Expository Preaching Blog #30 – “God Gave Me This Sermon for You Today”

By

I heard a preacher say that recently. “God gave me this sermon for you today!” To which I say “No He didn’t!” How did I know that? Because the sermon was not an exegetical, expository delivery of a passage of Holy Scripture. It was what the preacher wanted to say, from the preacher’s design, with 99% of only the preacher’s words and with the preacher’s conclusions. He said what he wanted to say not what God wanted him to say. Even if he used God’s Word he always adds his words to it or changes it to say what he wants it to say. He is presenting his ideas, in his way.

When a preacher says this, he is guilty of manipulating the people and extorting them to believe what he wants them to believe. After all if it is message directly from God how can you disagree with it without disagreeing with God Himself. You have nothing to check it with. You have no way of finding out whether or not it is honest, accurate and correct. It is totally subjective based on what the preacher wants to say.

Another phrase I hear is “God laid this message on my heart for today!” It is a little milder than the first statement above. But how do you know? What other evidence is there for his statement? Where are the checks and balances? There no inspired, infallible list anywhere that tells who God speaks to and who He doesn’t speak to. Their statements are totally made up. They are totally fabricated in their own mind. There is no evidence whatsoever that confirms what they say.

God has already spoken through the inspired Word of God. It is complete. It is unchangeable. We do not need more. We do not need different. All we ever need to do is to preach the Bible as we already have it and have had it for thousands of years. We do not need anything else. God has spoken we need to listen to Him. God is not speaking to me any different than He is speaking to you or anyone else. We have all we need.

How do we know a sermon or Bible message is accurate? Simple, just read the Bible for yourself and check it with what the preacher is saying. Does it line up? If not the preacher is wrong and the Bible is right. The Bible is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. The preacher is not. I cringe every time a preacher says he has something special for the congregation.

When the sermon uses the word “I” or “me” more than the name “Jesus”, “God” or He then the sermon is almost always man made not God’s Word. You can’t trust man but you can trust God.

 

Rev. David Johnson

Former Pastor

First Baptist Church of Austin, MN

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Expository Preaching Blog #39 – “Accuracy – Orphans and Adoption”

By
I believe in expository preaching. It is my pet peeve. It is an obsession with me. It makes it very hard for me to attend church many Sundays. This is nothing new. I have been an expository preacher for the last 50 years. The first sermon I ever preached was an expository sermon. My last one was too. Every sermon in between has been an expository sermon. Yep, I am focused. There is a reason for that. When I stand in a pulpit the authority is not in my words but in God’s Word. I want to get it right. I want people to be able to trust, rely on and depend on what I say. Not because I said it but because God said it. If I ever preach just what “I think”, then there is no reason for me to preach ever again. There are millions who do just that. I hunger to preach the Word of God. I long to do it and do it right. Last Sunday I sat in a worship and sang a well-known contemporary Christian song. A lyric caught my ear. It said “I was an orphan.” Some of you might know that song and that phra...
Read more

Expository Preaching Blog #48 – “Holding Fast the Faithful Word” (BBC & CSU)

By
On July 1, 2024 it was announced that Clarks Summit University in Clarks Summit, PA was permanently closing. This is was my alma mater. When I attended there from 1976-1981 it was known as Baptist Bible College of Pennsylvania. The school began as Baptist Bible Seminary in Johnson City, NY in 1932. It moved to the Clarks Summit campus in 1968. I loved the school and deeply appreciated the education I received there. My mother, my brother and both of my sisters attended and graduated from the school. I graduated from the local high school in Clarks Summit and then stayed on for my college years. I lived in the area for a total of 11 years until I moved to SE Pennsylvania to take my first church as a pastor. I am very sad to see it close. Faculty and staff have to find new employment elsewhere. Students have to find other colleges or universities to attend. Area businesses and local churches will be effected. It is not known what will become of the 35 acre campus. I met my wife Trici...
Read more

Expository Preaching Blog #18 – “Take Your Bible Into the Pulpit!”

By
In the churches that I have attended in the last 5 years in the Charlotte, NC area I have seen a very distinct trend. Almost every preacher is a manuscript preacher. That is they write out their sermon word for word during the week and basically read it for the congregation on Sunday. They only read the manuscript and there is no impromptu speaking in the sermon. I fundamentally do not have a problem with manuscript preaching. Some do it very well and some do it very poorly. Some need it and cannot preach any other way. I am an outline preacher. I have usually a one page outline that I preach from. My week of study from the previous week fills my mind, heart and soul during my study. My outline keeps me on track and also helps me time the sermon to be neither to short nor too long. Here are the two things I do have a problem with. One, I seen many preachers never take their Bible into the pulpit. Secondly some take their Bible into the pulpit but never open it. When we preach, we a...
Read more