"He might just be talking to you..."

I've come to think that some people must think that preachers are blind.
I'm certainly not blind while I'm preaching, although at times I wish I was.

It apparently doesn't enter the minds of some folks that when I'm preaching I'm standing on an elevated platform, staring directly at them. Some of the things I see can be discouraging (texting, passing notes, whispering jokes). Some, though, are encouraging (people turning in their Bibles, nods of affirmation, people writing down notes). Others are distracting (people getting up to leave, people staring at a child making noise).

Now let me make mention of the fact that I'm not angry with the distracting and discouraging folks just because they aren't listening to me. Actually, my heart breaks for them, because I know they aren't worshipping God "in spirit" at the time (cf. John 4:24). Their minds are on other things.

And then there are the elbow-throwers.

These people are hard to categorize, because they are paying excellent attention to my lesson (which is encouraging), but I can tell by their body language and their facial expressions, and the occasional elbow thrown into their companion's side that they aren't really getting what I'm saying.

Now understand this: I never preach a sermon aimed at a single person, or even at a small group of people. But it could be that the people throwing their elbows and nodding their heads are the folks who I prayerfully had in mind as I was preparing for a particular topic. It's them that I want to help through my teaching.

But they think I'm talking about someone else.

Since they are focused on the shortcomings of some other person, who they think "needs to hear this lesson," they fail to take the time to consider their own words, thoughts, and actions in light of the Word of God. They are hardened, and blind to their own sins by self-righteousness (cf. 1 John 1:8).

2 Samuel 11 gives us the account of David and Bathsheba's adultery, along with Uriah's murder. After these things, in 2 Samuel 12:1-10, Nathan comes to David with a "sermon" to preach. He tells a parable about a rich man who had abundant flocks and herds. There was also a poor man with only one little ewe lamb, which was practically a member of the family. A traveler came to the rich man one day, and instead of taking of his own flock and herd to feed the traveler, he took the one little ewe lamb from the poor man and prepared it for a meal.

When Nathan told David about this, he immediately became angry! He pronounced judgment on the rich man, and felt that he was worthy of death (2 Sam. 12:5)! You see, it's easy to condemn, and tell the preacher to "preach on, brother" when you think the sermon is about or directed toward someone else. David was blind to the true meaning of what Nathan was telling him. But with four words, Nathan zeros in on the true culprit; "You are the man!" (2 Sam. 12:7).

As I mentioned before, I don't prepare sermons for or "preach at" individuals. I try to include something for everyone in each lesson, as I know most other preachers of the truth do. My encouragement to you before this coming Sunday is this: Listen to God's Word with an honest, open heart. Examine yourself (Matt. 7:5; 2 Cor. 13:5) in light of what the preacher is saying.

After all, he might just be talking to you.

-Daniel