2 Benefits Of Raising Objections to Your Own Sermon (One is obvious. The other is not.)
The longer you have been a Christian, the more in danger your preaching is of suffering from the Curse of Knowledge.It becomes easy to assume that everyone believes some of the weird, miraculous, or difficult truths in the Bible.
It becomes easy to forget that many people have serious questions and doubts about even the most basic Christian beliefs.
You cannot just assume that when you talk about prayer, that people believe God really listens to them.
You cannot just assume that when you talk about Jesus’ walking on water that people believe it was even possible.
You cannot just assume that when you talk about God creating the world that people actually believe God even exists.
The only way to fight the curse of knowledge is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience. Think about their potential objections, and then answer them before they ever ask.
The more controversial the subject, the more important this is.
People will be thinking these objections whether you address it or not. So get in their heads and address their concerns.
Ask Real Questions
Don’t just give a seminary objection like, “How does that statement fit into the predestination vs. free will debate?”
Think about it. Nobody on the street is thinking to themselves, “Boy… I would totally give my life to Christ, but I’m hung up in this whole Calvinism vs Arminianism thing.”
Raise objections that normal people actually have.
Want to know what objections people actually have? Go ask them.
Run a question by your server at a restaurant, a stranger you sit by in a coffee shop, a random person in line at the store checkout, or poll some people from different walks of life in your church.
It’s as simple as saying, “Hi, I’m doing some research about prayer, may I ask what questions you would have about prayer?”
Then – here’s the important part – listen. Don’t try to answer their question right away. Pay attention to what they are saying and maybe even probe a little deeper. Why do they have that particular question? Ask some follow-up questions to understand them better.
When you are able to understand how someone might push back to a biblical truth, and then answer their objection head on, you have broken down a huge barrier. That person is far more likely to seriously think over what you said. People are far more likely to engage with what you say, if you take the time to address their thoughts.
The best preachers are not necessarily the most academic. The best preachers are the ones that understand their audience and apply the truth of scripture directly to their lives.
It is not enough to just preach the Word. You have to apply the Word to your audience. You have to address their concerns and objections. You have to be brave enough to answer their big, hairy, difficult questions.
Objecting to your own sermon is not for cowards. Anything less shows that you are either out of touch with your audience, afraid they won’t like your answer, or, worse, don’t actually have an answer.
Two Benefits
There are two benefits of raising objections. The first benefit is obvious. The second is not so much.
- You answer a question people in your audience are already wrestling with.
- You are training the people in your audience who are already convinced how to answer these objections when they get asked.
You are not only answering the skeptics, but you are training your congregation to think critically about their faith. So when a co-worker asks a tough question about God, they don’t need to panic. They have already heard a solid explanation.
So here is my challenge to you: In your next sermon, raise an objection that people actually have. Ask the question they are already thinking, and answer it head on to the best of your ability.
