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Aim The Sermon At Alteration, Not Information

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I am enjoying Carrell’s, Preaching That Matters, partly because of all the research she’s done that defines the preaching practices of so many. I didn’t enjoy learning about this:

“…remember that the vast majority of sermons (more than 95 percent) do not invite listeners to change.” (p. 66)

If pastors aren’t inviting their listeners to change, what are they doing? Carrell puts it like this:

“Preacher’s General Purpose: Let me tell you about something.

Listeners’ General Response: I agree with what you said.” (p. 66)

Let’s give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and say we’re telling our listeners about the Bible. And let’s give our listeners the benefit of the doubt and say they often agree with what we’re telling them about the Bible. I agree with Carrell that that’s not enough for what needs to happen on a Sunday morning.

So Carrell talks about not only identifying the subject of your sermon (which you know should come from your preaching portion), but also identifying the response to your sermon. In previous posts I’ve talked about how the intention for the sermon (what the sermon is intending to do to the listener) comes directly from the intention of the preaching portion (what the Scripture is intending to do to the listener).

I am often in the habit of wording it like this: After the public reading of Scripture, I’ll say, “This is God’s Word. We worship this morning by ___________.” I fill in the blank with whatever our Text is intending to do to the listeners. Right from the outset everyone in the house of the Lord knows how the Lord intends to change us.

That means every Sunday, like every New Year, should be an opportunity to make a fresh start.

Before Sunday, along with identifying the subject of your sermon, also identify the worship response so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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You Need To Read (with caution!)

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unapologetic

The title of this sporadic blog series, You Need To Read, is a bit of an overstatement. I do think these books are worth reading, though. So, as I wrote in an earlier post, every once in a while I’ll be telling you about books that are helping me preach. My reviews will be fairly brief compared to some and will focus on how the book/author has helped me. I will not spend hardly any words on my disagreements with the book. I don’t read these books in order to be able to state my disagreements. I read them to profit and realize I won’t agree with everything (we hardly ever read a book like that, right?).

Unapologetic: Why, despite everything, Christianity can still make surprising emotional sense by Francis Spufford (HarperOne, New York, 2013)

Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense

Okay, this is a helpful book, but for two reasons, it may not be a book for everyone. First, Spufford is nowhere near being what I would call a conservative evangelical of the US variety. Second, he swears like an unsanctified sailor. I grew up in an extended family that was adept at swearing in both English and French, so I’m used to hearing profanity. But, at times, thankfully, it still jars me; and Spufford did jar me at time.
Spufford explains his approach: “Why do I swear so much in what you are about to read? To make a tonal point: to suggest that religious sensibilities are not made of glass. do not need to hide themselves nervously from whole dimensions of human experience.” (p. xiii) So, you have been warned.
However, the book helped me like I was hoping it would: by giving me new ways to explain life and the Christian faith to un-Christian attendees.
Reacting to a sign on the atheist bus in London (yes, that’s a real thing! “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life” p. 7). Spufford writes, “But enjoyment is one emotion. The only things in the world that are designed to elicit enjoyment and only enjoyment are products, and your life is not a product…” (p. 8). That’s such a good way to challenge the goal of non-Christians. Or, concerning the subject of science versus Christianity: “This world believes that it has science on its side. Indeed, by an act of oblivious metaphorical digestion, it tends to believe that it is science…” (p. 70).
Spufford also made me think about the Christian faith in new ways. For instance, “…it is…a mistake to suppose that it is assent to the propositions that makes you a believer. It is the feelings that are primary. I assent to the ideas because I have the feelings; I don’t have the feelings because I’ve assented to the ideas” (p. 19). I don’t know about you, but I never think about faith at the level of the affections. He actually frames his writing by saying, “This…is a defense of Christian emotions—of their intelligibility, of their grown-up dignity” (p. 23).
Spufford accurately captures the conundrum Jesus creates when He raises the morality bar extremely high in places like the Sermon on the Mount: “He talks as if virtue is almost unachievable, yet still compulsory” (p. 115).
I wished I would have read the book before preaching through all the “one another’s” in the NT. Spufford describes loving each other dearly as: “Our hearts are in our eyes as we look at each other” (p. 200).
I found the author’s definition of sin very insightful: “[sin] always refers to the pleasurable consumption of something….’indulgence’ or ‘enjoyable naughtiness’…. our active inclination to break stuff, ‘stuff’ here including moods, promises, relationships we care about, and our own well-being and other people’s, as well as material objects whose high gloss positively seems to invite a big fat scratch” (pp. 25, 26, 27). (as a huge bonus, the last part of this definition highlights Spufford’s excellent writing style; you will enjoy reading his sentences when he’s not swearing).
And how about his description of our broken world: “We do entirely agree that there’s a crack in everything. (That’s how the light gets in? Oh yes; that most of all) The vision is of an intrinsically imperfect cosmos, hairlined through and through with flaws, chipped and battered and patched” (p. 46).
I especially profited from chapter 4,  Hello, Cruel World. Spufford writes: “Every one of our voyages ends in disaster. Every ship of ours is the Titanic” (p. 92).
And Spufford doesn’t pull punches as it relates to attempting to come to grips with a sovereign God’s part in it all. After seeing a church newsletter where the “Almighty” is thanked for fixing the minister’s car via a miraculously cheap quote from a garage, “For if God was willing to exert Himself over the minister’s sparkplugs, but wouldn’t get out of bed to stop the Holocaust, what sort of picture would that draw?” (p. 94).
Jesus and miracles were never intended to stop the brokenness completely: “One man doing miracles in West Asia doesn’t even move the leprosy statistics. The cruelty of the cruel world reproduces itself far faster than his slow hands can move. He brings sight to blind eyes, and all the causes of blindness rage on” (p. 131).
 And, then, I loved this statement: “We don’t have an argument that solves the problem of the cruel world, but we have a story” (p. 106). That’s what we preach each Sunday: the Story of how our God is redeeming His world through our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.
Preach the Story well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in Christ Jesus.
Randal

This post was originally published on November 25th, 2014.

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Is Your Preaching Getting Better?

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A while ago the following sentence caught my eye. It’s from Pandora’s bio on the singing group, Hot Chocolate:

“An interracial English funk and soul group, Hot Chocolate scored a pair of huge hits in the 70’s but were otherwise more enthusiastic than skilled.”

Ouch!

This immediately made me think of what someone could say about me or any other preaching pastor.

I recognize that skill levels vary with individuals. It’s that way with athletes. There is LeBron James and there are other basketball players (older blog readers insert Michael Jordan). And it’s that way with preachers. I’m no Tony Evans or Tim Keller.

This week I begin teaching Advanced Homiletics to a class at LBC’s northern Virginia campus. I’m also in the middle of working with a Baltimore pastor in an independent study in Communicating Biblical Truth. So, I’m thinking a lot these days about how to teach hermeneutical and homiletical skills. As always, it forces me to think about how I’m doing. How skillful am I at…

  • fighting the good fight of faith? At fighting temptation? At displaying the fruit of the Spirit?
  • interpreting how Scripture functions for the Church? At theological exegesis? At understanding the human heart?
  • communicating God’s Word in church? At speaking, pace, movement, energy, urgency? At relating to the learners?

Take a look at those three broad categories. What does it take to become more skillful in these areas. It takes intentional, intense prayer. It takes purposeful reading. It takes consistent pastoral interaction (loving and listening).

God help us preach better so that He gets glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Preach a good sermon, will ya?!

 

This post was originally published on September 1st, 2015.

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If Edwards Preached Your Ordination Sermon: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Early Sermons

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Kimnach writes,

“Edwards’ matured vision of the ideal preacher is most completely delineated in his ordination sermon on John 5:35, entitled The True Excellency of a Minister of the Gospel (1744)” (p. 25).

I am always looking for ways to guide my ongoing pastoral/preaching ministry and find Edwards’ approach very helpful. He identifies two necessary skills, heat and light; one is spiritual and the other mechanical.

The spiritual skill: “[the preacher’s] heart [must] burn with love to Christ, and fervent desires of the advancement of his kingdom and glory” (p. 25).

What I refer to as the mechanical skill: “his instructions [be] clear and plain, accommodating to the capacity of his hearers, and tending to convey light to their understandings” (p. 25).

If Edwards preached my ordination sermon I would come away with a burning desire for God. And that desire for God would be the foundation for my sermon development.

And what was clear about Edwards’ thoughts on clarity was that he was clear about the need for moving the affections of his listeners with his clarity. All his arguments and reasoning was designed to “move the affections” (Kimnach, p. 26 citing, Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England).

I would summarize the two aspects as passion for God and for His people. It means cultivating my love relationship with God. It means cultivating my understanding that His people’s lives are on the line each Sunday. I want to be used by God’s Spirit to move their affections so they love God supremely in the way Sunday’s Scripture presents Him and them.

Before Sunday, as you prepare for the first sermon in 2019, bring the heat and light so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Using Analogies To Add Clarity: What I’m Learning from Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Early Sermons

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One of Jonathan Edwards’ favorite rhetorical reasoning tools is an analogy. Here’s an example from his sermon, Christian Happiness. Edwards is arguing that a godly person does not need to be afraid of any troubles on earth.

First, “what need a man be afraid of storms and tempests without, that has so good a shelter?” (Kimnach, p. 301) Edwards is referring to a Christian having God and Christ watching over him.

Then, “And is there any man here present that would be at all afraid of the pain of the prick of a pin for a minute, if he knew that after it he should enjoy a life of–suppose–seventy years of the greatest prosperity imaginable, without the least molestation?” (pp. 301-302). Edwards is referring to suffering a little during one’s earthly life versus enjoying eternity pain-free.

Those are two quick examples of how Edwards gains clarity and adds strength to his arguments. And he does this a lot.

Me, not so much. But I’m learning.

I’m learning that analogies are a great way to explain and argue for the truth of Scripture. Analogies like the second one above force the listener to say:

“No person in their right mind would ever allow their fear of a little needle stick to keep them from getting a vaccine that would save their life.” (That was my quick attempt to create a variation of Edwards’ analogy)

And that’s what we want to happen in our listener’s minds. We want the force of our argument to force our congregants to agree with God’s Word.

Finally, I was thinking that Edwards’ analogies are functioning like a kind of illustration. Usually, illustrations in sermons can take a while. What I like about Edwards’ version is they don’t take up lots of message minutes, but they are effective.

Anyway, before Sunday see if your Scripture and sermon can use the help of an analogy to add clarity and strength to your argument so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Merry Christmas!

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How Much Authority Do You Have When You Preach? (What I’m learning from reading Jonathan Edwards’ early sermons)

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In an earlier post I showed how direct Edwards was with his congregants. He was fearless in addressing both non-Christian and Christian because he knew he was “vested with a capacity and right to instruct, lead, and judge his people (no. qq)” (Kimnach’s discussion of Edwards’, Miscellanies, p. 21).

I’m sure society’s view of a preacher’s authority has diminished; I suspect that many preachers don’t share Edwards’ perceived authority.

In his Miscellanies Number 40, Edwards lists the various levels of a preacher’s authority from the listener’s perspective.

First, our listeners are obligated to listen to us because they voted us in thinking we met the necessary requirements. In this case, Edwards says, “I have power as other ministers have in these days” (Kimnach, p. 22).

Second, “But if it was plain to them that I was under the infallible guidance of Christ, and [that] I was sent forth to teach the world the will of Christ, then I should have power in all the world” (Kimnach, p. 22).

Of course the question is, How is it plain to our listeners that we are under the infallible guidance of Christ? Edwards’ answer was that a preacher is

“coming as a messenger from God to souls deeply impressed with a sense of their danger of God’s everlasting wrath, to treat with them about their eternal salvation” (p. 23, Kimnach).

In the best scenario, we preach eternal matters to those who feel threatened by the holiness of God.

Does that sound like you and your congregation?

Preaching with power and authority from our end means knowing what’s at stake every Sunday, every sermon. It means knowing we’re speaking for God. It means preaching with a sense of urgency.

My most common comment after student sermons is, “I didn’t get a sense that this message was important.” God’s Word is, but those sermons aren’t!

May we preach as though the Word of God is “supremely authoritative” (p. 21) so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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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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Taking Time To Reason: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Earliest Sermons

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Have you ever tracked how you use your sermon minutes? This series of posts presents some of my findings of how Jonathan Edwards used his. For instance, in his sermon, The Value Of Salvation, Edwards spends 15 and a half pages explaining why the soul is more valuable than the whole world.

His text was Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

After placing this verse in the previous context, Edwards begins to explain the Doctrine:

The salvation of the soul is of vastly more worth and value than the whole world.

I think you can see how Edwards moved from Scripture to doctrine.

To develop this doctrine Edwards begins to reason with his listeners. He goes to great lengths to explain why the doctrine he has presented is true, why the soul is worth more than anything else. He stated:

I. Because all world good things shall have an end.

II. The whole world shall have an end with respect to every particular person at death. I found this point to be very similar to the first one, but from a slightly different angle. You can see that from the next sentence, “When a man dies, the world has an end with respect to him: all worldly pleasure, profits and honors, with him are come to an end.” (p. 313)

III. Worldly good things are very uncertain, and oftentimes come to an end before death.

How does Edwards reason this way? At times he uses Scripture, such as in the first point where he cites from 2 Peter 3:10, Matthew 24:35, and Rev. 20:11 which speak of the earth coming to an end.

That sets off a series of questions: “…and then where will be all the fine cities of the world, with which the earth prides herself? Where will be….What then will become of….Where will be the…?” By the end of the section all his listeners with ears to hear say, “God is right. Nothing is more important than the salvation of my soul.”

Next time we’ll see that Edwards doesn’t only reason from direct Scripture.

Before the first Sunday of Advent, see if there are any places in the development of your sermon that could use some additional reasoning. And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus because of your Spirit-driven efforts (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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From Inferences to Exhortations: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Early Sermons

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“Christian Happiness” could be Jonathan Edwards’ first sermon. It’s based on Isaiah 3:10.

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

I’ve been enjoying reading Edwards’ sermons as a devotional act, but also as an exercise in rhetorical analysis (what Edwards does in order to move his listeners to act). Last week I listed the following five inferences listed under the heading, “USE” (my explanations in brackets). This represents Edwards’ foray into formal application.

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.” If he’s preaching to the choir, he’s preaching to directly to specific choir members:

“Exh. 1 To the ungodly: to forsake his wickedness and to walk in the ways of religion.” Edwards speaks directly to this attendee: “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).

Edwards is direct in challenging this kind of listener not to fool themselves into “thinking yourself happy in wallowing and rolling yourselves in the mire. You perhaps think yourselves mighty happy in enjoying your hateful and abominable lusts…those be not the pleasures of man” (p. 305).

I wonder if before Sunday you and I will be brave enough to challenge those who, maybe despite their profession of faith, are only overhearing worship. Let’s consider speaking directly to them so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal