Has the thought ever occurred to you as to why pastors spend so much time preparing to preach, and why so much of their visible work to the public and church is preaching? I think this is an important question to ask, as it does tend to consume large quantities of time for those in the pastorate. I heard recently at a conference in which a story about Martin Lloyd Jones was told (it may not have been him specifically). The story went that when he was in his 90’s preaching, he came off the stage and a young man who was a fan of Jone’s came up to him and began asking many questions of the preacher. Jones, being exhausted largely ignored the young man until he eventually asked for a moment to rest claiming that, preaching the Word of God is as close a man will ever get to experiencing childbirth. Granted, there is a deal of hyperbole there, but you get the point.
If preaching is so physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting, which I can attest to personally, why do we do it? There is a short answer, but it requires much explanation. Pastors devote so much to preaching because the benefits far outweigh the costs. If you question that, ask why pastors in communist China and Islamic countries where faith is punishable by death why they devote themselves to preaching the word of God. Because the benefits far outweigh the costs. What are those benefits, that are greater than exhaustion, long period of intense study, dedication to a large systematic and intentional framework that reveals itself in scripture, and even death for some? The greatest benefit is that God would be known to his people. Nothing else on this list is necessary at this point, God being known to his people and by his people is enough for preachers and pastors to do the hard work of preaching. Is there anything else as good and joyful as knowing our creator? The one who made us, knows every last detail of us and every thought we have ever had reveals himself to us in his word and pastors get to present and exalt that to his people! This cannot be overstated, that the central purpose and goal of preaching is to reveal God himself through God’s word to God’s people. What a joyful task set before us! Because preaching is about showing God to his people, it also shows us God’s will for his people. How are we to talk, think, act, deal with strife and difficulty? How are God’s people to worship him and represent him in the world? What is our purpose in life? Preaching, when rightly exalting God and revealing God through his word answers all of these questions. That is its secondary purpose, to instruct and build up the people of God by the word of God. It would be foolish on my part to write an article on preaching without a proper working definition. Preaching specifically is carefully drawing out the meaning of God’s word and presenting it to others so that, the preacher can faithfully and honestly say “Thus says the Lord.” If at the end of a sermon, the preacher cannot rightly say “Thus says the Lord” then a sermon was not given. How does one preach this kind of sermon? By handling the text of scripture humbly, faithfully, carefully, and by allowing the text to drive every element of the sermon. It is drawing out the text and presenting the text as it was intended, not imposing our desire or message on the text or using the text as evidence to support our argument. This is called expositional preaching, because exposition is the process of drawing out and exposing the text for its purpose and means, not ours. Now, many people are sitting in churches and hearing preaching on the TV and radio that hardly qualifies as preaching. Many people will see and hear preachers that will open a Bible, read one verse, close the book, and ramble for 45 minutes in a near incoherent manner. While emotionally stirring and exciting, it is not a faithful exposition of the scriptures. There are many who call themselves preachers that do not even open their Bibles to preach and do little to work with scripture. This is hardly revealing God to his people, and is closer to a motivational speech than a sermon. Even still, there are some who call themselves pastors and preachers who butcher and abuse the Bible in their sermons. This is the worst kind of all, those who do not know how to rightly handle and explain the word of God to others and twist it towards their own end. The Bible was inspired and written with specific meaning and purpose, and pastors must submit to that meaning and purpose. Allow me one brief paragraph to recap this. Preaching is faithfully handling the word of God in order to reveal God so that God’s people would know God’s will. Many abuse this, and are worthy of condemnation for their abuse of the scriptures. What should we do with this understanding? Only listen to preachers who exalt God and his scripture in practical and faithful ways! Do not give your attention, time, and money to abusers of the text! If you go to a church that does not cherish the word of God and handles preaching lightly, find one that does. Because a church that takes scripture lazily and carelessly, takes God lightly and his word warns us against such things. Why do pastors preach? Because revealing God to his people in his word is always worth it. |
Pastor MorganMorgan has been writing since middle school and worked for a year writing professionally as a news journalist for the Daily Tribune in Gallipolis. This blog is a chance for him to express his love for the Lord and all church related things through writing. Archives
December 2019
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