I’m very concerned with what I perceive to be an approach to preaching (and listening) which, more and more, seems to place the Word of God in the background. I’ve heard some sermons recently which illustrate the point. In one, I wasn’t required to open a Bible for the first 20 minutes; in another, one verse was referred to as a “launching pad,” and then the Bible was closed from that point on. I heard another “sermon” in which the preacher (who had a degree in psychology) expressed his opinion about certain problems in our relationship with God, then quoted psychological theories to validate his opinion, and then threw in a little Bible, presumably to validate the psychology. If these are examples of “preaching the text,” I’m very worried about the future of preaching!
We need a fresh reminder of the lesson of Nehemiah 8, where Ezra stood in the pulpit (v. 4) and opened the book (v. 5), reading distinctly from it and helped them to understand what the book said (v. 8). If that does not describe our function as “preachers of the Word,” then I’m at a loss as to what I’m supposed to be doing as a full-time gospel preacher and teacher. Of course, I’m not sure the problem is all in the pulpit. In fact, I’m pretty convinced it’s not. I preached a meeting recently in which the majority of people didn’t have a Bible in their possession. Since I was attempting to present an exposition of one of the minor prophets, needless to say, I was at a disadvantage.
I can’t pretend to understand why people of God would enter a building, presumably to hear the Word of God preached, and not have a Bible with them. What’s going through a person’s mind? What are they expecting to hear? What do they want to hear? Platitudes? Maxims? Jokes? God said through Amos, many years ago, that there would be a “famine in the land, not of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” (8:11). Such a famine came and the people of Israel suffered the spiritual consequences. There’s no such famine now, except when it’s self-imposed. In too many places and in the sermons of too many preachers (one is too many), such a famine exists. It extends to the pew and people are beginning to get along quite well without the Word of God … after all, if we hear only opinions, we have a choice to accept them or reject them, don’t we? “My opinion is surely as good as his, though perhaps not as eloquent.”
Perhaps I’m sounding an alarm which isn’t needed (though I know many others who share my concern). Jeremiah said to beware of those who cry “peace, peace when there is no peace” (4:10). These are just my observations — but if they ring true, in your experience, I’d like to make a couple of short suggestions. To those who occupy the pews each week and listen to preaching, demand (yes, demand) Bible preaching — accept no substitutes. In addition, bring your Bibles, open them, take notes, and listen. Challenge the preacher to present the Word of God as the only solution to every problem he presents. We need to be challenged, checked, and sometimes, corrected. And, to my fellow preachers, let’s “just preach the text” (2 Timothy 4:2).
David Posey