Does it seem your pastor has been going downhill in his preaching? Does it seem when he brings the Word, you aren't feelin' it anymore? Is your pastor not preaching up to par for what you expected or as he used to? We all have! I hear you! Here are 3 possible reasons your pastors sermons suck:

1. You have not prayed for him Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, "Brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly." Successful preaching of the word has everything to do with prayer. E.M. Bounds wrote, "Prayer opens the way for the word of God to run without hindrance." How often have those who complain actually prayed for the pastor they complain about?

2. You have not prepared your heart In the Parable of the Sower Jesus questions what sort of soil your heart would be when the seed of the Word is sown. Many more sermons could be fruitful if we would prepare the ground of our hearts ahead of time through prayer and meditation.

3. You have forgotten everything There is a story of Martin Luther preaching the gospel of Jesus each and every week for months and years at a time. His congregation began coming to him saying, "Surely we have this down by now. Week after week you preach the gospel message; why can't we move on?" To which he replied: "Because week after week you forget it.

We resist application of things we study. The good ground in the parable are those who hear the word and make intentional efforts to cultivate the planted seed sown.