Prairie Christian Women
At a congregation somewhere in Central Illinois two elderly Christian ladies were setting near the front of the auditorium listening to a rather fiery young preacher’s message. As the preacher got increasingly more animated in his presentation, the ladies got increasingly more animated in their response.
When this preacher condemned the sin of stealing, they enthusiastically cried out, "AMEN, BROTHER!"
When the preacher condemned the sin of lying, they cried out again, but more loudly, "PREACH IT!"
And when the preacher condemned the sin of lust, they jumped to their feet and shouted, "RIGHT ON, BROTHER! TELL IT LIKE IT IS ... AMEN!"
But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got very quiet. One turned to the other and said, "He's quit preaching and now he's meddlin'."
This humorous little story is old and often repeated, but illustrates an important point. In order for preaching to be what God intended it to be, it has to relate to the lives of the hearers. Sermons are not just to educate. They are to address the issues in the lives of the hearers. They are to point out areas where we need to bring our lives in conformity to the will of God in a way that will cause us to want to change our lives to be pleasing to God.
As Christians, we should always be seeking the will of God for our lives. ( Eph. 5: 8-10 ) Thus, the lessons we hear should inform us of the will of God, tell us how to apply it in our lives and motivate us to do so.
Once a lesson has achieved those three criteria, the onus shifts; it is then squarely on the shoulders of the hearer. The hearer chooses if he/she will receive it into his heart and if he will allow it to affect the way he lives. ( James 1: 21 ) This is the essence of the parable of Jesus about the hearts ( Luke 8:4-15 ) and the reason was often heard to cry out “He who has an ear let him hear.”
There are those who desire the sincere milk of God’s word because they are eager to grow into the very fullness of the measure stature of Christ and they are to be commended. Sadly However, there are also those who want nothing more from a sermon than to have their ears scratched. For them, a sermon is only as valuable as the entertainment value it contains. These are those who would most assuredly have been offended by the preaching of John the Baptizer, of Jesus or of the Apostles. ( Jn 11:1-15 )
John the Baptizer stood in front of Herod the tetrarch ( Luke 3: 19 ) and condemned his misdeeds, including his having stolen his brother’s wife. Paul stood before Governor Felix and preached a sermon about righteousness, self-control and judgment to come. Jesus told the Sadducee they didn’t understand the scriptures or God. ( Matt. 22: 29 ) Jesus told the Pharisees that their practices and their hearts were not right before God. ( Matt. 23:1-12 ) Likewise, the Apostle instructed the man of God to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,” ( I Tim. 4: 1-4 )
In today’s “PC” climate, many seek ear candy and preachers love their brethren so they want to please them. If I have ever done that, may God forgive me. My responsibility to God is to call us all to change, to reform, not to give words pleasing to the hearers.
