The Art of Listening to Bad Sermons
That title will get your attention! I had a preaching prof say one time that he loved to listen to “bad sermons.” To be clear, he had devoted his life to helping people preach good sermons, so it was not a defense of bad sermons, but a reminder that even when we hear lousy sermons, we can learn powerful lessons from them.
It is helpful to remember that we should always hold every sermon to the standard of God’s Word. Some will simply not stand up to that test. It is an important step for us to evaluate scripture based upon the whole counsel of God’s Word. This was modeled by the church in Berea as recorded in Acts: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11 ESV)
This is a very helpful way for us to keep our attention during a sermon. Basically we are asking, Is what is being taught true? Is it consistent with what the Bible has to say? Is it accurate? Is it being handled with integrity? Is that an appropriate application of this passage? We have to do this because we know that some people will teach lies for their own gain.
Jeremiah the prophet was pretty clear when he quoted God saying, “And the Lord said to me: ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.’” (Jeremiah 14:14 ESV). I think we have all heard sermons that did not honor the Word of God. I remember one funeral message I heard which was directly contrary to what God’s Word teaches about life and death. How do we listen to those types of sermons? We learn from their mistakes and avoid them. Paul challenged his young mentee Timothy to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV) When we notice others wrongly handling the word of truth it ought to challenge us to rightly handle it. I think that lousy funeral sermon from years ago still helped me to think about what I really believe about life, death, and eternity.
So, when you hear a bad sermon, something helpful that you can do is take the time to use scripture to understand scripture. If you know what is being taught is wrong, then study and articulate why it is wrong. I had an atheist French teacher ask me to write a paper in high school on the topic, “Why the Bible is unreliable as a source of truth.” Obviously, there are plenty of things wrong with that situation. But her question helped me to grow in my understanding of why I believe the Bible is the primary source of Truth. Likewise, bad sermons can actually lead to good things if we take the time and effort to learn from them.
Expectantly,
Shawn
P.S. One of our favorite times of the year is BOTR week - and it is less than 2 weeks away! We love caring for the Beulah on the Road camp staff when they come to town. We get to love and support them while they spend their time and energy loving on our kids. Would you join us in supporting them by hosting several of the counselors in your home or by making a food donation to feed them? Click the respective links to see the openings that are still available. Thank you!
