sugar-coated sermon

[johnnywong]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.


The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.


Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

 

[com7fy8]

We need to talk about who and how Jesus is, as our example of how we need to become with our Heavenly Father and relate in love like Jesus does >

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)

So, it is not enough to talk about sin and which things are sins.

And I would be interested in which sins are getting the most attention. Are they only or mainly the outward commission of Ten Commandment sins, or are they dealing with anti-love sins like fighting and complaining > Philippians 2:13-16, and unforgiveness > Ephesians 4:31-32?

"with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love," (Ephesians 4:2)

Also, is the preacher first making a point of talking about how the preacher oneself can fail and has been getting correction . . . so others can learn from how the preacher needs correction? Or, is the preacher making a point only or mainly of pointing at how other churches are wrong and the more political-issue sins?

I think we need to start with how we are in comparison with Jesus, and how God's grace almighty succeeds in changing our nature to be like Christ, as the definition of holiness (Hebrews 12:4-14). And are we living in personal submission to how our Heavenly Father rules each of us "in one body" in His own peace? And then, with this, go into details of how we live in God's own love and peace, but first how we need to change in our character and live emotionally and in our thinking and feelings and ways of reacting because of submitting to God's love and peace ruling in us.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)

For all I know, it is possible that neither the churches nor the station are doing this. In case this is the case, then it does not matter how they compare with each other. How do we compare with Jesus and the overall meaning of God's word?

 

[PloverWing]

There might be a selection factor: Perhaps the kinds of preachers that want to have a radio show are more likely to be preachers who enjoy telling large groups of strangers what their sins are, and perhaps the preachers who just quietly preach on the lectionary week after week are less likely to want to be on the radio. I don't know, but it's a hypothesis I would want to investigate.

My priest doesn't spend much time preaching about specific sins. I think he takes for granted that most of us know what evil attitudes and actions are most likely to ensnare us, and that's different for each individual. Instead, he preaches many sermons about God's grace and forgiveness, made available to us through the work of Christ, and he invites us to participate in God's work in the world.

 

[topher694]

Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

Simply put, yes. I have seen/heard it first hand at churches I've attended. Further, now as a minister myself I refuse to compromise from the pulpit or avoid talking about certain things because they may make some people uncomfortable. As a result I have had people leave the church because they are mad at me. That definitely plays a part in pastors unwillingness to confront.

That being said, com7fy8 is correct that the full context of the message needs to be considered. If a minister were to boldly condemn sin without offering a path to redemption and encouragement to follow that path, I would say he/she would be in error.

 

[Radagast]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.

Depends on what church you go to.

 

[bèlla]

Several years ago we were told by a well-known pastor that their freedom of speech was under threat. Many were seeking to prevent them from addressing certain subjects from the pulpit. He acknowledged that was an issue in Canada and they don't condemn homosexuality anymore. I don't remember everything he said but a legal battle was involved.

 

[FireDragon76]

Most people in the pews don't appreciate tongue lashings every week, and of course, they tend to pay the pastors salary. But somebody on the radio has more freedom and less overhead.

 

[zephcom]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.


The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.


Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

One possibility that occurs to me is that the perceived audience is different. The radio preacher may perceive their audience as the 'unsaved' masses which need to be convinced to become Christians. The preacher in the church perceives the audience as already saved Christians which needs a gentler message to keep them on track.

 

[RestoreTheJoy]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.


The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.


Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

Yep. Hirelings more interested in keeping the tithe money than in speaking the truth.

 

[jayem]

The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.

But remember the Mary Poppins song. Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

 

[PloverWing]

One possibility that occurs to me is that the perceived audience is different. The radio preacher may perceive their audience as the 'unsaved' masses which need to be convinced to become Christians. The preacher in the church perceives the audience as already saved Christians which needs a gentler message to keep them on track.

This might be exactly it. If the radio broadcast isn't a broadcast of a church service, but rather is a broadcast of a talk directly aimed at a radio audience, then the preacher may well view the audience as primarily non-Christians. By contrast, a preacher in a church service is talking to an audience of 90+ % Christians, so the intent of the sermon is different; it's more about how to continue to live the Christian life.

It also occurs to me that within the context of a congregation, sin can be addressed in specific, positive ways. Instead of saying "It's sinful to let poor people go hungry," the preacher can say "Join us on Saturday when we'll be serving dinner and providing overnight shelter to some homeless families."

 

[Paidiske]

If I were being cynical, I'd say that pastors can't keep the church happy no matter what they do or say, so they might as well preach as they feel led.

Realistically, though, I think preaching to a group of people with whom you're in relationship - you see them through the week, you're privy to their joys, their fears, their struggles, you're engaged together in the life and mission of the parish, and so forth - is very different to preaching to a group of people you've never met and you can't even see.

Not that you soft-pedal things with an in real life congregation, but you can make your point in a different way. For example, this morning I preached on Hebrews 12:4; and I could make my point by talking about my own struggles with sin, without then turning it back around and being harsh to the people sitting in front of me. They got the point.

 

[BNR32FAN]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.


The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.


Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

I’ve seen both watered down, sugar coated and straight up biblical teachings on the radio. John MacArthur has some good teachings. Unfortunately I can’t remember the names of some of the sugar coated preachers.

 

[Radagast]

John MacArthur has some good teachings.

He's the pastor of Grace Community Church in California. If you went to his church, you would hear the exact same message.

 

[FatalFantasy]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.


The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.


Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

Why would any rational thinking person not be depressed by hellfire taught at church.

 

[BNR32FAN]

He's the pastor of Grace Community Church in California. If you went to his church, you would hear the exact same message.

I’ve heard his sermons pertaining to the necessity of repentance and bearing fruit.

 

[PloverWing]

The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .

In Sunday School this morning, my pastor mentioned that he rarely preaches on specific sins from the pulpit, because he figures that most people already know what sins they struggle with, and that most people, when they've done something bad, realize that it was bad. (The Sunday School topic was Romans 7, in which Paul talks about how there's stuff that he knows is bad, but he does it anyway.) This confirmed the guess about him that I posted a few days ago.

Don't get specific out loud -- this isn't public confession time -- but are there really times when you've heard a sermon about some particular sin, and you said "Wow, I had no idea that was wrong! I'll stop doing it now." Or are there times when you were envious of a co-worker, or you said something hurtful to your spouse, or whatever your personal sin is, and you didn't realize half a second later that you'd done something bad?

 

[Sketcher]

My church livestreams, as do many others. So the message is the same wherever you are when you hear it. I expect this is the norm for other churches, I'd be surprised to find out whoever you are listening to on the radio doesn't preach in church somewhere.

 

[topher694]

In Sunday School this morning, my pastor mentioned that he rarely preaches on specific sins from the pulpit, because he figures that most people already know what sins they struggle with, and that most people, when they've done something bad, realize that it was bad. (The Sunday School topic was Romans 7, in which Paul talks about how there's stuff that he knows is bad, but he does it anyway.) This confirmed the guess about him that I posted a few days ago.

Don't get specific out loud -- this isn't public confession time -- but are there really times when you've heard a sermon about some particular sin, and you said "Wow, I had no idea that was wrong! I'll stop doing it now." Or are there times when you were envious of a co-worker, or you said something hurtful to your spouse, or whatever your personal sin is, and you didn't realize half a second later that you'd done something bad?

This is not an uncommon thing, and (just in my personal opinion), it's an excuse. I've been shocked several times when talking with people one on one about sin. I mean talking about what I would consider very basic stuff only to realize this was the first they'd ever heard of it or even considered it a sin. And I am not talking about new believers here. Because of this my wife and I try to never assume anything when teaching or preaching when it comes to even the most basic biblical principles. You can't teach everything every time, but we never assume people just know something.

That being said many folks do know the basics of what is right and what is wrong, so often when I talk about these things I try to give examples that they may not have considered before and challenge them to self examine. For example, most people know that envy is not a good thing. And most people think of that as coveting what someone else has, which it is. But, say you worked for 3 years to get a promotion to manager and some new kid gets the same promotion in 6 months. Saying things like, "They didn't deserve that" or "they didn't put the same time and effort into it as I did" is also envy even though you have the same thing they do. It's just a more sneaky version of it.

 

[Annalafrenchy7]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.


The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.


Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

Yes I have noticed this as well! I’m always talking about this with my mother. Nobody wants to hear the truth so pastors sugarcoat it so they can please the members of the church and won’t leave. Because they want to feel comfortable the way they live and that’s why a lot of churches teach the once saved always saved idea , which is not true. If you sin you must ask for forgiveness. Glad I’m not alone in noticing this!