Monday, November 11, 2019

The Message Is Bigger than the Messenger

I preached a message a few years ago in Washington. When I finished, I had the most overwhelming feeling that I could never preach that message to its fullness. The phrase popped into my head: "The message is bigger than the messenger." If I ever walk away from the pulpit feeling like I have "nailed" a message then something is wrong.

The first thing that could be wrong is that the message wasn't biblical. There is no way to master a biblical topic in a single sermon. Therefore, if I truly mastered it, then it wasn't God's word. The second thing that could be wrong is my view of scripture is limited. If I think I have mastered a message, then I am not seeing everything scripture has to say about it. Sometimes we say, "He left no stone unturned." But suggest that is not possible. Our finite minds will never be able to grasp the fullness of God's eternal word. Therefore, I can never become arrogant because God used me to preach some aspect of his word effectively.