The Best Sermon Ever?

The Best Sermon Ever?

If you had just listened to the best sermon you had ever heard, telling you what the will of God was, what would you do?

THE PLACE was Clermont, France, where Pope Urban II had called a church council. On the final day of the Council of Clermont, November 27, 1095, Urban II addressed the thousands assembled. Historians have deemed his sermon as possibly the most effective sermon of all time.

The burning issue for Urban II was that in 1076 the Seljuk Turks had captured Jerusalem from the Arabs and made life intolerable for any Christians living in Jerusalem or going there on a pilgrimage. Many Christians had been robbed and murdered.

The eloquent Urban II spoke in his native French to the crowds assembled in an open field:

Ye men of the Franks . . . To you our words are spoken, and by you our message will be passed on . . . God orders it.

From the borders of Jerusalem and the city of Constantinople evil tidings have come to my ears. . . . An accursed race, estranged from God has invaded the lands of the Christians in the East and have depopulated them by fire, steel and revenge. . . . These Turks have led away many Christians, captives, to their own country; they have torn down the churches of Christ or used them for their own rites. In some they stable their horses. . . .

Who will avenge these wrongs, unless it be you who have won glory in arms? . . . If you would save your souls, then come forward to the defense of Christ. . . . Labor for everlasting reward. . . . You will earn the right to absolution from all your sins, and heaven is assured to any who may fall in this worthy undertaking. . . . The wealth of your enemies will be yours; ye shall plunder their treasures and return home victorious. . . . Take up your arms, valiant sons, and go—God guarding you. . . .

The crowd rose as one, chanting, “God wills it! God wills it!”

To this the pope answered, “It is the will of God! . . . You are soldiers of the cross. Wear on your breasts or shoulders the blood-red sign of the cross. Wear it as a token that his help will never fail you, as the pledge of a vow never to be recalled.”

Thousands immediately took the vow and sewed a cross on their garments. The message raced throughout Europe as it was spread by word of mouth. The next year the First Crusade left for Jerusalem accompanied by the rallying cry, “God wills it!”

The next two hundred years, the period of the Crusades, are the most embarrassing period of all church history. Although the crusaders were able to capture Jerusalem and hold it for a period of time, the Near East in general and the Muslims in particular have never forgotten the murder, rape, and pillage that characterized the Crusades. Never in history have so many calling themselves Christians been so misdirected in their cause. Their actions demonstrated that most of them knew nothing of the faith they claimed to represent.

And it all began with an eloquent sermon proclaiming the will of God.

Reflection

Have you ever heard an eloquent sermon that, though moving, didn’t contain the truth? After hearing Paul and Silas preach, the citizens of Berea studied their Bibles to make sure that they were hearing the truth. If it was necessary to check up on Paul and Silas, it is certainly necessary for us to check out the messages we hear before espousing them.

The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.

Acts 17:11