When a Sermon Steps on Your Toes and the Time the Graves Were Opened
Promotion Monday.
Today’s article in our “Promotion Monday” comes from Jody L. Apple. He originally posted this article on Facebook, and I appreciate him allowing me to share his thoughts with you.
Sometimes we may feel like a sermon was preached “just for me.” Jody explores that thought a little more and hopefully we can learn more about the power of God’s Word from his thoughts.
When you're thinking: "He preached that message right at me," remember this, it's not *all* about you. • But it's *still* about you.
Love,
Jody
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It's not all about you. • What you thought, said or did, or how you feel. • But, yet, it's still about you. • It involves you, impacts you. • By design.
Let's flesh that out a bit.
Many years ago in a place far, far away ...
Yours truly presented a lesson one Sunday morning ...
That caught the attention of a brother.
He said, "You preached to me this morning. You preached about me this morning.”
Have no memory of the specific topic, but remember well what was said in reply, at least in principle.
"Did not have you in mind at all. In fact, did not have anyone specifically in mind."
And yet, in spite of my response, this brother was convinced that he was *targeted* in my message.
While there are certainly many occasions where a lesson might be tailored to a specific situation, it’s rare that a message “targets” a specific individual.
That’s just not my style.
But, if someone, for example, addresses biblical characters and their strengths and/or weaknesses, it’s likely that a person in the audience will identify with that character in a very strong way.
Your message on the good qualities of Paul, that’s going to register with many.
Your thoughts on the bad qualities of Herod, that might make someone think that you were practically pointing your finger at them.
There’s a sense in which that’s frustrating.
You did not deliberately intend to make this or that soul squirm in their seat, either mentally or physically.
There’s also a sense in which that’s what messages of any kind do, what they were designed, what they were intended to do.
Especially biblically oriented messages.
For example, some on the day of Pentecost were “cut to the heart” (NKJV, ESV, NIV, RSV, NRSV). Other translations render “cut” as “pierced” (NASB, CSB, NLT), “pricked” (ASV, ERV, KJV, YNG), “their hearts were troubled” (BBE), “deeply troubled” (TEV), “were acutely distressed” (NET), “stung to the heart” (Wey), “they were very upset” (CEV). [Note: Many have seen an illusion in Acts 2.37 to Ps 109.16 (108.16, LXX), where reference is made to the “stunned in heart” (NET), “broken in heart” (NKJV).]
Peter's message that day, one that convicted the audience of their role in sending Jesus to the cross ... that was intended to make people feel something — guilt, remorse, responsibility — and to feel it very deeply.
Think about that word "cut." BDAG gives the meaning of the term as “be pierced, stabbed fig., of the feeling of sharp pain connected w. anxiety, remorse, etc.” [BDAG, s.v. “κατανύσσομαι,” 523.]
Louw and Nida, regarding the phrase “cut to the heart,” tells us that it was, “(an idiom, literally ‘to pierce the heart’) to experience acute emotional distress, implying both concern and regret — ‘to be greatly troubled, to be acutely distressed.’ άκούσαντεσ δέ κατενύγσαν τήω καρδίαν ‘when they heard this, they were deeply troubled’ Ac 2:37.” [L&N, s.v. “κατανύσσομαι τήν καρδίαν,” 319.]
The point: Though a speaker may not intentionally “target” a specific person in an audience, the message of the gospel can still touch, cut or sting someone's heart in the strongest of ways.
That’s not necessarily bad.
In fact, it’s good. Though the gospel’s “good news” yields blessings, we must not overlook the reality that it clearly, and often forcefully, first tells us where we are. And we are often in a “bad” place.
So, if you ever hear me — or anyone else — present a message from a biblical text that just “gets to you,” remember, though it might not have been the speaker’s intent to make you — and you alone — feel guilty, it may very well be doing just what God intended anyway.
Conviction always comes before conversion.
That's not bad.
That's good.
So remember, while it’s not *all* about you, it's *still* about you.
Double love,
Jody
Orig post: 02/08/2022
The following video is a short discussion about when the graves were opened when Jesus was crucified.
You might not have known this happened.