Temptations in Preaching
Frank Walton
Temptations in Preaching
Intro: Preachers are mere men with physical desires that Satan seeks to exploit. They are subject to temptations, like anyone (1 Cor. 10:12-13). Certain temptations abound especially for preachers.
I) Pride
A) Preachers are tempted to become proud.
1) Good brethren admire faithful preachers. They often lavish attention, respect and praise on them.
2) Carnal brethren may think so highly of a preacher that they cherish their association with him more than with Christ Himself.
3) ILLUS: Preachers have their own set of temptations! That fact can be illustrated by an event in the life of John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress. Bunyan had preached an unusually moving sermon. Immediately after the service, a layman jumped from his pew and raced to shake Bunyan’s hand exclaiming, “Bunyan, that was the most powerful sermon I have ever heard!” Bunyan replied with brutal honesty, “Man, you need not tell me that. The devil whispered it to me before I was well out of the pulpit.”
4) The preacher can easily fall prey to pride. (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)
B) Preachers must see themselves as insignificant and their abilities as God given!
1) No preacher is “anything.” (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)
2) Preaching work is of such eternal importance that no man is sufficient for it in and of himself. (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)
3) Our sufficiency is from God! (2 Corinthians 3:5). Learn to live by greater faith in God, which reduces illusions of self-importance.
4) Growing in humility before God will help us overcome pride (Ja. 4:6). Every bit of knowledge, ability and even our breath we have received from God! 1 Corinthians 4:7 “…what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”
II) Envy
A) Some preacher’s will envy the success, salary, or status of another preacher and preach to cause him trouble. Philippians 1:15-16 “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: (16) The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains”
B) We can defeat envy in our hearts by dying to self and living for Christ (Mk 7:22, Lk. 9:23, Gal. 2:20) and by growing in spiritual wisdom to focus our spiritual purpose (Ja. 3:13-18)
III) Covetousness
A) The temptation to preach to please the person who will pay you the most is as old as Balaam. 2 Peter 2:14-16 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. (15) They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; (16) but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
1) Some are willing to do or say anything, compromise any conviction, for the sake of dishonest gain! Titus 1:10-11 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, (11) whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.
2) The very motives of false teaching may be money! 2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. (2) And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. (3) By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
3) Preachers in impoverished countries are tempted to use social media to connect with Christians in developed countries to greedily ask for more and more money. However, properly and honestly managed, social media like Facebook could be useful to find monthly support from a faithful church or Christians to devote oneself completely to preaching full-time without the distraction of having to support oneself (Acts 18:3,6; 1 Cor. 9:14). However, several preachers have been corrupted by the temptation of greed for more and more money such they became dishonest and covetous in grasping to dishonestly enrich themselves.
B) Preachers must flee the love of money and all that is associated with it. 1 Timothy 6:9-11
C) The attitude of the faithful gospel preacher must be to seek the souls of men, not money.
1) 2 Corinthians 12:14 Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
2) We do not flatter or use smooth words to gain money or our own material desires. 1 Thessalonians 2:4-5 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. (5) For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness.
3) We are not peddlers! 2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ
IV) Sexual Immorality
A) A characteristic of false teachers whose hearts are not in the right place is that they have “Eyes full of adultery…enticing unstable souls” (2 Peter 2:14)
B) But even preachers with pure hearts and sincere motives MUST guard themselves against sexual lust and temptation.
1) Paul wrote these words to Timothy, the most faithful of gospel preachers: “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness…” (2 Timothy 2:22).
2) WE MUST FLEE situations where temptation might occur even innocently or unexpectedly.
C) Pleasing God as preachers and as Christians DEMANDS purity and self-control in this area! (1 Thessalonians 4:1-6)
V) False knowledge (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
A) Many preachers are dedicated students and become intellectually sophisticated and are tempted to be educated beyond their intelligence.
B) It’s easy to be ensnared by the false knowledge – thinking you’ve learned something others haven’t or just know more than everyone else does.
VI) Popularity
A) 1 Thessalonians 2:6 “Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.”
B) Proverbs 25:27 “It is not good to eat much honey; So to seek one's own glory is not glory.”
C) 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 “But "HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD." For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”
VII) Power and Pastoring
A) The preacher is not the overseer of a congregation – although he does have duties in helping develop men to become overseers/elders and appointing.
B) The preacher’s work is outlined in 2 Timothy 4:1-5
C) His authority is not in his position but in the power of the word -- Titus 2:15 “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”
D) To many preachers are like Diotrephes (3 John 9-10) – can’t “love preeminence” – having your way, being in charge
E) Philippians 2:1-4 applies to preachers!
VIII) Fellowship with erring brethren
A) The temptations already discussed (pride, envy, covetousness, popularity and power) are often the motivation for preachers of truth to compromise by lending their support to those who teach error and/or participating in religious error with erring brethren.
1) 1 Timothy 6:3-5 “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, (4) he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, (5) useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”
2) 1 Timothy 5:22 “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure.”
3) Titus 3:10-11 “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, (11) knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.”
4) Romans 16:17-18 “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. (18) For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.”
Conclusion: Paul told Timothy to guard what had been committed to his trust. In Luke 12:48 Jesus said, “…For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Some additional temptation comes with the territory. But so does additional responsibility.
In 2 Timothy 4:1-2, Paul said, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word!”
Remember to keep loving the brethren, realizing that if you stumble, many of them may as well. “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” (1 John 2:10).
Be honest and rigorous with yourself -- discipline yourself and challenge yourself to constantly improve in every area of your spiritual life. “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)
By Steve Klein, expanded by Frank Walton