Articles
The Greatest Sermon
Have you ever heard someone say, “The greatest sermon you will ever preach is the one you live?” It’s a modern proverb extoling the idea that our daily good example is the best tool we have for drawing people to God. The saying is well-loved for its ability to inspire Christians to act out our faith in the open. It helps us envision the practical meanings of Jesus’ teaching that we are “cities on a hill” who should “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 5:12-16). Such results are wonderful and necessary. The problem is that this beloved modern proverb is incorrect.
Search the scriptures and ask yourself how people were impacted by the gospel. HINT: It wasn’t solely on the basis of good examples. Jesus was not hung on a cross for being a good example. The apostles and other faithful disciples were not martyred for being good examples. No church was ever established because of good examples.
Throughout history, God’s kingdom has grown and changed so many lives because His faithful followers spoke the truth in addition to living holy lives. They engaged in the necessary conversations that confronted people’s sins, incorrect beliefs, and fearful eternal destiny. They lovingly extended hope by verbalizing the good news that Jesus’ death eradicates those horrible elements of our lives when we put our obedient trust in his death, burial, and resurrection.
All of this matters because proverbs like the one above have too often become excuses for modern Christians to not take the risk of speaking to others about Jesus. We have reasoned, “If my good example is the BEST sermon I can preach, then why would I want to potentially mess it up with words?” The glaring hole in this logic is that nobody learns the good news about Jesus purely by watching your good, clean living. At some point we must talk to them! You cannot share Jesus without words.
Understand that I am not minimizing the power of our example. We simply need to have it in the right place. It can be the “hook” that generates interest in what you have to say. Your own transformation is a testimony of how powerful Jesus is and can provide hope for someone struggling. Our good example is a steppingstone to the actual sermons we speak to others. You might say, it is the equivalent of a powerful illustration of a gospel sermon.
As you step out into the world today, be the shining light. Be the example of how a true disciple lives. Just don’t be fooled into thinking that’s enough to win souls. It is an important part...but just that...a part. Use your good example in conjunction with your gospel conversations. That will be the greatest sermon you ever preach.
