This past weekend I was blessed to preach at my church again. I am always appreciative of the kind things people say to me after a sermon is completed. When they compliment me, I try to always respond by saying, “Praise God”. There are two main reasons why I respond this way. First, I am praising God that what was shared impacted them in a positive way. Since the sermons I share are filled with God’s word, and the comments I make are almost always about God’s Word, God indeed deserves the praise. The second reason why I respond this way is because of what goes on “behind the scenes” as I prepare for the sermon. Here is a quick list:
- I pray that God will help me know what it is He wants me to preach about. (1 Corinthians 2: 3-5)
- Once the subject has been determined, I pray that He would guide my thoughts about what to share (i.e. scriptures, my own ideas, quotes, etc.) and that He would lead me to the right resources. (Matthew 10:16-19)
- I pray that God would help me to know how He wants me to share these things (illustrations, intonation, order of ideas, areas to emphasize, etc.). (Proverbs 3:5-6)
- I pray that I will have the time necessary and the health needed to do all of the sermon preparation. (Proverbs 3:7-8)
- I pray that God would keep my walk with Him strong leading up to the sermon, that I would be a vessel that He is pleased to use. (Matthew 6:13)
- I pray that when I share the sermon it will touch people’s hearts for God’s glory and that they will be changed. I ask the Lord to use the sermon to move people in their faith closer to where He wants them to be. This also includes praying that for those who don’t know Christ, that they would come to salvation through the preaching of His Word. (Isaiah 55:11)
- On the day of the sermon, I arrive at the church early to pray, and I ask God to take away any emotions that would hinder me in the sharing of the sermon. I ask Him to help me speak clearly and have a clear stream of thought as I share the message. I also ask Him to help me to read well. I ask Him to work in me despite my sinfulness and deficiencies (of which there are many) and that I would not hinder His Word going out. (Philippians 4:6-7)
So when people come up to me after the sermon and say complimentary things, I can’t help but think that whatever happened that was praiseworthy was because God answered the prayers above. If you look at the list, what would I really have to offer unless He worked in me and through me? Therefore, He deserves all the praise for the good things He has done. As for me, I am trying to stay out of the way of His amazing work. I should note that I am not being legalistic about this, as there are many good ways to respond to people’s compliments and we need not feel compelled to always respond the same way. I am just pointing out that regardless of how we respond, in our hearts there should always be praise for what God has done through us.
God has prepared in advance good things for each one of us to do. I am so happy that one of those things for me has been to have some opportunities to preach. Whatever it is that He has called you to, I pray that you will approach it with a dependence on God. He gifts us, equips us, and helps us to do His work. Why would we ever look to do it without Him? I encourage you this morning to look up the scriptural references I have included above, so that you too may rejoice in His promises.
Rob