MY FIRST SERMON

Hebrews 3:1-6

 

            The fifth Sunday in January of 1978, I preached my first sermon.  For months I had dreamed that I was preaching but now God had brought me to the time and place where it was to really take place.  The week leading up to that Sunday I realized that I wasn’t sure how to prepare to preach that sermon.  I also realized that I really didn’t know how to study.  So, long story short, I did a lot of praying.  He led me to the third chapter of Hebrews and verses one through six.

            I may have been in a slight state of shock that morning for I do not remember much about the whole service.  I can’t recall a song that was sung.  I do not remember many of the people that were there.  I do recall my text, not clearly, but I know the verses.  What I said or any points that I may have made I do not recall.  I just pray that it touched someone.  You may ask why I do not remember.  I am not sure but best I can tell is that I was so weak and not sure of how to preach that I just totally surrendered it all to the Lord.  God only knows how unprepared, unpolished, unknowing I was.  So he had to take over. 

 In the weeks to come my pastor, Brother Haskel Adamson, knew that I needed help and he began to share some books and tips on how to study the Bible.  He will never know how much I appreciated his help.  Some of the books he shared with me I was not able to understand at the time.  Little did I know that years into my ministry I would pick them up again and this time I did understand and they became tremendous helps to me then.  It has been the same way in the Bible, some books or passages that I did not understand years ago, I can read now and find meaning in them.  I believe that has been part of the sanctification process for me.  It has been line upon line, precept upon precept.  A little bit at a time I have found more understanding in God’s Word. 

It has been much the same way in learning God’s will for me.  Yes I realized I had a call into His preaching ministry but was it to be in churches or on the mission field?  Was it to be as a pastor or evangelist?  Should I be involved in church planting or church growing?  Well he has shown me that I was to preach primarily here.  I was to be a pastor and to help those churches grow in grace and in the Word of God.  Even in that, my ministry has changed along the way.  My prayer is that God would save people along the way and help them grow and if only one was saved I would have to say “To God be the glory!  Great things he hath done!”

 

Yours in Christ,

 

Brother Randy Burtram