Tuesday Teaching Tips, Episode 190: "How to preach for a change"

“Preaching… Is a transaction between the preacher and the listener. It does something for the soul of man, for the whole of the person, the entire man; it deals with him in a vital and radical manner.”

“It is not the mere imparting of knowledge, there is something much bigger. The total person is engaged on both sides; and if we fail to realise this our preaching will be a failure.”

“The philosopher's lecture room is a surgery. When you go away you ought to have felt not pleasure but pain, for when you come in something is wrong with you. One man has put his shoulder out, another has an abscess, another a headache. Am I, the surgeon, then to sit down and give you a string of fine sentences that you may praise me and then go away - the man with a dislocated arm, the man with the abscess, the man with the headache - just as you came?"

"Our goal should be to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles, and truths of the Bible. In short, the goal is change... wanting people to do something different instead of just thinking about it." “How would you communicate this message if your eighteen-year-old son had made up his mind to walk away from everything you have taught him, morally, ethically, and theologically, unless he had a compelling reason not to? What would you say this morning if you knew that was at stake? Because for somebody’s son out there this may be his last chance. Now quit worrying about your outline. Go out there and plead your case like your own son’s future was at stake.”

“Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”” (Matthew 15:12 NIV11)“When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.” (Luke 13:17 NIV11)

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” (Matthew 7:28–29 NIV11)

1. Make it personal. Speak from the heart, not from the page. Harry Fosdick said that preaching was, “Drenching the congregation in one’s life’s blood”. He also said, "Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat”, but that’s a point for another day!  Don’t speak like someone detached from the topic, the passage or the congregation. Speak as one who has been affected by the Scriptures, and whose life has been changed.  This presupposes our hearts have been changed. Part of the purpose of sermon preparation is to find what we, the speaker, must repent of.  Preparing well in advance gives the Spirit time to work on our own hearts, and create the opportunity for us to grow.
2. Ask questions. You don’t have to read far in the Gospels to hear Jesus asking questions. Questions of his disciples, questions of the crowd, questions of individuals, questions of his opponents. There are so many examples that I won’t list them here, but if you would like to read a good book about how Jesus used questions I can recommend “Jesus asked what he wanted to know” by Conrad Gempf - my old lecturer at London School of Theology.  On page 144 of his book he writes, “Jesus asks lots of questions. But he doesn’t ask primarily because he wants to acquire knowledge, nor does he ask to help people realise they already have the knowledge. He asks to help people realise where they stand; he asks questions in order to give an occasion for a reply, in order to initiate a conversation.”  How are your questions in your sermon, whether they are rhetorical or meant to stimulate actual discussion during the lesson?  Plan your questions well. Some need to be aimed primarily at stimulating thinking, and some need to be aimed primarily at causing surprise or even offence. Balance and blend as necessary.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)