PREACHING TO CHANGE LIVES

Alex Montoya Professor of Preaching, The Masters Seminary

INTRODUCTION 1. The Need for Passion "We need a return to heart preaching. Perhaps some would use other terminology. Perhaps you would prefer the term sincerity. Or maybe you like the word earnestness. Whatever you choose to call it, we desperately need it." (p. 149) Jerry Vines, A Guide to Effective Sermon Delivery. "This element of pathos and of emotion is, to me, a very vital one. It is what has been so seriously lacking in the present century, and perhaps especially among reformed people. We tend to lose our balance and to become over-intellectual, indeed almost to despise the element of feeling and emotion. We are such learned men, we have such a great grasp of the truth, that we tend to despise feeling. The common herd, we feel, are emotional and sentimental, but they have no understanding." (p. 93) Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers. "One of the great perils that face preachers of the reformed faith is the problem of a hyper-intellectualism, that is, the constant danger of lapsing into a purely cerebral form of proclamation, which falls exclusively upon the intellect. Men become obsessed with doctrine and end up as brain oriented preachers....the problem is universal." (p. 368) Geoffery Thomas, "Powerful Preaching," The Preacher and Preaching, edited by Samuel Logan. 2. The Essence of Preaching Passion is the power, the drive, the energy, the life in the delivery of the sermon. Without passion the sermon becomes a lecture, an address, a moral speech. "The chief requisite to an energetic style is an energetic nature. There must be vigorous thinking, earnest if not passionate feeling, and the determined purpose to accomplish some object. or the man's style will have no true, exalted energy. It is in this sense emphatically true that an orator is born, not made. Without these qualities one may give valuable instruction; without them one might preach what silly admirers call 'beautiful' sermons; but if a man has not force of character, a passionate soul, he will never be really eloquent. There are, however, timid and sensitive men who, when practice has given them confidence and occasion calls out their powers, exhibit far more of this masterful nature than they had ever imagined themselves to possess." (p. 252 -253) John Broadus, On The Preparation and Delivery of Sermons. "We must regard the people as the wood and the sacrifice, well wetted a second and a third time by the care of the week, upon which, like the prophet, we must pray down the fire from heaven. A dull minister creates a dull audience. You cannot expect the officebearers and members of the church to travel by steam if their own chosen pastor still drives the old broad-wheeled wagon. (p. 306-307) C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students.

"I would say that a 'dull preacher' is a contradiction in terms; if he is dull he is not a preacher. He may stand on a pulpit and talk, but he is certainly no a preacher. With the grand theme and message of the Bible dullness is impossible. This is the most interesting, the most thrilling, the most absorbing subject in the universe; and the idea that this can be presented in a dull manner make some seriously doubt whether the men who are guilty of this dullness have ever really understood the doctrine they claim to believe, and which they advocate. We often betray ourselves by our manner." (p.87) "What is preaching? Logic on fire! Eloquent reason! Are these contradictions? Of course they are not. Reason concerning this truth ought to be mighty eloquent, as you see it in the case of the Apostle Paul and others. It is theology on fire. And a theology which does not take fire, I maintain, if a defective theology; or at least the man's understanding if it is defective. Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire. A true understanding and experience of the truth must lead to this. I say again that a man who can speak about these things dispassionately has no right whatsoever to be in a pulpit; and should never be allowed to enter one." (p.92) Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers. "The sermon is no essay to read for optional opinion, for the people casually to consider. It is confrontation with Almighty God. It is to be delivered with a burning passion, in the authority of the Holy Spirit." (p. 53) "you cannot read the New Testament without sensing that the preachers were electrified by the power of the gospel and swept off their feet by the wonder of the great revelation which had been committed to their trust. There is something wrong if a man charged with the greatest news in the world can be listless and frigid and dull. Who is going to believe that the glad tidings brought by the preacher means literally more than anything else on earth if they are presented with no verve or fire or attack, and if the man himself is apathetic, uninspired, afflicted with spiritual coma in unsaying by his attitude what he says in words." (p. 54) W.A. Criswell, Criswell's Guidebook for Pastors How may we develop this passion? What do we need to do to have that fire burning hot in our hearts. The following information is designed to help the preacher develop and maintain his passion in preaching.

I.

PREACH WITH SPIRITUAL POWER Passion originates in the heart of man and in the heart of God. Like the prophets of old we must be touched with the coals from the altar in heaven. ( cp. Isa. 6:7; Jer. 1:9). A. CONTRITION OF SOUL

B.

CONFESSION OF SIN

C.

COMMUNION WITH GOD 1. Meditation

2.

Prayer

3.

Fasting

4.

Worship

D.

COMMISSION OF THE SPIRIT 1. Personal

2.

Ecclesiastical

E.

CONSOLATIONS OF THE SAINTS 1. 2. Intercessions Interactions

I.

PREACH WITH CONVICTION Men hold opinions, but convictions hold the man. Convictions are spiritual instincts which drive

us to action regardless of the circumstances. Paul tried to instill passion in Timothy by saying to him: "Preach the Word" (II Tim. 4:2). Preachers convinced of the Bible as God's Word and committed to preach that Word will never lack passion. The Word of God alone is a fountain of inspiration (Ps. 19:7-13, 119:1 ff.); it is powerful (Heb. 4:12-13); it is sufficient (II Tim. 3:16-17); and it is effective (Isa. 55:11). A. Major on Major Bible Themes 1. The main thesis in the text

2.

The jugular texts

3.

The orthodox doctrines

B.

Minor on Minor Themes 1. Historical backgrounds

2.

Traditions

3.

Extra-biblical themes

4.

Unsettle disputes

5.

Unprofitable controversies

C.

Meditate on the Text 1. An exegetical understanding

2.

An expositional understanding

3.

An experiential understanding

I.

PREACH WITH COMPASSION Preaching is not merely an exercise in speech or oratory. It is a soul pleading to another soul, "be reconciled to God" (II Cor.5:20). It is the burden for others which creates passion. Lloyd-Jones gives this quote and this observation: " 'To love to preach is one thing, to love those to whom we preach quite another.' The trouble with some of us is that we love preaching, but we are not always careful to make sure that we love the people to whom we are actually preaching. If we lack this element of compassion for the people you will also lack the pathos which is a very vital element in all true preaching." (p.92) A. Common Fixations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Preach to please the audience Preach to perform as an actor Preach to promote our learning Preach to print or publish Preach to protect our "kingdoms" Preach to pass the time

B.

The Goal of Preaching Preaching is people-oriented. People are our business, our only business. Consider what Spurgeon writes about Whitefield, "Hear how Whitefield preached, and never dare to be lethargic again. Winter says of him that sometimes he exceedingly wept, and was frequently so overcome, that for a few seconds you would suspect he never would recover; and when he did, nature required some little time to compose herself. I hardly ever knew him go through a sermon without weeping more or less. His voice was often interrupted by his affections.'" (p. 307) Whitefield would say, "You blame me for weeping; but how can I help it, when

you will not weep for yourselves; although your own immortal souls are on the verge of destruction, and, for aught I know, you are hearing your last sermon, and may never more have an opportunity to have Christ offered to you?" (Spurgeon, Lectures, p. 307) 1. Convert the sinner

2.

Correct the ignorant

3.

Reprove the wayward

4.

Heal the broken

5.

Teach the simple

6.

Inspire the weary

7.

Protect the helpless

C.

Gaining Compassion To preach to the human heart one has to understand it. Preachers ignorant of people are as hunters ignorant of their game. Here's how to gain compassion. 1. Study your own heart

2.

Live among the people

3.

Observe people

4.

Listen to the heart cry

5.

Read about people

I.

PREACH WITH AUTHORITY A. What It Does Not Mean 1. Authoritarian (cp. I Pet. 5:1 ff)

2.

Egocentric

3.

Haughtiness

4.

Lording it over

5.

Close-minded

B.

What it means 1. Speak as a believer

2.

Speak as an ambassador (II Cor. 5:18-20)

"The preacher should never be apologetic, he should never give the impression that he is speaking by their leave as it were; he should not be tentatively putting forward certain suggestions and ideas. That is not to be his attitude at all. He is a man, who is there to declare certain things; he is a man under commission and under authority. He is an ambassador, and he should be aware of his authority. He should always know that he comes to the congregation as a sent messenger." (Lloyd-Jones, pg. 83)

3.

Speak as a scholar (cp. Acts 18:24-28)

4.

Speak as a saint

5.

Speak as a skillful artist

I.

PREACH WITH URGENCY Passion is sanctified madness. Preaching with passion is preaching with a deep sense of urgency. Urgent preaching is always passionate. A. Preach with Judgement in Mind (cp. Gen 19:1 ff) 1. 2. The near judgement of sin The final judgement of hell "It is an observation of pious Mr. Baxter (which I have read somewhere in his works), that he has never known any considerable success from the brightest and noblest talents, nor from the most excellent kind of preaching, nor even when the preachers themselves have been truly religious, if they have not had a solicitous concern for the success of their ministrations. Let the awful and important thought of souls being saved by our preaching, or left to perish and to be condemned to hell through our negligence...dwell ever upon our spirits." Spurgeon, Lectures, p. 308-309 "You are not simply imparting information, you are dealing with souls, you are dealing with pilgrims on the way to eternity, you are dealing with matters not only of life and death in this world, but with eternal destiny. Nothing can be so terribly urgent." Lloyd-Jones, p. 91

B.

Preach Towards a Verdict (cp. Acts 26:24-29; I Cor 9:19-27) "The preacher who learns to preach from his heart will move men to action. Our purpose is not merely to present a Bible message for the purpose of information or display. We preach in order to bring men to decision. Our decision is to change behavior for the better, to bring men to obedience to God, and to lead them to accept the challenge of a Christ-centered life. Heart preaching will help us accomplish those goals. When Cicero spoke to the people it was said, How well Cicero speaks. But when Demosthenes spoke the people said: Let us march against Carthage. Vines, A Guide, p. 152 "Surely the whole object of this act is to persuade people. The preacher does not just say things with the attitude of 'take it or leave it.' He desires to persuade them of the truth of his message; he wants them to see it; he is trying to do something to them, to influence them." Lloyd-Jones, p. 91-92

C.

Preach for The Uniqueness of the Moment "I preach as never sure to preach again And as a dying man to dying men. -Richard Baxter Moody and the Chicago fire

D.

Preach under Divine Sovereignty (cp. Acts 18;9-11) Election, predestination and divine sovereignty need not excuse us from the urgency of preaching. Spurgeon, Whitefield and other 'Calvinistic' preachers are models in this urgency and show that election and urgent proclamation are not incompatible.

I.

PREACH WITH BROKENNESS God does not mightily use a preacher until he has made him human, until he becomes like his master, "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." "When our hearts are broken, we learn how to preach to others who have broken hearts. Preaching is to break hard hearts and heal broken hearts. That is most effectively done when the preacher has been through his own valley." Vines, p.155 A. Examples of Broken Preachers

B.

Effects of Brokenness 1. realism: idealism with mud on its face

2.

compassion

3.

faith

4.

humility

5.

righteous indignation

6.

holy boldness

7.

sobriety

I.

PREACH WITH THE WHOLE BEING Passionate preaching puts the whole of self into preaching. After he has loaded the cannon for firing, he rams himself into the barrel and fires away. Vines says, "the preacher not only delivers his sermon; he also delivers himself," and "in one sense of the word we might say that sermon delivery is no so much the art of the preacher's delivering the sermon as it is of the preacher's delivering himself" (p. 151-2). Or as a black preacher said, "you haven't preached until you've developed a holy sweat." Hence, we need to preach with: A. Passion in the Heart

B.

Passion in the Eyes "As important as grooming and movement are to a speaker, eye contact probably ranks as the most effective single means of non-verbal communication at his disposal. Eyes communicate. H.Robinson, Biblical Preaching, p.201

C.

Passion in the Arms

E.

Passion in the Torso

I. II.

PREACH WITH IMAGINATION Passionate preaching is by its nature colorful, imaginative, stirring preaching because it proceeds from the heart, the seat of emotions.

A.

Examples of Imaginative Preaching 1. Biblical examples a. b. c. d. Matthew 3:1-17 Matthew 5-7 Matthew 23:1-39 Luke 15:1-32

2.

Non-biblical examples

B.

Essentials in Imaginative Preaching 1. Freedom from fear Imaginative preaching may be confused with sermons artificially charged with emotion. True emotional preaching creates emotion because the preacher is already truly overcome by the truth he intends to convey.

2.

Seek liberty in preaching Holding oneself to the artificial rules of rhetoric hinders creativity and imagination. Passion has an order of itself. It defies logic. It is a welcomed guest in every human heart.

3.

Learn to rethink imaginatively Scholarship turns our thinking abstract: black and white. Nature and everyday life teams with imagination: the colors of the rainbow. We do not live nor think in the abstract. Think colors, and people will not only understand more fully but will be delighted by the truth they see.

4.

Practice imaginative preaching

As musicians learn scales and artists learn brush strokes to aid them in their creativity, so preachers can arm themselves with ideas, words, poems, phrases, and a host of verbal creations which the heart will use to communicate.

"How shall we describe the doom of an unfaithful minister? And every unearnest minister is unfaithful. I would infinitely prefer to be consigned to Tophet as a murderer of men's bodies than as a destroyer of men's souls; neither do I know of any condition in which a man can perish so fatally, so infinitely, as in that of the man who preaches a gospel which he does not believe, and assumes the office of pastor over a people whose good he does not intensely desire. Let us pray to be found faithful always, and ever. God grant that the Holy Spirit may make and keep us so." C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures, 320