The more I preach, the more I witness confirmation that the Spirit must supernaturally illuminate the Word of God in the hearts of people in spite of my feeble attempt to explain and apply it. I don’t think there’s a formula or process that can guarantee this, other than actually preaching from the Scriptures.
I’ve recently been asked what I value in a sermon. The more I thought about it, I figured I should put these values down on paper if only for the purposes of accountability. So, upon reflection, here are 6 values I hope are reflected in my preaching. It is my goal that my sermons would be:
1) Expositional– An expositional sermon is one in which the main idea of a text of Scripture is the primary point of the sermon, and ideally the sermon would show the congregation how (here’s a nice summary by Mike Bullmore on expositional preaching). This is where all the original language, grammar, history, genre awareness, and literary analysis pay off in studying a passage.
2) Informed by Biblical Theology– The sermon’s content and main idea should be nuanced in light of the whole of the Scriptures. It’s easy to become so focused on the passage in question that the forest of Scripture is lost. In this I want to be aware of NT/OT connections, as well as the way certain themes are developed in the whole of the canon.
3) Saturated with Pastoral Exhortations– Local Church pastors are commended to "reprove, rebuke, and exhort" the flock with "great patience and careful instruction" (2 Tim. 4:1-5). One will benefit from listening to the likes of John MacArthur. Just realize that as a local church pastor he is preaching a specific message to his congregation. A sermon should be infused with examples of how the passage should be believed, applied, and/or obeyed. Shepherds are called to pastor the flock through the pulpit ministry of the church. As a sheep you want to come to worship with this expectation. You should expect your toes will be stepped on and should be grateful for such correction (see Proverbs 9:8).
4) Clarity– The sermon should be easily understandable while not being simplistic. This applies especially to the main idea and related sub points. If Spirit-filled saints don’t understand the main point, I’ve missed something. The more clear one is the deeper they can take their congregation into the bottomless well of riches that are the sacred Scriptures.
5) Aimed at the Religious Affections– The sermon should target the heart, not merely the intellect, seeking to foster greater love for God, hunger for God, and worship of God. A sermon isn’t merely a lecture. Now do not misunderstand me here. The mind is the gateway to the heart, but merely teaching a text isn’t the end goal. No one is better than Jonathan Edwards on this point: “And the impressing of divine things on the hearts and affections of men, is evidently one great end for which God has ordained, that his word delivered in the Holy Scriptures, should be opened, applied, and set home upon men, in preaching.”
Good preaching will lead to doxology. Your heart should be regularly stirred to wonder, love, and praise as the Revelation of Christ is revealed through the preaching of God's Word.
6) Empowered by the Holy Spirit– No matter how the sermon is structured, no matter how creative the presentation, if the Spirit of God does not work in the hearts of those who hear, it will not be effective. So what can the preacher do? He must recognize his absolute dependence on God for any good to come of the sermon. He must humbly ask for the Holy Spirit’s power to draw people to Christ through the sermon, and that each listener’s ears, eyes, and heart will be opened to understand, trust, and obey God’s Word. Preachers must come in the demonstration of the Spirit in order to have power in their preaching (1 Cor. 2:4).
When J.I. Packer was a 22-year-old student he heard Lloyd-Jones preach each Sunday evening during the school year of 1948–1949. He said that he had “never heard such preaching.” It came to him “with the force of electric shock, bringing to at least one of his listeners more of a sense of God than any other man” he had known (see note 5).
As I think about these values, I realize that different preachers can check these boxes with very different styles/personalities. That’s part of the beauty of God’s design for preaching. As the years pass by, I hope to become a better preacher in these 6 areas."
Article written by Pastor Ryan Boys. Edited by Pastor Caleb Kolstad.
