Ezra 5:1
“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.”
Every time I read this passage of Scripture, my heart is stirred because of the power that preaching had on the rebuilding of the temple. Most of my life has been about traveling and preaching in churches to help stir God’s people for revival. It is very evident that preaching was the key to the building of the temple and the wall. When you read the Book of Ezra, you see there were four results of preaching that you need in your life if you are going to live the successful Christian life.
First, preaching reminds us of our original purpose. It was the preaching of Haggai that reminded Israel that they were to rebuild the temple. Preaching has a way of pressing the reset button in your life. It will remind and prod you to get back to the original purpose of the Christian life. In a world with so many things to sidetrack you from your purpose, you need to hear the preaching of God’s Word to help you stay focused on God’s purpose for your life.
Second, preaching motivates us to change. It was the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah that stirred Zerubbabel to change what he was doing. Preaching has a way to get you out of a bad rut in life and motivate you to change. You can probably look back at your own life and remember times when preaching motivated you to change things in your life. You need preaching if you are going to change those things that are keeping you from living the successful Christian life.
Third, preaching stirs us to do something. It says in verse 2, “Then rose up…” I can remember sermons that throughout my life caused me to pray more, go soul winning, work more for God and simply do more things. Preaching will give you the vision to do something big for God. Many young men have been stirred by preaching to surrender their lives to full-time service. That is why you need preaching. Preaching will light a fire inside of you to do something greater with your life. Without preaching, you will find yourself living an apathetic Christian life.
Fourth, preaching gives us an urgency. It says about the work being done on the temple in verse 8, “…this work goeth fast on…” It was moving quickly because there was an urgency presented in the preaching to get it done. You will find that preaching will present the urgency of the hour. It will remind us that what we do for Christ will literally influence souls that are hanging between Heaven and Hell. It will remind you that there is no time to waste. You need preaching to constantly remind you of this urgency.
Every Christian who has pleased God has been influenced greatly by preaching. Let me encourage you to listen to more preaching. Certainly, you should be faithful to all the services of your church, but you should also find ways to listen to more preaching. It is through the “foolishness of preaching” that you will see God’s power working through your life. Use your down time when driving or when you are getting ready for the day to listen to preaching. You will find that it will help you to live a better Christian life and it will help you to be more prosperous in your service for God.