Are preachers supposed to write their own sermons?

Have you ever wondered how many preachers actually write their own sermons? How would you even know if they didn't? Well, I've found out in my many experiences that preachers sometimes take credit for sermons that they didn't write. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with quoting someone or even using someone else's sermon as long as they give the proper credit and don't make a habit of doing it all of the time. If the preacher gives credit to whomever DID write the sermon, then at least they're not trying to deceive anyone. However, if they don't, isn't it plagiarism? I know that when I was in college that if I quoted someone or used someone else's material that I had to give credit to them or else I would be accused of plagiarism.

The reason that this bothers me is because God warns us about prophets going to the people and claiming to be giving them the Word of God, when in fact, God didn't send them or give them His Word (Jeremiah 23). In fact, the opening words in Jeremiah 23 are aimed at "the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of (God's) pasture." This sounds an awful lot like preachers who are not speaking the Word of God.

When considering if this is really important or not, ask yourself one question..."should preachers be studying the Word of God themselves to receive the Word that God wants their congregation to hear or should they take it easy and just download someone else's sermon because it's easier to do so?" Do you care? You should. I do. What does God say about it?

Jeremiah 23:20-22

²⁰"The anger of the LORD will not turn back
Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
In the last days you will clearly understand it.
²¹"I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
²²"But if they had stood in My council,
Then they would have announced My words to My people,
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.

So, what in the world is going on in churches these days? Are preachers trying to announce God's Word to His people or are they just plagiarizing other preachers instead of spending time with God and getting His Word directly from the source? Why does it matter? If the Word comes from another man and not God, then is it still God's Word? My point is that the Word that the preacher gets should be directly from God. If it's from a man, then it has the chance of having someone else's point-of-views and someone else's theological beliefs. Sermons should come after studying God's Word and meditating on it as well as praying about it. Why are we replacing it with the sermons of Pastor Mega Church? It's just so much easier to download and regurgitate someone else's work isn't it? This reminds me of President Obama and his great teleprompter debacles. He does the same thing that the downloading preacher does...he gets someone else to write his speeches and he simply reads it off of his teleprompter. But the funny thing is that when the teleprompter goes out, he doesn't have a clue as to what he's supposed to say...BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT HIS OWN WORDS! The same thing is true of the preacher who doesn't get his sermons from God and write them himself as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Consider the Words of God concerning His Word:

Jeremiah 23:20-22

²⁹"Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

³⁰"Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who steal My words from each other.

³¹"Behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who use their tongues and declare, 'The Lord declares.'

³²"Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams," declares the LORD, "and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit," declares the LORD.

So, in conclusion, the preachers who don't get their sermons from time spent with God are leading the congregations astray and are not benefiting anyone. God condemns this growing practice and if you are attending a church where the preacher is downloading all of their sermons, I suggest that you find another church to attend. It's a good bet that if the preacher actually uses their Bible (i.e., holds it in their hands and reads out if it), then you are probably at the right place!