's Word is ever the same, but what it will do at any time in any place depends largely upon the moral purity, wisdom and spiritual power of those who preach it. There is nothing automatic about the truth. To do its most effective work it must be incarnated in the church.
Look at Acts 18 and 19. Apollos, a man mighty in the Scriptures, for all his faithfulness to the truth as he understood it, could produce only imperfect converts. Suppose Paul had not arrived when he did. It is not hard to imagine an immature, weak and ineffective church propagating itself in Ephesus.
So vitally important is spiritual quality that it is hardly too much to suggest that attempts to grow larger might well be suspended until we have become better.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Quality Seed
- The Word of God is the Seed
- The Need for Incarnating Truth
- Truth must be incarnated in the church to be effective
- Spiritual quality is more important than size or growth
Key Quotes
“There is nothing automatic about the truth. To do its most effective work it must be incarnated in the church.” — A.W. Tozer
“It is hardly too much to suggest that attempts to grow larger might well be suspended until we have become better.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- As a church, we should prioritize becoming better rather than just growing larger.
- Effective preaching requires a high level of moral purity, wisdom, and spiritual power.
- Truth must be incarnated in the church to be effective, and this requires spiritual quality.