My Sermons – Then and Now

Mark White

I took a trip down memory lane recently by looking at sermon outlines and manuscripts I developed over 35 years ago. No, I didn’t throw them away but kept them — because they were too hard to produce in the first place! I was amazed when I looked carefully at them. In some ways, I feel sorry for the brethren who patiently listened to them. I hope what I said was better than what was on paper. Maybe, just maybe, this shows I have grown some as a preacher. Perhaps I have learned a thing or two along the way which has made a better preacher of me than when I first began. I still preach the same truths I did back then, but maybe a little better.

The old sermons I reviewed did reveal something rather startling, however. I noticed that the sermons I preached more than thirty-five years ago for those who were outside of Christ must now be preached just as fervently to members of the church. Let me give you some examples.

Sermons once preached on unity based on the Scriptures were once aimed at sectarians but must now be directed to brethren who are not sure such unity can be obtained. Some leading voices among brethren now advocate fellowship with denominations. Some are calling for reestablishment of fellowship with brethren who compromised truth. The cry is for us to compromise some valid Bible principles, to achieve such unity. We must remind ourselves that we are not separated from erring brethren or denominations just because we want to be apart. We are separated because someone left the faith (Jude 3).

Sermons formerly preached on morality to folks in the world are desperately needed by many in the church now. Time was when divorce was uncommon among us, but not today. Modesty was upheld as a virtue for Christians, but many members now decry any attempt to teach about it. “Social” drinking was once unheard of among us, or at least denounced in our teaching, but is now encouraged and practiced by some preachers and elders. It looks like it is past time to dust off some old sermons and preach them to a “church” audience! There are immoralities now named among the saints which should not be (Eph. 5:3).

There was a time when my sermons on the purpose of baptism were directed primarily to denominational people who were caught up in a “faith-only” salvation. But now, some churches of Christ have preachers who say that baptism is optional. Or they say that a person being immersed doesn’t necessarily have to know why they are being baptized. This being the case, it looks like we need some more substantive sermons on baptism in most congregations.

Years ago, my sermons on the work of the church and the work of the individual Christian were devoted primarily to helping brethren avoid the pitfalls which institutionalism created for us. Now, it appears that “we” need such teaching again for ourselves. Read the church bulletins and listen to the announcements at services in many churches. Social affairs, secular endeavors, educational options and political issues are frequently featured. Do we not know nowadays the difference between what belongs to the home and what belongs to the church? (1 Cor. 11:22)

Those old sermons have been re-worked, expanded, revised and preached repeatedly through the years. It doesn’t appear that I can throw them away just yet. They are still just as needed as ever. My task is to work hard at “clothing old truths in new robes.”

May God help me be true to Him and His word. May the audience be filled with those who want truth!

Eastside, KY, Bowling Green.