“That’s some good preaching,” he said—but what did he mean? Was it good because of how it was delivered, or good because of what was delivered? Too often folks just mean the how and not the what!
On Facebook, Monday September 28th, Pastor Herman Johnson posted this quote: “Preaching is only good when the doctrine is sound.” That caught my eye because earlier that same day I told a preacher his sermon was good—then thought to add, good because it was true. It was a very well-preached sermon, but it was the truth that was preached. Well-preached would not matter if he had not preached the truth. (Well, we could say it does matter, but in a negative way. It is a bad thing when error is “well-preached.”)
It is a good thing, a plus, that the truth be presented well. When we hear someone who is so detached from and dispassionate about his message that it seems he himself is not moved by it—we might wonder if he actually believes what he is saying. We should like the truth to be “well-preached.” Nevertheless, it is the truth, sound doctrine, that makes the sermon good rather than how well it is preached.
“If people leave worship saying, ‘What an amazing preacher!’ we have failed. Instead, we must long for them to say, ‘What an amazing God.” Alistair Begg
“A desire to preach without a burden to study is a desire to perform.” H. B. Charles Jr.
