But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (Romans 10:14 ESV).
The Bible is like a forest.
A forest is a beautiful, living thing, filled with unique fragrances as the air moves through plants, blossoms, and trees. These trees are likewise beautiful in their own right, each different from the others. Deciduous trees, which blossom every spring and lose their leaves every autumn, live among coniferous trees which remain green throughout the winter months. Some ferns, bushes, and other plants grow close to the ground, while others strain upward toward the sunlight, forming a canopy over the whole wood. They are vibrant with colours—red, yellow, and countless shades of green. All contribute to the forest’s beauty.
The Bible, too, is alive. It is the living Word of God. Like the beauty of a forest, it tells the grand story of God reconciling sinful people to himself through his Son and our Saviour, Jesus the Christ. Like the variegated trees, this story is narrated over 1500 years in three countries, by prophets, poets, kings, historians, and missionaries, each with their own personalities, styles, and content, and each contributing to the telling of the story. This is a story our world and our churches need to hear over and over again.
The preacher is the story teller.
Asked to name those things that are most important in the life of the church, most evangelical pastors will place preaching at or near the top of the list. Similarly, churches in search of pastors, when specifying those strengths most desired in a pastor, will invariably place preaching at or near the top of the list. Both pastors and churches affirm that preaching matters.
But what do we mean by “preaching”? Many congregations immediately think of “The Talk” given on the platform each Sunday. However, preaching is far more and far greater than a Sunday morning Talk. Preaching is the declaration and accurate explanation of the Bible to an audience. Preaching proclaims. When preachers declare the living Word of God and make its meaning plain to listeners, they preach. The Bible is God’s testimony concerning his Son, Jesus Christ, so to accurately explain the Bible is to center one’s preaching on Jesus Christ. A good preacher is one who communicates Jesus from the Scriptures. A poor one does not.
Implicit in the terms “declaration” and “explanation” is communication through the medium of words.
Words continue to be the means by which we express ourselves most effectively. All people use words to communicate. Sign language for the deaf and the Braille system for the blind have ways of representing letters of the alphabet. Toddlers quickly learn that verbal expression is the most effective means of communicating their wants and needs. The first thing children learn in school is the alphabet. Professors at a PhD level give lectures and assign readings. Social media, emails, instruction manuals, work invoices, and texting are all word dependent.
As preachers communicate with words, they take their cue from God, who has also used the medium of words to communicate his character and actions:
- God speaks and creation comes into being.
- God says to Noah, “Make yourself an ark.” 1
- God calls Abraham.
- God reveals his name to Moses.
- The prophets announce, “Thus says the LORD God”.2
- Peter exhorts his audience to “give ear to my words”3 at Pentecost.
- Paul proclaims4 on Cyprus, responds to a request for a word of exhortation5 in Pisidian Antioch, and reasons6 in Athens.
- The author of Hebrews reminds readers that the Word of God is living and active.7
- God instructs John in Revelation, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”8
- Jesus’ own ministry was a ministry of words: The crowds were astonished at his teaching9. He told parables. His enemies were incensed at what he said about himself. His miracles were wrought by words: get up10, be opened11, be still12, be clean13, come out14.
Words, as revelation, seem to eclipse even the physical revelation. Before encountering the living Christ, some women and the disciples first heard the angelic proclamation that Jesus was alive. It was only at the end of the day that Jesus appeared to them. On the road to Emmaus, the two disciples were privileged to have Jesus, as yet unrecognized, walk them through the words of Scripture. He helped them see that the twin events— the crucifixion and resurrection—were foretold in the Old Testament. Only after entering their home did they recognize the resurrected Jesus. Proclamation preceded encounter.
A maxim commonly attributed to Francis of Assisi states, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” This is often quoted by those seeking to call the church back to our responsibility in the church’s social activity. Their call is desperately needed in today’s church. Unquestionably, the church as a whole needs to engage more intentionally in ministry to the poor, in justice issues, and in humanitarian work. But this is not preaching. The poor could receive food and shelter for years but never know that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for sinners, unless they are told. Words are the necessary means by which the Word is communicated. Public proclamation of an ideology (the social gospel, for example), however valid, is not preaching. Public proclamation of the Bible is. To remain grounded in the Word of God, it is necessary for people to hear the Word declared and explained.
This book will not focus on sermon preparation. The mechanics of sermon preparation (introductions, conclusions, illustrations, developing outlines, etc.) have already been excellently treated by many writers. The preacher will profit greatly from reading such books regularly. Rather, this book will give attention to those convictions and habits that must be in place before the preacher can sit down and begin to craft this Sunday’s sermon. They are the necessary preface to weekly sermon preparation, hence the title, Preface to Preaching.
A couple of things about the manuscript of this book: In keeping with the recommendation of the American Dialect Society, with respect to gender, I have chosen to use the third-person plural instead of the third-person singular for the sake of readability. That is, instead of writing, “in his sermon” or “in his/her sermon”, I have chosen to write, “in their sermon”.a
All my quotations from the Bible use the English Standard Version.
This book is written with the weekly preacher in mind. It is my hope that you, the preacher, will be both encouraged and equipped in your own development as you seek to accurately declare and explain the Bible to your congregation. Because preaching matters.