Don't Say That!

Scripture Reading: Micah 2:6

“Do not preach” – thus they preach – “one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us.”

When you think about it, about every preacher in the Bible was told to “shut up” in one way or another. There are a few exceptions, but most preachers have to face opposition to the message from someone.

Micah was no exception. People were preaching that he shouldn’t be preaching. Well, at least he shouldn’t be preaching what he was preaching. “One should not preach of such things,” they said.

That raises a good question: How can we know if a preacher should preach what he is preaching?

Here are some general guidelines:

1.      Your feelings are not the judge. Whether the preacher’s sermon makes you feel good or bad has no bearing on whether or not he should have preached it.

2.      What the culture believes and thinks about something isn’t the standard that is to be followed. If the preacher preaches something that wouldn’t go over well in a college classroom, a workplace breakroom, or the local pub, it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t say it.

3.      Whatever has annoyed the preacher the previous week shouldn’t be sermon fodder for Sunday. While teaching expository preaching in another country, a pastor told me that the typical sermon in their culture is about whatever made the pastor upset with his congregation the previous week. This is where the term “bully pulpit” comes from. Christian pulpits should not be bully pulpits.

4.      Is the sermon coming from the text of Scripture? Is the pastor rightly dividing the Word? Is he doing a good job of interpreting the text in its context? Is he applying it appropriately? These are the kinds of things that make for a sermon that is worth preaching and hearing.

This Lord’s Day, if your pastor says something that upsets you, don’t judge the appropriateness of it by your feelings. Don’t judge it by what you think your friends at work or school would think. Judge it by the word of God. Ask yourself if it was true according to the Bible.

And respond accordingly.