Prospering through Preaching

Ezra 5:1-2; 6:14

Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

In the book of Ezra we find this incredible statement about prospering. God’s people had begun to prosper through the preaching ministry of God’s prophets. This begs a few questions which if we answer will help us to gain some spiritual insight which may help us reap prospering in our own lives. How did these people prosper? How does one prosper through preaching today?

Prosper: To go forward, to make progress, to be successful

This prosperity was not material or financial success. It is rather prospering of the highest kind-spiritual. It is God’s design that we be prospered, successful and go forward. He divinely sent His prophets at this time to cause His people to go forward. He uses preaching as the motivation to move His people to accomplish His will.

It was not just that the people heard a message and this caused them to prosper. We do not prosper simply because we hear something! Many people hear preaching and this does them no good.

Preaching is the heralding of exposited truth, with pointed application, demanding a response. Any time the Word is preached there is a response.

God’s chosen people of the restoration period, in their returning and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the House of God(Ezra and Nehemiah) , prospered under the ministries of the building prophets Haggai and Zechariah. This was no doubt because of the Spirit-filled ministry of the preachers, which involved their message and ministry. Preaching involves multiple variables for prospering.

(Romans 1:15-16)(I Corinthians 1)The Apostle Paul had the key to a prospering ministry. He declared his message of the Word of God through preaching. He determined or resolved that Jesus Christ would be seen and known through his preaching. His method involved preaching the gospel, Christ crucified upon the cross. (I Cor. 1:17, 18, 23) He preached in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. (I Cor. 2:4) His motivation was that his hearers would stand in their faith in the power of God and not in the wisdom of men. His mind was the mind of Christ, revealed through the wisdom of God by the Spirit of God.

The responsibility for preaching does not rely alone upon the preacher. There must be some thought given to the hearer if there is to be prospering. Consider the following:

There must be a proper preacher.

There must be a proper power through the Holy Spirit.

There must be a proper proclamation of God’s sufficient Word.

Preaching is not always positive truths. There must be a cry for repentance. There would be no prospering of God’s people if Haggai and Zechariah did not cry out against the people’s spiritual complacency and carelessness. Any preaching that encourages people to remain in their casual and carnal state is not true preaching!

Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

There must also be a proper people, receiving the Word and responding.

Poor listening can make poor preaching out of a good sermon.

Consider how many messages you have heard over your lifetime. Take the years of your life multiply that by 52 for weeks. Most people hear at least two message a week. That would give this hearer over 3,000 messages that he has heard. Partly this may be in growing up going to church even before he was born. It could be that I have been in church an average three times per week. This is figuring for the plethora of revival services and conferences. In college for four years I was in chapel preaching daily. This adds many more messages. Easily this number could be around 5-7 thousand messages. How many of these have changed my life? How many of these do I remember? How many of these am I responsible for?

Side Note( If I am to be responsible for every message heard, it may be wise to carry some kind of a message journal and jot down some notes that I might make best use of every message in my life. Surly this will do something on the road to receiving prospering through the preaching.)

God’s people must have exhibited a proper response to Haggai and Zechariah’s preaching in order to prosper. Consider four appropriate responses to the preaching of the Word which will aide in our prospering:

1. God’s people responded with ears to hear the Word. How to receive the Word of God: Nehemiah 8:3 speaks of the people’s desire to hear the Word of God when they were first seeking to hear the Word, standing for the morning hours, and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

How not to receive the Word of God: The opposite of this response is seen in God’s children under the era of the prophets.

II Kings 17:14-15 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

Nehemiah 9:30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.

Jeremiah 29:19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.

Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

 

Negative listening is also seen in the response to the preaching of Stephen. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord. Acts 7:57 All have seen the response of little children at times when they cover their ears so as not to hear. How sad it is that there are many folks that may not physically be guilty of placing their hands over their ears, but rather do this spiritually. The Lord commands the churches to have ears to hear what the Holy Spirit saith to the churches. This implies that there is a God-given message for each believer, but that it is incumbent upon the hearer to listen. (Revelation 2-3)

It is important to wait expectantly upon the Lord during the preaching. We ought to have an appetite ready to be “filled” with the Word of God. Our souls need the spiritual food. How sad that some might sleep during the service. We don’t fault Eutychus who fell out the window around midnight while Paul was long preaching. Rather let us make observation that we ought never to go to physical or spiritual sleep during the preaching.

I’m sure that the media distractions of our day do not aide in helping Believers to be better listeners to the Word of God. Surly smartphones can be a tool to listen to preaching and bring edification. They can be a trap in helping to limit our attention span as well as to distract us during the preaching service. The Believers of the past may have found it easier to tune in to the Word with less sensory distraction.

Some exhibit “closed ears” to the message of truth, while others have ears to hear untruths. They have a case of “itching ears”. Many hop from church to church looking to hear what they want to hear. Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: (Isa 30:10) Let us not use the excuse, “I’m just not being fed,” when in reality it may be that we have tuned our spiritual ears elsewhere. Some have their ears tuned into fables. They much prefer stories rather than pointed preaching. We need more preaching that steps on the toes. We live in a day and age of flip-flop Christianity when we ought be wearing our combat boots.

Consider the Bereans in Acts 17:11. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

2. God’s people responded with mingling the Word with faith. God’s people believed Haggai and Zechariah that God truly desired them to obey and build His house. Vs. 14 One cannot respond correctly to preaching until he believes the Word which he hears. The Word of God mingled with faith produces profiting. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Hebrews 4:2)

3. God’s people responded with obedience to the Word. It is not the message that we listen to or hear that changes our lives, but rather the one that we obey. How often have we heard a message on Sunday and disobeyed that truth on Monday. This type of listening aligns us with the foolish man in Matthew chapter seven who built his house upon the sand. Obedience to the Word of God in personal application produces a changed life. Not just hearers but doers! (James 1)

 4. God’s people responded with thankfulness for the Word. Vs. 16, 22 God’s people had great joy as they realized the change that God’s Word had effected in their lives. To hear preaching and have invitation to respond is a blessed privilege. Anytime one is convicted he ought to be thankful to the Lord and thank the preacher for his message. I am sure that the people of Israel showed their gratitude for the prospering that the preaching brought to their lives. How many times a message has brought conviction for salvation, has changed our direction in life, brought victory over sin, brought more change to the image of Christ.

 

Any time I take steps of obedience to the Word of God it will reap great joy.

We often get comfortable, complacent, taking preaching for granted. The believer ought to savour and value any opportunity to hear the preaching of the Word of God. He ought to ask the Lord to prepare his heart to hear and understand the preaching. It is not about the preacher and how great he is, but rather about what the Word preached should do in my heart. What does God expect in my life because of this preaching? He should ask the Lord to help him to apply the things that he hears. I fear that all too often we hear messages and are impressed but not impacted. We may even be convicted but yet not changed. There must be a heartfelt sincere response. The alter ought to be a valued place demonstrating our need of the preaching.

What would my life look like if I obeyed currently every message that I have heard preached?

Am I actively prepared to listen with my ears to the preaching?

Am I actively prepared to mingle the Word with faith?

Am I actively prepared to obey the Word that I hear?

Am I actively giving thanks for the preaching that I hear?