In This Book
Art & Craft of Biblical Preaching
A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Communicators
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The High Call of Preaching
- 1 Core Convictions of Biblical Preaching
- 2 A Definition of Biblical Preaching
- 3 A Weekly Dose of Compressed Dignity
- 4 Overfed, Underchallenged
- 5 Theology of Powerful Preaching
- 6 Preaching That Raises Our Sights
- 7 Leading and Feeding: How Preaching and Leadership Intersect
- 8 John 3:16 in the Key of C
- 9 Spiritual Formation through Preaching
- 10 Preaching Life into the Church
- 11 My Theory of Homiletics
- 12 Staying on the Line
- 13 History of Preaching
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The Spiritual Life of a Preacher
- 14 A Cup Running Over
- 15 The Patented Preacher
- 16 I Prayed for My Preaching
- 17 How Does Unction Function?
- 18 Squeaky Clean
- 19 Required Reading
- 20 Rightly Dividing the Preaching Load
- 21 Preaching Through Personal Pain
- 22 A Prophet among You
- 23 Burning Clean Fuel
- 24 Backdraft Preaching
- 25 Why I Pace Before I Preach
- 26 Preaching to Convulse the Demons
- 27 Holy Expectation
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Considering Hearers
- 28 Preaching to Everyone in Particular
- 29 The Power of Simplicity
- 30 View from the Pew
- 31 Preaching to Ordinary People
- 32 Why Serious Preachers Use Humor
- 33 Connect Hearers through Dialogue
- 34 Self-Disclosure That Glorifies Christ
- 35 How to Be Heard
- 36 Opening the Closed American Mind
- 37 Turning an Audience into the Church
- 38 Preaching to Change the Heart
- 39 Preaching Truth, Justice, and the American Way
- 40 Preaching Morality in an Amoral Age
- 41 The Intentional Bridge Builder
- 42 Connecting with Postmoderns
- 43 Preaching Amid Pluralism
- 44 Connecting with Non-Christians
- 45 How to Translate Male Sermons to Women
- 46 He Said, She Heard
- 47 Connecting with Men
- 48 Creating a Singles-Friendly Sermon
- 49 Preaching to Preschoolers
- 50 Hispanic American Preaching
- 51 African American Preaching
- 52 Asian American Preaching
- 53 Work Wins?
- 54 One Sermon, Two Messages
- 55 The Playful Preacher
- 56 What Authority Do We Have Anymore?
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Interpretation and Application
- 57 Why the Sermon?
- 58 Getting the Gold from the Text
- 59 Faithful First
- 60 God’s Letter of Intent
- 61 Five Bird-dogging Questions for Biblical Exposition
- 62 The Rules of the Game
- 63 Why All the Best Preachers Are–What a Concept!–Theological
- 64 Letting the Listeners Make the Discoveries
- 65 Conviction and Compassion
- 66 The Inadequacy of “Yes” Theology
- 67 What Great Coaches and Preachers Know
- 68 Preaching That Opens Ears and Hearts
- 69 Fundamentals of Genre
- 70 From B.C. to 11 a.m.
- 71 The Big Idea of Narrative Preaching
- 72 Apply Within
- 73 Application Without Moralism
- 74 Blending Bible Content and Life Application
- 75 Showing Promise
- 76 Helping Hearers Practice What We Preach
- 77 The Heresy of Application
- 78 Preaching for True Holiness
- 79 Less Joe, More Jesus
- 80 Preaching That Promotes Self-Centeredness
- 81 The Danger of Practical Preaching
- 82 Grace: A license to Wander?
- 83 The Rich Sound of Grace and Holiness
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Structure
- 84 Set Free from the Cookie Cutter
- 85 Say and Do
- 86 Connecting Biblical Content with Contemporary Audiences
- 87 Clearly
- 88 Skills of Oral Clarity
- 89 Questions That Put Muscle on Bones
- 90 Better Big Ideas
- 91 The Power of Sequence
- 92 Outlines That Work for You, Not against You
- 93 The Tension Between Clarity and Suspense
- 94 Lifeblood of Preaching
- 95 Alliteration Downfalls
- 96 Modulating Tension
- 97 The Purpose-Driven Title
- 98 Why Should I Listen to You?
- 99 Satisfying Conclusions
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Style
- 100 Determining Your Strengths and Weaknesses
- 101 Interesting Preaching
- 102 Crafting an Experience
- 103 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Preachers
- 104 The Sermon’s Mood
- 105 Teaching the Whole Bible
- 106 Dramatic Expository Preaching
- 107 Verse-by-Verse Sermons That Really Preach
- 108 What Makes Textual Preaching Unique?
- 109 Can Topical Preaching Be Expository?
- 110 Topical Preaching Can Be Truly Biblical
- 111 Topical Preaching on Bible Characters
- 112 Topical Preaching on Contemporary Issues
- 113 Topical Preaching on Theological Themes
- 114 Making the Most of Biblical Paradoxes
- 115 Getting the Most from the Sermon Series
- 116 The Next Big Thing
- 117 The Compelling Series
- 118 First Person Narrative Sermons
- 119 Biblical Preaching Is about Life Change, Not Sermon Style
- 120 Seven Timeless Principles for Reaching Lost People
- 121 Evangelistic Preaching in the Local Church
- 122 Felt-Needs Preaching
- 123 How to Preach Boldly in a “Whatever” Culture
- 124 Preaching with a Leader’s Heart
- 125 Critique of the New Homiletic
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Preparation
- 142 Why I Pat the Bible on My Nightstand
- 143 Busting Out of Sermon Block
- 144 Centered
- 145 A Long, Rich Conversation with God
- 146 A Mysterious Impulse to Pray
- 147 Preparing the Messenger
- 148 The Hard Work of Illumination
- 149 Heart-to-Heart Preaching
- 150 Imagination: The Preacher’s Neglected Ally
- 151 Preaching That Magnifies God
- 152 When Is a Sermon Good Enough?
- 153 How to Build a First-Rate Library
- 154 What Makes a Sermon Deep?
- 155 Before You Preach
- 156 Inspiration Points
- 157 Simplify
- 158 Using Someone Else’s Sermon
- 159 Planning for a Richer, Deeper Sermon Series
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Delivery
- 160 The Source of Passion
- 161 Place of Pathos in Preaching
- 162 Preaching with Intensity
- 163 No Notes, Lots of Notes, Brief Notes
- 164 In the Eye of the Hearer
- 165 No Voice, No Preach
- 166 Eliminating My Um, Um, Annoying Pulpit Mannerisms
- 167 Reading Scripture in Public
- 168 The Importance of Being Urgent
- 169 The Day I Lost My Nerve
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Special Topics
- 170 When You Don’t Look Forward to Special Days
- 171 Preaching the Terrors
- 172 Preparing People to Suffer
- 173 Preaching Hell in a Tolerant Age
- 174 Speaking into Crisis
- 175 When the News Intrudes
- 176 Redemptive Sermons for Weddings and Funerals
- 177 The Landmark Sermon
- 178 You Had to Bring It Up
- 179 Preaching on Contemporary Issues
- 180 Preaching Sex with Compassion and Conviction
- 181 The Ever-More-Difficult Marriage Sermon
- 182 When the Sermon Goes to Work
- 183 Bridging the Marketplace Gap
- 184 Sermons on Giving That People Actually Like!
Of a pastor's numerous activities, sermon preparation ranks as the one which takes most time. Surveys indicate an average of ten to fifteen hours a week, and that average doesn't include the hours of informal preparation that occur through ancillary reading, observing culture, and interacting with members of the congregation. Preparing sermons is a big part of our lives. Why do we do it? Because we're paid to preach? Because our people expect a good sermon every week? Because we like it?
These reasons have some merit—the merit of duty discharged, people pleased, and the pleasure of study—but they aren't good enough. A better reason, the one which I suspect animates most of us, is a conviction that preaching is indispensable to the life of the church. Through preaching God calls forth and grows the church.
Before explaining that thesis, one caveat: I am using the term preaching in the full-orbed biblical sense. The Bible uses 33 words to portray the richness of preaching—heralding, spreading good news, witnessing, teaching, debating, exhorting, and so forth. My usage of the term includes the stereotypical sense of "sermon from the pulpit on Sunday morning," but is not limited to public discourse (preaching can take place with an audience of one), the form of monologue (preaching can take place in dialogue; see Acts 17:2-3), or time and place (preaching can occur in the home, office, or mall as well as the church building). The Bible's portrayal of preaching is best caught with a general term like biblical communication or speaking in behalf of God. John Stott's phrase standing between two worlds summarizes this ministry.
Through preaching God calls forth the church
We are born again by the "living and enduring Word of Godthe Word that was preached to" us (1 Peter 1:23, 1 Peter 1:25). Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, and hearing demands that someone preach (Romans 10:14-15); therefore, preaching is the means by which God forms his church. Through preaching, God grants faith, repentance, and new life.
God's Words are a creative force that embodies and produces his will.
The Bible's depiction of preaching as a mighty power arises from a robust theology of God's Word. By words, God created the heavens and earth. He spoke, and it was so. By words he curses and blesses. He speaks, and it comes to pass. His words are not merely vibrations of the atmosphere causing sympathetic vibrations in our inner ear; neither are they simply dashes and dots, squiggles and slashes of ink on paper. Rather they are a creative force which embodies and produces his will. His words break stony hearts (Jeremiah 23:29), cleanse from sin (Ephesians 5:26), pierce the conscience (Hebrews 4:12), nourish infants (1 Peter 2:2), bear fruit (Mark 4:20), illumine our path (Psalm 119:105), and show us our true selves (James 1:22-25). Biblical preaching releases the dynamic spiritual power of the Word to enlighten and woo us from the world. By preaching, he makes us his body, the church.
The Book of Acts demonstrates how God forms the church through preaching: On the Day of Pentecost "Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd," and about 3,000 were added to the infant church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14ff.). "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went," and the church in Samaria was formed (Acts 8:4ff). "Those who had been scatteredtraveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch telling the message," and the church in Syria was formed (Acts 11:19ff). "Almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord…and all who were appointed for eternal life believed," and the church in Asia Minor was formed (Acts 13:44, Acts 2:48). "As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue and reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead," and the church in Macedonia was formed (Acts 17:2ff). "then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus" to proclaim the unknown God, and the church in Greece was formed (Acts 17:22ff).
I have a friend who is watching the church form in Cambodia among the Tampuan people. He is watching it happen as God's story is taught systematically with a curriculum called "From Creation to Cross." My friend is a tireless overseer, administrator, translator, teacher, and counselor in that church, so he is well aware that God works through human agency, but he also says he has the remarkable experience of simply watching the church "happen" around him with a life of its own. The seed drops on various soils, sprouts, and in some cases it brings forth fruit. To use a different image, through preaching, God forms his bride, the church. He also uses preaching to make the bride beautiful.
Through preaching God grows the church
The work of salvation starts when the Word is preached, and the work of salvation continues as the Word is preached. "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone…so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy "(Colossians 1:28-29). The author of that statement, Paul, mentored his son in the faith, Timothy, to adopt a similar "church growth strategy": "Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching (1 Timothy 4:13).
Because God sanctifies through his Word (John 17:17), preaching that explains and applies that Word sanctifies the hearers. This is why pastors must be teachers (1 Timothy 3:2;Titus 1:9;Ephesians 4:11-12). They must "correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction" (2 Timothy 4:2) as they refute false doctrine, explain right doctrine, and exhort the flock to follow the voice of the Shepherd.
The early church wasn't always pretty, but in this regard they had it right. For example, the Didache, a manual of church ethics dating from the early second-century, refers to a host of teaching ministries: bishops, deacons, traveling teachers, apostles, and prophets. The early church had caught the apostles' confidence that through preaching God sanctifies his church.
The emphasis on preaching continued in the second century as described in Justin Martyr's First Apology which pictures the "weekly worship of the Christians":
On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.
At the end of the second century, Tertullian wrote in his Apology:
We assemble to read our sacred writings…. With the sacred words we nourish our faith, we animate our hope, and make our confidence more steadfast…and we confirm good habits. In the same place also exhortations are made, rebukes and sacred censures are administered.
In the fourth century, Chrysostom expressed his convictions about preaching in a sermon on Ephesians 6:13. He said that Christ's body, like the human body, is susceptible to disease. Medicine, diet, a change of climate, and sleep help restore the physical body, but what can heal Christ's body?
One only means and one way of cure has been given us…and that is teaching of the Word. This is the best instrument, this is the best diet and climate; this serves instead of medicine, this serves instead of cautery and cutting; whether it be needful to burn or amputate, this one method must be used; and without it nothing else will avail.
By the Word of God we are born again, and the church is formed. By the Word of God that church grows up to be like the Head. Through preaching God unleashes the whirlwind of his Word.
