Why So Many Churches Hear So Little of the Bible

“It is well and good for the preacher to base his sermon on the Bible, but he better get to something relevant pretty quickly, or we start mentally to check out.” That stunningly clear sentence reflects one of the most amazing, tragic, and lamentable characteristics of contemporary Christianity: an impatience with the Word of God.

The sentence above comes from Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today in an essay entitled, “Yawning at the Word.” In just a few hundred words, he captures the tragedy of a church increasingly impatient with and resistant to the reading and preaching of the Bible. We may wince when we read him relate his recent experiences, but we also recognize the ring of truth.   Continue at Al Mohler

7 Tips for My Younger Preacher Self

One of my fellow elders teaches at a local seminary. He sometimes invites me to speak to his students from a pastor's perspective about sermon preparation, preaching, and church ministry. During a recent lecture, one of the students asked me, "If you could go back and give advice to yourself as a beginning preacher, what would you say?"

I've been preaching now for more than 15 years. I don't know if that's enough time to make me a Jedi Knight preacher who's fit to train newbies. But it does feel long enough to think of what advice I would give to myself if I could go back in time.

Here are seven suggestions for new preachers based on self-reflection, as well as from observing new preachers over the past decade and a half.

1. Preach the Word

This first word of advice should go without saying, which probably means we need to say it a lot: preach the Word. Commit at the outset of your ministry to expository preaching. What is expository preaching? It's when the preacher makes the point of the text to be the point of his sermon, which is then applied to the congregation.    Continue at Jeramie Rinne

Evaluating Sermons

I was once a member of a church whose senior pastor had retired. A search committee was appointed to do what was necessary to find a suitable successor. The task seemed daunting since the retiring pastor was a gifted preacher under whose ministry people of widely diverse nationality and social backgrounds had been incorporated into the life of a growing church. When asked what it was that drew them to this church, the answer almost always focused on the biblical expository, Christ-centered preaching. The search committee was determined to find a pastor who would continue the pulpit tradition that had so nourished and expanded the ministry of this congregation. That proved to be more difficult than any of us expected.

We discovered that the membership was quite capable of evaluating invited applicants in terms of personality, sensitivity for pastoral concerns, and communication skills. The last of these seemed to be of greatest importance to them. Applicants who were clear and skillful communicators and had captivating preaching styles enjoyed broad appeal regardless of their approach to the Scriptures or the substance of their messages. Since the content of the sermon was a primary issue with the search committee, it became necessary to instruct the congregation regarding the biblical substance which we have come to expect from our pulpit. I was asked to provide some general guidelines to sensitize the congregation as to what it was that the search committee was so eager to identify when evaluating the sermons of applicants for our senior pastor position.

Evaluating Sermon Content

There are three general categories into which sermons fall among preachers who take a text from the Bible as the starting point for their sermons. Many preachers don't even make a pretense of beginning with Scripture or they may have a Scripture reading that really has little or nothing to do with the topic about which they intend to provide advice or encouragement. Their sermons are a form of "group counseling" as Harry Emerson Fosdick once described his sermonizing. We are not addressing that form of preaching. We are rather attempting to distinguish approaches to the preaching task that are taken by those who are serious about the Bible and its message. They are committed to the authority of the Scriptures but approach the task of preaching from the Bible differently. When a congregation is searching for a pastor, the membership should be aware of these differences, at least in general, so that intelligent, prayerful choices can be made.    Continue at Derke Bergsma

The Biblical and Systematic Theology of Jonathan Edwards

Every week Jeff Waddington, Dave Filson and I come together to record an episode of “East of Eden,” in which we discuss the biblical and systematic theology of Jonathan Edwards. We come together to give consideration of one of Edwards’ sermons or discourses–specifically as it relates to the history, structure and theology of that particular work. We also invite to the program various theologians and scholars who have contributed to Edwards’ studies. You can find the first ten episodes below:

• God’s Grand Design - In this episode of East of Eden, Dr. Sean Michael Lucas discusses his helpful new volume on the theological vision of Jonathan Edwards. In God’s Grand Design: The Theological Vision … Read more→

• The Pure in Heart Blessed - In 1730 Jonathan Edward preached a sermon on Matthew 5:8 in which he gave consideration to the redemptive blessing which God bestows upon the pure in heart, namely, an all … Read more→

• The Character of Paul an Example to Christians - In February 1740, at the heat of the first Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards preached The Character of Paul an Example to Christians. In this sermon on Philippians 3:11 Edwards unpacked Paul’s … Read more→     Continue at Nicholas T. Batzig

7 Things a Pastor's Kid Needs from a Father

Pastors, your position is a demanding one, and those demands bring unique struggles on your family. A pastor's wife bears a great burden, but she usually enters into the ministry willingly. A pastor's children, though, are carried on the current of their parents' calling. It is often a life of singular struggle and uncommon needs. These struggles often stem from the failures of the father. This isn't to cast full blame on pastors for their children's problems. But it is to say that pastors need to work to be good dads.

My own father has worked hard at this. He had his blind spots and weaknesses, and they have been a source of tension between him and me. But to this day, in his 33rd and last year of pastoral ministry, he has never stopped trying to be a better father. As I wrote this I thought of his failures, yes, but I also thought of successes. Lots of them. I also thought of dozens of conversations with fellow PKs about such struggles and their own relationships with their fathers. So know that my writing does not stem from bitterness of heart or some jaded desire to expose a good man's faults. I love my dad. My desire is to see struggles avoided or defeated for other pastors and PKs.

So here are seven of the most significant ways a pastor can be a good father to his children. Pastors, your child needs . . .

1. A dad, not a pastor

Yes, you are called to pastor your family, but PKs want a dad---someone who plays with them, protects them, makes them laugh, loves their mom, gives hugs, pays attention, teaches them how to build a budget and change the oil and field a ground ball. We want committed love and warmth. We want a dad who's not a workaholic.   Continue at Barnabas Piper

Ways to Profit From an Expository Sermon

From a preacher's perspective, it's our happy task before God to craft and deliver a sermon that's worth listening to, attending to, learning from, and retaining. Any regular reader of this blog probably attends a church whose pastor takes this as a solemn, joyous, exhilarating, devastating, God-given duty.

On that assumption, then, how can you gain the most value from the sermon?

I'll tailor my remarks specifically to profiting from an expository sermon in a book-study series. Some of these suggestions will apply to any Biblical sermon, but I have in mind a series that progresses through a book of the Bible.

1. Pray in advance. Pray for your preacher, because sermon preparation is both a science and a spiritual exercise. It's his part to "consider," but he needs the Lord to "give understanding" (2 Tim. 2:7). Pray for yourself, because you need the work of the Spirit to open your eyes to your riches in Christ (Eph. 1:16-19). Pray for others who come, including unbelievers, that the Lord might open their hearts to respond to the truths of God which your pastor will preach (Acts 16:14).
2. Read the passage in advance, asking yourself questions, or imaging the questions you might be asked. Priming the pump is a terrific way to learn the most. It's always both humbling and a blessing to have read a passage, and then to see it anew when a brother brings out valid insights that had never occurred to us.   Continue at Dan Phillips

God’s Method for Church Growth

Ask the average Christian why he or she goes to church. It is not for the dynamic praise band, or the convenient parking, or the programs, or whether or not they have a coffee stand, or because the pastor wears the latest fashions, or preaches from his iPad or possesses great leadership skills. Non-Christians may care about those things. The Christian, however, wants to hear the Word of God preached by a man who knows the God of whom he speaks. Who has been in communion with God in prayer and the study of His Word and now comes out to speak to the people. To be fed the Word of God through solid exposition. To worship the Lord with fellow believers singing songs, and hymns, and spiritual songs, encouraging one another and enjoy fellowship with one another.

 

What does the average Christian find on Sunday morning? Usually, cool music, hip clothes, a dizzying array of programs. A lot of songs, a lot of announcements and finally a 30 minute sermonette or devotional. Some personal stories, anecdotes, some jokes, and movie illustrations. And leaves, without being fed and without being nourished. Learning no more than could have been learned at home with a cursory study of the text. Leaving, neither edified, challenged, or convicted. The disgruntled churchgoer is then of course blamed for his or her lack of prayer for the pastor, coming to church for the wrong reasons and for being too critical. And while I am certain that may often be the case, that is only a part of the story.

If you were to look around at the evangelical landscape today you would see a lot of activity. 

You would see churches being planted, growth strategies strategized. Issues such as social justice or politics or how to engage the culture or how to redeem the culture (whatever that means)  are emphasized. Everything centers on man and his felt needs rather than God and His glory as seen through His inerrant Word. All of this creates  impoverished spiritual lives.  Continue at Eric T. Young

Are Your Sermons Too Long?

Here’s a bit of wisdom from the Prince of Preachers on sermon length:

Brethren, weigh your sermons. Do not retail them by the yard, but deal them out by the pound. Set no store by the quantity of words which you utter, but strive to be esteemed for the quality of your matter. It is foolish to be lavish in words and niggardly in truth. -C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, p. 71

 

There is no intrinsic value in an overlong sermon. Nor is there anything to boast about that a congregation has become conditioned to endure them. What constitutes a long sermon is a relative term anyway, isn’t it? In any case, a long-winded preacher is just as capable of wispy words as a short-winded one. 

Likewise, a short sermon is just as capable of filling a room with hot air as is a long one. Twenty minutes of gospel power would do far more for a congregation than forty minutes of gospel lite. Likewise, forty minutes of Biblical exhortation would hold the attention of God’s people far more than twenty minutes of pointless patter.  Continue at Denny Burk

Application in Sermons

With the growing rediscovery of expository, Christ-centered preaching, many believers—and pastors—are falling in love with the Bible again. It’s not a handbook of “how-to” principles. Jesus is a Savior, not a life coach or personal therapist. 

I’ll be the last person to take issue with these sentiments! Yet still, faithful believers will often ask, “So, um, ahem, does the Bible have anything to say also about raising my kids, having a good marriage, and being a good neighbor?” 

At this point, it’s easy to take one of two ways out. The first is simply to say that the Bible isn’t about these things. Sure, there are a few verses here and there in Proverbs and the Epistles, but that’s not the point. The second easy way out—far more common in evangelical circles—is to say, “That’s what the application part of the sermon is for!”

I’d like to suggest another way of looking at the question.

1. Application as Law

First, it’s helpful to identify what sort of “animal” we’re talking about. Stated in technical categories, the question is, “What’s the third use of the law and how do we preach it?” “Gospel” is “good news”: specifically, the announcement of what God has done to save us from the guilt, tyranny, and eventually the very presence of sin through Christ’s life, death and resurrection. “Law” is anything that God commands. It reaveals God’s righteous and holy will. In its first use, the law exposes our guilt, leaves us without any hope in ourselves, and drives us to Christ. In its third use, the law is our guide. Having “quenched Mount Sinai’s flame,” as John Newton’s other famous hymn has it, the gospel frees us to cherish the law as the loving will of our Father rather than fear it as the basis for the Judge’s sentence.Continue at Michael Horton

On Doing Ordinary Things

It has come as kind of a shock to me, now that I am a pastor and preaching on a regular basis, that the vast majority of the sermons I preach will be rather ordinary. I will study hard and pray hard and work hard, I’ll get started early in the week and give it a couple of days to germinate and give it another look-through early on Sunday morning, and at the end of it all I will have a rather ordinary sermon. Not a bad one, but an ordinary one. It certainly won’t be the sermon I had envisioned when I first sat down with my Bible and a cup of hot coffee on Monday morning. In my mind I’ve got these visions of greatness; before me on the pulpit I’ve got this reality of ordinariness.

Last week a friend asked me how my sermon had gone and I said, “Somewhere between being receiving a standing ovation and being pelted with dead cats.” That seems to about capture it, because honestly, I don’t know. It’s not like the people were weeping and throwing themselves to the ground in sorrow and repentance, and it’s not like they all just got up and left. Their response was as ordinary as my sermon—some people expressed gratitude, a couple of people offered correctives or improvements, and the majority said nothing while showing nothing out-of-the-ordinary.  Continue at Tim Challies

Other Blog posts by Tim Challies:

Satan's Great Desire

How to Build Unity in Your Church

Healthy Sexuality

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Evangelicalism’s Got Talent, Part Two

In my last post, I mentioned that there are two issues that that cause me to think that evangelicalism is being duped when it comes to how we evaluate effective ministries and preaching. I discussed the first of those two in my most recent post: we make wrong assumptions about what it means to be a “gifted” preacher. 

In this post, I want to address how those faulty assumptions about giftedness lead to an errant view of expository preaching. 

Assumptions about Bible “Exposition”

This may step on a few toes, but I might as well say it plainly right up front: I just don’t think a number of the most widely-known preachers today are truly doing Bible exposition, even though they define their preaching by those terms.  Referring again to the panel discussion video I watched, all the men on the panel are considered expositors, yet only a few of them, in my view, are both surrendered to the text and preach its full intent and implications.

For a sermon to be classified as “expository,” it must derive its central message exclusively from the biblical author’s intended message.  The sermon’s principles, therefore, must rise naturally from the structure and force of the text in light of the surrounding context.  D.A. Carson’s explanation is important:  Keep Reading >>>

Free Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermons

The Martyn Lloyd-Jones Recording Trust have recently made the messages that Dr. Lloyd-Jones preached at the Hawethorne Bible Church in 1963 available for free download. Here is their summary of the history of these messages:

Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached these at the Summer Bible Conference held at Hawthorne Gospel Church, New Jersey, USA, in 1963; the week before he attended the meetings of the Sixth General Committee of the IFES. Starting with 2 clear sermons on what it means to be a Christian and why Christians continue to preach from the Bible; the series continues with important messages on assurance, evangelism and prayer. May God bless you greatly as you listen to these sermons.

Among these sermons is his well-known message on Ephesians 2:1-10, “But God…” You can find all the messages here, or you can download them below:

MLJ.5771 … What it Means to be a Christian (1 Peter 1:8)

MLJ.5772 … Assurance: Concerning the Word of God (1 Pet 1:13-25)

MLJ.5773 … Assurance: To Those Who are Slow to Believe (Luke 24:13-35)

MLJ.5774 … Assurance: To the Uncertain and to the Discouraged (Heb 4:14-16)

MLJ.5775 … Christians: Living Epistles Written by Christ (2 Cor 3:2)

MLJ.5776 … How to Get the Gospel Across (1 Thes 1:5)

MLJ.5777 … But God … (Eph 2:1-10)

MLJ.5778 … Prayer (Acts 4)

Feeding On Christ

Charles Spurgeon on Preaching and the Church

Hear the Gospel; only mind that what you hear is the Gospel. You hear some very smart sermons and very clever sermons and, as a rule, I may say that the cleverer they are, the worse they are! Where you see so much of the man, you will see very little of his Master.—1893, Sermon 2327

If you hear a real Gospel sermon, it directs you to look to Jesus Christ. That teaching which leads you to think of the priest and to think of the church, whatever there may be about them that is good, is not ‘the doctrine of God our Saviour’ (Titus 2:10).—1895, Sermon 2416

If the devil never roars, the Church will never sing! God is not doing much if the devil is not awake and busy. Depend upon it: a working Christ makes a raging devil! When you hear ill reports, cruel speeches, threats, taunts and the like, believe that the Lord is among His people and is working gloriously.—1891, Sermon 2196

If we add to our churches by becoming worldly, by taking in persons who have never been born again; if we add to our churches by accommodating the life of the Christian to the life of the worldling, our increase is worth nothing at all; it is a loss rather than a gain! If we add to our churches by excitement, by making appeals to the passions rather than by explaining the truth of God to the understanding; if we add to our churches otherwise than by the power of the Spirit of God making men new creatures in Christ Jesus, the increase is of no worth whatever! -1892, Sermon 2265          All Sufficient Grace

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8 Tips for Talking to Kids about the Sermon

They sit there next to you and their feet don’t even hit the floor.  You’re thinking, “What, if anything of this guy’s sermon is sinking into my kid’s head?”  And with that little thought you’ve already decided not to engage your child about the sermon.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Let me introduce you to the most important rule when talking to your kids about the sermon: They retain more than you think they do.  The second most important rule is like it: They understand more than you think they do.  

In the interest of these two truths I’m writing this brief guide on how to talk to your kids about a sermon.  I’m writing it both as a preacher and as a parent of four boys under the age of 8.  I’ve failed, succeeded, and failed some more at talking to my kids about Jesus.  Hopefully the tips you find below will help you as they’ve helped me.  

At the heart of the gospel is Jesus introducing us to his loving Father.  In worship we get to make a similar introduction—we get to introduce our kids to Jesus.  Don’t miss that opportunity.

8 Tips for Talking to your Kids about the Sermon

1. Remember the outline.  It doesn’t matter if you keep written notes or not.  Remember the gist of what is being taught.  If your pastor preaches for 40 minutes, then try to make a mental note of what you’ve covered at the 20 minute point.  Don’t be discouraged if you can’t get every point.  Get as many of the big ones as you can. Keep Reading>>>

Why Pastors Should Value Sermon Feedback from their Wife

I don’t think anyone especially enjoys criticism. At least not initially. Pastors are no different. After all, we get our fair share, we don’t want criticism from our wives too.

Or do we?

The pastor’s wife is his closest friend. She knows his weaknesses and his strengths. Therefore, she is uniquely qualified to be the pastor’s greatest proponent as well as his best critic.

Let me get real practical and transparent. Awhile back I preached a sermon that I knew was not my best. I felt a bit disjointed and unclear. It was a homiletical dud. I knew it and so did my wife. She quietly bid her time and then I asked the dreaded question. “How do you think things went today? Was I clear?” She looked back and said, “I had a hard time tracking.” From there she gave me her thoughtful review.

At that point I didn’t want to hear it. I would have rather talked about crafts, jewelry, cloth diapers or Martha Stewart. Anything would have been better than hearing my wife land body-blow after body-blow on my freshly preached sermon.

Why was I so resistent? Because I value her opinion and I want to deliver quality sermons.

But what I missed was that this was precisely the reason why I should be listening to her in the first place! The heart is tricky and pride runs deep.

In light of this, I want to give a few reasons why pastors, particularly preaching pastors, should listen to their wife’s sermon feedback.

1. She Loves You: We forget this sometimes, especially when we are feeling so extra sensitive. The bottom line here preachers, your wife probably has your best interests in mind. She is not out to filet you, she wants you to get better. Because she loves you and wants the best for you, you owe it to her to listen to what she says. Keep Reading>>>

How to Encourage Your Pastor

I have written on many occasions about the level of stress and pressure felt by pastors across our nation. I have specifically expressed serious concerns about some of the critics who constantly berate and demoralize our pastors (here and here).

In this post, let me offer some practical suggestions on ways we can encourage our pastors. The list below is not exhaustive, of course. But it does represent some of the most frequent ideas I have heard from pastors and their families.

Let your pastor know specifically how you learned something from his sermon. Pastors spend dozens of hours each week preparing sermons. They put their head and heart into the preparation of these messages. Many pastors at most, however, hear church members simply say, “Good sermon.” The pastor is left wondering if the message really was used of God to touch and convict the listener. I once preached a message on reconciliation between Christians. I later got a letter from a church member who let me know that she had initiated reconciliation with her estranged father of more than twenty years. That type of specificity is a great encouragement to those who pour their lives into their sermons. Keep Reading>>>

HT: Challies

Churches Looking for a Pastor Should Watch for More Than the Splash

If you are part of a pastoral search committee, chances are, one of your primary goals is to call a pastor who will preach quality, biblical sermons. Churches looking for a pastor almost always list this as a central goal. Yet few of them agree with any precision as to what constitutes a quality sermon.  And where a church is passionate about pursuing something, without agreeing on what that something is, it doesn’t take the wisdom of Solomon to see that a major disagreement is only one or two meetings away.

A search committee evaluating sermons without agreed-upon criteria would be like me being a judge for Olympic diving. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate Olympic diving. While I am not a diving expert, there are few Summer Olympic Games where I have not watched at least a portion of the competition. As a family, we often watch together and cheer on certain divers. My lack of technical expertise doesn’t stop me from enjoying the competition. Keep Reading>>>

Converted by His Own Sermon!

If you have read any history of the church, you should be aware that the Church of England went through an extended period (after their separation from Rome) wherein they had difficulty finding regenerate pastors. Wesley and Whitefield and Spurgeon all rubbed up against this. One such pastor in the Church of England discovered this in a rather unique way. Read and enjoy this tale of our Sovereign Lord saving a man. Read it all HERE

A Plea for Profound Simplicity

For many years we’ve rightly bemoaned the widespread blight of too many shallow sermons. And, of course, that problem remains a problem. However, in many circles, especially perhaps in some Reformed churches, we may be in danger of over-complicating sermons.
By over-complicating sermons I mean:

Too much material: far too much content crammed into far too little space.

Too many words: just because someone can speak 200 words per minute without a breath, does not mean that we can hear and understand at that rate.
 
Too many long words: why use long words when there are perfectly adequate shorter substitutes? And why use any Latin/Greek/Hebrew words? Continue Reading>>>

From Jonathan Edwards’ Sermon “The Christian Pilgrim”