Romans 2:21
“Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?”
I am not a fan eating leftovers. Since I was a child, I’ve always liked fresh meals. My wife is a great cook. I love eating what she has cooks for me; however, if all she did was serve me leftovers, I would not be in love with her cooking. It is the fresh meal she prepares that keeps me in love with her cooking.
Sadly, many preachers and teachers serve leftovers every time they teach and preach. Though there is nothing wrong with using something again that you taught in the past, a stale lesson or sermon is almost always perceived. The best lesson or sermon is always the lesson or sermon that God has freshly given to His servants.
Though Paul was talking about hypocritical leaders in the verse above, there is a great truth that every teacher and preacher can learn. The phrase, “teachest thou not thyself,” is something every person needs to learn. We should be a people who are constantly teaching ourselves, for when we teach ourselves then we have fresh content to teach others. We should never get caught into the trap of teaching others without teaching ourselves as well. Let me show you three areas of how you can teach yourself.
First, teach yourself through study. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” If you teach others, then you must have a personal time that you spend studying the Scriptures. The Scriptures are a treasure that can be extracted if a person will study them. There is nothing like discovering a truth from God’s Word and then giving it to those you teach. The freshness of that truth will be evident to the listener. Without a personal time to study the Scriptures, you cannot teach yourself.
Second, teach yourself by reading. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13, “Till I come, give attendance to reading,…” Someone who teaches others must constantly be reading so they can learn how truths are presented in another fashion. This is why it is important that you read books on a regular basis. A person who never reads is a person who is delivering stale lessons.
Third, teach yourself through experience. Ecclesiastes 1:16 says, “I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” Notice that experience gives wisdom and knowledge. Teachers who don’t practice what they teach give lifeless lessons. Experience gives illustrations to help the teacher bring a lesson to life. There is nothing like having personal illustrations that help a truth come alive to the listener.
Friend, every person is a teacher. Parents are teachers to their children. Of course, pastors and Sunday school teachers teach on a weekly basis. Even the youth is teaching someone who looks up to them. Don’t fall into the trap of having empty and lifeless lessons. Don’t be one whose lessons are warmed over meals that have been warmed up many times over. Let your lessons be fresh because you have learned to teach yourself.