Feel-good Sermons

When the audience are consistently smiling, laughing and saying 'amen', this is likely a 'Feel-good' sermon. A 'Feel-good' preacher is an entertainer. He knows how to coat his words with honey to make people happy until the end of the worship service. Feel-good preachers have millions of supporters because humans love entertainment. These preachers usually talk about how good God is, how much He loves humanity and how forgiving He is. There's nothing wrong with these teachings. They're part of the truth embodied in the Bible. However, when preachers focus on making people happy without any sense of danger, danger arises. The gospel contains two-fold characters of God- Love and Wrath. God loves humanity so much that He gave His only begotten Son for redemption of sins. At the same time, God's holiness can never tolerate sin. He extremely abhors sin but He loves the sinners. He wants sinners to repent and turn to Him so He would be able to change their lives. The problem with these religious comedians is the fact that they don't even recognize whether their listeners are saved or not. They just go to the stage and start entertaining people using the Bible. They motivate people to reform themselves but they don't preach holiness and separation from the world.

In my study of Jesus' way of preaching, I haven't seen Him deliver a feel-good sermon. In fact, most of His sermons are like swords that can pierce even the hardest hearts. In Mark 7:6-7 He said, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." And in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

On the other hand, feel-good preachers preach the opposite. Instead of warning about the dangers of sin and its eternal punishment, they focus on making people think that God is a loving God so it's normal to disobey Him sometimes. Perhaps they haven't read the solemn warning in Hebrews 10:26-27 that says, "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries."

If I were you dear reader, I will choose a sermon that would make me feel how much I need God in my life instead of entertainment worship services led by preachers who eloquently deceive people into believing that it's alright to commit sins as long as they believe Jesus. A genuine belief in Jesus means obeying His commandments. "Be ye holy for I am holy."

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Don't Judge

"Don't judge." This statement has become a defense mechanism of proud people who got hurt by the truth. They can't confront the preacher because their honest conscience know they're guilty. Since their pride is higher than their desire to be a better person, they choose to defend themselves by constantly saying, "DO NOT JUDGE". 

A meaning taken from a dictionary defined the verb form of judge as "to form an opinion after an estimation of after a careful consideration". This doesn't sound negative. But why people make it negative? Because they've read something in the Bible that says "Don't judge" and they took that too much to justify their guilty souls. Jesus said in John 7:24, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgement". So there is actually a righteous judgement. What is then a righteous judgement? Let's read apostle Paul's righteous judgement in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13,

I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person. In these verses, we may learn that when some people claim to be Christians yet deliberately committing sins, it is our duty to warn them strongly according to their evil actions. This we must do to keep the reputation of Christianity. This circumstance was also supported by apostle John in 2 John 1:9-11, Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

To clarify some claims from opposers that Christians are haters, let's see Ezekiel 33:6, But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. 

We are not haters but rather we love sinners. We were once sinners ourselves but were saved and washed by the blood of Christ.  Therefore, we ought to warn the unbelievers about the consequences of their sins. God never wants humans to be partakers of hell so He sent His only begotten Son to redeem the people. However, not all people are willing to accept that redemption since they're taking the truth for granted. The saved ones must help God by warning the people about eternal hell and the possibility of a righteous life through the power of Christ. I suppose some people misunderstand sermons because of their unwillingness to have their lives changed for the better. They think self-righteousness is enough to give them key to heaven's gate. But such is not what the Bible says. In fact, self-righteousness in itself is sin.

You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

- Luke 16:15

The proper action when you get hurt by the word of God is to swallow thy pride, kneel at the altar and let God heal your soul. Your wounded soul is the reason why you easily get offended. If you do this, I'm pretty sure you will thank the preacher for exposing the truth that made you free.