One of the most common requirements of an elder, overseer, or pastor is that he be self-controlled (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:8). Self-control is the opposite of self-indulgence; the word implies that there are things about us that are unsavoury or shameful, and they should not be let out to run riot in our families, churches, or public lives.
Self-control goes against the grain of our culture. Our world encourages us to ‘trust your feelings,’ ‘follow your heart’ or ‘you do you,’ a way of living called Expressive Individualism in Christian circles. Some workplaces encourage their employees to ‘bring your whole self to work;’ Christians who understand their own sinfulness know that this is destructive and harmful, rather than helpful.
Preachers should certainly not ‘bring their whole self’ to their preaching. Our preaching must be conditioned by the text we are preaching from, the sound doctrine entrusted to us, and the needs of the people under our care.
Self-indulgence in preaching
Self-indulgence in preaching can express itself in many ways. Some sermons are much longer than they need to be due to a lack of clarity and discipline on the part of the preacher. Some are laden with theological language or historical detail that sounds impressive but is completely incomprehensible to the congregation. A preacher might also share about their own life in a way that’s unhelpful (gushing about their esoteric hobbies or going into too much detail about their own sins).
For the purposes of this article, however, I wish to highlight three examples of self-indulgence that I’ve seen recently:
Anger in preaching. Certain preachers have gained internet notoriety due to a harsh and angry edge in their preaching, justifying it by saying that God is angry at sin. It is true that God is justly angry at sin, but He is also completely sinless and holy. Christians should love what God loves and hate what God hates, but their hatred of sin is tempered by their knowledge that they are also subject to sin. The high priest ‘can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness’ (Heb 5:2). Preachers should also be ‘correcting his opponents with gentleness’ (2 Tim 2:25) in a way that brings people to repentance, rather than hardening them further.
Ambrose Bierce, in The Devil’s Dictionary, writes that ‘righteous indignation is 1% righteous and 99% indignation.’ The one who preaches against sin would do well to remember this.
Hobby horses and theological fads. There are moments when listening to sermons when I’ll feel like we took a wrong turn off the highway and are now wandering in unknown country – thinking to myself, “How did we get here from the text of the Bible in front of me?” The occasional sidetrack in a sermon can be helpful, especially if it is pastorally relevant – it’s like taking the scenic road on your road trip – but there’s a point at which it strains credibility. Though all doctrines relate to one another, some relate so peripherally that they should not be brought in.
Some preachers will use any passage as a springboard to talk about politics. Some will sneak in commands to do good works, even if their passage is about God’s grace – and it’s also possible to do the opposite; to turn ‘good works’ passages into a sermon about the atonement. It’s also possible to be enraptured by the latest theological fad, even if it’s foreign to the passage you’re preaching from (for a while, it was the goodness of secular work; at the moment, it seems to be optimism about the spread and growth of God’s Kingdom.)
It can be helpful during preparation and writing to take a step back and think, “Is what I’m saying truly from this text? And will my congregation understand it’s from this text?”
Preaching without notes… without proper preparation. I have heard excellent sermons preached without notes, or with only a small page of notes rather than a full script. However, I’ve also heard preachers attempt to preach without notes, and stumble on their words, lose their train of thought, and confuse their audience.
If anything, preaching without notes takes more preparation, not less. Honest feedback is important here. For those who struggle when preaching without notes, my advice would be to start with a full script – this helps to develop good habits of speech, explanation, and exhortation. Preaching without notes can happen once a written sermon is thoroughly practised, and after these good habits develop.
Not proclaiming ourselves
‘For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord…’ (2 Cor 4:5). Preaching is not an opportunity for the preacher to indulge himself, but to love those under His care, by bringing the truth of God’s Word to them in a way that is understandable and impactful. May the preachers of the world display great self-control in their preaching!