Francis Chan on What Drives Prophetic Preaching

An Interview with Francis Chan

Francis Chan is a speaker and writer. Chan also serves as the President of Eternity Bible College, and is the author of Crazy Love (David C. Cook).

Editor's note: Before conducting this interview with author and pastor Francis Chan, I went to the Cornerstone Church (Simi Valley, California) website and watched his welcome video (the interview was conducted before he announced his resignation). In it he describes some of the convictions with which he started the church. He says things like, "Let's teach everything the Bible says, even if it doesn't set well with us at times. Who are we to judge God's thoughts?" "I want to prepare people for the moment when they face God." "He is the judge." That sounds like the heart of a prophet walking in the footsteps of Jeremiah, but like the Old Testament prophets, Francis also says, "We don't want to just live this life in fear. We want to have a love relationship." In this interview, Francis reveals well the heart impulses of preachers who bring a challenging word.

What makes a sermon prophetic?

For those who have the gift of prophetic preaching, it's as though God screams out to them from the words of the Bible. When I want to know what the Lord wants me to share with his people, he has made it clear to me at times, and biblical passages will come to mind. But there are also life callings—things he's given me that I've been passionate about because of my involvement in the church. I see the way people live and the things that are incongruent with the way that believers whom God approved of lived. Things such as the fear of God and a high view of his Word—a trembling at his Word—have been lost in American church culture.

Seven or eight years ago the Lord opened my eyes to the need to care for those who are in need around the world. He did this through my experiences but also through Scripture. All those passages leapt at me. Other leaders around the States were getting the same message from the Word.

Then a few years ago there was a leading to understand and emphasize the Holy Spirit. Those passages screamed out at me from the Scriptures. I don't think it was a coincidence that at the same time a lot of my friends who are leaders around the States were getting the same message.

In the last two years the focus has been on what the church is supposed to look like. What type of relationships are we supposed to have with one another biblically? I saw the stark contrast between the connection of the family of believers in the Bible and what we see today in the American church. Every time I'd read those passages, it just wouldn't leave me alone. And sure enough, as I looked around, other leaders were wrestling with the same things.

It's clear who are not the true prophets. A lot has to do with their lifestyle. When you look at the warnings about false prophets, much of it has to do with their character: their greed, lack of love, self-centeredness, pride. That shows them to be false teachers and reveals their hypocrisy. Paul tells Timothy you need to guard your life and doctrine closely.

So when you feel that God is bringing things to your attention in the Word, that's the first impulse of what becomes prophetic preaching.

Yeah, it seems like the Lord mixes his Word with my daily experience. It's so God-ordained at times that I can't deny it. But I always want the Word at the center of my preaching, because we can be fooled by experience. Satan is the master of deceiving us, so we must not base our preaching on our intellect or opinion. God inclines the heart of certain men to give certain messages, but it will always be in line with the Scriptures.

How do you know when to preach prophetically?

I don't know any other way to teach. I believe the Lord gives me a message every week. It's hard for me to teach unless I believe that God has given me that message for the people. I think it's part of a gifting. I don't know how to explain it, but I have an urgency every time I teach. I really do believe my message is from God, and it was something that he's revealed to me. Not everyone has that, but it seems to be the way that God works with me.

When the Lord is impressing on your heart to challenge people in certain ways, do you find that you preach on these ideas for a season in the life of the church, or is the leading more for individual messages?

I find joy and peace when I preach a hard message in love that I believe is of the Lord, even though I know it's going to be offensive to some people.

 

It's different all the time. For example, the other night I woke up with Ephesians 5:18-21 in my mind about what it means to be Spirit-filled. Through circumstances and through his Word, God has been speaking to me about my losing some of the joy in ministry. A lot of that is because I'm not living the Spirit-filled life that Ephesians 5:18 talks about: speaking to others in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, making a melody in my heart to the Lord, giving thanks for everything. I need to get back to being a thankful person, giving thanks all day long, and having a melody in my heart. So that's what I'll be preaching on Sunday. Now, is it going to be a series? I don't think so. Sometimes there are topics that I'll start speaking on, and God will impress on my heart that I need to go a few more weeks on it. Other times he'll put a Book of the Bible on my heart, and I'll preach through the whole Book, and it may take weeks or months.

What emotions do you experience as you prepare and then as you actually deliver the sermon?

Again, it's different. Sometimes I have a deep sadness for people who don't get it. God will give me a deep concern. Sometimes—I don't know if frustration is the word—but I feel a holy discontent over our lack of holiness. I'm bothered by the lack of concern in people over the things that God cares deeply about. Or I'm bothered that people are casual about sin, and God will reveal to me how serious he is about it in his Word. And so that gives me a real passion. At other times, again I don't know the word for it—anger is not the right word—but I see in Scripture leaders that get bothered because people aren't taking God's Word seriously, and sometimes I feel that.

Sometimes I feel tremendous joy. Sometimes I'm teaching, and I experience God's presence with me and favor on me, and when I'm done I feel like I just had the most amazing devotional time with him. When we think about experiencing the Holy Spirit, we tend to think of getting away into the mountains or the beach by ourselves, but there are times when I believe I'm being filled with his Spirit as I'm teaching people, and it really is a spiritual gift or a manifestation of the Spirit. Afterward I'm so grateful to God for letting me be used.

What mistakes have you made in prophetic preaching?

The biggest is a lack of love. There are times when I get so focused on what God wants me to say, but at the same time he also wants me to love the people I'm saying it to. First Corinthians 13 says it doesn't matter if I prophesy well; if it's not done in love, it profits me nothing. I certainly fall into that. Then there are other times when my own flesh comes in, and there's human anger or frustration versus a Spirit-filled thanksgiving and peace about me. So when I preach and I myself am not showing the fruit of the Spirit, I can fool myself into thinking that I nailed the passage because I proclaimed it boldly. At other times I fail because God gives me a topic that is serious, but I fear too much how people will respond. I try to think too much about how to say it in the perfect way to be least offensive. I fear at times I've even backed off from saying everything God wanted me to say because I was afraid of rejection. So it goes both ways.

How much should we think about saying things in a way that will help people receive what we have to say?

Love is the biggest issue. Paul talks about how he cared for the people, that he came to them like a gentle mother with her children. I read that and ask, do I have the gentleness, love, cherishing, and caring of a mother? My attitude should be that these people are like my children. I don't want to offend them unnecessarily. Yet at the same time, as a good parent you have to say the difficult things.

As we think about prophetic preaching, what often comes to mind is Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah. Does the transition to the New Covenant change the nature of prophetic preaching?

It doesn't seem like it changes that much. In Luke 6:26 Jesus says, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." The false prophets were loved by everyone, and everyone speaks well of them. In verses 22-23 Jesus says when they reject you, your reward is great, for that's what they did to the real prophets. So he's saying that the way people respond to us today should be similar to the way they responded to the prophets of old. There's going to be rejection. In many ways it's great if you get the same response, because it helps you understand that you're in a good lineage. Jesus showed that things haven't changed that much. We serve the same God and give the same message of good news and hope, but many people will take it as bad news and reject it.

As you've listened to others preach prophetically, what have you learned?

I've seen many people get away from the Scriptures, and I've never seen it end up with good fruit. I know I sound like a broken record, but everything has to be centered on the Word of God. If we start getting the applause of man, we can start relying on our intellect or instinct versus spending time in the Word. I've seen guys get lazy with the Word, and I can do that as well. While certain things have to be reemphasized because they're core issues, I've also seen a tendency to rely too much on things that God has taught us in his Word in the past, instead of studying the Word every week and getting a fresh word from the Lord.

How do you feel when you know that your preaching has been "in your face"?

As long as I'm confident it was Spirit-led and I did it with a heart of love, I feel great about it. I find joy and peace when I preach a hard message in love that I believe is of the Lord, even though I know it's going to be offensive to some people. In the flesh there are times when I get sad, because I know I'll lose some friends over it, but in the Spirit there's joy and confidence. If I don't face some rejection, I get more concerned.

You Can't Please Everyone with Your Preaching

By Peter Mead



The goal in preaching is not to please all of your listeners.  We know that.  But in our vulnerability, it can be very uncomfortable to hear that some are not happy with our preaching.  The challenge is to try to figure out why and then know whether to adjust or not.  Here are some possible reasons and possible responses.

Over Their Heads—Perhaps your preaching is simply not pitched effectively.  You use terminology that is unnecessarily lofty or academic and people simply struggle to understand you.  There is no virtue in this and you need to hear the feedback.  If you can’t make it understandable, it is your problem rather than theirs.  The flesh has a tendency to show-off, but there is no excuse for fleshly preaching.  Hear the feedback graciously and seek to change.

Overly Grating Their Tolerance—Perhaps your personality is simply grating and they struggle with you.  This is a hard one to quantify or change.  I suppose in an ideal world your increasing fruit of the Spirit as you mature should alleviate this problem over time (but what if they’re not growing?)  Sometimes two personalities will clash and it will always be a struggle.  Sometimes people hide behind the clash of personalities when there is an underlying sin issue that should be addressed (jealousy, bitterness, contempt, etc.).  This is a harder problem to address, but loving them is not a bad path to take.

Overly Burdening Their Lives—Perhaps your preaching is simply weighing them down with duty and burden.  This may be a misunderstanding of both the Bible and the preacher’s task on your part, or a misunderstanding of Christianity on theirs.  I would suspect the former.  Too many think that the preacher needs to “spiritually beat and berate” listeners in order to be truly preaching.  Too many have a sort of “flagellation by sermon” approach to spirituality.  Some listeners feel somehow better when they can walk out of church and say, “Mmm, I needed that!”  But this approach to Christianity will tend to break bruised reeds and snuff out smoldering wicks.

Overly Touching Their Hearts—Perhaps your preaching is simply touching too close to home.  If you are preaching in such a way as to target the hearts of your listeners, then many will resonate deeply with what you’re doing.  But in any church there will be some who are essentially hard-hearted, who want the preaching to meet certain criteria and stroke the egos of the religious and pious.  Some find it deeply convicting to “feel” as if they don’t really have a loving personal relationship with God.  They revolt at the notion that those who do not love Christ are actually “accursed.”  It’s painful, but if this is the issue, then the fact that a small minority are unhappy may be a strong affirmation of your preaching.  Would we prefer to have everyone be pleasantly untouched?

There are other reasons, and often a blend of more than one.  The challenge is to sort it through and preach for our audience of One, yet with a loving sensitivity to the many who sit and listen.  It is wrong to refuse to hear feedback, and it is wrong to try to please everyone.  Love Him, love them and respond to the feedback where appropriate.

Peter Mead 

BiblicalPreaching.net

Peter Mead is involved in church leadership at an independent Bible church in the UK. He serves as director of Cor Deo—an innovative mentored ministry training program—and has a wider ministry preaching and training preachers. He also blogs often at BiblicalPreaching.net.

Start with a Bang! Crafting a Memorable Sermon Opener

By Tyler Scarlett



Great books often begin with great opening lines. Who doesn't remember the beginning of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…"? What about the curiously blunt start to Moby Dick, "Call me Ishmael"? Authors know that if you waste a person's time at the beginning, chances are they won't stick around to the end. What's true with books is also true with sermons.

A preacher's worst fear is that the congregation will stop listening. What is far more dreadful than this is if the people never were listening in the first place. When one takes too much time verbally meandering into the sermon, the temptation to tune out the preacher becomes all too real. If your words wander, minds will, too.

Preachers often make the naïve assumption that the congregation arrives to church brimming with enthusiasm to hear the message. Who hasn't imagined members going to bed early on Saturday night, eating a hearty breakfast in the morning, spending an hour in prayer, and calmly driving to church with a Bible, pen and notebook in hand—being sure to arrive 30 minutes early? Seasoned preachers know this is rarely, if ever, the case.

By the time attendees find a seat in church, chances are many people already have had an argument, made plans for the rest of the day or (most likely) had an argument about their plans for the rest of the day. As Wayne McDill has noted, when most people arrive, they "are preoccupied with their own personal concerns, tired, bored, and suspicious that the preacher is about to make it worse."

People may be in front of us, but that does not mean they are necessarily with us. Ears are like tractor-trailer weigh stations. Just because you see them doesn't mean they're open. Given this challenge, the preacher's task of gaining a hearing is critical to effective communication.

Sermon introductions are a lot like chess. Mess up the beginning, and you may have messed up the whole thing. Ramesh Richards has gone so far as to say, "If you do not have your audience yearning (within the first few minutes) for the rest of the sermon, [it] might as well go home."  However, if you begin the sermon with a clear, confident, intriguing opener, it can draw people in instantly. It will assure them you are going somewhere worthwhile. It will pique their curiosity and compel them to follow along closely.

Granted, the opening sentence is not the most important part of the sermon. If the choice is between a good sermon opener and a clear, accurate exposition of the text, by all means jettison the opener. Nevertheless, if you lose your congregation at the beginning, you will have to work twice as hard to get them back by the end. Why not give your message the best possible chance to connect with people at the outset? Plan to start the sermon strong.

Whether it's "mama" or "dada," a baby's first words get a lot of attention. The preacher's first words should, too. Here's how to craft a memorable sermon opener that will give people a reason to sit up and listen from the very start.

1. Craft the opening sentence to be simple.

There is hardly anything more laborious and attention-squelching than a long, never-ending sentence that seems to drag on and on with exceedingly too many adjectives, as well as verbal tangents that go nowhere and continue along with virtually no conceivable end in sight. (Get my drift?)

Less is often more. This is particularly true with the sermon's first sentence. Bryan Chapell's advice about sermon introductions is wise: "Be direct. Be focused. Be specific."  Likewise, Haddon Robinson suggests, "The minister should make the most of his first 25 words to seize attention."  From the moment you begin to speak, keep it simple.

There is an old saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." What's true in life is also true in preaching. Bloviate at the beginning, and you likely will not draw in listeners. The start of the sermon also is not the time for stumbling around with "ums" and "uhs." Verbal speed bumps such as these tend to distract even the most sincere listener. To ensure the kind of clarity and brevity needed, it may be helpful to flesh out the sermon's first sentence or two on paper. Write it. Edit it. Rewrite it as needed. Make it say exactly what you want.

For instance, a message about the biblical foundation of marriage could begin, "Marriage is not just a good idea; it is a God-idea." That is not only true, but also very memorable. It is the kind of statement a person will scribble in the margin of his or her Bible and relate to friends.

"God cannot do everything." Such a statement certainly will attract the attention of skeptics and seekers. However, it also can serve as a powerful introduction to a message on Titus 2:2, "God, who cannot lie, promised long ago…"

A train conductor does not waste his voice by announcing, "Everyone needs to get on the train so we can commence our departure as soon as possible." No. All he needs to shout is, "All aboard!" and people listen. Just a few choice words confidently spoken can say it all. Make your opening sentence brief. The pithier the better.

2. Craft the opening sentence to be iconic.
If possible in the opener, give people a preview of where the sermon is going. Provide them with an appetizer that will whet their mental appetites for the main course. As the Roman orator Quintilian once said, "A flawed introduction is like a scarred face." It makes you want to run away. Be sure from the start to give the audience something appealing to attract them. 

 

Hollywood not only spends big bucks on producing high-quality blockbuster films but also puts a lot of time and money into movie trailers. Previews tease the audience by showing a glimpse of what can be seen in the feature presentation. It's the producer's way of saying, "You don't want to miss this!" A good opening sentence likewise can be a sermon trailer or preview of what's ahead.

God certainly began the Book of Genesis in this kind of iconic way. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Not only do those words introduce the creation account, they also implant a sense of wonder about who this God is and what He is going to do with His new creation.

I recently was preaching from Matthew 3 about the message of John the Baptist. I opened by sharing a story from my childhood about my dad's poor driving. In an unfamiliar city, my father unknowingly began driving the wrong way down a one-way street. I began the sermon/story with these words, "The man repeatedly was shouting, ‘Turn around right now!'" It not only introduced a man in my story, but it also introduced John the Baptist. The phrase, "Turn around right now!" became a refrain that I repeated throughout the entire message. A sermon opener that echoes the central idea of the text is a helpful touch.

George Orwell's book 1984 begins with the memorable line, "It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." There's something relatable, even familiar, when he mentions a cold day in April. Yet there's something puzzlingly unfamiliar about the clocks striking "thirteen." It is as though Orwell is telling the reader up front, "You are about to journey into a new and fascinating world." He gives a tiny preview of what lies ahead. Doing the same with your sermon opener will benefit your listeners.

3. Craft the opening sentence to be intriguing.
"Peaches can kill you!" Those were the unexpected first words out of my mouth from a series on temptation. I went on to explain that inside a peach pit is a mineral known as amygdalin. Under certain circumstances, that mineral can produce a new compound, commonly known as cyanide. I told my congregation that temptation often looks delicious, but hidden inside is something dangerous and destructive. A few days later, I someone told me, "Pastor, since that sermon I've never looked at a peach the same way. It always reminds me of how dangerous temptation can be." Such a shocking first sentence may help the sermon stick in people's minds.

Kent Edwards advises, "Effective first sentences could be paradoxical statements, twists on familiar quotations, or even rhetorical questions."  A sermon dealing with God's omniscience may begin by asking, "Has it ever dawned on you that nothing ever dawns on God?" Raising a thought-provoking question will inspire a search for the right answer.

Graham Johnston writes, "The opening line establishes a tension with the emotional ingredients to draw in the listener."  Your first words should force the audience to ask, "I wonder what's next?" Solomon began the Book of Ecclesiastes this way: "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!" (Ecc. 1:1) What a fitting way to introduce the reader to the king's angst about living a life without God.

When the apostle Paul addressed the men at Mars Hill, he gained an instant audience with his complimentary opener, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects" (Acts 17:22). In just a few words, Paul commended his audience, raised curiosity and set the stage for his powerful apologetic.

In the same temptation series that I mentioned earlier, another sermon began with me announcing, "I want you to be a destructive alcoholic!" The room fell silent. I clearly had everyone's attention. The congregation was dying to know why I began with such a controversial statement. I followed it by calmly asking them to consider, "Wouldn't it be nice if temptation was this honest about its endgame?" Such unexpected sermon openers will arrest people's attention and give them a reason upfront to keep listening.

A Russian proverb sums it up well: "It is the same with men as with donkeys: Whoever would hold them fast must get a very good grip on their ears!"  From the moment you step into the pulpit, listeners instinctively are wondering, "Why should I listen today?" Your opening sentence should leave no doubt. Every preacher must earn the right to be heard. Start with a bang, and you will do just that.

Tyler Scarlett 

Preaching.com

Tyler Scarlett is the pastor-teacher of Forest Baptist Church, located in Forest, Virginia.

Preach a Crisp, Clear Gospel Message

By Larry Moyer


For me, it all starts by communicating ten words, “Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.” This is the crisp and effective message that transforms lives and secures our eternal destiny. There is a power in this Gospel that is awesome. It is imperative that you are confident in the message you are communicating and that you communicate it as clearly and simply as possible. As I often explain, “The Bible is 66 books, but the Gospel is ten words—Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.” It is the preaching of the Gospel that makes evangelistic preaching effective. In order to preach the Gospel, it is crucial that we have a clear understanding ourselves.

We also need to have a heart to communicate the “good news” of Christ to a lost and dying world. You don’t just want to preach to your audience. You want to communicate with them.

It’s been said that too many speakers are like Christopher Columbus. When he started out, he didn’t know where he was going. When he got there, he didn’t know where he was. When he got back, he did not know where he had been. If you understand what you are about to present, that will not be the situation. What is clear in your mind will become clear in theirs. To communicate and not just speak, you must understand that every Gospel message must tell your audience three things:

1. You are a sinner
2. Christ died for your sins and rose again
3. You have to trust Christ

This way, they know their condition, God’s remedy, and their need—to trust Christ. When those three truths are objectively explained, you have communicated—not just spoken.

I find that expository evangelistic preaching is very effective in presenting a crisp, clear Gospel message. Presenting your message in this fashion allows them to hear what God said first. That way, they leave knowing that if they have a struggle with what you said, their struggle is ultimately with God, not you. God’s Word is alive. That’s why to take a particular text and explain it to lost people in a way that is powerful and relevant lends force to your message. However, if you are preaching to reach the lost, don’t assume they have a Bible with them or know where to find the text you are preaching on. Carefully direct them to the text. Also remember they probably aren’t familiar with many stories from the Bible or may not even understand common Christian terminology, so speak their language.

By the way, that does not mean that every expository message that you give has to be directed to lost people. But appealing to lost people through an expositional message directed to believers will be the subject of a future article. The point I’m making is whenever possible, when you speak to lost people, do it through an expository message prepared just for them.

Unfortunately, evangelistic speakers too often have a reputation for being condescending. While we have to explain to people that they are sinners, we don’t have to say it in a way that is pompous. Remember that we are to preach a Gospel of grace, not guilt. The audience needs to recognize they are sinners, but also hear that there is hope for our sinful condition.

When preaching the Gospel message, it is imperative to use repetition. With the fast-paced lives we lead, many of us have lost the art of listening. Repeat whatever is necessary in light of your text, your situation, and their need. The main thing you repeat is the “big idea” in your message. Watch your audience; if they looked confused, restate things in a different light or use an additional illustration.

As you preach crisp and effective Gospel messages, your enthusiasm for the Savior must be displayed. Enthusiasm is contagious. Get excited about the message God has given you to preach and what Christ did on the cross. If you are not enthusiastic about your Savior, they won’t be interested in knowing Him.

Do the above items guarantee that people will come to Christ? No! But that’s not your responsibility. Your job is to bring Christ to people through crisp, clear, evangelistic messages. God’s job is to bring people to Christ. You do your part, and God will do His.

Larry Moyer

Dr. R. Larry Moyer is an author and the founder/CEO of EvanTell, Inc, a ministry committed to studying the Scriptures carefully and presenting the gospel clearly. He has earned degrees from Philadelphia Biblical University (B.S.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and Gordon-Conwell Seminary (D.Min.). In addition, Philadelphia Biblical University awarded him the honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology degree (S.T.D). He is a visiting professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and an adjunct teacher at Word of Life Bible Institute in New York and Florida. His several books include Show Me How To Answer Tough Questions, 31 Days with the Master Fisherman, 31 Days to Walking with God in the Workplace, and 21 Things God Never Said; he also is a contributor to Biblical Sermons edited by Dr. Haddon W. Robinson, Leadership Handbooks of Practical Theology, and numerous other church leadership publications. You are invited to peruse a breadth of affordable materials in the resources section of the EvanTell website.

How to Plan a Preaching Calendar?

By Josh Reich

MissionalThoughts.wordpress.com


How we plan our preaching calendar at Revolution is one of the most common questions I get from other pastors.

Plan ahead
I am stunned by how little planning goes into some churches. You would think that pastors don’t care what is happening in their churches. I am a planner, so this is easier for me and actually more comforting when it is done. For example, the other day, I talked to a pastor who said, “It’s Thursday, and all I have is a title.”

That’s like saying, “All I need is a chip and a chair.” We need better odds than that when it comes to preaching. Now before you get on my case, God does speak at the end of the week, God does change what we are to say while we are walking up to the stage. It has happened to me, and it is exciting and scary all at the same time, but this cannot be our normal practice.

At Revolution, we have decided that the best way for us to reach our mission and target is to preach through books of the Bible. This does not mean we are against topical preaching; we just like doing it this way.

We split series up into two categories:  attractional and missional. Attractional will feel more topical, felt needs but are based on a book of the Bible. Some examples are the Song of Solomon and the Sermon on the World. The other category is missional, which tends to be more formation, doctrine, theology. Some examples are Jonah and Hebrews.

We also try to alternate between Old and New Testament books of the Bible. What we are trying to do is to make sure we are giving our church a healthy balance not only of books of the Bible but also styles and feel.

One other thing that we preach on every year is marriage, dating, and relationships. For our target and culture, we feel this makes sense.

What about length?
We haven’t bought into doing a 3–6 week series only. Hebrews took 18 weeks, and Nehemiah will take 22 weeks. For the Sermon on the Mount, we decided to break it up into four smaller series to create more on-ramps for our church and guests this fall. The length of the series is not that big of a deal as long as the speaker is up for it. Long series are draining. We try to stay away from doing long series back to back as that is draining on me, our team, and our church. After the serious feel of Hebrews, we did a video teaching series with Dave Ramsey, which felt completely different.

How far out do we plan?
We look about 12 months ahead when it comes to thinking through topics. This is where so many pastors do themselves a disservice. The other day, I was reading a leadership book, and the author was quoting and pointing to the book of Nehemiah all over the place. Without knowing that I wanted to preach through this book, I would have missed a ton of great information. Could I have remembered it and gone back to it? Sure, but that is risky.

My point: plan ahead in some way. By planning ahead, we are able to do a lot more creatively as opposed to going week to week.

Are we flexible?
Yes. Just because we are planning something does not mean it is written in stone and unchangeable. Over the summer, we were actually planning to preach through Habakkuk but decided about four weeks out to do the life of Elijah instead, which proved to be the right move. Before making the change though, our creative team let me know we had not gone far enough into the creative process for that series. It is important to not waste your team’s time.

For our creative process, we look 6–8 weeks out as we think through atmosphere, visuals, video clips, dramas, cover songs. As we get closer, Paul takes us through a process of honing in on what we will use and how it will flow.

How long would this take? Not very long. In fact, if you sat down right now and made a list of topics you would like to teach on in the next 6–12 months, you would be well on your way.

When I started preaching through books of the Bible, I picked James to start out with because it was my favorite book of the Bible. Not very spiritual, I know, but it worked, and I started to get used to it.
The point is, plan ahead. Way too much is at stake to go week to week.

Now I’ve told you how we do it, how do you plan your series? How do you decide what to preach on?


Josh Reich

Josh Reich is the lead pastor of Revolution Church in Tucson, AZ, which is trying to live out the rhythms of Jesus. The church's dream is to "help people find their way back to God."

How to Teach Old Testament Characters?

By J. D. Greear

Recently I taught through the life of David in a series called “The Search for a King,” and I thought I’d use that to offer some reflection here on how I have learned (and am learning) to teach through Old Testament characters in Gospel-faithful ways.

We discover that the life of David occurs in the midst of a quest Israel was on to find a king. Israel yearned for a king who could give them stability, guarantee their prosperity, and ensure their security.

Saul seemed like the perfect choice for Israel. He was a good leader, charismatic and promised to provide Israel with everything they desired. In the end, of course, he bitterly disappointed them.

The next king God gave to them was of a fundamentally different type. He was, literally, the last guy in a room of seven brothers whom you’d choose to be king. He was small. Unimpressive. He smelled like sheep. But he had a mighty trust in God. Because of that, he would point Israel consistently to hope in God as their true King. David was God’s choice to be Israel’s king, because God was David’s choice to be King.

Even David, however, would disappoint Israel, and bitterly. David’s life ends as a string of tragic failures—an adulterous, murderous relationship with Bathsheba, severe parental failure with Absalom, and the blasphemous sin of counting of the people in opposition to God’s instructions. In one of Israel’s most crucial hours, David failed them as a husband, father, and leader. David’s life ends with 70,000 Israelites dying for his sin, with David wishing he could die in their place but unable to.

David’s life, however, points us forward to another King who was coming—the Messiah—who was in some ways like David, but in many more ways unlike him. Unlike David, who sent innocent Uriah to die to cover up David’s own sin, Jesus, the truly innocent one, would die for ours. Unlike David, who neglected Absalom his son when Absalom needed him most, Jesus would pursue us, His children, even when it cost Him His life. And unlike David, whose people had to die for his sin, Jesus would die for ours.

Jesus was the “truer and better David,” the real Hope of Israel. The truth is that all of us, like Israel, are searching for some type of King. We long for something to give us prosperity, stability, a sense of meaning, and security. David’s life shows us that all kings but Jesus will disappoint. Jesus is the King they were searching for, and the one we are searching for as well.

The main purpose of David’s story, or that of any Old Testament hero, is not to give us an example to emulate, but to point us forward to the Messiah who is coming. Old Testament characters often gave signs and pictures of what the Messiah was like, but just as often showed us what He would be like in how they failed. He would do what they, being mere men and women, were never able to do.

Most approaches to David’s life tell you, “Do you want to be a man after God’s own heart? Then be humble like David. Be courageous against your giants like David was against Goliath. Forgive your enemies like David forgave Saul. If you do these things, God will feel about you like He did about David.”

David certainly is, in some ways, worthy of our emulation (1 Cor 10:6). Yet he failed in some of the most important ways. Jesus, the Messiah, is the hero in David’s story. He succeeded where David failed. And He gave His perfect life for us so that when we fail we could be forgiven and accepted. God’s favor is a gift that is given to us because of what Christ did for us, not what we are to do for God. That knowledge is what gives us real courage, real humility, and real generosity. Jesus was the real Man after God’s own heart, and He gave us His position before the Father as a gift.

Interestingly, almost all of the Old Testament stories end like David’s did—with a befuddling sense of disappointment. Moses, the Lawgiver, is not allowed to go into the Promised Land because he broke the laws of God. The Temple that Ezra builds is so second rate that people who remembered the first one wept when they saw it. David, Israel’s greatest king, turns out to be a desperate sinner who can’t even save himself, his family, or his people. At the end of his life he repeats all of Israel’s sins and laments his inability to save them.

The whole message of the Old Testament is that we need a Lawgiver who not only keeps the laws Himself but can redeem us when we break them; we need someone to build a glorious, eternal kingdom that not even our sin can tarnish; we need a Shepherd who will not abuse his sheep but die for them; we need a Father who will not neglect his children but will lay down his life for them; we need a King who will not use His people but serve them. That role can’t be filled by Moses or Nehemiah or David; it’s only filled by Jesus Christ, God’s Son and God’s appointed King.

He is the King we are searching for. And that is good news for many of us who have lost our way and made a mess of our lives, because that means we can hope in His work on our behalf. He can rebuild our lives where we have destroyed them. He can give hope where we feel hopeless.

God is not looking for our perfect record; He is looking for us to receive the gift of salvation He provides. And that means that the same God that saved and used David is the God who can save and use us.
I believe most contemporary teaching on Old Testament stories is hopelessly moralistic, giving us merely examples to emulate rather than a Savior to adore and hope in.

J.D. Greear

JDGreear.com

J.D. Greear, Ph.D. is Lead Pastor at the Summit Church in North Carolina. He did his degree work in Christian and Islamic theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. The Summit’s vision is plant 1,000 churches in the next 40 years. Currently, they have planted 11 and have several church planting teams stationed around the world.

What's the Best Tone for Your Preaching?

By John Piper

Phillips Brooks, who died in 1893—and who, along with Jesus, Paul, John Stott, Dick Lucas, and other preachers, never married—most famously said that preaching is “truth through personality.” This personality factor raises the question of preaching tone. What should a preacher aim at in the tone of his preaching? By “tone,” I mean the feel that it has. The spirit it emits. The emotional quality. The affectional tenor. The mood.

Personalities Are Like Faces

Every personality has a more or less characteristic tone. That is part of what personality is. Some personalities play a small repertoire of emotional instruments, while others play a larger repertoire. Nevertheless, whether a personality plays a two-piece band or a symphony of emotional tones, there is a typical tone. A kind of default tone for each personality.

This has a huge effect on peaching. And there is no escaping it. Preachers have personalities, like they have faces. They can smile, and they can frown. But they have one face. It was given to them. The question I have for preachers is: What tone should you aim at in preaching? This is an urgent question because, if you don’t answer it, your listeners will answer it for you.

The Tone of the Text

Over my 31 years in the pulpit, I have received a fairly steady stream of affirmation and criticism related to the tone of my preaching. The very same sermon can elicit opposite pleas. “More of that, pastor!” “No, we already get too much of that.” This is totally understandable. Listeners have personalities, too. Which means they have default tonal desires. They have preferences. They know what makes them feel loved. Or encouraged. Or hopeful. Or challenged. And some people feel challenged by the very tone that makes another feel angered or discouraged.

So I ask again: What tone should you aim at in preaching?

My answer is: Pursue the tone of the text. But let it be informed, not muted, by the tonal balance of Jesus and the apostles and by the gospel of grace.

Ten explanatory comments:

1. Texts have meaning, and texts have tone. Consider the tonal difference between “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden . . .” and “Woe to you, blind guides . . .You blind fools!” The preacher should embody, not mute, these tones.
    
2. Nevertheless, just as the meanings of texts are enlarged and completed and given a new twist by larger biblical themes, and by the gospel of grace, so also the tones of texts are enlarged and completed and given a new twist by these realities. A totally dark jigsaw puzzle piece may, in the big picture, be a part of the pupil of a bright and shining eye.
    
3. The grace of God in the gospel turns everything into hope for those who believe. “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that . . . we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32). Therefore, all the various tones of texts (let them resound!) resolve into the infinitely varied tones of hope, for those who believe in Jesus.
    
4. If there is a danger of not hearing the tone of gospel hope, emerging from the thunder and lightning of Scripture, there is also a danger of being so fixed on what we think hope sounds like that we mute the emotional symphony of a thousand texts. Don’t do it. Let the tone grip you. Let it carry you. Embody the tone of the text and the gospel dénouement.
    
5. But it’s not just the gospel of grace that should inform how we embody the tone of texts. We are all prone to insert our own personalities at this point and assume that our hopeful tone is the hopeful tone. We think our tender is the tender. Our warmth is the warmth.

This is why I said our capturing of the tone of the text should be informed by the tonal balance of Jesus and the apostles. We may simply be wrong about the way we think tenderness and hope and warmth and courage and firmness sound. We do well to marinate our tone-producing hearts in the overall tonal balance of Jesus and the apostles.

6. Tonal variation is determined in part by the nature and needs of the audience. We may well shout at the drowning man that there is a life preserver behind him. But we would not shout at a man on the edge of a precipice, lest we startle him into losing his balance. Jesus’ tone was different toward the proud Pharisee and the broken sinner.
    
7. But audiences are usually mixed, with one person susceptible to one tone and one susceptible to another. This is one reason why being in the pulpit week in and week out for years is a good thing. The biblical symphony of tones can be played more fully over time. The tone one week may hurt. The next it may help.
    
8. There is a call on preachers to think of cultural impact and not just personal impact. In some ways our culture may be losing the ability to feel some biblical tones that are crucial in feeling the greatness of God and the glory of the gospel. The gospel brings together transcendent, terrible, horrific, ghastly, tender, sweet, quiet, intimate, personal realities that for many may seem utterly inimical. Our calling is to seek ways of saying and embodying these clashing tones in a way that they sound like the compelling music.
    
9. In the end, when a preacher expresses a fitting tone, it is the work of God; and when a listener receives his tone as proper and compelling, it is another work of God.
    
10. So we pray. O Lord, come and shape our hearts and minds with the truth and the tone of every text. Let every text have its true tone in preaching. Shape the tone by the gospel climax. Shape it by the tonal balance of Jesus and the apostles. But don’t let it be muted. Let the symphony of your fullness be felt.

John Piper

Desiring God

John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, where he first sensed God's call to enter the ministry. He went on to earn degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.) and the University of Munich (D. Theol.). For six years he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem. John is the author of more than 30 books and more than 25 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren.

Keep the Momentum in Your Preaching

By Peter Mead



When you are preaching, your listeners are looking for unity (a single focus to your preaching), order (a clarity of structured presentation), and progress (a sense that you are moving forward and getting closer to the end).  It is this progress that can be easily lost causing the message to feel like it gets stuck in the mud.
What causes momentum to be lost?  Could be one of several things:

Is momentum about content of the message?  Yes, it can be.  Is one part of the message too dense or extended in terms of explanation?  Is there too much repetition that might give the sense that you are losing your way or going round in circles?  Content issues can cause a loss of momentum.

Is momentum about structure of the message?  Yes, it can be.  If you haven’t previewed the structure, or don’t give effective and deliberate transitions, then it can all meld into one and feel dense or still instead of progressing.  If you structure your message so that you keep jumping around the text, listeners can lose the sense of progress that comes from a sequential following of the passage. (It can be appropriate to use this approach in a text, but make structure and transitions extra clear.)

Is momentum about delivery of the message?  Yes, it can be.  If you lose energy, or become monotonous in voice or visual presentation, then momentum can seep away.  If you lose your initial enthusiasm (or if your enthusiasm is at a constant high pitch without releasing that tension), then momentum can be lost.

Momentum can be hard to get hold of, but for preaching to engage listeners, we have to consider not only unity and order, but also progress.  Don’t take this the wrong way, but they like to know you’re getting closer to being done!

10 Preaching Questions with Ray Ortlund Jr.

Colin Adams
Unashamedworkman.wordpress.com

 

 

 

Colin Adams asks Ray Ortlund, author and pastor of Immanuel Church in Nashville, about his thoughts on preaching and how he prepares his sermons.

1. Where do you place the importance of preaching in the grand scheme of church life?

Preaching is central in the life of a church, because Jesus himself speaks savingly through the preached Word. The Second Helvetic Confession of 1566 was bold enough to say, “When this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is preached and received by the faithful.” Romans 10:14 (ESV margin: “. . . believe him whom they have never heard”) validates that conviction.

Another verse that means a lot to me is 1 Corinthians 14:8, “If the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?” I have never seen a church rise in spiritual power where the preaching was unclear, indistinct, overly cautious, timid. Every church I know of that is making a gospel impact has an unmistakably clear and winsomely courageous preaching ministry.

2. In a paragraph, how did you discover your gifts in preaching?

How does one discover gifts in any area? It just appears, as experience allows and in the fullness of God’s time. My own preaching started with complete ineptitude, graduated over time to struggle, and by now has advanced to varying degrees of effectiveness and ineffectiveness. My progress seems directly related to growing theological discovery of God’s glory in the gospel, through dissatisfaction with myself as a preacher, through the joy of seeing God use me, and through the assurance that at any time God can rend the heavens and come down in revival power.

3. How long (on average) does it take you to prepare a sermon?

Early in my ministry, I needed twenty-plus hours to prepare. By now, the disciplines are more streamlined. I average perhaps ten hours or so.

4. Is it important to you that a sermon contain one major theme or idea? If so, how do you crystallize it?

I often fall in love with every detail in my text, so that I tend toward excess at that level in my preaching. But I try to ask, “What is the precise pastoral burden of this unique passage?” Every detail, however fascinating, is there in the text to help construct that one overall message. So, after I have written my sermon draft, I go back and interrogate every sentence, “Do you really need to be here?” If not, it disappears.

5. What is the most important aspect of a preacher’s style and what should he avoid?

The most important aspect, in my view, is believability — the believability of the message and of the preacher himself. The first is a matter of clarity (exposition), defense (apologetics) and force (power in application). I want so to persuade the people that they are left thinking, “Well, of course. How could it be otherwise? I receive this as truth, I love this as beauty, I want this to change me.” I try to avoid everything about myself that may distract from that outcome.

6. What notes, if any, do you use?

I use a full manuscript. But I try to be in sufficient control of the flow of thought and certain key phrases that it doesn’t get in my way. I want to enjoy the sermon and the people in the moment.

7. What are the greatest perils that preacher must avoid?

The greatest peril is forgetting what preaching is there for in the first place. It is not there as a platform for pet theories, inner-church politics, the culture wars, developing a personal following for myself or for proving how cool I can be. The preaching ministry is there for the display of Jesus Christ, according to the gospel. It is for him alone, as he wants to speak to the people, love them, help them, save them. Preaching is a sacred experience and must not be profaned by misplaced enthusiasms.

8. How do you fight to balance preparation for preaching with other important responsibilities (eg. pastoral care, leadership responsibilities)

I wish I had a good answer here. It is a constant struggle. The only chance I have for success is setting aside protected blocks of time when I am quiet and alone with God and my books. That usually means I get away from my office. There is a difference between an office and a study. Right now all I have is an office. So I have to get out of here to do serious study.

9. What books on preaching, or exemplars of it, have you found most influential in your own preaching?

My favorite is Lloyd-Jones’ Preaching and Preachers, especially the final chapter, “Demonstration of the Spirit and of the Power.” I am stirred even now just to think about it. Oh, that I might preach just one apostolic, anointed sermon before I die!

10. What steps do you take to nurture or encourage developing or future preachers?

I want to do more in this way. I did teach at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for nine years. And now, indirectly, my participation in The Gospel Coalition serves to lift up the next generation of preachers. I also desire to be encouraging to other preachers in the Acts 29 Network. And I hope that in five or six years my successor at Immanuel Church will be here, established in ministry, so that he can grow in authority as I fade away.

Colin Adams is the pastor of Ballymoney Baptist Church, Northern Ireland. For six years Colin had the privilege of serving as an Associate Pastor with Charlotte Baptist Chapel in Edinburgh.  Before coming to Edinburgh he studied theology for four years at International Christian College in Glasgow.