Category Archives: purpose

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Edwards’ Purpose For Preaching: What I’m Learning from Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Early Sermons

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Find your purpose for preaching sermons, that is.

In Edwards’, Miscellanies 40, Edwards writes:

“Without doubt, ministers are to teach men what Christ would have them to do, and to teach them who doth these things and who doth them not; that is, who are Christians and who are not.” (Kimnach, p. 22, emphasis added)

I think most of us would say that that’s our purpose for preaching, or at least one major purpose for preaching: “…to teach men what Christ would have them to do…”

It’s the second and third part of Edwards’ purpose that I feel most of us would not have on our radar for a given Sunday sermon: “…to teach them who doth these things and who doth them not; that is, who are Christians are who are not.”

Are you consciously thinking about this this week while you’re developing your sermon? What about while you’re preaching on Sundays?

Over the years I’ve said to our faith-family at Calvary Bible Church, Mount Joy, PA: “I’m on a mission to make sure there are no surprises at the judgment.” What I mean by that is I want to preach in such a way that none of my parishioners will stand before God thinking they’re a shoe-in and hear those tragic words, “Depart from me….”

I will never forget hearing Chuck Swindoll say: the longer I pastor, the more I realize that less and less of my listeners are really Christian. He said that when he was still at his Evangelical Free church in Fullerton, CA. I was a very young pastor at the time and that moved me deeply.

Somehow along the way, I’ve adopted Edwards’ purpose as my own. Along with teaching people to do the things Jesus said to do, I purpose to also teach them who does those things and who doesn’t; that is, who are Christians and who aren’t. Edwards knew there were false professors in his congregation; unfortunately so do I.

Consider adding that to your purpose for preaching so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

 

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From Inferences to Exhortations (part 2): What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Early Sermons

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This week we’re still preaching to the choir, but this time to a different kind of choir member: the godly. Near the end of “Christian Happiness” Jonathan Edwards’ moves from five inferences to two exhortations. The first exhortation was aimed at the ungodly. The second one is aimed at the godly.

You may recall that the sermon is based on Isaiah 3:10. It reads:

“Say unto the righteous, it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”

Last week I listed the following five inferences listed under the heading, “USE” (my explanations in brackets). I refer to these inferences as pre-application. Read them in light of the verse above:

Inf. I. Then we may infer that the godly man need not be afraid of any temporal afflictions whatsoever [since it shall be well with him].

Inf. II. Hence we may see the excellent and desirable nature of true godliness [because it provides such happiness].

Inf. III. We may hence learn that to walk according [to] the rules of religion and godliness is the greatest wisdom [because it leads to the most happiness].

Inf. IV. Hence learn the greatest goodness of God in joining so great happiness to our duty [it certainly is good of God to create such a system where even duty is delight!].

Inf. V. We hence learn [what] we are to do for a remedy when we are under affliction: even embrace religion and godliness.

Then Edwards moves immediately from inferences to exhortations. Note the shift from “we” to “you.” Exhortation #1 was “To the ungodly: to forsake his wickedness and to walk in the ways of religion….You have now heard of the happiness of the religious man…as you never yet experienced; you never yet….You…you have….You now…you are invited to such a happiness….Be persuaded, then, to taste and see how good it is” (p. 305). Pretty direct.

He’s just as direct in Exh. II. “Is to the godly to go on and persevere and make progress in the ways of religion and godliness. Go on….let nothing….You…you…you….Do not be discouraged by any evils….Go on, therefore…”

Before Sunday, these are the two broad categories of people we will be addressing. Check to see that your application stems directly from your text. Decide how direct you will be to your listeners. Certainly, you will want to speak to the professing Christians about how their faith in Christ drives their Text-driven transformation. And, as always, do it all so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Randal

 

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What I Learned From Listening To Nine Sermons In One Day!

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I recently returned from teaching a fine class of Doctor of Ministry students (Preaching the Literary Forms of the Bible track) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. It’s always enjoyable and a privilege each May to join my good friend, Dr. Jeffrey Arthurs, for these days.

However, one of our responsibilities is listening to their sermons. My mentor, Dr. Haddon Robinson, once said that he had listened to so many bad sermons over the years, it’s a wonder he was still a Christian. He was half-joking. Thankfully, these students preached well.

But here’s what I observed from listening to nine of ten sermons in one day (All the sermons were dealing with preaching a narrative text.):

We have a tendency to spend too much time retelling the history of the text and not enough time telling the theology of the text.

If I remember correctly, I wrote that comment on virtually every sermon evaluation form.

It seems that instinctively (or due to training/modeling) we believe our task as preachers is to rehearse past redemptive history. Preachers keep their listeners in the past, learning about what happened in the Story.

WE’RE THEOLOGIANS, NOT HISTORIANS

I encouraged the class to think of themselves as theologians, not historians. That means, of course, that we’re able to write the sermon from the perspective of conveying theology, not history. That means we know how each part of the Story is functioning for the Church. That means we know how each part of the Story addresses our human condition as churchgoers. That means we are always talking to us about us from God’s Word. It’s never about God’s Word.

Next time you preach try to monitor yourself in the moment–are you sounding like a history lecture or a theologian/pastor?

And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Transformation, Not Just Information: One Challenge for Preaching on Easter Sunday

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Blessed Easter!

There are many challenges accompanying the Easter morning sermon. One of the most difficult is keeping the sermon aimed at transformation instead of only information.

It’s an important goal for every sermon, but especially important on a day that emphasizes an event such as the resurrection of Christ.

Transformation is also an important goal because both preacher and parishioner expect “spiritual growth” to be the result of preaching. That’s what Carroll discovered in her research (Preaching That Matters, pp. 43-45). The problem is:

“although pastors intend for their preaching to bring about change and parishioners listen desiring spiritual growth, transformative results are rare. The vast majority of sermons accomplish the purpose of reinforcing listeners’ already-held beliefs. Of the hundreds of sermons analyzed throughout this CECL study, more than 95 percent inform rather than transform” (p. 45, emphasis added).

Now, think about Easter sermons. Certainly we’re reinforcing already-held beliefs about the resurrection. So, even more important for us to think carefully about how we’re transformed by such sermons.

When I woke up this morning, the need to aim for transformation and a response to Christ’s resurrection was on my mind. I quickly went to the computer and added the following to the end of my introduction and conclusion:

  • I believe it.
  • I live it.
  • I put my hope in it.

Immediately after the service I greeted someone who was up front and they responded with: “Thank you for ending that sermon in a way that helped me see how the resurrection demands a response.”

May our Lord continue to help us aim for transformative results and trust the Holy Spirit to generate them so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Making Sermons and Making Disciples

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A prominent Christian counselor/author–sorry but I can’t remember who–once wrote that counseling was accelerated disciple-making. That is also an appropriate way to think about our preaching.

Preaching is accelerated, corporate disciple-making.

I’ve been enjoying the insights provide by Carrell’s book, Preaching That matters: Reflective Practices for Transforming Sermons. Especially helpful is the feedback from pastors who were in training sessions with Carrell.

Take, for instance, this response:

“you asked me how I determine the spiritual growth goals for my sermons. I didn’t have an answer.” (p. 29)

Here’s my answer:

  1. Pay as much attention to the purpose or intention of your preaching portion as you do its meaning. In other words, from minute one in your study, begin to identify how God’s Word functions for the church. What is it intending to do to the listeners?
  2. Whether or not you announce this, try this at the very beginning of your sermon notes or actual sermon: “We worship this morning by _______________.” You fill in the blank with the intended response to that morning’s revelation of God (my concise definition of worship).
  3. My dear DTS preaching professor, Dr. John Reed used to urge us to write out what we wanted our listeners to think, feel, and do as a result of hearing the sermon. Those are good, broad categories for applying life to the Bible. Depending on your selected Text, you may be able to add specificity to your sermon application.
  4. Another angle on application is our attempt to usher our listeners into the particular slice of the Kingdom of God that is described in the Text (common options are commands or principles to put into practice and “go and do likewise” or “go and do otherwise” exemplars, interpreted, of course, within a redemptive-historical context).

Before Resurrection Sunday, identify your sermon’s spiritual growth goals so God receives glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Why Gaining Attention and Interest Isn’t Enough in Our Introductions

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I just completed a very satisfying week of teaching Doctor of Ministry students at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. That’s my excuse for not creating a blog post last week. The track is called, Preaching the Literary Forms of the Bible. Pastors and professors from all over the world made up the class and, as always, the final day or so is devoted to hearing them preach.

I was amazed at how many, regardless of where they were from or who trained them, chose to begin their sermon with some kind of attention-getting device. And in all cases, their opening stories or illustrations were effective in gaining attention and initial interest. But that’s not enough.

Over and over throughout the day I repeated and restated the same thing:

“Try telling us why we need to hear your sermon. How does this Scripture function for the Church?”

Homileticians sometimes refer to this as surfacing need in the introduction and I believe in the practice for the following reasons:

  • it shows our listeners in the opening minutes that the exposition of Scripture is relevant. This is critical because there are expositors who will begin their sermon and preach several minutes without ever telling their listeners that this affects their lives.
  • it’s an opportunity to clearly state how we will worship God as a result of hearing the exposition of Scripture. This keeps expository preaching from being a history lesson about the Text. This reminds us that preaching is an act of worship when we respond to the revelation of God.
  • it allows us to begin the process of application in the introduction instead of waiting till the end of the sermon or near the end of major points in our outline.

So, before Sunday, start with the “why?”, and not just the “what?” of your sermon so our Lord receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Some of you might be thinking that starting with “why” is giving too much information in the introduction. Some practice a much more inductive approach. My answer is that I want my listeners to know why this information/exhortation is being given from the start so that they can remember the purpose for our being together throughout the sermon.

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Preaching Through Daniel (part 3): Choose an Applicational Theme

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I was hoping these posts on preaching apocalyptic books like Daniel would relate to preaching other books. So far, so good.

Post #1 showed how the beginning and ending of Daniel provide clues to its message to the Church. Often, the Author/authors of the books of the Bible signal their intention at the beginning and end of a book (try this with Revelation).

Post #2 showed how the narrative of Daniel (chapters 1-6) leads the way for interpreting the visions (chapters 7-12). Again, the same goes for the early chapters of Revelation that contain the letters to the seven churches.

Now, before you begin preaching a series through any book of the Bible, select an applicational theme for the book. Let that theme provide continuity for the series. Let that theme be the focus for the series.

For my series on Daniel I selected: Remaining Godly in an Ungodly World.

If you decide to use a theme for your series through a book of the Bible, consider the value of an applicational theme. Every Sunday parishioners will hear how Daniel, for instance, functions for the Church. They will hear how Daniel’s theology affects them.

This will be especially important by the time you arrive at the visionary material. The tendency is to get lost in the impossible-to-interpret material. Keeping the applicational theme in focus will keep the sermon aimed at worship, not speculation.

The other alternative–doctrinal themes–have less impact. They provide information only. In many cases the title of your sermon series is the first exposure to your sermon. Better to lead them immediately to an act of worship than to pieces of solitary doctrine.

Before Sunday, even if you aren’t preaching through a book of the Bible, see if your sermon title is aimed at application, not simply information.

And preach a good sermon, will ya, so God’s reputation grows in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Bolstering Faith: The Big Picture of Sermon Application

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The big picture concept.

One thing that helps me prepare for each Sunday sermon is reminding myself of the big picture. It’s easy for me to get lost in the exegetical details and even the specific application of a preaching portion. For example, preaching on Titus 2:11-14, I could think that urging us all to welcome the grace of God as a personal trainer to transform us into the image of Christ is sufficient. That is what that Text is saying and doing: the grace of God trains us to say “no” to two things and say “yes” to more things.

But, there’s a bigger picture than that. In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus asks, “…when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” That’s what God is looking for now and later: saving faith, sanctifying faith. A good proof-text could be from Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him…”

Before Sunday, look at your application (locate what your preaching portion is intended to do to the Church). Ask how faith in Christ is linked to that application.

In the case of Luke 18:1-8, for instance, making sure we’re praying when Jesus returns inevitably means making sure we believe the Gospel. We pray to the degree we believe. Luke said, “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” What do you think is the condition of my faith if I have lost heart? Right. If I’ve lost heart, I’ve lost faith first. Or, you could at least say that I’m struggling with my faith when I’m very discouraged.

One way to think of this is:

Every act of disobedience is first and foremost an act of unbelief.

That means in order to attack disobedience, we should first attack unbelief. The opposite is also true: every act of obedience is first and foremost an act of faith. So, to urge obedience, we should first urge faith.

Preach well for God’s glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:21),

Randal

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What Do You Do to the Bible To Create A Sermon? (part 2)

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In this series I’m exploring what I consider to be the most neglected part of my own teaching of Homiletics, how sermons are created. In order to create sermons, we all perform a variety of operations on the Bible (unless, of course, you simply read the Text and pronounce the benediction!). I expect that even radically different kinds of sermons on the same Text use similar rhetorical devises.

Part 1 listed explanation as the bread and butter or meat and potatoes of expository preaching. I want to spend a moment talking about preaching on purpose, announcing to our congregants the shape worship takes as we respond to God’s revelation in our preaching portion.

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Sermonic purpose is similar to application, maybe the second step of application (the first step being to urge Believers to believe the Gospel or, what I call, faith-first application; you can see this explained in earlier posts). Preaching on purpose means letting everyone know how your preaching portion generally functions for the Church. As a result of hearing God’s Word, those with ears to hear will think, feel, and act in ways determined by the preaching portion.

Lately, immediately after the corporate reading of God’s Word, I’ll begin my sermon by saying something like, “This is God’s Word. The shape of our worship this morning will be putting into practice Jesus’ instructions concerning handling our own sins and also the sins of others (from Luke 17:1-6).” At that moment, everyone in the house hears how this preaching portion functions in life. Throughout the sermon and, certainly near the end, I’ll restate this purpose. Other rhetorical devices such as illustration and explanation contribute to preaching on purpose. It’s difficult to overestimate its importance for soul-watchers.

Before Sunday see how God displays His intention (what your preaching portion is intended to do to the church) and clearly write out the broad shape worship will take.

Preach well for the sake of His reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

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How Many Minutes In Your Sermon Are Actually Spent Preaching?

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My mentor, Dr. Haddon Robinson, used to talk about two angles on preaching. One, the preacher talks to people about the Bible. He functions much like a history teacher. Two, the preacher talks to people about them from the Bible. He functions as a theologian for the church. The first angle is heavy on explaining the ancient, biblical world. Congregants learn lots of interesting information, if they happen to like history. The second angle is heavy on applying that ancient, biblical Word. Congregants learn how to enter God’s world being portrayed by that ancient, sermonic history.

In his book, A Theology of Preaching: The Dynamics of the Gospel, Lischer writes, “After several years in an academic environment, theological students and teachers start preaching about the text rather than letting God preach through the text” (p. 46).

As I wrestle with preaching portions and develop sermons each week, I catch myself sounding too much like a history teacher. As I listen to sermons, I hear the vast majority of minutes devoted to teaching history. I fear that many people are listening to the History Channel each Sunday.

Think about your own preaching style. How many minutes in your sermon are actually spent preaching? How many minutes are spent giving a history lesson? Now, it’s true, biblical theology is conveyed through biblical history. So, part of preaching is telling parishioners what God did back then. The question is do we retell the history from the stance of the theologian who shows how Scripture functions for the Church. Ortlund said of one of Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Eighty percent of the sermon is application…” (A New Inner Relish, p. 53). 80%!

Here’s some ways I avoid contributing to the History Channel each Sunday:

  • My introductions include a brief statement about what the preaching portion is intended to do to the Church (the shape or form worship takes when life is applied to that Scripture).
  • My perspective is always on us and our lives, even when I’m retelling the fruits of exegesis.
  • After minutes delivering biblical history, I remind us again how it’s shaping us.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal