Gospel-Gripped Preaching

The greatest fear for the majority of people is that of public speaking—and that counts for young ministers as well. While the heart may be on fire to preach God’s Word, once it’s settled that there will be a time and place to actually preach that Word, a lot of different emotions come to the fore.  I want to share with you some brief thoughts on how to approach this momentous preaching event!

1. Pray!  (Colossians 4:2-4)
2. Prepare! (Ezra 7:10)
3. Process!  Give the sermon that God gave you time to process in your mind (Mark 6:30-34)
4. Don’t apologize about this being your first time (Romans 1:16-17). 
5. Remember your ultimate audience is Christ, and that the congregation is ultimately secondary (Colossians 1:24-29). 
6. Don’t work to impress your listeners (see #5).
7. Seek wise counsel about your sermon.  There is nothing unspiritual about getting advice on how something sounds and if that something is doctrinally true and makes sense (Proverbs 15:22).
8. Be who God made you to be.  We already have a John MacArthur and every other preacher on the scene.  God called you with the personality and the gifts he bestowed on you (1 Corinthians 15:10). 
9. Know that not everyone will respond well, even to the most faithful of sermons (Acts 19:21-41).
10. Sleep well when it’s done (Isaiah 55:10-11).

“… not for shameful gain, but eagerly …” (1 Peter 5:2).

In the States, ministers are thought of about as well as lawyers and car salesmen—that is, not very well. Because of the numerous scandals of so many prominent televangelists, the thought is that the majority of ministers exist because they want to take people’s money to line their pockets. And some do this.

I heard the other day about a man who claimed to be a man of God who was approached by a woman who was dying and asked him to pray for her. He said he would—for TT$60,000. And she paid it!! And she was not the only one. When she recovered, he was going to tell her husband about the healing—but she begged him not to because of the amount of money. So we agreed not to say anything—but only if she paid him more money!

Now, is this to say that ministers shouldn’t be paid? Not at all! In 1 Timothy 5, we read that pastors and shepherds are worthy of double honor or double pay—in other words, those who labor in preaching and teaching the gospel are ones who deserve their wages (1 Timothy 5:18).

The problem is when this becomes the motive. While it is the responsibility of the local church to provide a proper living for their minister so he is free to study, minister, and spend adequate time ministering to his family—the minister can slide into the notion that he by his gifts, talents, influence—and even in his faithfulness that has brought growth.

But once it comes out that your motivation was not people but profit; not the souls of your flock but the size of your bank account—this will leave such a sour taste in so many people’s mouths and develop a distrust of all ministers!

One must say that this is not simply from rich charlatans but also to poor ministers who find themselves discouraged because they are struggling financially. The wear and tear of fulfilling the calling of pastor, spouse, and working an extra job can develop a resentment toward God for calling him to this and toward a church that may or may not be able to pay.

In Acts 18:3, we see that Paul was a tentmaker by trade, doing this so that no accusation of being a charlatan could be levelled against him or those with him. This was Paul’s choice in the matter and it may well be ours, too. But Paul also said that those who labor at preaching and teaching are “worthy of double honor!”

The point is that the eagerness comes from the call and from the Christ that gives the call! And this calling also comes to the church to make that call joyous. Remember in Hebrews 13:17 that in the midst of obeying the leaders who have authority over you and have to give an account for you, to “let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Dear churches, do you realize that your pastors are a gift of God to you? Ephesians 4:11-12 says that “he gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers, to equip you for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” Pastors, beware of taking that gift and thinking that it’s all because of you—it’s because of the God who out of his mercy and grace gave it to you. Churches, know that God provided someone to teach you, to equip you, to speak to you the truth in love, to help you grow to maturity, and to bring us together in unity!

On Saturday, January 22, 2012, I preached an installation service in Point Fortin, Trinidad at the Warden Road Worship Centre (a.k.a., the Mt. Beulah Evangelical Baptist Church) which installed Pastor Roddie Taylor as bishop. Roddie explains this installation, especially to those who are curious how this may fit in our Baptist world!

In our culture, if you are overseeing more than one church and have been involved in planting other churches, you are considered to be a bishop. However, we also believe that a bishop, pastor, overseer, shepherd, leader, etc., are all one and the same. Difference of administration, same spirit.

I was asked to preach this service in mid-December and I count it as one of the signal humbling honors of my life and ministry. I wanted to share with you in three parts (it’s a sermon that took about an hour to preach–as they expect in Trinidad). May God use this to bless!

What a joy it is to be here on this very special day! For one, this is my friend’s birthday—the 17th anniversary of his 39th birthday! But as you can tell, this day has more significance that an earthly birthday—as we have seen. This is a testimony to God demonstrating His faithfulness to a home and family, to a church such as Mt. Beulah, and to a community and country such as Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago! He has also done much in the United States by ministering in Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas, as well as other countries like Venezuela and this year the country of Mexico.

When I think of Roddie, the passage from 2 Timothy 2:1-2 comes to mind:

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Paul had given Timothy the task of guarding the good deposit entrusted to you! That deposit is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. Roddie is one who desires to see Christ lifted up in his Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Not his name, Christ’s name.

Not long ago, I heard of a coach who was walking across a university campus and he saw a turtle upon a fencepost. A turtle. Upon a fencepost! Whatever else a turtle can do, climbing is very low on that list! So he asked someone else who was walking by, “How did that turtle get up there?” “I don’t know, Coach—but one thing is for sure, he didn’t get up there by himself.”

Roddie, I saw this in all love and respect—you know that you are that turtle right now upon that fencepost, right? By that, I mean that you recognize you did not get here by yourself. God brought you here by placing men in your life past and present. I think of 1 Corinthians 4:7 which says, “What do you have that you did not receive?” Again, all of this is a testimony to what God has given to you in Christ!

I have known Roddie Taylor since 1996 when we first met at a joint concert in San Fernando, I believe, held at Pastor Sonny Richardson’s church when we sat together. I was only 24 at the time, but I thought to myself as I left, “That man knows how to enjoy himself!” When I was pastor at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church in Kentucky, missionaries Garey and Polly Scott connected me with a man who was a pastor in Point Fortin—the same Roddie Taylor. God allowed four teams from Boone’s Creek to come to do VBSes, crusades, evangelistic doorknocking, construction on this building. And in all this, I now understand what fuels his good time: his God, his family, his church, his calling, his friends—so many good gifts that God has put around him.

This evening however is not simply a testimonial or a tribute to this man of God, but more importantly to the God who made the man! It’s not simply about this man called by God, it’s about the God who called the man into His service. It is with this in mind that I ask you to take a copy of God’s Word and turn to 1 Peter 5 and we shall read verses 1-5.

1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Peter is writing to the church, with 2-4 being to the elders, that is, the leaders of the church—then in 5-11 he is writing to the church members at large. Notice where Peter is coming from.

He addresses himself in verse 1 as a ‘fellow elder.’ He knows what the leaders are going through. Dear ministers, don’t you sometimes enjoy getting together with other ministers to talk about ministry? There are things about ministry that no one else understands besides other ministers.

But he mentions that he is a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. He was there when Christ was crucified—even though he tried to correct Jesus when Jesus told him he could be killed. Christ humbled him quickly. He was also humbled soon after at the Mount of Transfiguration when he got a glimpse of his glory. You see, Christ put Peter in a position of authority, but he had to be humbled in order for him to serve rightly. All of us need to go through that to put the good times in perspective!

With all this in mind, he makes the case to shepherd the flock of God, exercising oversight!
So many pastors see themselves as CEOs over an empire rather than seeing themselves as shepherds of a flock. They want to manipulate! They simply see them as a herd to be driven rather than a shepherd who leads by being among them. Church members either put them on a pedestal or pulverize them with their selfishness.
We must see that the sheep are under attack—so we need faithful shepherds now more than ever before (Ezekiel 34).

First, shepherds must do so willingly, not begrudgingly.

J.I. Packer in his book Your Father Loves You (sadly, it’s out of print), writes about a spiritual disease that in Medieval times they called accidie. It’s not a physical disease, but a spiritual one—an apathy of the soul.

It is something that threatens all Christian workers after the first flush of enthusiasm has worn off. It’s a form of sloth but not at the physical level. It is apathy of the soul. It shows in a certain toughness of mind and wariness of spirit which often results from hurt and disillusionment.

People with accidie in this sense have grown cynical about ideals, enthusiasms, and strong hopes. They look pityingly at young people and say, “They’ll learn,” taking it for granted that when they’ve learned, they’ll become tough inside too. Once upon a time these leather-souled people were keen, hopeful, and expectant. But nothing happened, or they got hurt, and now they protect themselves against pain by adopting cynical, world-weary attitudes.

If these people are ministers of churches, they work mechanically, merely going through the motions because their light has really gone out and they’re no longer expecting anything exciting to happen. They feel that they know from experience that exciting things don’t happen, and that’s an end of it. So they merely plod on, expecting nothing and receiving nothing.

But the Lord does not send us out on his work in order that nothing may happen. His word is intended to have impact; it’s sent out to accomplish something. We ought never to settle for a non-expectant, defeated attitude. Rather we should be asking and expecting great things from God.

While all ministers go through this, Roddie Taylor is a testimony to God at how he persevered in this willingly, not begrudgingly. Spurgeon told some young students who sensed a calling into the ministry, “If you can see yourself doing anything else, then do it! If you cannot see yourself doing anything else, then that may be a sign of God’s call. Because there are few things that are worse than a minister who is not called!

There is the story of a minister who went to a church, but did so not wanting to go—he felt that God wanted him there, but he didn’t want to go. And everytime he would speak to the church, it would never be “our church,” but “your church.” It showed and everyone reacted poorly. He left angry, bitter, and vengeful.

Can God use unwilling men? Yes, he used Jonah who preached a sermon that was not very uplifting: “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). Now God used that, didn’t he? Yes—His purposes will be accomplished but how miserable will the minister be and for those who are around him any amount of time.

(Next, Part II: Shepherd the Flock of God Eagerly, Not Greedily

I am so appreciative of Kevin DeYoung’s ministry along with his writings (his is one of about three or four that I read everyday along with Paul Tautges’, Tim Challies’, and Trevin Wax’s). Please take time to read this short but encouraging blog on preaching like you mean it.

The instrumentality by which the spiritual reforms of the eighteenth century carried on their operations, was of the simplest description. It was neither more nor less than the old apostolic weapon of preaching. The sword which the apostle Paul wielded with such mighty effect, when he assaulted the strongholds of heathenism eighteen hundred years ago—was the same sword by which they won their victories.

They preached everywhere. If the pulpit of a parish church was open to them, they gladly availed themselves of it. If it could not be obtained, they were equally ready to preach in a barn. No place came amiss to them. In the field or by the roadside, on the village-green or in the market-place, in the lanes or in alleys, in cellars or in garrets, on a tub or on a table, on a bench or on a horse-block, wherever hearers could be gathered, the spiritual reformers of the eighteenth century were ready to speak to them about their souls.

They preached simply. They rightly concluded that the very first thing to be aimed at in a sermon—was to be understood. They strove to come down to the level of the people, and to speak what the poor could understand. To attain this they were not ashamed to crucify their style, and to sacrifice their reputations for learning. They carried out the maxim of Augustine, "A wooden key is not so beautiful as a golden one, but if it can open the door when the golden one cannot, it is far more useful."

They preached fervently and directly. They cast aside that dull, cold, heavy, lifeless mode of delivery, which had long made sermons a very proverb for dullness. They proclaimed the words of faith—with faith, and the story of life—with life. They spoke with fiery zeal, like men who were thoroughly persuaded that what they said was true, and that it was of the utmost importance to your eternal interest to hear it. They threw heart and soul and feeling into their sermons, and sent their hearers home convinced, at any rate, that the preacher was sincere and wished them well. They believed that you must speak from the heart—if you wish it speak to the heart, and that there must be unmistakable faith and conviction within the pulpit—if there is to be faith and conviction among the pews.

But what was the substance and subject-matter of the preaching which produced such wonderful effect in the eighteenth century? I will not insult my reader’s common sense, by only saying that it was ‘simple, earnest, fervent, real, genial, brave, life-like,’ and so forth; I would have it understood that it was eminently doctrinal, dogmatic, and distinct.

For one thing, then, the spiritual reformers of the eighteenth century taught constantly the sufficiency and supremacy of Holy Scripture. The Bible, whole and unmutilated, was their sole rule of faith and practice. They accepted all its statements without question or dispute. They knew nothing of any part of Scripture being uninspired. They never flinched from asserting that there can be no error in the Word of God; and that when we cannot understand or reconcile some part of its contents, the fault is in the interpreter and not in the text. In all their preaching they were eminently men of one book. To that book they were content to pin their faith, and by it to stand or fall.

Furthermore, the reformers of the eighteenth century taught constantly the total corruption of human nature. They knew nothing of the modern notion that Christ is in every man, and that all possess something good within, which they have only to stir up and use in order to be saved. They never flattered men and women in this fashion. They told them plainly that they were spiritually dead, and must be made alive again; that they were guilty, lost, helpless, hopeless, and in imminent danger of eternal ruin. Strange and paradoxical as it may seem to some, their first step towards making men good—was to show them that they were utterly bad; and their primary argument in persuading men to do something for their souls—was to convince them that they could do nothing at all.

Furthermore, the reformers of the eighteenth century taught constantly that Christ’s death upon the cross was the only satisfaction for man’s sins; and that, when Christ died, He died as our substitute, ‘The just for the unjust.’ This, in fact, was the cardinal point in almost all their sermons. They loved Christ’s person; they rejoiced in Christ’s promises; they urged men to walk after Christ’s example. But the one subject, above all others, concerning Christ, which they delighted to dwell on, was the atoning blood which Christ shed for us on the cross.

Furthermore, the reformers of the eighteenth century taught constantly the great doctrine of justification by faith. They told men that faith was the one thing needful in order to obtain a saving interest in Christ’s work for their souls. Justification, by virtue of church membership; justification, without believing or trusting—were notions to which they gave no countenance. "Everything, if you will believe, and the moment you believe; nothing, if you do not believe," was the very marrow of their preaching.

Furthermore, the reformers of the eighteenth century taught constantly the universal necessity of heart conversion and a new creation by the Holy Spirit. They proclaimed everywhere to the crowds they addressed, ‘You must be born again.’ "Sonship to God—by baptism; sonship to God—while we do the will of the devil" —such sonship they never admitted.

Furthermore, the reformers of the eighteenth century taught constantly the inseparable connection between true faith and personal holiness. A true Christian, they maintained, must always be known by his fruits. "No fruits—no grace," was the unvarying tenor of their preaching.

Finally, the reformers of the eighteenth century taught constantly, as doctrines both equally true, God’s eternal hatred against sin—and God’s love towards sinners. Both about HEAVEN and about HELL they used the utmost plainness of speech. They never shrank from declaring, in plainest terms—the certainty of God’s judgment and of wrath to come, if men persisted in impenitence and unbelief. And yet, they never ceased to magnify the riches of God’s kindness and compassion, and to entreat all sinners to repent and turn to God before it was too late.

Such were the main truths which the English evangelists of those times were constantly preaching.

Joe McKeever is a pastor in New Orleans—but I bet you know him better for his illustrations (the drawing kind of illustrations) that you see in many Christian publications.  He has written many helpful articles on pastoral ministry, of which he has decades of experience.  I came across this article, written on September 25, 2011, called “A Veteran Minister’s Regrets (About His Sermons).”  What a great read.  Here’s an excerpt:

I’m a veteran.

A veteran minister. I received the call to preach in April of 1961, which means we have recently passed the half-century mark for that anniversary. I began pastoring in November of 1962, and was ordained on December 2. I served 6 churches as pastor for 39 years and one as a staff minister for 3. Does this qualify me as a veteran?

"Veteran," at least to me, is a better term than what originally came to mind: "old."

I’m not nearly through preaching, although, best as I can tell, I’ve pastored my last church. And that’s just fine. I do not miss the day-to-day grind of the pastoral ministry at all. If I never attend another deacons meeting, never preside over a monthly church business meeting, and never sit in on a finance committee meeting, it will suit me just fine. The preaching part, I love.

So, as the Lord wills and host pastors continue to issue invitations, I’ll keep preaching wherever He sends me.

The other thing we retired veterans do–in addition to trying to stay active and useful–is to look back and rethink what we did. We reflect on what we wish we had done. Not, hopefully, in a morbid sense. No one wants to do an autopsy on himself, to second-guess every decision he ever made. To do so would fill today with all of yesterday’s pains.

But there is value to thinking of the ministry behind. And wondering what we could have done better.

For the purposes of this article, let’s not make this a Joe-confessional. Let’s raise the question and confine ourselves to: what sermonsmost of us veterans wish we had done differently "way back when."

For what it’s worth, this is the list on my mind today. As always, it’s fine to disagree. But it’s never all right to be unChristlike in the way we disagree.

Read the rest of it here.