Where It All Begins: The Purpose of Preaching

PREACHING ON PURPOSE: WHERE IT ALL STARTS

Many, if not most, books on the art and craft of preaching have many pages dedicated to foundational aspects for the preacher and the preaching event. These aspects are related to matters such as (1) the certainty of a call to preach, (2) the need to grow spiritually, (3) the components of the sermon preparation process, and (4) an explanation of the elements of preaching style and sermon delivery. These aspects typically are included because of the significance each plays in the success of a preaching ministry that honors the Lord. I believe an understanding of each of these aspects is vital in any discussion related to biblical exposition. Consideration of these aspects, to a reasonable degree, will be weaved into this book as well. I want to begin, however, from one slightly different perspective.

The Starting Point: Discovering the Purpose of Preaching

Every successful journey has an initial starting point. One simply does not “jump in” along the way. The knowledge of where one is going is important for any aspect of life. However again, I must acknowledge that for the preacher (even the lay Christian), it is not so much knowing where one is going in the sense of career goals, but more that one knows that he or she is going where God is leading. The idea for the preacher/teacher is to say and do what God has said. The simple knowledge that he is following the Lord is destination enough. More specifically, as it relates to preaching, the knowledge of where he is going in his preaching is central to his task. This leads to the questions, “What is the purpose of our preaching?” and “How is biblical preaching defined?”
I will begin with a little about the purpose of preaching (where we are going). When I began theological seminary my simple desire was to learn to preach. All other courses were a necessary evil as far as I was concerned. “Just teach me to preach” was my driving motivation for attending seminary (there’s that idea of driven again). I well remember that first seminary preaching course entitled Introduction to Preaching. I was so excited finally to be in a “meaningful” class that on the first day I arrived about an hour early just to sit in the classroom and take in the vibe.
The professor arrived promptly on time and just looking at him made me feel as though I was sitting in the presence of glorified righteousness. I hung on every word he spoke and I wrote down every principle. After class each day I reported to my campus job of mowing the grass on that beautiful New Orleans campus. As I rode my John Deere over my assigned terrain I would ponder and reflect upon the day’s preaching lectures (the class met Tuesday through Friday). When my shift was over I literally would trot to my seminary apartment to study and process what my professor had said. I was in preaching heaven, or so I thought.
Then the day came when it was my preaching professor’s turn to preach the seminary chapel message. I couldn’t wait. The man who I had admired as the living personification of preaching glory was going to show us his stuff as it related to expository preaching. I sat on the front row with my Bible and notepad. Then, he preached?
When the good professor began his message, frankly, I was stunned. He was noticeably nervous. Sweat poured from his face and forehead to such a degree that his shirt collar and necktie changed colors from the moisture. He read a few verses that I assumed would be the primary passage to be exposed. However, he spoke in vague spiritual generalities and bounced us from one verse to another in many places in the Bible. I began to wonder when he was going to expose his selected biblical passage as he insisted his students do. He never did.
After the chapel service I met with several of the guys from the preaching class in the cafeteria. As we scarfed down our red beans and rice (a delicious New Orleans staple) we discussed the sermon and how perplexed we were that our professor did not do as he taught. He taught biblical exposition by the book but preached in a topical fashion (at least on this occasion).
Please don’t misunderstand. The professor was a good and faithful man. There is no doubt in my heart and mind that he loved Jesus. I appreciated his desire to teach preaching and I did come away from his course with many foundational principles that I still use to this day. I have a deep sense of admiration for him. I simply am stressing that, in my estimation, he did not demonstrate the principles he taught us.
I passed that class. But, honestly, I left the course with no more ability to preach than the day I entered it. I knew preaching theory and for that I was thankful. But I could not preach or even prepare a reasonable expository sermon. I felt defeated and unprepared. When I took my first pastorate (while still a seminary student) I struggled each week to prepare sermons. It took several years of trial and error to start developing “reasonable” messages (I thank God that His Word does not return void). When I think of my “sermons?” in those early days it makes me want to write a letter to each surviving member of those churches and plead for their forgiveness. Each one was lovingly gracious.
When I entered the Master of Divinity program in 1994 I was not required to take any preaching courses because I had “advanced standing” due to my undergraduate work. I did, however, take twelve hours of advanced preaching courses. Each class was not challenging academically so I simply kept enrolling in every one the school offered. My GPA was close to a 4.0 (and would have been a perfect 4.0 if not for those dreaded “missions” courses!!!) but still, I could not prepare and deliver an expository sermon. Something had to give.
In my second year of Master’s work the seminary brought on a young doctoral candidate who would teach pastoral ministry and preaching courses while he was finishing his Ph.D. studies. A friend and I both enrolled in his Work of the Pastor course. We assumed that an evening course led by a new doctoral candidate would be the easiest course in school history. So we eagerly enrolled.
On the first night of the course, however, he did something that no other seasoned professor had done. He opened the course without going over the syllabus from the opening bell (What a sacrilege!). Instead he called us to our knees as a class and asked us to trust the class to the Lord in prayer. He then opened his Bible and systematically took us through a passage from the 11th chapter of Matthew’s gospel. He entitled his mini-sermonette, The Yokes on You. As my friend and I listened to this honest and heartfelt exposition of the text, we choked back our tears. This was the kind of class we desired. This was the kind of message we longed to prepare! It seemed so easy for him. Why was it so hard for us to prepare such wonderful, meaningful, and God-honoring messages?
That evening my friend and I began to understand the purpose of preaching and the value of honest biblical exposition. We came to realize that it wasn’t about “getting up a sermon.” The purpose of preaching was to say what the original authors who had been inspired by the Holy Spirit had said in the original text, in a way that is meaningful and applicable to the contemporary listener, with the purpose of glorifying God. AND THERE IT IS: THE STARTING POINT OF TRUE GOD-HONORING BIBLICAL PREACHING IS COMING TO AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PREACHER’S PURPOSE IS THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF HIS PURPOSES. That purpose was now ingrained in me. I understood, for the first time, that purposeful preaching was that preaching the Holy Spirit used to transform God’s people into the spiritual giants He desired that they be. I came to understand that all I had been doing was informing my congregants with some Christian principles and truths. The purpose, I discovered, is not so much meeting people’s practical needs or striving to answer every life question. Our task as preachers is to honor and glorify the heavenly Father through our preparation and preaching efforts. That evening Paul’s exhortation to “Preach the Word” took on a new meaning for us. Actually, it took on its original meaning. As my friend and I walked to our seminary apartments that evening we rejoiced in praise to Jesus. We prayed together and asked God to give us the ability to glorify His name and reveal His purposes in our preaching. What a glorious night is was!

How Biblical Preaching is Defined

Now to the second question: “How is biblical preaching defined?” Again, one of the aspects of virtually any book related to the subject of expository preaching is that the book usually contains the author’s definition of the subject.
When I entered doctoral studies my program chairman handed me a document that we called the Reading List. Well over 150 books were to be read over a two year period. All of the books were related to the subject of preaching. As I began to read through these volumes and tomes I started realizing that many of the authors merely were writing what others previously had written but within the parameters of their own writing style, passions, and creativity. (Solomon was right, there really is nothing new under the sun - it’s even true of preaching books). However, all of the authors added aspects and elements that aided the field of preaching. The reading list alone laid foundations of understanding that I hold and apply still to this day.
My chairman, Jim Shaddix (who just happened to be that young doctoral candidate of The Work of the Pastor class a couple of years earlier), told me that if I intended to be a teacher of preachers then I would have to develop my own definition of expository preaching.
I can remember scribbling countless ideas on legal sized sheets of paper that ultimately ended up in “file 13.” I needed something that was not only accurate to the true meaning of the task of exposition, but also expressed my convictions. Further, the definition needed to be something I could defend before my peers. After days of struggle, the following finally flowed from my pen.

Expository Preaching is: “The oral proclamation of a properly interpreted passage of Scripture, in the power of the Holy Spirit, by a God-called messenger, to an assembled body, for the glory of God and the accomplishment of His purposes.”

The definition resonated in my heart for a few reasons. First, it seemed to be a sufficient definition of the discipline. Second, it reflected my personality and convictions. Finally, I believed it was directed toward the Lord and His glory. Following is a breakdown of the definition:

Oral Proclamation

In a culture seemingly obsessed with the visual, God still calls men to proclaim the truths of His Word verbally. I distinctly remember a New Orleans seminary chapel service in which the President, the late Landrum Leavell III, preached on the need for seminarians to be examples of verbal evangelism and “good ole’ fashioned” oral proclamation of the Bible. He argued that there is indeed a place for the effective use of visuals, props, videos, and anything else that can enhance our verbal witness and oral proclamation. However, at one point in the message he declared vehemently, “Men, I personally do not know anyone who has become a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, transformed by the Holy Spirit, because they looked at a Christian or saw a movie! In order for a person to be saved that person must hear the gospel.” He continued, “It’s time for us to return to the biblical mandate of preaching the Bible and leaving the results to God.” What Leavell was stressing was that God really does not need our help to empower His Word. I have sat through countless chapel services and have forgotten most of the sermons, but I have never forgotten those heart-felt words of Landrum Leavell on that beautiful New Orleans day.
Obviously in biblical times the use of visuals was limited simply because technology had not advanced to modern levels. Many would argue however, and I would agree, that one of the reasons Jesus spoke in parables was to allow people to see in their minds eye the reality of the parables. Clearly Jesus knew that people tend to think in mental pictures. It is also true that when Jesus shared a parable that he would utilize examples of activities that were going on near Him, or that He had observed in His own experiences. He knew that people needed to see and relate to His examples. For example, many scholars contend that when Jesus gave the Parable of the Sower, a seed-sowing farmer was actually in the sight of His listeners.
As valuable as visuals are (and I use plenty of them), I must note that God’s primary method for communicating His Word into the hearts and souls of mankind always has been the simple, verbal preaching of His Word. This approach has reaped a bountiful harvest of souls over the centuries. In spite of the myriad cultural changes and ethnic/racial diversities, still, the simple oral proclamation of the Word of Christ has been the instrument that God has used to draw people to Himself and edify those who have become believers. Paul stressed this truth when he declared, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (Italics added).
The primary New Testament word for preacher derives from the Greek kerusso which translated means “to proclaim” or “to preach.” It is an emphasis word that carries with it the idea of a herald who is sent or authorized by someone else to deliver a message. The word implies a sense of urgency. Obviously preachers orally proclaim or herald the urgent message of God’s Word.
Probably the most explicit Old Testament example of this truth is located in the 8th chapter of Nehemiah. The late Stephen Olford provided the following insights into the passage as it relates to oral proclamation and expository preaching, stating: “Our foundational, Old Testament biblical evidence … is Nehemiah 8: … It was a time of revival, the evangelist was Ezra, and with his assistants, the Levites, he read from the Book of the Law and the people stood in reverence and called out ‘amen amen’ and then they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord. … So they read distinctly from the book, in the book of the Law, and gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading (vs. 8).”

Olford outlined the 3 distinctive elements that verse 8 reveals.

I. The reading of the text of God’s word – Olford noted that many messages are preached without even opening the Bible. This leads to members who no longer bring their Bibles to church. “So they read … distinctly.” Olford queried: “How seldom is the Bible read distinctly? How seldom is the Bible read reverently?”

II. The revealing of the truth of God’s word – “they gave the sense.” Olford stressed the need for oral interpretation in the proclamation so that the teaching and meaning of the text can be revealed and unfolded.

III. The relating of the thrust of God’s word – “they helped the people to understand.” Olford concluded by noting that this type of oral proclamation is purposed preaching (propositional preaching). It involves the exaltation, application and illustration of biblical truth. Oral proclamation, according to Olford, assists people in understanding God’s Word more effectively than any other means.

Obviously the Old Testament prophets proclaimed “Thus saith the Lord!” orally. And even though Jesus utilized parables to tap into the mental eye of his listeners, His spoken words made the most impact on the lives of those hearing Him. Of course the apostles, filled with Holy Spirit power, utilized the spoken word to accomplish the purposes of God.

Properly Interpreted Passage

In simple terms biblical interpretation is the process of determining the biblical author's intended meaning for the original listeners and drawing implications for contemporary man. Preachers and Bible teachers must be firmly committed to that task. The quest to discover the ideas and thoughts of the Spirit-inspired original author should be as free from the subjective notions of the interpreter as is humanly possible.
Over the course of life individuals are influenced by a multiplicity of factors. These factors help to create a person’s worldview. They also assist in leading a person to hold certain non-negotiable presuppositions related to politics, social issues, and even spiritual matters. A person’s family heritage, life experiences, socio-economic situation, education, and other like matters work in unison to contribute to each person’s unique personality and outlook on life. While individuality is a good thing, it can have a devastatingly negative impact in the work of biblical interpretation. The subjectivity and individuality of the interpreter must be removed from the work of exegeting and interpreting God’s Word. Pulling that off, however, is where the difficulty lies.
As it relates to the process of biblical interpretation, one of my favorite expressions is, “Move yourself out of the way.” Often I trouble some of my students with comments such as, “There are things in the Bible that I don’t like,” or “If I were God I would have not said …” Some students simply can’t fathom such statements and view them as sacrilegious. I merely am pointing out, however, that as an individual I hold certain thoughts that run against the grain of biblical truth. I calm my students by stating that although I might not like everything in God’s Word, I have surrendered my thoughts, feelings, and opinions to the sovereignty of God and the authority of His Word. I then state that God simply was not interested in my opinion when He breathed His Word. I stress that God has told us to preach and teach HIS Word, not ours.
Many preachers and teachers find it beyond impossible, however, not to view a selected biblical passage from within the subjectivity of their own opinions. Many simply have not been trained to do otherwise. Yet, superimposing one’s worldview and presuppositions upon God’s Word is something that, in my estimation, is among the highest forms of sacrilege. It is what biblical scholars term eisegesis, or reading into a passage something the original author did not intend. Viewing a passage through the lens of the preacher’s opinion is the real sacrilege.
In order to quell the impact of human subjectivity in interpreting a selected passage of Scripture the preacher/teacher must possess an aptitude for biblical exegesis and practical hermeneutics. Paul stressed that among the preacher/teacher’s foremost tasks is “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” The process of orthotomeo (rightly dividing) literally means to make a straight cut. The idea of precision and skill is implied. Therefore, the preacher/teacher should be able to dissect accurately and skillfully the selected text in order to determine the meaning the original author had in mind. This is the beginning of the process of exegesis.
Exegesis is the process of bringing the truth of the text out of its life situation. The idea comes from the Greek verb exegeomai meaning to lead out of. The goal, then, is to draw or lead out of the text the intended meaning of the original author. The preacher/teacher (the exegete) should study the passage from the perspective of historical context, linguistics, genre, syntax and grammar, and the etymology and usage of words within the selected text.
Hermeneutics is the process of translating, interpreting, or even explaining. In simple terms exegesis can be viewed as the science of determining meaning while hermeneutics can be understood as the art of interpreting a text for the benefit of the contemporary audience.
Simply put, pure biblical exposition takes place only when the selected passage has been studied by one who has surrendered himself to the sovereignty of God and the authority of His Word. He has no interest in looking into the Scriptures to confirm or verify his own opinions or particular worldview. He looks into the Scripture to discover only what God has said through that awesome process of verbal-plenary inspiration. The Christ-honoring preacher/teacher readily will change his view if the Scripture indicates something that contradicts his opinions. He is submissive in attitude, surrendered in spirit, and subservient to his Lord!

God-Called Messenger

When I attended theological seminary I believed whole-heartedly that my time there was of supreme significance. As I walked around that beautiful campus in the evenings I often thought about the countless God-called men and women who had attended there before me. I often imagined what their ministries had become or how they were doing currently. During those many seminary years I felt that those days were as vital to my calling as any other aspect of my service to Jesus. I felt honored to be a part of such an awesome place.
Something that shocked me during those days was the realization that a healthy number of the men and women who came to prepare for ministry often exited as quickly as they arrived. Many good Christian people, friends of mine, came to recognize that although they possessed a passion to serve Jesus, they really were not called to a lifetime of vocational service for Him. One of the less-than-comfortable aspects (or comfortable depending on one’s perspective) of theological education is that it often possesses a “weeding out” process, at least to some degree. Typically one who does not have a divine call to a lifetime of ministerial service will discover that reality in the hallowed halls and/or online courses of his or her selected seminary (or shortly after graduation). If one enters full-time service without the benefit of seminary training, the day-to-day reality of ministry and what it actually entails will be enough to help the “uncalled” discover that reality.
A study of God’s Word reveals that men and women received a call from God Himself to follow and serve Him. Certainly Abram received a call to leave the Ur of the Chaldeas. Moses received a call to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of God’s people. God told Jeremiah that he had been set aside for the ministry before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5). Ezekiel received a call to go to a stubborn and obstinate people and preach the word of the Lord (Ezekiel 2). Each of the major and minor prophets was convinced of a divine call to proclaim “thus sayeth the LORD!”
John the Baptist certainly possessed a call on his life and recognized it even while still in his mother’s womb. Jesus said to those who would be His disciples, “Come and I will make you fishers of men.” Saul of Tarsus received a divine call from Jesus to serve Him (Acts 9). These are but a few of the biblical examples of the reality of a God-given call to serve with one’s life.
There are a few truths I know about the call of God for the contemporary preacher or Bible teacher. First, it is something that many describe as overwhelming. The idea of vocational service to Jesus virtually is all-consuming in that one simply cannot think of much else. I know that I could not “fight it” or “run from it” as some profess to have done. The last thing I wanted to do was flee from what God might be doing in my life. My issue had to do with actually coming to believe that God would call someone like me. I had no meaningful biblical background, no theological training, and no understanding of how to respond to a divine call on my life. The thought that God wanted to use me to proclaim the truth of His Word was, as noted, overwhelming. I could not fathom being in the same field of calling as my pastor of that time (Dr. Frank Cox, Senior Pastor of North Metro First Baptist Church of Lawrenceville, Georgia). But, I was and there was no denying it.
The second truth related to the call of God is that it contains both human and divine elements. God calls the individual and the church affirms that calling. The Book of Acts certainly gives testimony to this reality. I remember so well how I finally settled the issue of God’s call on my life. I was serving as the “Minister of Maintenance” (this is how I glorified the fact that I was the janitor) in the church. One morning, after a night of not being able to sleep, I went to the sanctuary of the church and sat on the front pew. It was still dark outside and the room was only illuminated slightly. In my desire and desperation to know for certain that God was indeed calling me I simply, but reverently, asked the Lord, “God, are you calling me to preach. If you are then I am ready, but I really need a confirmation. I do not want to trust in my own feelings. I want to know that I am responding to You and You alone.” In a very powerful moment on that special morning God spoke in a way He had not before (at least to me). He led me to Ezekiel 2 and allowed me to read only these words, “Son of man, arise and preach to the rebellious nations.” I was so overwhelmed and broken. I thanked the Lord for hearing and answering my prayer. I have not looked back since that day.
The next Sunday morning I responded to the pastor’s invitation to come to the altar for prayer. As I approached him he had a beaming smile on his face. I previously had told him of my struggle with the call. He knew what God was doing in my life. I told him that God had confirmed my call. He excitedly shared it with the congregation. As the service ended person after person, some 300 in all, came to the front of the church to tell me that they had known for months that God was calling me to the preaching ministry. Indeed, God’s call contains both divine and human elements. It is founded in God’s plan and it is affirmed by His church.

Power of the Holy Spirit

“1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2: 1-5)

The above passage touches human reality at several levels. First it reminds us that our ability as wordsmiths, along with our ability to persuade, although important, are not primary [remember Moses?] (“I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom … my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom”). Obviously Paul was making reference to the famed philosophers and rhetoricians common to Corinth. The people of the city were impressed by the eloquence and logical argumentations of these pagan scholars. They were so impressed, in fact, that they made allegiances to them. John MacArthur Jr. noted:

Paul devoted much of the first letter to correcting practical and doctrinal issues that marred the church. The first issue was human philosophy (chapters 1 and 2). The Corinthians had become enamored with pagan philosophies that dominated their day, viewing them as a necessary supplement to God’s wisdom. In no uncertain terms Paul warned them of the incompatibility of human wisdom and divine wisdom.

In a world filled with people who are impressed with stars of the stage and screen, the simple truth is that God has used people with a variety of skills in speech and word craft. The preacher’s power is not in looks, skill, or prowess. Something beyond him causes people to take notice, to listen, and to respond.
Second the passage teaches that the power of the message is not in ourselves (as noted), but in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.) No human being, regardless of how gifted in oratorical ability or philosophical acumen, delivers an eternal-life providing message. The message does not receive its life-changing power in the prowess of the preacher. It is the message of Jesus and His sacrificial death that touches the hearts and souls of those who may be in our audience. Paul stressed that it is not the messenger that is important, but rather the message that changes lives.
Third, the passage teaches that God will use us as preachers of His truth in spite of physical issues [weakness], intimidation of the task [fear and much trembling] (I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling…). It is likely that Paul was referring to physical ailments when he used the word weakness. He had been subject to physical abuse because of his ministry (2 Cor. 12:7). He also had trouble with his vision (Gal. 6: 11) and perhaps other illnesses (2 Cor. 12: 7-10).
I can remember the many times over the years that I have not felt well on a day when I was to preach (usually Sundays). Unless I was violently ill with something contagious I always got up and went to preach. It is amazing how God always provided the strength (even a renewed energy) to stand and proclaim His word in spite of how I felt physically. In fact, it was as though no ailment plagued me (afterwards is another story altogether). Paul simply acknowledged that in spite of his illnesses, frailties, or personal fears; God sent him to preach anyway. God also provided the strength. [Note: I am not advocating that one should preach even when ill. I merely am acknowledging that the times I have done so God has strengthened me with a power that is beyond me – each preacher/teacher must make his own determination as to whether it is appropriate to preach when physical issues are the reality.]
Fourth, the passage acknowledges that the life-changing message of the gospel is empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. Paul wrote: “… in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” The Word of God is to be proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Preachers should seek it, hunger for it, and pray for it so that their preaching is, like Paul’s, “not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”
One of my favorite books of the Bible is The Acts of the Apostles. In this historical narrative many miraculous and powerful events are recorded that are related to the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter boldly had proclaimed the truth and name of Jesus in chapter 2 and again in chapter 4. In fact, in chapter 4 he is noted as being “filled with the Holy Spirit” (verse 8). It must have been an awesome sight to see the once cowardice disciple now fearlessly proclaiming the truth related to Jesus.
God has sent His Holy Spirit to empower his preachers. In chapter 6 the primary requirement for service was the fullness of the Holy Spirit (verse 3). In verse 10 men were not able to resist the “wisdom and the Spirit by which he (Stephen) spoke.” The power of Holy Spirit of God is an essential aspect of life-transforming proclamation.
When a church sits under the authority of God's Holy Spirit-empowered Word and lives it out in substantive glory to Christ, the only explanation is that God is real. Thus, people with different worldviews can be drawn to the gospel. God's Word, preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, is utterly invasive. There is no hurt beyond its reach and there is no heart beyond its grace.

Assembled Body

Very simply, a preacher or teacher must have hearers – “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 13:9). The Bible records statements such as, “… how can they hear without a preacher” (Romans 10:14). Obviously in order for the ministry of preaching to make sense, preachers must stand before an audience and proclaim or teach. If it is an audience of 1 or 10,001 makes no difference. Without someone to hear the message, the preacher merely is an exegete.
Jesus spoke to the multitudes, to small groups (His disciples), and to individuals (ex: the woman at the well, Nicodemus, et. al). He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4: 18-19). This passage highlights the all-inclusiveness of His preaching. The audience is made up of everyone we have opportunity to stand before regardless of the number. Whether they are the poor, those who struggle to find peace in the confusion of life, those in bondage to temptation and/or the pressures of the world, those struggling with health concerns, or those who are abused and downtrodden. The message of the gospel brings salvation, hope, purpose, meaning, and joy. This is why we must share it fervently. But without someone to hear it, our call to preach has no value or validation.
All people matter to God. Our Lord desires that all created humanity be brought into a relationship with Him (2 Peter 3:9). Among the most important goals of our preaching is to draw people to the Lord in salvation or closer to Him through edification. I always am amazed at how shallow many preachers are. So much of their preaching is filled with so much biblical truth, exegetical mastery, and hermeneutical emphasis, and yet possesses so little impact on the hearers. This is due to simple miscalculation on the part of pastors, teachers, and preachers. They fail to understand that there are three aspects of communication (Messenger, Message, and Masses). Many preachers think primarily of the message they are developing and how they will deliver it. Little, if any, consideration is given to those who will actually hear it. I will have much more to say about this later. But for now, suffice it to note that if preachers do not consider the audience in the preparation process then the likelihood of making a connection with that audience is lessened significantly.

God’s Purposes Fulfilled

I have already addressed this to some degree so I will only make of few additional statements here. The purpose of our preaching, all of our preaching, is to accomplish the purposes of God. Among the primary purposes of God is to exalt His Son, Jesus Christ. One of my preaching professors used to constantly say, “Gentlemen always remember that both the Word of God and the Spirit of God are to coalesce in one great task - the exaltation of Jesus Christ: Let’s exalt Him!” He simply was acknowledging that God’s Word preached in the power of the Holy Spirit is the foundation for life-transforming communication. This kind of preaching moves the heart of God. He honors it and causes His purposes to be fulfilled through it.
So many preachers have goals other than seeing God’s purposes fulfilled. They may say that they are leading and preaching in a way to glorify God, but an analysis of their messages and delivery style brings those aspirations into question. Preaching can be such a “heady” thing. All of the attention is on the preacher as he speaks. People respectfully sit and listen as he preaches away. Their “amens,” “wells,” and other verbal expressions provide an egotistical charge that gives some preachers a sense of mastery. Too frequently these men of God allow such positive affirmation to go to their heads and thereby develop a sense of “I am something.” That is a tragedy that defies my ability to express just how out of step it is with the humility of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus exemplified humility. In fact, anytime His disciples attempted to entice Him with assuming the role of king, he answered with statements such as “the first shall be the last” or “he who desires to be the greatest of all must become the least of all.” Sadly, I have observed many men who have responded to God’s call to preach with dignity and humility only to lose both because they could not win the victory over the “headiness” of preaching.
I personally have struggled with this sinful attribute. People have poured compliments on me at levels I never expected when I began my service for the Lord. I have to acknowledge that it is beyond difficult to keep things in proper perspective when well-meaning Christians lavish me with praise. Each of us hungers for affirmation. It is innate in human nature. I am certainly no different. Yet, the sin of thinking and projecting that it is all about us is to be avoided at all costs. Yes, I realize that many people simply are expressing that the message was meaningful to them. In some cases they are showing a level of respect for me as a man of God. I appreciate each of these and I certainly do not want to discourage it. My point simply is this: The Evil One has the ability to use the words and affirmations of well-meaning Christians for purposes that honor him rather than the Lord Jesus.
Whenever I feel a little “heady” God always reminds me of a significant passage about His Son. I encourage my preaching students to read it often in order to help them keep things in proper perspective. These words speak far more eloquently than I can regarding our tendency to be a little (or a lot) heady.
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53: 2-5

The “Feel” of Biblical Narrative Literature

The “Feel” of Biblical Narrative Literature
Tony Guthrie, Ph.D.

A few years ago I was attending a preaching conference with the theme of Creativity in Preaching. Some of the most respected names from the field of preaching were key-note speakers and teachers. Among them was Haddon Robinson. I had long desired to meet Dr. Robinson so I eagerly attended his session on “Imagination in Preaching.” As he shared I found myself thoroughly engaged in his presentation. Although he lectured for almost an hour, there was one line that resonated in my thoughts. The line was simply, “If you don’t feel literature, then you aren’t really reading.” He was stressing the idea of actually becoming a part of the narrative as you read it. I was so intrigued by this thought that I chose not to stand in the line to meet him after his presentation. Instead, I took a stroll around the church premises and pondered that one line.

Interestingly, over the years I had stressed this same idea many times to my students. Now that I had heard Robinson endorse the idea, I felt particularly vindicated. Too often, as expositors, we are so engrossed in discovering the spiritual bottom line of a passage that we miss the true heart of it. This is particularly true of parabolic or narrative literature. We tend to practice what I call “guessegesis” rather then pure exegesis. If we see a spiritual word (like “love”) or a phrase describing a sin (like “and he lay with her …”) we eagerly grab hold of it as though it is the Holy Grail of the passage. Oftentimes these spiritual or “sinful” words and phrases are, in actuality, playing a supporting role. The true “star” of the story is completely missed because of our quest for obvious spiritual truth.

This brings me back to Robinson’s notion of feeling the literature. I am now convinced, more than ever, that a significant goal of preaching biblical narrative is to help the listeners “feel the story.” By feeling it I mean they connect with it emotionally, within their senses, and in the spirits. In actuality they are lead to discover the meaning and implications for themselves once they are emotionally and spiritually connected to the story.

I have had the privilege of serving as a Transitional Pastor for a number of years now. I have served in churches with different approaches to worship and certainly differences in listeners. I have preached in the most traditional and staid pulpits. I have preached in blended services. I have also preached in what one might consider the most radical of contemporary services. I have walked into all of these pulpits having read countless articles and chapters on “the postmodern listener.” I have been duly warned that if I do not understand certain traits of these “different” people then my preaching will likely be in vain.

Please understand, I am not devaluing the information provided by scholars of post-modernity. I do believe we must take time to study cultural and social realities of our modern world. But I have wondered many times if the Lord Jesus, if He were preaching in this century, would change his approach in consideration of the post-modern audience.

What I have discovered is that a little imagination (to use Robinson’s word) is really all that is needed to connect the text to any listener. Allow me to suggest two ways to accomplish this:

1. Become the proverbial “fly on the wall”

What I mean by this is to change the way you currently read biblical narrative. Rather than search for what seems to be the obvious spiritual truth, envision the story in your mind as you read it. I constantly tell my students that I rarely prepare sermons in the study. I almost always prepare them in the sanctuary. While this may seem radical for some of you, let me ask what better place to see my listeners? People tend to always sit in the same place each Sunday. Therefore, I can see each one of them as I process the implications of the selected text for their lives.

When I am in the sanctuary I read over the narrative countless times. I create in my mind the actual scene. I imagine I am walking with the Lord observing His actions and hearing His words. The implications often flow so quickly that I can’t jot them down fast enough. I become a part of the story. Most of us know that we can tell a story so much better, with vividness and flair, if we were actually a part of the event.

I often shock my students by telling them to avoid the commentaries until after the “fly on the wall” process. If we read commentaries initially then commentators will guide our thinking. Too often they point us to the obvious spiritual words. Rarely do commentators investigate a narrative from the “fly on the wall” perspective. Commentaries are best used, in my opinion, as sources of confirmation rather than directors to truth. We want to turn to them for verification of our findings and to provide insights we may have missed or can’t discern from a cursory reading of the text. They will help us to see how the obvious “spiritual” words fit the narrative. So, become a fly on the wall and avoid those commentaries at first. This way you will begin to connect with the story. You will become a part of it.

2. Bring the biblical story into the 21st century

Many people love college and professional football. Most of us know what it is like to attend an actual game. As we drive into the stadium parking lot we struggle with the lines of traffic and finding a parking space. As we head toward the stadium we walk with people who typically are dressed in jerseys and colors that represent their team. We pass by tailgaters cooking burgers and hot dogs. We are accosted by scalpers who want us to buy a ticket. We pass souvenir stands or individuals wanting us to purchase stuff related to the home team. As we enter the stadium we hand our tickets to ticket-takers who scan them and give them back to us. Then, if we are carrying bags, we are searched to ensure we are not a terrorist. We then look for our seats and wait for the kickoff.

Suppose we did all these things on a particular Saturday but no teams showed up to play. There we are with our jerseys, hot dogs, and enthusiasm; but no players actually play a game. What would we do in such a scenario? Obviously we would begin to search for answers to this injustice! We would ask people sitting near us, those we don’t even know, “What’s the deal?” We would check our tickets for date and time. We would call the ushers over and murmur to them. We would virtually “curse” the situation. Everything we have seen, experienced, and had been lead to believe said to us, “Game here today!” We would lose our trust in the entire football system.

As you read the above you saw that scene in your mind. There is no way you could not have. Our minds think in pictures. You may have been at a different stadium rooting for a different team than I envisioned, but you no doubt created the scene. You even “felt” the scene. You felt the injustice. You probably remembered and sensed the smell of cooking burgers. Even while I am typing this my mouth is watering for a Wendy’s double with cheese!

This reveals the power is bringing the biblical story into the 21st century. Now consider the following narrative from the Gospel of Mark:

12The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. 15On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written:
" 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" 18The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19When evening came, they went out of the city.
20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" 22"Have[d] faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

In this passage Jesus approached a tree and a temple. Both appeared to be places of nourishment; one physical, one spiritual. He found both to be fraudulent. Everything about the tree, from a distance said, “Figs here!” Everything about the Temple and the activities surrounding it, from a distance said, “God here!” But upon close investigation, both were fraudulent. Both angered the Lord.

Can you see the connection of this story to the football analogy? Can you see how telling the story of the fraudulent football game, which caused you to feel anger and injustice (and even smell cooking burgers), can be used as a creative and imaginative lead in to the story in Mark 11?

The implication for the modern audience is simply this: Those who are truly Christians will not only look the part, but will exemplify the power reserved for those who live in faith. They will be powerful examples of sacrifice and prominent producers of spiritual fruit. In other words, they will not be fraudulent.

So, here’s the takeaway. I contend that any person from any culture, whether young or old, male or female, modern or post-modern; can easily relate to this approach to biblical narrative. Why? Because they can feel it in their hearts, minds, and spirits. I trust you can see the value of this approach.