16 April 2016
Some rules you can ignore
There is a strange ‘rule’ that every sermon should begin with a joke. It’s important to engage the hearers right at the start and catch their interest but insisting that every sermon has to begin with a joke or a funny story is ridiculous.
Another unwritten rule is that every sermon should have three points and they should be alliterative. Some preachers almost always preach a three-point sermon and the three points have to contain the same initial letters. Here’s an example of the kind of headings I’m talking about.
Remember that Alliteration is Fruitful.
Recognise that Audiences are Forgetful.
Realise that Artificiality is Forgiveable.
I don’t really think this kind of heading helps the hearers to remember what has been taught and it gives the impression of the preacher trying to be too clever. There is great value in headings. They guide the hearers (and the preacher) through the message and deliver it in manageable chunks but they should always emerge from the biblical passage in a natural way.
It’s not wrong to use alliteration but don’t let it rule you. If you have two alliterative headings that emerge naturally don’t spoil things by straining to find a third and ending up with something unnatural that will jar on the listeners. It’s often better to use words that ‘chime’ with each other, having the same or a similar ending, or the same number of syllables. A good way to develop this kind of language is to read poetry and get its rhythms into your mind. An alternative is to emphasise by repetition rather than alliteration.
The Terry's Chocolate Orange approach
There are preachers who seem able to ‘tap’ a bible passage and break it open in manageable ‘slices’. In this way they direct attention to the natural divisions within the text rather than imposing an artificial division on the material. Success in dividing a passage in this way comes from reading it over and over, looking at different translations, asking questions of it – letting it speak to you, rather than imposing your own ideas on it and making it say what you think it should say. As my old college principal once put it: ‘Wonderful things in the bible I see; some put there by you, some put there by me!’
A writer and preacher who was a master of the ‘chocolate orange’ approach was the late John Stott. Here is an example which is worth analysing and emulating. It’s from his excellent devotional book Through the Bible through the Year, Lion Hudson, 2006, page 277.
The Great Commission according to Luke
This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24:46–47
Today we reflect on Luke’s version of the Great Commission. In it the risen Lord summarizes the gospel in five truths, each of which is double.
Firstly, there is the double event, namely the death and resurrection of the Messiah (v. 46). The Good News begins with history. It was an event before it could become an experience.
Secondly, there is the double proclamation. On the basis of the name of Christ crucified and resurrected, forgiveness (the gospel offer) and repentance (the gospel demand) are proclaimed. True, the gospel is a free offer, but what is free is not always cheap. We cannot turn to Christ without simultaneously turning from evil.
Thirdly, there is the double scope. The gospel is to be made known “to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (v. 47). That is, in opening the door of faith to the Gentiles, God did not close it on the Jews. We must firmly reject the extraordinary teaching of a “two-track” gospel, which maintains that there is no need for Jews to believe in Jesus because they already have their own covenant with Abraham. But everybody needs to come to Christ!
Fourthly, there is the double accreditation of the gospel. On the one hand, there is the Old Testament witness to the Messiah (vv. 44, 46), while on the other, “you [the apostles] are witnesses of these things” (v. 48). Thus the death and resurrection of Jesus have in the Old and New Testaments a double attestation.
Fifthly, there is the double mission. The Great Commission involved a double sending (v. 49)—the sending to them of the Holy Spirit and the sending of them into the world. The two missions go together, for the Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit.
Thus the risen Lord has given us a beautifully balanced and comprehensive account of the gospel. We are commissioned to proclaim repentance and forgiveness on the basis of him who died and was raised, to all humankind (Gentiles and Jews), according to the Scriptures (Old and New Testaments), in the power of the Spirit given to us. Let’s keep these things together.
For further reading: Luke 24:44-49
19 February 2016
How long should a sermon be?
Perhaps I’m giving away the fact that I am a preacher. A member of the congregation might phrase the question differently: how short should a sermon be?
There’s a golden rule worth following: that a sermon should feel like twenty minutes. Some gifted speakers are able to speak for an hour and it just feels like twenty minutes. But they are the exception. For most of us, if a sermon is to feel like twenty minutes it should be just that: twenty minutes.
I remember being told not to worry if you see people looking at their watches. The time to worry is when they start shaking them. Don’t leave it that long.
Another piece of advice given me by my mother was that it’s better to leave people wanting more than to leave them wishing there had been less. If they feel they could have stayed longer there’s a good chance they’ll come back for more. If they feel they’ve been kept too long there’s a good chance they won’t come back.
A mistake that’s often made by inexperienced preachers is to reach the end of their sermon and then feel either that they have to go over what they have already said or that they have a license to ramble in order to fill up the time.
Three good rules are:
• Stand up.
• Speak up.
And when you’ve said everything God gave you to say,
• Shut up.
26 January 2016
One of the key texts for Christian development is Colossians 3:16 and it has a particular relevance for preachers. 'Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit…' (2011 NIV). The older translation reads, 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly'. One of the gifts God has given us is the subconscious mind. Even when you're not thinking about something consciously there's a process going on 'behind the scenes'. So, for example, you may have forgotten someone's name but later it comes into your mind. The subconscious has been working on retrieving it from the memory banks.
For this reason it's helpful for us to settle on a passage or text to preach on as early as possible. This lets the subconscious work on it even when we're not thinking about it directly. That way it will 'dwell in you richly'.
19 January 2016
Some texts which throw light on the preacher's calling
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
Nehemiah 8:7–8 The Levites … instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. • They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
Colossians 1:28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
Colossians 2:2–3 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 3:16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.
14 January 2016
An interesting article on integrating preaching with services of worship. www.dancogan.com/home/my-journey-away-from-contemporary-worship-music
A good article on preaching. www.psephizo.com/preaching-2/what-makes-a-good-sermon/
And here's some information about a relatively new Study Bible which I like the look of. You can download a quite substantial pdf sample. nivzondervanstudybible.com/
12 January 2016
I would always recommend reading the Bible text as much as you can in preparation, including different translations. You don't have to go out and buy them these days. There are many freely available on the internet. The best place to start is Biblegateway.com.
Here's the link to the Anglicised NIV.
www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-UK-NIVUK-Bible/
You can either enter a keyword, passage or topic in the search box at the top of the page or go straight to a Bible book by clicking 'Bible Book List' just underneath it. Then, for example, if you click 'Psalm' it reveals a list of chapters and you select the one you want. If you want to compare a different translation you can either scroll via the box at the top of the page or the box under the heading 'Psalm #'.
There is a site which lets you compare multiple translations at the same time. www.biblestudytools.com/parallel-bible/
If you haven't already got one, I do recommend buying a Study Bible. There are a lot out there but again you can pick one up free on the internet. I use the Lexham Study Bible which is free on Faithlife. faithlifebible.com/
It's also available as an app for iOS via the App store or for Android via Google Play.
One of my maxims is that 'an ounce of encouragement is of more value than a ton of criticism'.
Here's another one: 'a reference is not a text'. By that I mean that the words '2 Timothy 3:16' (a reference) do not convey what God is saying through his word, whereas 'All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness' (the text) does! One of the features of Billy Graham's preaching was the words, 'The Bible says…', after which he would quote from the Bible. For example, he wouldn't say, 'The Bible says, Romans 3:23'. He would say, 'The Bible says, All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God'. The most powerful weapon we have in our preaching arsenal is the word of God itself. Don't lock it away by using just a reference instead.