9 07 Preachn Twp

The Preacher’s Notebook The Paper and Electronic Pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Mineral Springs, NC (Delivered by E-mail and Us Postage Through Subscription as an Extension of the Pulpit Ministry of this Church)

Dr. Terry W . Preslar – PO Box 388 – M ineral Springs, NC 28108 (704)843-3858 – E-Mail: [email protected] Copyright (C) 2007. Terry W. Preslar All rights reserved.

Vol. I

September, 2007

Issue 4

Watchman... What of the Night!? “The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.”(Isa. 21:11-12) I- In the time of deepest need (Isa. 26:9) “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” A- SIN is always Darkness (1 Peter 2:9) “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; B- UNBELIEF is always Darkness (John 11:10) “But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.” C- LIGHT SCATTERS Darkness (John 1:5) “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” II- In the time of cleansing (Rom.13:12) “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” A- Darkness has works – the blind can work in the darkness. (2 Cor.4:3-4) “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” B-Righteousness can only work in the LIGHT! (John 9:4) “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” C-There must be light shown where men and women, boys an girls are saved (John 1:9-13) “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” III- In the time of HIS Second Coming (1 Thes.5:2) [2 Peter 3:10] “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” A- A thief comes for the valuables (2 Cor.4:7) “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and -1-

not of us.” B- A thief comes in darkness (2 Peter 3:10) “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” C- A thief comes in a time when you think NOT! (Matt.24:44) “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

The Person of The “Watchman” In This Day “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (Heb. 13:17). 1) Placed by GOD (Acts 20:28) [GOD gives men as the need is] “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” 2) Empowered by GOD (Acts 6:9-10) [GOD gives power as to the need] “Then there arose certain of the synagogue,...disputing with Stephen And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” 3) Instructed by GOD (Acts 28:23) [GOD instructs as the need is] “There came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of GOD, persuading them concerning JESUS, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.”

PREACH’N!! A Sermon By Dr.Terry W. Preslar My friend, just think, if you will, how hungry many people are for the truth, and then think of what they are fed. They ask for an egg and the American Pulpit gives them a stone; they ask for a fish and this liberal day gives them a serpent! One of the reasons our faith is being shaken is the condition of the American Pulpit. This place of separation has been polluted by men without morals who tell likewise others how to escape morality. I find this quotation from Dr. R.G. Lee in his powerful book, Pathways For Preachers: “Today black snow falls! The Fever of life’s fierce heat burns the divine dew off the grass! Spiritual mercury falls low! Critical Philistines of transcendent cleverness subject the warm wonder of Christianity to cool analysis! Fat deformities ask the world to substitute Christianity’s bread for `a chunk of cloud bank buttered with the night wind’, and our unregenerate humanity is set in the midst of palaces, art, philosophies, and scientific wonders, but remains a bedraggled beggar still - while many Christians are frostbitten in realms of luxury. So the Gospel is our superlative, our supreme inspiration.” In these next few lines I plan to deal with the subject: “The Superlative of Preaching.” It is preaching that struck the Gospel onto the coin of the Earth with the apostles. It was preaching that brought the princes and peasants alike to the cross. The years of the “dark ages” were clouded with darkness but the light never died through the preaching of many like the Waldenses of Europe. The Reformation came to pass as a result of preaching. The great awakening came to America with the voice of a preacher named George Whitfield In the past two hundred years we can see America’s shape formed in response to preaching. (Charles Finney, D.L.Moody, R.A. Torrey, Wilber Chapman, Billy Sunday, J. Frank Norris etc.) It has only been in recent days that preaching has been so lightly taken. Before you start to point fingers at the outside let me first say that I fear the ministry of preaching has problems from within. There is a deepening apostasy from “...the faith once delivered to the saints...” (Jude 3) Preaching, at its best, is expounding eternal truths to those who desire such. If few desire truth, preaching will surely suffer. And for this very reason preaching is on a low slot of interest. Worldliness will always -2-

soften the impact of preaching. Today we are under the control of the flesh and pleasure like never before therefore preaching (a spiritual endeavor) is subjugated to the needs and whims of the flesh. Then lastly there is the subject of the Gospel Preacher himself. Most spend so little time in prayer for the message that no clear direction is found. Most preachers are faced with a list of personal and ecclesiastical needs so demanding that time is consumed in the pursuit of these to the lose of the pulpit. And most are so spiritually dull until the sharp aptitude for homiletics placed in him by the “call to preach” is blunted to a useless edge. Dear preacher, do you remember when preaching was all that meant anything to you and to be used of GOD’S hand to see folks saved burned you inside? That can still be your’s. If GOD called you to preach that is what HE means for you to do. (Rom.11:29 “For the gifts and calling of GOD are without repentance.”) Without a doubt, the reader must see by this place in the essay that the Gospel Preacher must be under some personal call in order to take this great burden upon his shoulder. This “CALL” is seen first at the time of his salvation (“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28). Then there is a call of God to separation (“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord...” 2 Cor. 6:17). And also, there must needs be a call to service (“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” 2 Tim. 1:9). Many who know nothing of the call of GOD to Grace will know nothing of the call of GOD to service. And therefore, we have populated the pulpits of the land with base men... No zeal for the Saviour is expressed in the FACT that most preach worldly messages of empty words that can free no hearer. We need a renewed, fiery commitment to this Holy God! GOD HELP US?!!!

My Commitment As A Christian (The author seems to be unknown. It is said to be by a young African pastor. The report is that the persecuted pastor signed it and tacked it on the wall of his house for all to see.) I’m a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have HOLY SPIRIT power. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of HIS. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on HIS presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, prayed up, paid up, preached up, for the cause of CHRIST. I am a disciple of JESUS. I must go ‘til HE comes, give ‘til drop, preach ‘til all know, work ‘til HE stops me. And when HE comes for HIS own, HE will have no problems recognizing me - my banner will be clear! This Periodical is printed by Gospel Publishing and Colportage, a ministry of the First Baptist Church of Mineral Springs, NC, and is designed for education, evangelism, and edification. If we may assist you in knowing more about Christ and the Christian life, please write us without obligation: First Baptist Church of Mineral Springs PO Box 388, Mineral Springs, NC 28108 (704)843-3858

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Psalms 107:2 S É S Romans 12:1-2 These Sermons are used through the subscription to an E-Mail list maintained by Bro. Preslar ([email protected]) and are the copyrighted property of Dr. Terry W. Preslar. This document is part of a growing collection that is part of the Fresh Waters Digital Library. Re-distribution is allowed with this restriction: This document must not be disassembled or reverse engineered and all pages must be distributed together. This material may not be used in any commercial manner. All files in this series are in the PDF file format and can be read with the free pdf reader fro adobe called acrobat reader. It is hoped that this restriction will not hinder the effective use of this sermon/essay in the teaching and preaching of this document. – The Editor

“...when thou comest, bring with thee...the books, but especially the parchments. (2 Tim. 4:13) Psalms 107:2 S É S Romans 12:1-2 P.O. Box 388 Mineral Springs, N.C. 28108 1(704)843-3858 E-Mail: [email protected]

First Baptist Church PO Box 388 Mineral Springs, NC 28108