{"id":32323,"date":"2022-09-10T16:05:04","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-myths-about-preaching\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:05:04","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:05:04","slug":"3-myths-about-preaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-myths-about-preaching\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Myths About Preaching"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Jay Sanders<\/em><\/p>\n

Preaching has gotten harder for me over the years. It was super easy when I first started. All I had to do was think of a cool story, figure out a spiritual application, and then find a Bible verse to go along with it.<\/p>\n

As I grew in ministry and manhood, God graciously showed me the error of my ways.<\/p>\n

And now preaching is a little bit more difficult. Don\u2019t get me wrong, though. Preparing a sermon isn\u2019t like digging a ditch or performing brain surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cDifficult\u201d is a relative term…<\/p>\n

I mean, preaching is just figuring out the original intent of the author, searching for the context of the passage as it relates to the surrounding passages, and making sure you stay true to the overall redemptive story.<\/p>\n

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Well, maybe it is<\/em> more like digging ditches or performing brain surgery. But it\u2019s certainly a lot harder than telling a funny story about almost failing algebra with a little bit of Bible sprinkled in on the side.<\/p>\n

Preaching can be even harder, however, if you believe certain myths about it. For the most part, these myths come from well-meaning people who want to protect you from being the kind of preacher I was when I first started.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s understandable. But if we\u2019re not careful, their good-intentioned advice can become a new legalistic weight you can\u2019t carry.<\/p>\n

I want you to be aware of three myths about preaching:<\/p>\n

1. You need to spend at least 40 hours a week in sermon prep.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is one of those areas where preaching gurus seem to want to one-up each other. It\u2019s almost like guys at the gym talking about how much they can bench.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spend 40 hours of week in sermon prep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?! I spend 60.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys must be liberals. I spend 80 hours a week in sermon prep and every Friday I fly to the precise geographical setting of the text I\u2019ll be preaching. Who wants a t-shirt from Megiddo?!\u201d<\/p>\n

You might end up spending 40 hours of week in sermon prep. And you might not.<\/p>\n

The important thing to note here is for you to walk into the pulpit prayerfully prepared to deliver God\u2019s Word. For some pastors, that will take up most of their week.<\/p>\n

Others might have it down by Monday afternoon. Those who can do that don\u2019t need to carry a weight of guilt, thinking they\u2019ve somehow abandoned the Bible simply because God has given them the ability to work fast.<\/p>\n

In reality, your time as a pastor will likely be split between counseling others, making leadership decisions during meetings, and spending time with grieving members.<\/p>\n

No matter who you are, there will be weeks when 40 hours of sermon prep just isn\u2019t going to happen. Don\u2019t force this or beat yourself up because of your failure to meet some man-made standard.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry about the number of hours you\u2019ve put in. Just come prayed up and prepared.<\/p>\n

2. When you tell a story, you\u2019re abandoning the text.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This comes from the philosophy that says you should simply explain the text\u2014nothing more, nothing less.<\/p>\n

Sure, this has worked for some people throughout the years. But that may not be your style or what\u2019s best for your congregation.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m convinced there are people around today who would brand Jesus as a liberal because He told too many parables!<\/p>\n

If God has given you the ability to tell a good story, use it for His glory and the good of your listeners. If you don\u2019t have this ability, pray and work towards developing it.<\/p>\n

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See also  3 Practical Steps for Reaching the Mission Field in Your Neighborhood<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Stories help the message to stick.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible to work a good story into your sermon without it taking the place of the text. When used wisely, stories can be an excellent supplement to the message.<\/p>\n

One quick word here, however. No one needs to hear the story about the train operator whose son got caught in the railroad gears and if the operator saved his son the people on the train would die so instead he sacrificed his son for the good of the people.<\/p>\n

In an appropriate way and time, work in a story from your own life. Your people relate more to you than they do to the guy who wrote \u201cThe Big Book of 25,000 Snazzy Sermon Illustrations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Man, I hope that book doesn\u2019t exist. If it does, my apologies to the author.<\/em><\/p>\n

3. If no one comes forward, you\u2019ve failed.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I grew up with this one. A lot of evangelists came through the church I grew up in during the 80s. They were of the, \u201cI see that hand\u201d and \u201clet\u2019s sing one more verse twelve more times,\u201d crowd.<\/p>\n

One time, after a particularly long invitation, I raised my hand but wasn\u2019t sure if I\u2019d gotten saved, committed to being a missionary, or signed up for a pyramid scheme.<\/p>\n

I went to my pastor for some guidance. He told it to me straight with his usual wit and wisdom that made me love him so much:<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys like that are all about numbers. They\u2019ll do anything they can to get a lot of hands raised and people at the altars so they can tell their donors how good they did at their last stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be like that.<\/p>\n

The Holy Spirit doesn\u2019t need one more verse in order to move. He doesn\u2019t need you saying, \u201cI see hands all across the house,\u201d when there aren\u2019t any. He doesn\u2019t need any of our manipulative schemes.<\/p>\n

God often works beneath the surface.<\/p>\n

Study His Word carefully, deliver it faithfully, take the time to know your congregation, and trust God with the results.<\/p>\n

Anyone can walk an aisle. Only someone whose heart has truly been changed will come to Christ, and that\u2019s not happening apart from the grace of God. You and I are just the instruments of that grace.<\/p>\n

Preaching can be difficult. As I\u2019ve learned, sensing it\u2019s difficult might mean you\u2019re doing it right. But you don\u2019t have to make it more difficult by piling unnecessary burdens on yourself.<\/p>\n