MS Top 6 Season 4 #12

This is the Truth Network. Monday through Friday, Matt takes calls from all around the world on his radio show. We've compiled this week's best, Matt Slick's Top Six.

Number six. So many people in the world, they say OMG the actual sentence. To me, I cringe when I hear people say it, and they also say that they're a Christian or they believe in the Lord. Yes, I'm with you. Every single time I hear the Lord's name used in vain, I cringe.

It causes me discomfort. I find it offensive and blasphemous. And even when Christians do it, they'll do that. They're so used to the things of the world that too many Christians will say the Lord's name. Now, the name of God properly is Yahweh and the person of Christ, Jesus. But the phrase the name of the Lord has to do with all his titles as well. God and Lord the Sovereign as Christians, we're always supposed to only use those words with reference.

Number five. When I visit a church, how do I know the sermon is Christ-centered? How do I know the songs are Christ-centered?

What do those sound like? Are you a Christian? I am. Okay.

All right. The Bible says in Exodus 20, 10 Commandments, you do not lie. So it's wrong to lie. So what if a pastor gets up and he talks about lying? He says how if God doesn't want it, it's against him.

It's a sin against his character and you shouldn't do it. The guy gives some illustrations how lying costs people jobs and marriages and things like that. And he talks about that. But he does not mention the Lord Jesus Christ and redemptive work. Now, is that a good sermon?

And the answer is no, it is not. One of the things I learned in seminary was when a professor was training me on preaching. I'm not saying I'm a great preacher or anything, but he taught me something that I never forgot. I remember where I was when my eyes were opened. And he asked me, could your sermon have been preached unchanged in a Mormon church? I thought about it for about 30 seconds. I looked at him. I said, yes, unchanged.

They would have accepted it. He said, then that's a problem, isn't it? Number four. So the pastor of the seminary professor taught me that, really shook me up. And he said, where's Christ in your sermon, Matt? And I was preaching in the Old Testament. He goes, I don't know, 2 Chronicles 20. It's when a bunch of people are coming down from the north to destroy Israel.

From all over to destroy Israel. And God said, don't worry about it. The battle's not yours, it's mine.

And he destroyed the enemy. Originally I said, just trust God and he'll deliver you. It's a truth, but he would not give me a top notch grade. So I had to go back and think about it because he asked me a question. He says, where's Christ in there?

And I said, well, he's not there yet. He says, yes, he is, but John 539, he searched the scriptures. Because then he gave eternal life, but it is these that bear witness of me. The scriptures are about him. So, okay, those are the clues. So I went and read the sermon and I learned something.

And the modification was very simple. It was the reason God said, don't worry about it. He's going to take care of the battle is ultimately because it was an attempt by the enemy to destroy the messianic line by destroying Israel. And if Israel is destroyed, we don't have a messiah.

This is an attempt on all of us. And it says, and the cross is what he was trying to prevent. The arrival of the messiah.

Number three. But if you're listening to someone preach, is it Christ center? It's called historical redemptive. Is the history, is the reason, is the goal ultimately based on the cross of Christ? So this is what we have to understand.

This is what you have to look for. Sometimes a preacher might get up and preach a sermon that sounds good on the surface. And be good because being good is good. God wants you to be good. So be good.

It takes a bow where everybody applauds. But the idea is you be good because the Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood and bought you. And you don't belong to yourself.

You belong to him. He's your Lord. So live according to the ministry of the work of the Holy Spirit upon those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. That is a sermon. Now, I would prefer that when I preach, I don't get to preach very often anymore.

I miss it. But I would prefer to preach a sermon in such a way that it would not be acceptable in the Mormon Church, Jehovah's Witness Church, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church. So that there's something in it will preclude me or preclude that message being accepted by those adherent because those are all false churches.

Number two. Dutch Reformed Church in Southern California. And it was my first ministry job.

And so I'm sitting there in the eldership in this big room. So these these men and all godly men, I'm not knocking about 45 minutes into the interview, they said, we want to reach out to the community and have more people come into the church. And I said, are you really serious about that?

They said, yes. I said, stop singing your hymns and stop doing the organ. I said, the only time people hear organs is in horror movies and funeral parlors. They don't listen to organ music.

That's just not what they hear. You want them to come from outside in a contemporary culture and functionally step back in time two to 300 years and be comfortable the way you want them to be comfortable. That's not how it's supposed to be. Jesus Christ, God in flesh.

He came to Earth, became one of us, adopted the culture and the language and the dress of the time and where he was. And that's not to do with compromise. We're not to compromise. But I said, if this is your goal, this is what you want to do, then you have to make it so that the people who they come in aren't suddenly repelled by King James Elizabethan English or stand up and sit down.

And you can only talk when that certain amount of time is over. I went to church yesterday and the normal pastor wasn't there. Rick, different pastor was on staff, young guy. And he was preaching on the wedding feast and things like this.

And I was mildly entertained or amused or whatever. It was difficult to pay attention until he started talking about election. I could not believe what I heard. He actually spoke the truth of God's word about God electing us to salvation. And he said to the people, sorry, folks, if you don't like it, but that's what the word of God says right here. I was shocked. I haven't heard that kind of language from the pulpit in years. It was awesome. And this is the kind of thing we need to have.

But we're not getting across the church as much anymore. We hope you've enjoyed this episode of Matt Slick's Top 6. For more on Matt and his live syndicated call-in radio show, go to truthnetwork.com. Got a question? Matt Slick has your answer. This is the Truth Network.