Anatomy of Preaching Part 1

 Typically, homileticians and those learning from them see preaching as a science or a mysterious code that must be cracked in order to communicate clearly what their people need to hear. “How can we preach in a way that is clear, concise, and contemporary?” is the question they ask in their alliterating minds. This isn’t necessarily the wrong question to ask, but is asked wrongly.

The majority of pastors, Sunday School teachers, and others who do any teaching from the Bible, are asking questions without first questioning where they are coming from. Consequently, most of the questions are beginning with the audience rather than the gospel. This leads to an imbalanced and ineffective sermon. We will soon get to that imbalanced part, but they are ineffective simply because they do not tap into the power source that is the gospel. There is no gospel transformation if you remove the gospel; what you create in people is self-transformation or deadly religion.

The solution to this problem is obvious from the New Testament sermons recorded in Acts. But, since we are dealing with very scientific and programmatic preachers and laypersons I think it might help to lay out a simple, and admittedly oversimplified, outline for sermon preparation that leads to gospel proclamation.

Now would be the perfect time to criticize and tear apart the old forms and practices of preaching, but I will leave that for someone else on another day. My purpose here is to try to be proactive instead of retroactive.

1. The Message

Preparing a sermon must firstly begin with an affirmation of the message that is to be preached. As Christian preachers we make our only message the gospel. Without the gospel we do not have Christian preaching but some sort of pyschological pep-talk with no real power to change lives.

The gospel is the message we preach. In my understanding of Scripture and its unity and theology I am forever convinced that the gospel is in every text of the Bible. With that assumption I believe and practice that in every sermon the gospel must be present. If you are preaching Obadiah or Leviticus 15 or 1 Corinthians 11, we must preach the gospel. This is the message that has brought, is bringing, and will bring us into the Kingdom of God. Why preach anything else?

When we leave the gospel behind in favor of personal, applicational talks we make the Bible into something it is not. The Bible is not primarily instruction; it is news. It is a message about Jesus and what he has done for us. The common misconception among American evangelicals is that we come to the Bible asking the question, “What am I supposed to do?” instead of asking the Father, “Please make me like him.” Speaking about topics like marriage, self-image, parenting, and taking a stand for what is right, without the gospel only supports this erroneous presupposition. We must preach the gospel!

I do understand that sometimes the desire to preach towards certain topics and issues, like the ones listed above, comes from pure motives. But this does not remove the damaging effects of depriving the hungry from the food of the gospel. If you want your people to change and you want God to move in your community preach the gospel.

When preparing your sermon begin with the message, which is the gospel. When you open to your text to begin your study ask yourself, “Where is the gospel?” and I promise you will be blessed.

2. The Response

The message you preach will require a response. The response is either ‘yes’ or ‘no’; it is either, “I believe” or, “That’s not for me.” Too many times when the gospel is preached pastors do not confront the consequences for both responses. We must talk about them in our sermons and display the glorious riches that are ours in Christ and the waiting condemnation given to those who do not believe.

This part of your sermon will be probably be the shortest, but the most crucial. The absence of this section will allow two things, 1) easy believism and 2) unbelievers will not be warned of the coming judgment.

3. The Exhortation

This part of a sermon could be called “application” or may even include “illustrations” but I prefer to call it exhortation because the word encompasses all that you are trying to do in your sermons: to call people to the gospel. The solution is the same for the sinner and the saint and we as preachers are called to proclaim the truth that will set them free from bondage.

This time for exhortation will also satisfy your desire to be relevant and simple. It also answers the question, “What am I supposed to do?” Your exhortation will always include a call to repentance and a call to faith. Again, these are for both the sinner and the saint. Your exhortation can also include timely illustrations and specific applications as long as they are anchored in and saturated by the gospel.

I believe that this simple outline for preaching will enable preachers to preach the gospel more frequently and with more power. That will lead to a people who are transformed by the gospel and compelled to proclaim that same gospel to their neighbors, community, and world.