A pastor can choose a good subject and still fail to preach the Word of God. He may speak about marriage, faith, prayer, raising children, or any number of important subjects and say many helpful things. But if the sermon does not explain what Scripture says, the congregation has received the pastor’s advice rather than God’s Word.
Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2).
The command is plain. A pastor is called to preach the Word. He is not called to impress people with his intelligence, entertain them with stories, or fill the time with religious thoughts. The authority of the sermon does not come from the preacher’s personality. It comes from the Word he faithfully explains.
This does not mean a pastor can never preach a topical sermon. Scripture addresses subjects people need to understand. A biblical sermon on prayer, marriage, suffering, salvation, or any other subject can be useful. But every passage used must be understood in its proper context and allowed to say what God intended it to say.
The danger comes when the topic begins controlling the Bible. A preacher decides what he wants to say, finds a verse that sounds close enough, and uses it as a doorway into his own thoughts. This should never happen. The preacher must submit his message to Scripture rather than make Scripture submit to his message.
A verse is not a decoration to place at the beginning of a sermon. It is not proof that everything following it is biblical. A preacher can read a verse and then spend the next thirty minutes talking about something the verse never taught. Mentioning the Bible is not the same as preaching the Bible.
The text must control the message. Before asking, “What can I say about this?” ask, “What does this passage actually say?” Read what comes before it and what follows it. Learn who was speaking, who was listening, and why the words were written. Notice the main point. Compare the passage with the rest of Scripture. Do not make a verse promise something God did not promise or answer a question the writer was not addressing.
Paul also told Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Accurately handling the Word requires time and work. A pastor should not begin with his conclusion and then search for verses to support it. He must be willing to discover that his first idea was wrong. If careful study corrects what he planned to say, he must change the sermon. God’s Word corrects the preacher before the preacher uses it to correct the congregation.
A pastor must also be willing to preach the difficult parts of Scripture. If he continually avoids passages about sin, repentance, judgment, church discipline, holiness, and obedience, his people will receive only the parts of the Bible that make them comfortable. Paul told the Ephesian elders, “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27).
Personal stories and illustrations may sometimes help people understand a biblical truth, but they should be short and to the point. God did not place a pastor in the pulpit to be a storyteller. A story must serve the passage and then get out of the way. If people remember the funny story but forget the truth of Scripture, the story received the attention that belonged to God’s Word.
The same is true of quotations, videos, and emotional appeals. None of these should become the center of the sermon. The pulpit is not a stage, and the pastor is not a performer. The people gathered before him need more than an interesting experience. They need truth that will lead them to Christ, expose sin, strengthen faith, and teach obedience.
A sermon should do more than mention Scripture. It should help people understand Scripture. When the congregation leaves, they should know more clearly what the passage means, why it matters, and how they should respond. They should be able to open the same passage later and recognize where the sermon came from.
Before preaching, ask a few honest questions. Did the message come from the passage, or did I force the passage into my message? Have I explained the text in its context? Have I said more than Scripture says? Have I avoided something because it might offend people? Will the congregation remember God’s truth, or mainly remember me?
God’s Word is already powerful. The pastor does not need to make it more exciting, soften what it says, or improve it with human wisdom. He needs to read it, explain it, and call people to believe and obey it.
Pastor, preach the text, not merely the topic. Your congregation does not need another man’s opinion dressed in religious language. They need the Word of God.