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
I often say that I don’t want God to speak to me in the pulpit. I concluded this after hearing the story about the unprepared preacher who walked to the pulpit begging God to speak to him. To his surprise and dismay, the Lord spoke to him and said, “You should have studied.”
Get it?
If that’s how the Lord speaks, I don’t want the Lord to speak to me in the pulpit. I’d rather speak with God in the study. I want to make sure that we are on the same page before I get to the pulpit. If we are not, I’m not going anywhere near that pulpit!
If you are called to preach the word of God, you are called to study the word of God.
Why should you prioritize your study time in sermon preparation?
A Practical Necessity. If you are going to preach, you must have something to say, rather than saying something. If you are going to preach faithfully, you must be prepared to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The truth we are called to preach is revealed in scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). You must study to have something to say and to say something worth hearing.
A Sacred Duty. The priority of preaching is truth, not merely talking. We are charged to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:1-2). The Bible is not man’s thoughts about God. It is God’s self-revelation to man. To misinterpret scripture is to misrepresent God. You must study to be a servant approved by God, a worker who needs not be ashamed, and a preacher who rightly handles the word of truth.
A Wonderful Privilege. It is a privilege to study scripture to think God’s thoughts after him. The magnitude of that privilege grows exponentially if you get to study scripture vocationally. It is remarkable that a key part of what we get paid to do as pastors is to study the Bible. View your study time as a privilege, not just a duty. Think of it as something you get to do, not something you have to do.
A Strategic Opportunity. There are a lot of tasks that go along with pastoral ministry. But the shepherd’s most strategic opportunity to lead and feed the flock is to preach and teach the word of God. A week of counseling members cannot compare to the opportunity you have to minister when the congregation is gathered for worship. Study hard to take full advantage of this golden opportunity.
A Faithful Stewardship. You will never get this week again. There will never be another Sunday like this coming Sunday. You may never get to preach this text again. How should you respond to these precious gifts of time? As you study to preach, do a good job, take good notes, and prepare a good message. Be a good and faithful steward of the time you have this week for sermon preparation.
A Spiritual Therapy. Pastoral ministry is hard work. Unfortunately, many ministers pour themselves out without having anything to pour back into them. Others seek to replenish themselves by sinful, worldly, or trivial means. God’s word offers spiritual rest, food, and strength. Study to delight yourself in the word. As you meditate on it day and night, it will make you a spiritual evergreen (Psalm 1:2-3).
Ongoing Usefulness. Faithful preachers are growing preachers. Your progress should be evident to all (1 Timothy 4:15). To keep growing, you must keep studying. Study will keep you from becoming stale. The word of God is an inexhaustible resource. The more you study it, the more it deepens and widens. As you keep going further in and deeper down, you will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
HBC2 RESOURCES:
- On Preaching by H.B. Charles Jr.
- On Pastoring by H.B. Charles Jr.
- On Worship by H.B. Charles Jr.
- It Happens After Prayer by H.B. Charles Jr.
- The Difference Jesus Makes by H.B. Charles Jr.
- Treasures of Truth by H.B. Charles Jr.
