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.”
Great preachers and leaders are always born out of adversity. It is interesting in the Scriptures that the greatest preachers and leaders were men who had become great because of battles. They were not made in times of ease, but in times of hardness. It was in the battle where these men were discovered. Adversity will always be the breeding ground of great preachers and leaders.
Moreover, the greatest preachers were those who preached controversial, issue-oriented sermons. Some of these great leaders and preachers were Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Ezra, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Peter, Paul, and of course the greatest of all, Jesus Christ. All of these were men, except Jesus was the Son of God, whose ministries and kingdoms were during a time of battle, and that is what made them great. It was the battle the caused their message to be pointed. Their greatness was honed because of their adversity.
Preaching is never out-of-date. You will notice about Haggai and Zechariah that their preaching motivated God’s people to start building the work of God. Their preaching was not to pacify people, but it motivated God’s people to pick up the hammer and trowel and build the work of the LORD. Preaching will always have that affect on God’s people. Good preaching always motivates people to get up and do something for God.
What was it that made this preaching motivational? It was preaching that was pointed and direct at the sins of the people. When you read Haggai 1:1-15, you will see that Haggai’s preaching was pointed, directed and named their sins. One of the greatest reasons this generation has seen a decline in the involvement of God’s people is because God’s men have changed their preaching to a teaching style that never makes the listener uncomfortable. Preaching will never motivate until it points out the sins and laziness of God’s people.
Furthermore, preaching will stir God’s people to finish what they start. These men did not stop preaching until the temple was finished. We don’t need preaching that tells us it is okay that we didn’t finish what we started; instead, we need preaching that stirs us to get up and finish what we started.
How this day needs men of God who will not be passive in their preaching, but will preach truth even if it offends the listener. We don’t need preachers who try to get along with everyone, but we need preachers who will preach God’s Word without seeking the approval of man. We will never have another great preacher in our society until this preacher learns that he will have to fight the rest of his life to keep what God has given to us.
Friend, this is the type of preaching you need. If you have a man of God whose preaching seems to be out-of-date with today’s society, then be thankful and encourage him to continue preaching truth. Don’t fall for the trap of trying to get preachers to water down their sermons, but encourage them to preach the types of sermons that make the listeners so uncomfortable that it motivates them to pick up the hammer and trowel and start building the work of the LORD.