Pride in the Pulpit

I have taught in seminary now for fifteen years. This was the first year that I was asked to help teach preaching at the seminary; most of my work has been in OT. In any event, one of the lessons that I try to get across to my students is to be careful in drawing attention to yourself in the pulpit. Indeed, many illustrations that one hears today are about the pastor and his experiences. One needs to be careful: Spurgeon told his students to help their congregants to look up to Jesus . . . with both eyes! Let us draw our people's eyes to the Word and to Christ, and not to ourselves.

Once after Spurgeon had given a particularly powerful sermon, he was standing at the door of the church greeting people. A man came up to him, gushing and saying, "That was the greatest sermon I have ever heard! And you are the greatest preacher alive!" Spurgeon looked at the man and said, "Yes, the devil told me that ten minutes ago!" Whether the story is true or not (some Spurgeon stories are questionable), the point is well made. We need to be careful of pride in the pulpit, and we need to be good witnesses to our people of lack of pride. Look to Jesus, and look with both eyes!