On Preaching
An excerpt from an upcoming work
Does anyone read sermons anymore? It used to be a common thing, men reading sermons. Modern men barely listen to sermons, let alone read them.
The preacher might be tempted to a good bit of cynicism when it comes to these things. Is anyone listening? Am I speaking into the void? In part, this volume is a response to this very thing. The charge of speaking into the void must be answered. It is no small matter that a man stands up in the Assembly of the Saints of God, and that he speaks to them on behalf of God.
Not only are men listening, but they are being changed by the Word to whom they listen. The preaching of a sermon is an unveiling of the text of Scripture. In conceptual terms, the Preacher’s job in the sermon is very simple. First, he must open the text. Second, he must read the text. Third, and finally, he must explain the text. When the Preacher has run out of things to say in explanation of the text, he may safely move on to the next portion of the text.
The concept of the sermon is no mystery. The true mystery of the sermon lies in the effect that the Holy Spirit makes with it in the hearts and minds of the hearers. It is beyond doubt that the Holy Spirit changes men and women by the hearing of these words. Indeed we read in the prophet Isaiah,
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)
It is the Lord who determines the effect to which a sermon shall work in the congregation. The usefulness of the sermon is determined by the foreknowledge of the Father, and the artistry of the Holy Spirit. If a preacher desires to see men changed by his preaching, he is best served by attending himself to prayer. Study is an invaluable discipline, but apart from prayer it seems to me that no sermon is truly complete.