Good Sermon Pastor

Given April 2009

“Good sermon Pastor.”  Have you ever said this to your pastor?  He prays, listens to the Holy Spirit, and prepares the message you need to hear.  Your pastor is God’s servant doing what God instructs him to do.  So what’s our part in this?  Imagine this…you say to the pastor, “Good sermon today Pastor, it really spoke to me.”  And the pastor replies, “Thank you, now what are you going to do with it?”  “Uh…do with it?”  “I have to do something with what you taught?”  Yes we do!  “Do what God’s word says. Don’t merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves.”  (James 1:22, God’s Word Translation).  We can listen to many sermons, teaching CDs, or MP3s and be able to quote fifty scriptures but if we don’t put into practice what we’ve learned, what good is it to anyone?

Jesus told his disciples, ”All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).  Jesus had been teaching them; they had “heard” the Lord say many things from God and now He was telling them to go, baptize, and teach, (all action words), what He had told them.  Basically, “Now guys go and do what you heard.”  It’s the same for us.

What have you heard?  What did you learn?  What are you going to DO this week? “Good message Pastor.  Now I’m going to go put it into practice.”  And Jesus says, “Great!  I’m going with you.”