Sermons by the Second Guy

I regularly download sermons by Matt Chandler, a high profile guy out in Dallas. I appreciate his heart, his humor, and his good theology.

He was apparently on a break from his pulpit recently because the recent downloads were by two other guys—Adam Thomason and Beau Hughes. These guys are campus pastors, which in the age of megachurches means they probably speak once a month to people who are expecting to hear the marquee guy.

I was encouraged by each of these sermons and commend them to you. But first, let me tell you what these number twos did well.

1. They did not apologize for not being the marquee guy. I’ve heard some people speak from megachurch pulpits and basically say, “Sorry, it’s just me.” But that’s not the worst part; the worst part is that they go on to try to imitate the other guy. Which leads to the next point.

2. They did not try to be the marquee guy. And why should they? The only reason would be to please the crowds. Yet God has called them to preach God’s word faithfully, according to their own gifts and personality. Yet I’ve heard some number twos make the mistake of (consciously or not) imitating the marquee guy’s humor, mannerisms, or ethos. It sounds canned.

Most importantly:

3. They spoke from a deep place. (This is my wife’s phrase, by the way.) Both these messages thoughtfully, profoundly, and pastorally applied God’s word. You’ll have to hear them. These guys clearly meditated on God’s word, applied it to their own deepest needs, and shared what they learned. And so, without fanfare… they brought it.

All preachers are ultimately number two guys. We are not Jesus. While a few big names such as John the Baptist will be occasionally confused with the Messiah, the vast majority of us won’t. Yet God chooses to use pastors and preachers to bring Jesus to the congregation. This can only happen if we let Jesus work in us and through us, without pretense or apology.


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Note: The sermons are found on iTunes (Village Church audio) or here and are dated 11-08-09: http://hv.thevillagechurch.net/sermons. Adam Thomason's sermon is entitled "Our Greatest Idol" and Beau Hughes's is "The Age of Anxiety."

For more information on "Bringin' it," click here.