When You Sin While Preaching

How to recover from your failures in the pulpit.

Bill White | posted 5/22/2009

Unfortunately, our struggle with sin doesn't go on hiatus when we open God's Word to preach !"en in the pulpit, we are suscepti#le to failings li$e anger, dou#t, e%aggeration, and "anity When we reali&e we'"e stu'#led into unholiness while preaching the holy Word of a holy God, it's a heart(sin$ing 'o'ent )o what should we do when it happens* Pray during the pauses +ne thing we can do if we sin during a ser'on is offer a confession during the pauses , si'ple -.'' sorry- in our hearts will suffice to #ring us to a place of openness #efore God, especially in circu'stances where the offense is real #ut not pu#lic +ne )unday 'y eyes landed on so'eone, and 'y 'ind intentionally dragged up e"il thoughts a#out that person /he )pirit con"icted 'e instantly .t wouldn't ha"e #een appropriate to draw attention to 'y sin, yet . $new . needed to deal with it . wrapped up 'y current thought as #est . could and paused #efore going on 0uring those few seconds, . confessed 'y sin to God in the 1uiet of 'y heart ,s s'all as it see's now, it was critical to ena#ling 'e to continue preaching with a sense of confidence and of #eing in the presence of God Ask for prayer in the moment +ne of our pastors once stopped 'id(ser'on and as$ed the congregation to pray with hi' for faith 2e later told 'e he had sensed a strong word fro' the 3ord and feared #ringing it to the congregation /he short prayer didn't distract fro' the 'essage4 #ut it $ept hi' fro' the sin of o'ission and #uilt anticipation and openness in the congregation ,s$ing for prayer 'id(ser'on can help a preacher flee te'ptation in the pulpit )aying too 'uch in these circu'stances can easily focus people on your sin and distract the' fro' the 'essage But with proper restraint, pausing for pu#lic prayer in the face of sin can turn the spiritual tide in the preacher's heart

Ask for forgiveness 5ust as as$ing for prayer 'id(ser'on can #e ris$y, so can a pu#lic plea for forgi"eness But if the sin is pu#lic, it's often true that the confession should #e, too .n early 2006, . found 'yself frustrated #y the lac$ of openness .'d seen in the congregation ,s . concluded 'y ser'on with an in"itation to 'arried couples for prayer, . ga"e in to 'y anger and too$ a cheap shot at the couples who didn't respond7 -What8do you thin$ you ha"e a perfect 'arriage, and you don't need prayer*- . paused for a 'o'ent as 5a'es 9720 flashed through 'y 'ind7 -:an's anger does not #ring a#out the righteous life that God desires - . reali&ed that not only had . sinned, #ut #y doing so . was inhi#iting the godly response . actually wanted fro' the congregation . swallowed 'y pride and said, -/hat co''ent was sarcastic and unhelpful Would you forgi"e 'e for that*- . then continued with the in"itation7 -3et's try that again Wouldn't it #e helpful to ha"e your 'arriage prayed o"er*- .t ended up #eing a particularly good )unday for prayer at the altar But such a confession doesn't ha"e to #e i''ediate When the )pirit con"icts us of sin and we don't $now how to handle it, wrestling with it afterwards is always appropriate , trusted friend is in"alua#le in wor$ing through these situations ,s$ hi' or her if whate"er occurred warrants a pu#lic apology, and act accordingly ;aul writes that -we spea$ in <hrist in the sight of God- =2 <or 279>4 ?,)B@ .n other words, when we sin in the pulpit, our pri'ary audience $nows it full wellA /he last thing . want is to ris$ #eing disconnected fro' what . need to preach effecti"ely7 his presence and power Bill White is outreach pastor at !''anuel Befor'ed <hurch in ;ara'ount, <alifornia, and an editorial ad"isor to ;reaching/oday co' http7//www christianitytoday co'/le/2009/spring/whenyousinwhilepreachi ng ht'l ( 0C 0D 09