Preachers Without Power
The sermon warns against preaching without the power of the Holy Spirit, which can lead to hardened hearts and a lack of conviction.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the critical need for preachers to be filled with the Holy Spirit, warning that without this divine empowerment, their messages may lead to spiritual apathy among listeners. He reflects on 1 Timothy 1:5-7, highlighting that teachings devoid of the Spirit can result in a hardness of heart, causing hearers to disengage from the truth. Tozer calls for self-examination among preachers, urging them to seek the Spirit's guidance to avoid preaching in their own strength, which can numb the hearts of their audience. He acknowledges the challenge of preaching effectively without the Spirit's presence and prays for deliverance from this error. Ultimately, the sermon serves as a reminder of the necessity of spiritual authenticity in ministry.
Text
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. --1 Timothy 1:5-7
Another thing that greatly hinders God's people is a hardness of heart caused by hearing men without the Spirit constantly preaching about the Spirit. There is no doctrine so chilling as the doctrine of the Spirit when held in cold passivity and personal unbelief. The hearers will turn away in dull apathy from an exhortation to be filled with the Spirit unless the Spirit Himself is giving the exhortation through the speaker. It is possible to learn this truth and preach it faithfully, and still be totally devoid of power. The hearers sense the lack and go away with numbed hearts. Theirs is not opposition to the truth, but an unconscious reaction from unreality. Yet scarcely one of the hearers can tell another what the trouble is; it is as if they had been hearing an echo and not the voice, or seeing a reflection and not the light itself. Paths to Power, 55.
"Lord, that's a challenging thought. I'm sure that I have many times preached and taught in my own strength, without the filling and the power of the Holy Spirit. Deliver me from that error, Lord, that no one's heart may be hardened through my failure. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Purpose of the Commandment
- The Hindrance of Hardness of Heart
- The Possibility of Preaching Without Power
- Learning the truth and preaching it faithfully
- Being devoid of power despite faithful preaching
Key Quotes
“There is no doctrine so chilling as the doctrine of the Spirit when held in cold passivity and personal unbelief.” — A.W. Tozer
“It is possible to learn this truth and preach it faithfully, and still be totally devoid of power.” — A.W. Tozer
“Scarcely one of the hearers can tell another what the trouble is; it is as if they had been hearing an echo and not the voice, or seeing a reflection and not the light itself.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower your preaching.
- Be aware of the danger of preaching without power and seek to be filled with the Spirit.
- Recognize the difference between hearing the voice of the Spirit and hearing an echo of truth.