Call it a “pet peeve” or an irritation or just a principle to live by. Good preaching should be defined by the presentation of Scripture with and by Holy Spirit leading. Truth is of the utmost importance. “Rightly dividing” the Word is paramount. I am greatly bothered when I am sit in a service where a preacher turns to a passage of Scripture and then preaches on a topic that the passage that was read has nothing to do with.
Two things tend to happen when preachers use a poor choice of passages. Preferences or pet ideas tend to be preached when this happens. Just as an example from my life of years gone by, "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" (I Corinthians 11:4). Therefore the message goes something like this: "Bless God your hair should not touch your ears, you should never have long side burns. You must be a sissy girl if your hair touches your collar." The verse is in the Bible and the truth is not left to “private interpretation.” However, we need to be careful in what we represent as absolute truth. I am always leery of statements that follow, “Bless God.” I am not sure where that phrase came from, but it is abused on a regular basis.
The truth of the principle in the example passage emphasizes the God-given roles of men and women. God clearly ordained the roles of men and women. God intended that the roles be set and followed. God established these roles in the Garden. Throughout Scripture we see ways in which these roles were to be evident outwardly to all.
One thing that God also ordained with this truth is that the physical appearance add to the distinction of the roles. This would include all outward appearances, including clothes and hair. The truth of this passage is that a man should look like a man, and a woman should look like a woman. It does not mean that when my schedule demands do not allow me the opportunity to get to the barber before the hair touches my ears or collar that I am rebellious and out of God’s will. Be careful what you say from the pulpit and teach what the Bible says, not your thoughts. By the way, Elvis has been dead a long time; stop preaching against worldly side burns. Not that I have long side burns.
The other tendency is to preach a message on a Biblical truth, but use the wrong passage of Scripture. As an example, we will look at the Ten Commandments. “Thou shalt have no other god before me.” What is preached is for us not to worship our cars, boats, money, etc. “ Thou shalt not make any graven image… or bow down and worship them.” What is preached is that the heathen nations are serving dead gods. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.” What is preached is what we should not cuss or use foul language. “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” What is preached is an Old Testament law that does not apply to us today.
There are many passage of Scriptures that deal with going after the treasures of the world like cars and boats, etc. “Lay not up for your self treasures here on earth.” The first commandment teaches God’s preeminence over His creation, not a person worshiping his car. The second commandment teaches us not to bring God down on our level in order to worship Him. We dismiss this passage as the problem with the heathen. But every time we try to worship God not in “spirit and in truth” we are offending this commandment. There are many verses that deal with corrupt communication, vain conversations and idle words. This has nothing to do with the third commandment. This commandment teaches that we are not to place God on a lower level when we call out His name in accusations of His inadequacy of His power to deal with a problem we are going through. Most of all, preaching that the fourth commandment does not apply today because we go to church on Sunday now is also poor use of Scripture. There are passages of Scripture that teach about meeting on the first day of the week. The commandment is not teaching a truth of worshiping on Saturday, it is teaching the truth of taking the time to meditate on the greatness of God in His creation.
Preachers/ teachers, please do not be lazy preaching and teaching good truth by using wrong passages of Scripture. Please do not make statements in messages that sound like "good preaching" that may even get an amen or two when those statements are just not true.
Two things tend to happen when preachers use a poor choice of passages. Preferences or pet ideas tend to be preached when this happens. Just as an example from my life of years gone by, "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" (I Corinthians 11:4). Therefore the message goes something like this: "Bless God your hair should not touch your ears, you should never have long side burns. You must be a sissy girl if your hair touches your collar." The verse is in the Bible and the truth is not left to “private interpretation.” However, we need to be careful in what we represent as absolute truth. I am always leery of statements that follow, “Bless God.” I am not sure where that phrase came from, but it is abused on a regular basis.
The truth of the principle in the example passage emphasizes the God-given roles of men and women. God clearly ordained the roles of men and women. God intended that the roles be set and followed. God established these roles in the Garden. Throughout Scripture we see ways in which these roles were to be evident outwardly to all.
One thing that God also ordained with this truth is that the physical appearance add to the distinction of the roles. This would include all outward appearances, including clothes and hair. The truth of this passage is that a man should look like a man, and a woman should look like a woman. It does not mean that when my schedule demands do not allow me the opportunity to get to the barber before the hair touches my ears or collar that I am rebellious and out of God’s will. Be careful what you say from the pulpit and teach what the Bible says, not your thoughts. By the way, Elvis has been dead a long time; stop preaching against worldly side burns. Not that I have long side burns.
The other tendency is to preach a message on a Biblical truth, but use the wrong passage of Scripture. As an example, we will look at the Ten Commandments. “Thou shalt have no other god before me.” What is preached is for us not to worship our cars, boats, money, etc. “ Thou shalt not make any graven image… or bow down and worship them.” What is preached is that the heathen nations are serving dead gods. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.” What is preached is what we should not cuss or use foul language. “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” What is preached is an Old Testament law that does not apply to us today.
There are many passage of Scriptures that deal with going after the treasures of the world like cars and boats, etc. “Lay not up for your self treasures here on earth.” The first commandment teaches God’s preeminence over His creation, not a person worshiping his car. The second commandment teaches us not to bring God down on our level in order to worship Him. We dismiss this passage as the problem with the heathen. But every time we try to worship God not in “spirit and in truth” we are offending this commandment. There are many verses that deal with corrupt communication, vain conversations and idle words. This has nothing to do with the third commandment. This commandment teaches that we are not to place God on a lower level when we call out His name in accusations of His inadequacy of His power to deal with a problem we are going through. Most of all, preaching that the fourth commandment does not apply today because we go to church on Sunday now is also poor use of Scripture. There are passages of Scripture that teach about meeting on the first day of the week. The commandment is not teaching a truth of worshiping on Saturday, it is teaching the truth of taking the time to meditate on the greatness of God in His creation.
Preachers/ teachers, please do not be lazy preaching and teaching good truth by using wrong passages of Scripture. Please do not make statements in messages that sound like "good preaching" that may even get an amen or two when those statements are just not true.
