Long Sermons and Loving Shepherds

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Acts 20
Meditation:
Acts 20:7 & 11

Paul was preaching, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight…Paul continued talking until dawn, then he left.

Shift Your Focus… Few aspects of the preacher’s preaching are more prominently discussed than the length of his sermons. In seminary, we’re taught how to “get ‘er done” in fifteen minutes or so, twenty minutes at the most, and violating that rule of thumb was a good indication that your preparation had been sloppy. A friend of my says if you want to preach a twenty-minute sermon, prepare twenty hours; a forty-minute message will take you ten hours of prep time, and an hour-long sermon means you’ve spent about twenty minutes preparing.

Paul, the greatest theologian in the New Testament, perhaps in human history, preached so long on one occasion that a young man named Eutychus fell asleep while sitting on a window sill and fell three stories to his death. Amazingly, that didn’t put a damper on the service. Paul, without skipping a beat, went downstairs, healed the man, then came back upstairs and talked from midnight until dawn. Paul had something to say, and he wasn’t about to let anything get in the way.

Of course, it is not the length of the sermon that makes it good or bad, it is the content of the message, along with the passion of the preacher and his or her shepherd’s heart from which the sermon flows that makes it effective or not. If you read this entire passage in Acts 20, you get some great insights into the heart of Paul, the long-winded preacher:

  • Paul was full of faith and confidence in the Lord—“don’t worry, he’s alive…and the young man was taken home unhurt.” (Acts 20:11-12)
  • Paul earned people’s respect through his suffering for the Gospel—“I have endured the trials that came to me…” (Acts 20:19)
  • Paul was fearless in his preaching—“I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear.” (Acts 20:20)
  • Paul was Christ-centered and cross-focused—“I have had one message…repent from sin and turn to God…the work of telling others the Good news about the wonderful grace of God.” (Acts 20:21 & 24)
  • Paul was purpose driven—“My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work the Lord Jesus assigned to me.” (Acts 20:24)
  • Paul was faithful to God—“I declare today that I have been faithful.” (Acts 20:26)
  • Paul passionately protected his flock from danger—“Guard God’s people and feed and shepherd God’s flock…watch out…” (Acts 20:28 & 31)
  • Paul was pure in his motives—“I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes…I have worked with my own hands to supply my own needs.” (Acts 20:33-34)
  • Paul practiced what he preached—“I have been a constant example…” (Acts 20:35)
  • Paul was selfless—“I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard.” (Acts 20:35)

It’s no wonder that when Paul had finished speaking and was getting ready to leave, “they all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye.” (Acts 20:37)

“How long is the perfect sermon?” you wonder. When the preacher exhibits the same qualities that we see in Paul, his sermon can be as long as it takes!

 “I preach as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” ~Richard Baxter

Prayer… Bless our preachers!  Father, give them a mind that is passionate for the truth of your Word, a heart that overflows with love for their flock, and a special connection with you.  And give us a great love for them, a quicker response to their leadership, and words that encourage them in the important work that you have called them to do.

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