God’s Word is not a collection of sermon notes.
It’s not a textbook, a rule book, or a collection of inspirational quotes.
That’s why I never go to the Bible to find a passage to preach on for Sunday’s sermon.
Let God’s Word Speak Before You Speak
Yes, I preach from the Bible. It is always the starting point for every sermon. But I don’t open God’s Word to look for sermon material.
I read the Bible for the strength, encouragement, challenge, and comfort that it brings to my own heart and life. The Bible is not a sermon-assist tool. It’s an essential element in my ongoing relationship with Jesus.
When I go to the Bible to find sermon material, it’s too easy to
- Miss what it’s saying to me as I look for what it’s saying to others
- Find only what I’m looking for – and nothing else
- Become judgmental of others
- Make it say things it’s not really saying
- Starve myself while feeding others
But when I go to the Bible to hear God speak to me, it
- Equips me to equip others
- Shows me things I never saw before
- Feeds me
- Strengthens me
- Challenges me
- Humbles me
Get Help Before Helping Others
As pastors, our first task is not to teach others, it’s to hear from God and grow in our own faith. The only way the Apostle Paul could dare to say “follow my example as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1) is because he was growing in Christ before he taught them to do so. How can we do any less?
Preaching well requires more than Bible knowledge – especially as pastors. We need enough moral, spiritual, and emotional strength to teach others by example as well as by our words.
Biblical preaching happens when God’s Word comes to us and through us, not just from us.
But when we go to the Bible to find sermon material, rather than starting with what it’s already spoken to us, it’s too easy to use it to confirm our pre-existing opinions, rather than allowing it to form and change our opinions.
Certainly, we can (and I do) pore through the biblical text to find supplemental sermon material. There’s immense value in searching for parallel passages, OT/NT prophecy/fulfillment, and other information that can deepen my understanding of the original passage. But that’s done to bolster the message of the original text, not to prop up my extra-biblical opinion.
Get More Inflow Than Outflow
When we treat the Bible merely as a collection of sermon texts, we can lose the wonder and the beauty of it.
When we read it to find material to preach from, we stop hearing God speak to us. And when that happens, we start dying spiritually. It’s all outflow and no inflow.
That’s a dangerous position for a pastor to be in. And it has killed many great ministries. Don’t let it kill yours.
When we open God’s Word, let’s always remember to ask God to speak to us first. After it does, we need to stay in it as we study, discern, and wrestle with it – always being sure to let it speak into us instead of us speaking into it.
If we let the Bible feed our heart, soul, and mind first, there will always be enough left over to feed others.
(Photo by Bill Smith | Flickr)
