Read Titus 1

“…In due time [God] manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior…” (Titus 1:3)

Beloved, herein lies a wonderful truth that is often taken for granted. God has chosen to reveal Himself through His Word, and He has chosen to reveal His Word through the preaching of His Word. Paul highlights that he was given the commandment to preach. And clearly, for the last 2,000 years, the preaching of God's Word has been committed to many in whom Christ has gifted to do so. This is for the sake of the church in order to equip the body of Christ in truth (see Ephesians 4:11-12).

If preaching is God’s method for revealing Himself through His Word, then we must immediately consider what biblical preaching is. There are many false preachers out and about leading the sheep astray into doctrines of demons (see 1 Timothy 4:1-2). Therefore, we must be able to identify Christ’s gift against false methods and antitypes. It’s too easy to follow after what tickles our ears rather than what nourishes our souls (see 2 Timothy 4:3-4). To fault here is to fault everywhere.

Here in our verse, there are at least several key indicators of what true, biblical preaching is.

First, true preaching must be the delivery of God's Word itself. Notice — preaching is not to be about God's Word, or around God's Word, or even from God's Word. Preaching is to be God's Word. There is to be no intermediary or bridge between the preaching and the Word itself. Sadly, our church culture is littered with many gifted orators who know how to herald many wonderful things around God's Word, but they do not preach it in itself. Even more tragic is to see laziness at the pulpit from unstudied pastors who know how to ramble about God's Word, but do not exposit it in truth.

The man in whom God commands and commits the gift to preach must be about preaching His Word directly. So much so, that Paul explicitly and simply commanded pastor Timothy —

“Preach the word!” (2 Timothy 4:2)

Second, true preaching must make God and His Word manifest. That is, preaching is intended by God to illuminate the meaning of the Scriptures, to instruct the soul by them, and to clarify the truth through them. Don't miss this! People walk away from a good oration saying “That was a great presentation!” — but people walk away from true preaching saying, “I now understand what that section of Scripture means!" It's all about bringing understanding to light so that we can grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

As the priests of the Old Testament were, so are to be the preachers of the New Testament, in whom God commands:

“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 2:7)

Third, true preaching is commanded by God. It is not just a method or a suggestion. It is a commandment that is proclaimed from the throne room where Christ sits! There are no improvements, additions or sidetracks to be taken. The Scriptures are not to be a subtext, a side text, or a suffix of what the preacher wants to say. He is commanded under the authority of the Savior to preach what has already been preached, and to deliver what is already written! To do otherwise is to trade divine inspiration for human perspiration.

Dear family — in these last days — there are many misguided messengers, many unstudied orators, and many devious broadcasters. Be careful who you lend your ears to. We must commit ourselves fully to the true preaching of God’s Word, and we must hold accountable those whom we see straying from it, including our own pastors and leaders. As a pastor to some reading this, I trust you will hold even my feet to the fire on this matter. There is no time for anything other than rightly dividing the Word of Truth (see 2 Timothy 2:15) and being fed in the understanding of the Scriptures (see Nehemiah 8:8; Jeremiah 3:15; Matthew 13:19, 23). Only God's Word endures forever!

““All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Peter 1:24–2:3)