Between Two Worlds

1. Preaching is Indispensable and Glorious

Preaching is indispensable to Christianity.

Divine initiative. Christianity, at its core, is a religion of God's Word, revealed through prophets, supremely in Jesus Christ (the "Word made flesh"), and continuously by the Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian communication necessitates human speech; we are called to proclaim what God has spoken. This emphasis is unique to Christianity, setting Christian preachers apart as heralds of good news, not merely expositors of ancient traditions.

Historical consensus. Throughout nearly twenty centuries, the Church has consistently affirmed the primacy and power of preaching. From Jesus and his apostles, through early church fathers like Chrysostom, medieval friars, and Reformers such as Luther and Calvin, to Puritans like Richard Baxter and evangelicals like John Wesley and George Whitefield, the conviction has remained strong. Even 19th-century figures like Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Carlyle, and 20th-century theologians like Karl Barth and Martyn Lloyd-Jones, echoed this belief.

Unwavering conviction. This long and broad tradition, spanning diverse ecclesiastical backgrounds, demonstrates an impressive unanimity regarding preaching's vital role. While exceptions of neglect exist, they are seen as deviations from the norm. This historical perspective inspires confidence, reminding us that preaching is not an outdated practice but a glorious heritage, central to the church's mission and growth.

2. Preaching Confronts Modern Challenges with Conviction

The contemporary situation makes preaching more difficult; it does not make it any less necessary.

Modern objections. Preaching today faces significant challenges, including an anti-authority mood, the cybernetics revolution (especially television), and a widespread loss of confidence in the gospel. Many view the pulpit as an archaic symbol of authority, while others are conditioned by media to be passive and uncritical listeners. This leads to a "paralysis at both ends," with preachers hesitant to speak and congregations unwilling or unable to listen.

Christian response. We must not abandon preaching but respond with integrity.

• Anti-authority: Recognize that true freedom exists under benevolent authority. Preaching declares God's revelation, not human opinion, with authority rooted in God's Word, not the preacher. Sermons must be relevant and dialogical, anticipating and addressing listeners' questions.
• Media saturation: While television can foster laziness and insensitivity, preaching remains unique. It is a sacred encounter where God's people gather in His presence to hear His Word from His minister, a dynamic interaction no other medium can replicate.
• Loss of confidence: A recovery of conviction in the gospel's truth, relevance, and power is essential. This requires distinguishing genuine assurance from presumption, engaging with difficult theological questions, supporting Christian scholars, and persistently praying for the Holy Spirit's enlightenment.

Renewed morale. Despite the difficulties, there are signs of a turning tide, a "widespread and apparently deepening hunger for religious answers." The church must reclaim its "stance of authority" and boldly proclaim its unchanging message, recognizing that the challenges make preaching harder, but never less vital.

3. Theological Foundations are Paramount for Authentic Preaching

If our theology is right, then we have all the basic insights we need into what we ought to be doing, and all the incentives we need to induce us to do it faithfully.

God's nature. Preaching is rooted in a profound conviction about God:

• God is light: He is open, not secretive, desiring to reveal Himself. Preachers speak because God wants to be known.
• God has acted: He has revealed Himself through historical deeds of creation and, supremely, redemption in Christ.
• God has spoken: He has interpreted His actions through prophets and apostles, committing His Word to writing. This divine speech makes our speech necessary.

Scripture's authority. Our doctrine of God leads directly to our doctrine of Scripture:

• God's Word written: The Bible is divinely inspired yet humanly authored, a reliable record of God's definitive deed and word in Christ, accessible to all ages.
• God still speaks: Through what He has spoken, the Holy Spirit makes the ancient Word a living, contemporary message. The Bible is "God preaching."
• God's Word is powerful: It is active, sharper than any sword, breaking hearts, illuminating paths, and accomplishing God's purpose for salvation.

Church and pastorate. The church is God's creation by His Word, dependent on it for life, growth, and direction. Pastors are called to be shepherds and teachers, with the primary duty of feeding the flock through the ministry of the Word. This foundational theology provides the indispensable insights and incentives for conscientious, biblical preaching.

4. Preaching as Bridge Building: Connecting Word to World

A true sermon bridges the gulf between the biblical and the modern worlds, and must be equally earthed in both.

The cultural chasm. Preaching is not merely exposition but communication, requiring us to bridge the deep cultural divide between the biblical world and the modern world. Many perceive Christianity as an ancient, irrelevant religion. Preachers must demonstrate Christ's contemporary relevance, refusing to sacrifice truth for relevance or vice-versa.

Biblical precedent. God Himself set the example for bridge-building through incarnation and inspiration. He entered human culture in Christ and spoke through human words in specific contexts. Preachers must similarly immerse themselves in both ancient and modern worlds to discern God's message for today.

• Conservatives: Often biblical but not contemporary, failing to "earth" their sermons in modern realities.
• Liberals: Often contemporary but not biblical, discarding core truths in their quest for relevance.
• The ideal: Combine both concerns, faithfully conserving revelation while meaningfully relating it to the real world.

Christ our contemporary. Preachers must boldly address the major themes of human life—purpose, guilt, love, suffering, hope—showing how Christ fulfills every human aspiration. He is the answer to ultimate questions, the source of true wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. This involves:

• Preaching Christ as the fulfillment of human need.
• Applying gospel ethics to personal, churchly, domestic, social, and political spheres.
• Engaging with controversial issues by expounding biblical principles and fostering a "Christian mind" for thoughtful decision-making.

5. Diligent Study of Both Scripture and Culture is Essential

He who has ceased to learn has ceased to teach.

Lifelong learning. Effective preaching demands that we remain lifelong students, thoroughly familiar with both the biblical text and the contemporary world. This dual study prevents isolation and enables sensitive, accurate communication of God's Word to the human situation. As Billy Graham noted, he would study three times as much if he could restart his ministry.

Bible study characteristics:

• Comprehensive: Read the entire Bible annually, grasping its grand themes and unity. Avoid sporadic or selective reading.
• Open-minded: Engage in a "hermeneutical circle," allowing the text to challenge and correct our cultural biases. Be willing to hear what we don't expect.
• Expectant: Approach Scripture with humble prayer for the Holy Spirit's illumination, confident that God still speaks through His Word.

Understanding the modern world: This involves more than just books; it requires active engagement:

• People: Listen to diverse individuals—their lives, jobs, problems, and spiritual journeys. Humble listening is crucial for relevant preaching.
• Media: Read newspapers, watch television, see films and plays to understand contemporary society and its underlying philosophies. This is not compromise but a means to confront the age with God's Word.
• Reading and Resource Groups: Collaborate with others to discuss books, films, and current issues, developing a Christian response and fostering a "Christian mind."

Habits of study. Discipline is key. Even busy pastors can commit to:

• One hour daily for reading.
• One four-hour period weekly for deeper study.
• One "quiet day" monthly for reflection and planning.
• An annual week for concentrated study.
  This consistent effort, supported by delegation and a clear understanding of priorities, ensures a fresh, faithful, and relevant preaching ministry.

6. Crafting the Sermon with Purpose and Precision

I think that every sermon should have like a telescope but one object in the field.

Conscientious preparation. Habitually unprepared preaching is "unpardonable presumption." Effective sermons are born from diligent study, not improvisation, combining precision of language with immediacy of delivery. This involves a structured process:

Six stages of sermon preparation:

1. Choose Your Text: Guided by liturgical seasons, external events, pastoral needs, and personal conviction (where God has spoken to you). Planning sermon series helps cover major doctrines and biblical books systematically.
2. Meditate on It: Prayerfully probe the text to discern its original meaning and contemporary message. This deep engagement allows the text to "yield up its treasures" and speak to the preacher first.
3. Isolate the Dominant Thought: Every text has one main theme. Express this as a clear, concise proposition, ensuring the sermon conveys a single, powerful message that listeners can grasp and remember.
4. Arrange Your Material: Subordinate all content to the dominant thought.
   • Structure: Develop a natural, clear outline that emerges from the text, avoiding artificiality or excessive complexity.
   • Words: Use simple, clear, vivid, and honest language. Avoid jargon, verbosity, and exaggeration to ensure the message is understood and impactful.
   • Illustrations: Employ biblical parables, anecdotes, and metaphors to illuminate abstract truths, making them concrete and memorable. Illustrations should be like "windows" letting in light, not "pretty drawing-room lamps" drawing attention to themselves.
5. Add the Introduction and Conclusion: Prepare the body first. The introduction should arouse interest and lead into the theme. The conclusion should recapitulate, apply the message personally, and call for a specific response or decision, aiming to "storm the citadel of the will."
6. Write Down and Pray Over Your Message: Write the sermon out for clarity and precision, then reduce it to notes for delivery. Crucially, pray over the message until it becomes a burning fire within, an "authentic utterance of the heart," ensuring it is delivered with spiritual power.

7. The Preacher's Character: Sincerity and Earnestness

Preaching is the communication of truth by man to men. It has in it two essential elements, truth and personality.

Sincerity: Meaning and living. Preaching is not merely a performance; it is the outflow of a life. Sincerity means the preacher genuinely believes what he says in the pulpit and consistently practices it outside. An unconverted preacher is a grotesque anomaly, and a life contradicting the message undermines credibility.

• Integrity: Preachers must be models of Christian character, admitting their human frailty while demonstrating God's grace at work. This "authenticity" attracts, as seen in figures like Billy Graham, who are perceived as genuinely believing their message.
• Cost of conviction: Sincerity often involves suffering for one's beliefs, as Paul's afflictions served as his credentials. This willingness to endure opposition lends powerful weight to the message.

Earnestness: Feeling what we say. Beyond sincerity, earnestness is deep feeling, indispensable for a powerful preacher. It stems from caring deeply about:

• God's glory: Indignation at idolatry, jealousy for God's honor.
• Christ's glory: Weeping over those who reject the cross.
• People's lostness: A profound sense of urgency in the face of eternal destinies, leading to tears over impenitent sinners, as seen in Jesus, Paul, Whitefield, and Moody.

Mind and heart. Effective preaching reconciles reason and emotion, exposition and exhortation. It is "theology on fire," where profound biblical truth is delivered with passion and urgency. This blend, empowered by the Holy Spirit, ensures the message penetrates through the head to the heart, demanding decision and transformation.

8. Courage to Disturb, Compassion to Comfort

The true function of a preacher is to disturb the comfortable and to comfort the disturbed.

Fearless proclamation. Courage is an indispensable requisite for any true ministry. Preachers must not be "men-pleasers" or "time-servers," but faithfully declare "the whole counsel of God," even truths that are unpopular or uncomfortable. This tradition of courageous witness, from Old Testament prophets like Elijah and Jeremiah to Jesus and the apostles, often led to opposition and suffering.

Confronting false prophecy. True prophets and preachers refuse to "speak smooth things" or "prophesy illusions," unlike false prophets who "heal the wound of God's people lightly." They must expose sin and announce judgment, even when it means standing alone against popular opinion or other religious leaders. This commitment to truth, even at the cost of popularity, is a hallmark of integrity.

Balancing disturbance and comfort. While some need to be disturbed from complacency, others desperately need comfort. The preacher must be both a "son of thunder" (Boanerges) and a "son of consolation" (Barnabas).

• Disturbing truths: Preach God's wrath, judgment, hell, the cost of discipleship, and the demands of Christ's Lordship. This includes applying biblical standards to contemporary ethical issues like marriage, sexuality, and social justice.
• Comforting truths: Offer God's love, grace, mercy, and the rest found in Christ. This requires sensitivity to the burdens, temptations, and despair of the congregation.
  The goal is to break hard hearts and heal broken ones, ensuring that the gospel's full message is delivered with both conviction and tenderness.

9. Humility and Dependence on the Holy Spirit

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

The preacher's peril. The pulpit is a perilous place, prone to fostering pride—the chief occupational hazard of preachers. Whether blatant exhibitionism or subtle self-glory, pride diminishes the power of ministry. To combat this, preachers need a profound, Trinitarian humility.

Three aspects of humility:

1. Humility to submit to the Word of God: A "lowliness of mind" that acknowledges God's infinite being and wisdom. Humble preachers avoid adding to or subtracting from Scripture, resisting the temptation to invent new doctrines or excise old ones to suit personal preferences or popular trends. They are stewards, faithfully dispensing God's truths.
2. Humility of motive: The glory of Christ: The true aim of preaching is to unveil Christ in all His adequacy, not to seek personal praise. Like John the Baptist, the preacher must decrease so Christ may increase. The ideal is "visible invisibility," like an orchestra conductor who lets the music (God's Word) flow, facilitating an encounter between God and His people.
3. Humility of dependence: The power of the Holy Spirit: Recognizing human weakness (spiritual blindness, deafness, deadness) and the formidable forces arrayed against us. It is "ridiculous in the extreme" to think human preaching alone can rescue people. Therefore, preachers must rely entirely on the Holy Spirit's power to open eyes, move wills, and bring life. Paul's "power through weakness" (2 Cor. 12:7-10) is a universal principle: God deliberately permits human weakness so that His transcendent power may operate and be displayed.

Spirit-filled preaching. Our sermons will never catch fire unless the Holy Spirit burns in our own hearts. This blend of truth and passion, light and fire, comes from allowing the Spirit freedom in preparation and delivery. It is only when we are weak that we are strong, for then Christ's power rests upon us, making our preaching effective for His glory.

Last updated: December 2, 2025