What Is A Sermon For?
A sermon is one of the most effective ways of preaching the gospel. The Bible says, "it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." (1 Cor. 1:21.) Also, the apostle Paul exhorted Timothy the evangelist, "Preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." (2 Tim. 4:2.) Thus we have divine authority for preaching the gospel, and when we think of preaching we usually think of sermons. Webster says that a sermon is "a discourse delivered in public . . . . for the purpose of religious instruction, and grounded in a passage of scripture." Of course there are other ways of preaching than by sermons.
But, according to the Bible, what is a sermon for? To answer that question we must simply answer this one: What is preaching for? Most of us are in the habit of telling the preacher that we "enjoyed" the sermon, when we think it was especially good. This practice is all right, provided we do it only occasionally and for a special reason. However, harm can come from this practice if we are not very discerning and aware of the reason why we feel the sermon was good. The preacher does not stand at the exit of the meeting-house to receive compliments on his sermons. He is there primarily to greet visitors, and to serve the Christians in a better fashion than he could if he were not there to greet them regularly.
It is true that a sermon which presents gospel truth is enjoyed by those who love, and live by the truth. But all sermons which present the truth are not enjoyed by all who hear them. Is a sermon bad simply because it was not enjoyed? Where is the passage of scripture which says that the purpose of preaching is that it be enjoyed? Jesus preached several discourses which were not enjoyed by all. After one of his lessons, "many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him." Was that because of a bad sermon? After Stephen preached a discourse that was not enjoyed by all, he was killed. Was that because of a faulty sermon?
There are many reasons given in the Bible for preaching. We should study and aim to fulfill them all. A good sermon is "speaking truth in love." (Eph. 4:15.) If the truth is not spoken, or if it is spoken without love, it is a bad sermon. But if some hypocrite hears a sermon which rebukes his besetting sin, and leaves the building angry, that doesn't prove the sermon was bad. We remember that Jesus said, "Ye seek to kill me, because my word hath not free course in you." (John 8:37.) We today can expect those who hear the truth with sealed hearts and stopped ears to react in the same or a similar manner. I have heard it said of some person that, "he doesn't have an enemy in the world." But, whenever I hear that, I know that one of two things is true: (1) Either the statement itself is wrong, or (2) it is spoken of a man who stands for nothing. Men should not think they are more skillful than Jesus.
Preaching is "to save them that believe." .It will not save those who disbelieve, nor be enjoyed by them. Good preaching will proclaim "Jesus Christ, and him crucified." It will tell sinners what they must do to be saved, and inspire them to do it. It will carry reproof, rebuke, and exhortation with all longsuffering to those who hear. It will seek to present "The whole counsel of God" — not just what is popular in that vicinity. Good preaching will sometimes leave the first principles behind, and "press on unto perfection." It will always be with wisdom. Let no preacher of today think he can (or should) preach sermons that will be enjoyed by all who hear them. "Pleasing men" is not a valid purpose of gospel preaching. (Gal. 1:10.) Yet a "gospel paper" has come to me which describes itself in these words: "It supplies rich spiritual food, prepared and served to please the most exacting appetite." Now these brethren ought to know better than that. No apostle of Jesus Christ ever made such a claim about his preaching. And it doesn't take a Solomon to see that there is something wrong, either with the thinking of the man who wrote that claim, or with that paper itself.
If you think that an elder, or a deacon, or a preacher, or any other Christian is doing good work, it will pay to tell him so occasionally. Don't save all your flowers for the dead. Render "honor to whom honor" is due. But your compliment will be better if you express a reason for it.