I love to hear a great sermon. Yes, in part, because I’ve been trained in preaching so I appreciate it as an art. But even more so because you hear the heart of God in a unique way. A great sermon is…
- God’s Truth flowing through a human vessel that’s been changed by that Truth.
- God’s Wisdom that has been unearthed through hours of digging into The Word.
- God’s Heart that flows, not from an outline, but from the passion of a man who’s heart has been moved.
Years ago one of my mentors, Pastor David Joiner, coaching me, pointed to his pulpit and said, “Mac, as a young man I walked into that pulpit unprepared one time in my life. That day I didn’t steward God’s Word with integrity or responsibility. God broke my heart as he revealed my laziness in preparation. So from that day I committed to God that I would never stand behind that Holy Desk unprepared ever again.”
That commitment made him one of the greatest preachers I’ve ever heard. And that phrase “holy desk” was forever branded in my mind giving me a holy fear of my responsibility to preach God’s Word with truth and passion. Pastors never take the privilege and responsibility of preaching lightly.
