Preaching by John Hansen

MINISTRY

PRE ACHING JOHN

MINISTRY

HANSEN

LEADERSHIP

CURRICULUM

PREFACE This workbook, and this class, are designed to help you learn about Christian preaching and to give you the instruction and tools you need to create excellent sermons and actually preach. You will encounter new words, new concepts for communication, and challenging ideas related to preaching. Some of this work will feel taxing because of its academic nature; some of it will feel exciting because of its practical nature.

Open your mind to both aspects of what this book can give you.

I am writing this book and teaching this class with the intention of taking any person from the ground floor all the way to the tenth floor, in terms of preaching. If you have never preached anything in your life – this book is for you. If you follow the directions I give in this book, you will be equipped to compose a sermon and preach it. If you already have some experience preaching, you may be like one who is getting on the elevator at the fifth floor. Get in the elevator! There is always room for all of us to grow.

In the end, preaching is an art. In these pages, I am presenting a technical approach to preaching that works for me. It will be helpful to you – but as you grow, you will need to adapt what you learn here to suit your wiring. You must discover your own preaching voice – and your own preparation process. It may be that what you learn from this book will create a foundation you can build on. Accept the very directive approach in this book for what it is: a foundational approach that you can modify and build on as needed.

The world needs Christian preachers who understand what preaching is, what it is meant to accomplish, and who can preach well. Take advantage of this opportunity to hone your skills to become that kind of preacher!

For the glory of God, Pastor John Hansen

PREACHING Chapter 1: A THEOLOGY OF PREACHING ���������������������������������������� 5 Chapter 2: FIVE TYPES OF PREACHING ����������������������������������������� 27 Chapter 3: ANATOMY OF A SERMON ����������������������������������������������� 47 Chapter 4: SERMON PREPARATION ������������������������������������������������ 63 Chapter 5: THE GLUE OF A SERMON ���������������������������������������������� 89 Chapter 6: DELIVER IT �������������������������������������������������������������������� 105 Chapter 7: THE PERSON WHO PREACHES ������������������������������������ 121 Chapter 8: INSIGHTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION �������������������������� 133

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A THEOLOGY OF PREACHING

“Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given to me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ” Ephesians 3:8 NIV

PREACHING by John Hansen

WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR ‘PREACHING’?

You probably already have something specific in mind when you hear ‘preaching’ or ‘preacher’.

As a Christian, you have likely spent many hours listening to preachers preach. In this book and class, I will teach you how to preach. But first, it’s important to have an informed theology of preaching. That is, you should understand how preaching is part of the work of God in, through, and for His people. Technically, this is a class on ‘homiletics’ – a fancy word for the art and craft of preaching. Homiletics comes from the Greek word homilos which means ‘crowd or gathering’, and the implication is that preaching is not an independent activity; legends of St. Francis preaching to the flowers aside, it is something that is intended to be done in the context of a gathering or crowd of God’s people – for God’s purposes.

When I think of preaching, the first thing that comes to mind is the face of a guy who’s name I cannot remember. I was at a conference – the annual conference of The Missionary Church, a small denomination I was a part of at the time. I was the associate pastor of a small church in Santa Barbara, in charge of worship and youth. The Lead Pastor left the church, and now I was going to be overseeing weekend services, using guest preachers, and sometimes preaching myself.

I hadn’t done much preaching before, and I was feeling insecure and inadequate. At this annual conference, the business sessions concluded, and in the evening there was a time for worship and the word. And the preacher that night was powerful. For the life of me, I can’t remember a thing about what he said. But he was an amazing communicator. His voice rose and fell with power and authority, his eyes flashed with passion, and his seasoned wisdom came through with total authority. I sat there, listening to the message, and I remember wondering, “Am I ever going to be able to do this like him?”

I can remember the faces of several different preachers I have listened to – but I can’t recall their sermons. I remember their expressions. I remember the tone of their voices, the passion in their eyes, and the physical stance of their bodies – or their gestures. I can remember the way they made me feel. But I cannot remember their sermons or the content of their preaching. But I do know this: every week, these people gave me something from the heart of God that nourished me and gave me something for my soul to live on in that particular season.

The fact that I cannot remember the content of their preaching does not negate its value. I can’t remember what I had for dinner last Thursday night, but I’m still glad I ate it. It met my need and satisfied my hunger! It gave me energy and fullness for that day. Preaching is often like that – food for the souls of God’s people to sustain them along the way of life’s journeys. And like food, there are healthy kinds of preaching and less healthy kinds of preaching. Some preaching is like a five–course meal; some preaching is like a hot dog with lots of ketchup and relish. It’ll do occasionally – but it’s not good for the long haul. Some preaching is nothing but Skittles. Tasty, colorful, sweet – and immediately energizing – but not good at all for the overall health and sustenance it is meant to contribute to. ~6~

CHAPTER 1 — A theology of preaching

MY DEFINITION OF PREACHING Before we get too far down the road of learning about preaching, I want to clarify what ‘preaching’ is. I know you think you know what it is, but I want to be sure you have a grounded, fully thought–out definition. For my own benefit as a preacher, I have thought through what exactly I want to do – and what God wants me to do as I preach. I came to my definition of preaching as a pastor who views preaching as an integral part of the discipleship process. I also bring a desire for the experience of church to be spiritually impactful and at the same time, relevant. These factors shape my understanding and definition of preaching. This is how I define preaching: Preaching, in the context of the Church of Jesus Christ, is: …a person proclaiming the , experience the

, so that people can better understand the , and live with the .

This definition of preaching is one that I have refined through 20 years of preaching, and after preaching more than 1,000 sermons. There are many ways to describe what preaching is – this is my personal definition. There are many different preaching environments and many different forms of preaching. Nevertheless, at the core, it is about proclaiming God’s Word so that people can get a sense of God’s will and have an experience of, or encounter with God’s glory, so that as God’s people – they can live a transformed life by the power of God. God intends for Christian preaching to be a true, authoritatively–based revelation from Him, coming through a person who has made themselves a ready vessel to be used by God as a preacher.

Preaching is something that Jesus spent significant time doing, and He did His preaching in a variety of ways. In Matthew 4:17 it says “From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” This is obviously a summary statement of His preaching – but even in this summary, you can sense that God’s Word, will, glory and power were flowing through Jesus. From my perspective, Jesus modeled preaching that exemplified the four core components of my definition. He is the master preacher, and ultimately, He is the model we want to learn from! To bring clarity to this section on the theology of preaching, I will use the four core aspects of my definition of preaching as a foundational structure. …PROCLAIM THE WORD OF GOD Acts 13:5 NIV – “When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.”

Preaching is a form of communication, and there is an art to it; that’s what this class is about. And in most cases, preaching is the communication of thoughts that have been prepared as a sermon.

A sermon is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “a talk on a religious or moral subject, esp.

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PREACHING by John Hansen

one given by a religious leader during a religious ceremony”. This is a broad definition, and in my view needs to be made more precise. The precision I have in view is related to the core content.

I believe that the core content of a sermon must be the Word of God. The preacher may have personal passions and ideas, opinions on social problems, ideas for self–improvement, thoughts about the possibility of life on other planets or what the world will be like in 50 years, angry feelings about current events, or a myriad of other issues. The preacher could create a sermon – a talk on a religious or moral subject – on any of those topics. It may be an interesting talk, but in my view – if she or he delivers that sermon – it would not be Christian preaching. It would be ranting. Christian preaching must be founded on the Word of God. When the Apostle Paul traveled throughout the Greco–Roman empire, he did not come with a populist rant against Rome. He came and proclaimed the Word of God – as in this example from Acts 16:35: “When they arrived in Salamis, they proclaimed the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues”.

There is personal power in our opinions and passions – but there is divine power in the word of God. The scriptures tell us this: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double– edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Real Christian preaching takes into account the fact that the Bible is not just a book, or even just a ‘supertext’. It is the revelation of the heart and will of God. It is the authoritative source for the spiritual life and practice of the Christian believer and the Church. It is a book – but it contains words that have their origin in the heart of God. The words of scripture come through human vessels who wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit – mostly without knowing so! The words of scripture have a historical context that matters. The words of scripture have a grammatical and linguistic framework that must be evaluated and acknowledged.

The words of scripture have an authorial earthly intent to be discovered. The words of scripture have evidence of editorial and compilation processes that may affect our reading of it. But even through all of these technicalities – the words of scripture are God’s Words and they are alive and active!

The preacher’s task is to take the words of God’s Word and bring out a message through which the life and action of God’s Word can accomplish something. The preacher has to start with an assumption that the Word of God is alive, and that her task is not just to expound on what can just as well be read by anyone else. Rather, the preacher has to understand that because the Bible is alive, there is more to be done in preaching than solely ‘reading the words’. The words of God’s Word must be given prominence and given a place to live. At the core, a preacher has to know that his first priority is to have a passage of scripture at the heart of what he is preaching. He has to have spent time with God’s words – and he has to be ready to see them become active in the heart and mind of whomever he is preaching to. The preacher has to be ready to set out God’s Words in such a way that they can do the spiritual surgery they were made for.

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CHAPTER 1 — A theology of preaching

SEVEN ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF CHRISTIAN PREACHING I firmly believe that Christian preaching should be based on a Biblical passage. The preacher may determine this biblical passage in any number of ways, but there must be a passage of scripture – a text – that she is determined to proclaim. We will call it ‘the text’ – but we don’t mean ‘mere words’. We understand ‘the text’ to be God–breathed – and alive, active, ready to do something powerful. The text is the heart of the preaching. Before anything else, the preacher must take time with a text – and then be ready to bring that text out into the open as food for the soul and nourishment for the spirit of God’s people – or as light for the lost to see the way home. There are seven essential components of what Christian preaching should do with the Word of God – with ‘the text’.

1. Provide

of the text

The fact is that the Bible is an ancient book – and its initial context and language are very different from our current reality. This requires preaching that takes into account the reality of those cultural, contextual, and linguistic elements. Taking these things into account does not mean teaching these things. In fact – it is my view that these things should only be included in preaching if absolutely necessary. But the preacher who has taken the time to study these factors will be better prepared to interpret the ancient text in ways that are relevant, helpful, and insightful. The interpretation of a text of scripture is the act of clarifying any cultural, linguistic, or historical factors that might make the text difficult to understand.

2. Express

of the text

In most cases, a text of scripture will go beyond just one sentence or one thought. There will be multiple thoughts, theological elements, and narrative themes. In addition, there will be an original authorial intent, that is, the original intent of the person who wrote the text. For example, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul is writing to the Corinthians with the intent to correct some of their misuses of spiritual gifts. Good preaching takes these various ideas and purposes of the text and expresses an explanation of the meaning of the text relative to its original context, and relative to the rest of the Bible.

3. Share a discerned

in and through the text

Because the Word of God is alive – because it is active – the preacher should sense the mysterious life in it while preparing and delivering a message. When a preacher spends time with a text, praying through it, studying through it, there is revelation that becomes evident. Sometimes it is a new way of understanding what has been written, and sometimes it is a very personal sense of meaning that has emerged to the preacher from the text. When the preacher shares the revelation they have discerned in or through the text, those who listen get a picture of what is possible for them as well. They get an example of how spending time in the scriptures can be a source of ~9~

PREACHING by John Hansen

spiritual vitality where God can make Himself known in profound ways. Sharing the revelation the preacher has discerned is a way of demonstrating the living nature of the word and just how active the text can be.

4. Give

from the text

Christian preaching, on the whole, is meant to bring people into more of an experience with the glory of God. An experience of the glory of God should ultimately leave a person with hope for the future, and faith for what could be. The Word of God is full of reasons for hope and foundations for faith. Christian preaching should give inspiration to God’s people – right from the text! Christian preaching should provide inspiration for God’s people to believe in God’s faithfulness and love, inspiration for their own life and future, inspiration for their own growing relationship with God, inspiration for living in closer step with the Holy Spirit, inspiration for moving forward in life full of faith! The text is the authority for this inspiration – and it is the preacher’s job to draw out and give away all the inspiration the text can offer. It is true that some texts lend themselves more to this than others (have you read Leviticus lately?!?) – and that may rightly affect which texts the preacher chooses for the work of preaching. So many of God’s people are living through times of struggle and challenge – and need to know that there is hope.

Their heart is wondering ‘is there any word for me, any inspiration for me?’. The preacher should be ready with preaching that inspires hope, faith, and confidence in God! 5. Draw out

or

from the text

Part of the purpose of God’s Word is to give illumination for God’s people to know the direction they should take – or experience correction when necessary. The scripture itself says: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105). Christian preaching is meant to bring that light to bear on people’s lives and circumstances so that God’s people have a sense of new direction for their lives. Sometimes the scriptures point to a correction that needs to be made in a person’s life – and Christian preaching should highlight that as well, so that the people of God can repent or change course in their lives before further damage happens. Part of the reason why people look forward to preaching is because they believe there may be direction for their lives – and the preacher has the privilege of drawing out that direction from the text and declaring it!

6. Move people to

of the text

In James 1:22 it says “Be doers of the word, not hearers only”. God desires that we would put His word into practice in our lives. Christian preaching can help God’s people with this process by proclaiming God’s Word in a way that issues a call to action. The preacher must never settle for merely dispensing knowledge about the text. That’s not preaching. That may be ‘teaching’ – but it is not preaching. Good Christian preaching has to move people to the application of the text.

The application may be directly stated in the text itself – or it may be implied – but the preacher’s work must include looking for ways to motivate people to enact and live it out. The Word is meant ~10~

CHAPTER 1 — A theology of preaching

to be lived, not just studied – and good preaching can help people carry out what God’s Word is calling for.

7. Guide people in life

because of the text

While ‘being doers of the Word’ is vital, taking action on what God’s Word says is only part of what good preaching should result in. Ultimately, Christian preaching is meant to draw people into a deeper experience of personal life–change based on what God’s Word says. This is, at the core, about a change of personal identity – from broken and fragmented to whole and empowered.

The elements and qualities of this life–change are informed by God’s Word. Christian preaching, founded on God’s Word, should guide people in practical elements of personal life transformation.

In some cases, this will require combining the core ideas and principles of the text with expert wisdom on the subject, i.e. parenting. In other cases, the text itself is the final and only necessary word for such guidance. In either case, Christian preaching should always have life transformation as its aim!

The work of the preacher is to do these seven things, and to do them well! There is no shortcut for this. It takes work, it takes effort, it takes careful, prayerful preparation. There are times when a preacher may not have the hours it takes to prepare for preaching that will bring these seven core components together. In my experience, God is often gracious to allow a message to come forth anyway that will bless His people. But my experience is also that when that happens too frequently, the people of God are getting a steady diet of hot dogs. Hot dogs are ‘processed meat’ rather than fresh meat. Preaching that comes from an unprepared preacher will often be based on ‘processed meat’ – either from preaching that they have prepared for previously or from things they have heard from other preachers. In the worst case, the preaching will be of the Skittles variety. Lots of color and taste – but nothing but sugar in the end. So – great Christian preaching must start with a decision from a preacher that she will proclaim the Word of God, and that decision must be followed up with the decision to spend significant time in a passage of the Word of God so that it can be proclaimed faithfully and powerfully! …UNDERSTAND THE WILL OF GOD One of the questions most believers ask often in the course of their lives is, “What is the will of God for my life?” When we ask this question, we usually have in mind very specific moments of decision, and sometimes we have in mind the big picture of general trajectory or direction.

Either way, it matters to us to know what God would have for us in those specific instances and the broad trajectory. What I have found is that more often than not, God doesn’t spoon–feed us the answers to those questions. He wants us to grow in our capacity to choose, to create, to build, to determine; He wants us to know our freedom and use it well. He’s a Father – and fathers delight in seeing their kids take initiative, show intelligence and do things without being told. But Christian preaching is used by God to fuel the process of discernment and wisdom in a believer’s ~11~

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life regarding God’s will. At times, Christian preaching will help believers come to know God’s specific will for very specific situations – especially on core matters of faith such as generosity, forgiveness, prayer, and worship. But in most instances, Christian preaching will give God’s people a sense of the values and principles of His Kingdom – so that they can then live wisely.

Psalm 119:12 msg – “Be blessed, God; train me in your ways of wise living.”

Christian preaching carries such weight and value because it is one of the primary ways God’s people absorb the values and principles of God’s Word. It should be the case that God’s people are also reading God’s Word for themselves – but it is part of God’s plan that pastors and teachers bring God’s Word, through preaching, to equip people to do the will of God. In some sense, everything that has ever happened could be thought of as occurring under God’s sovereign will.

But that comes from an idea about humanity, creation, the fall, and human ‘agency’ that does not account for the principle of free will. In terms of the human experience of God’s will as discovered in scripture, there are three distinct aspects of God’s Will; a permissible will of God, the commanded will of God, and the absolute will of God. Christian Preaching should bring clarity to all three aspects of God’s will for His people.

1. Teach the

of God

There are certain scriptures which point to immutable things that God has done or will do – that is, they absolutely did happen, or they absolutely will happen – and no human choice could have any effect on them. For example, in Genesis 1:3 we read, “And God said, ‘ let there be light’, and there was light”. Light coming to be was God’s absolute will. It was impossible that light could not come to be once God had decreed it. The entire book of Revelation contains passage after passage of the absolute will of God; for example, in Revelation 8:12 it says “The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night”. There is no choice about whether this will happen. It absolutely will – this great and terrible day when the trumpets are blown from on high – in a mysterious way, is the absolute will of God. Christian preaching should convey and teach the absolute will of God when it is presented in the passage being preached. It is important for Christian believers to be instructed through preaching that God Himself is absolute – and has determined certain things to be His absolute will.

Christian preaching that highlights this gives confidence to believers to understand the power of God’s sovereignty. When preaching instructs on the absolute will of God, it shapes in believers a view of who God is as sovereignly powerful – and that is a right revelation of who He is! The absolute will of God also shapes Christian preaching with parameters. People thrive when they understand where the defined limits are – and the absolute will of God, presented in Christian preaching, helps believers see and respond to the expressed parameters God has intended for us to know.

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2. Instruct on the

of God

The goal of the Christian life is to know Jesus, experience His love, live out His mission, and enjoy His promised salvation in every way. As we learn to know Jesus and live out His mission, there are certain choices that God commands us to make. Some of these commands are moral, some are missional. In either case, there is grace and mercy for us whenever we fail to live out the commanded will of God. Yet, the highest and best aim for our lives as Christians is to learn to make choices that do line up with God’s commanded will. Christian preaching can help a believer distinguish what the commanded will of God is – and how to live it out.

For example, Jesus said in Luke 6:27 “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”. This is the commanded will of God. Christian preaching can bring instruction on how this commanded will of God should be lived out, why it matters, what happens if we don’t choose to live it out – and what could happen if we do. It can provide the meaning and the motivation for the believer to actually choose to love their enemy. Or another example, Colossians 3:2 says “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

This is the commanded will of God – but it isn’t immediately clear how I should do that. Christian preaching can shed light on something God has called for and give instruction on how to carry it out, and to what extent. For example, a Christian preacher could help a believer to feel the tension of God’s call to ‘set their minds on things above’ – but not necessarily when they’re driving!

3. Help people

within the

of God

Most of us have noticed that the Bible is wonderful, but it doesn’t speak into everything we have to decide in our lives, at least not directly. There is no commanded will of God concerning whether I should go to college or not. There is no verse that prescribes what kind of coffee I should get.

There isn’t an explicitly clear text regarding whether I should write a book or create a video instead. These are all examples of things where there is real freedom for me to choose. These aren’t cases where one thing is right and one thing is wrong. These are instances where either choice is part of the permissible will of God. Great Christian preaching has the capacity to help people figure out what is best within the permissible will of God. Christian preaching gives examples from scripture of people living out a life of faith – and establishes transferable principles and values that can then be applied to specific contexts in the believer’s life. Christian preaching can also give insight into the kinds of choices that lead to failure – and those that lead to victory and blessing. All of this can lead to a moment of clarity for a believer regarding the will of God in an area of their life where many choices are permissible.

1 Peter 4:11 NIV – “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.” ~13~

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…EXPERIENCE THE GLORY OF GOD There is something about Christian preaching that has the capacity to be so much more than a religiously–themed lecture or motivating self–help talk. Christian preaching at its best has God’s Word as the foundation – and God’s Word is alive and active. God’s voice, God’s heart, and God’s message come through His Word. God’s glory is in His Word. In a very literal sense, this is true: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Jesus is the Word – and in Jesus, we see the glory of God. It stands to reason that when Christian preaching takes place, there is an opportunity for the Word being proclaimed to shine, to show, and to manifest the glory of God. This idea is supported in the words of 1 Peter 4:11: “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God”.

1. Anticipate that people will

through the preaching

There is a moment recorded in the book of Acts that gives evidence for an alternate reality that is always present – whether we see it or not. It happened in a moment when the New Testament disciple Stephen was preaching to the Sanhedrin about Jesus. As he was concluding his message, it says, “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55) What this demonstrates is that when God–honoring preaching takes place, there is a strong possibility that people can experience God’s presence as a direct result.

The preacher should anticipate this and trust this. Sometimes a preacher can forget that this is ultimately God’s Word – and that God has a vested interest in meeting His people in and through it. The Christian preacher should anticipate that people will experience God’s presence through the preaching of God’s Word. If the preacher is anticipating this, he is more likely to make room for this as he is preaching. If the preacher is anticipating this, she will be able to share from a greater place of confidence, knowing that the preaching moment is not only about her wisdom and cleverness – but also about the glory of God that can come through the preaching for His people!

2. Trust God for His

through the preacher and through His Word

The word ‘anointing’ gets a little fuzzy. In a technical sense, it relates to the Old Testament idea of a prophet taking a vial of oil, and smearing it on the head of a king when that person is being designated the new leader. The act of smearing the oil on the head is the precise meaning of ‘to anoint’. So, I guess what I’m saying is ‘trust God to smear up your preaching!’ I do mean that – but in the best sense possible. The act of anointing, the smearing with oil on the head, was an act that was meant to confer designated authority. Later understanding from the New Testament regarding oil then points to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Taken together, we can see that anointing really is about authority and the presence of the Holy Spirit resting upon or dwelling in and through the action of a person – in this case, the preacher. ~14~

CHAPTER 1 — A theology of preaching

Christian preaching can be an experience in which God’s people receive a touch from the Holy Spirit, and be moved by the authority present in the Word. The preacher has to know that they are a vessel for both – because that’s what the anointing is about. The Christian preacher needs to keep in mind that when the anointing is flowing, it is as much or more about God’s love, God’s glory, and God’s presence as it is about the preacher’s skill, personality, or boldness. The discerning preacher will sometimes become aware that more was conveyed in the preaching moment than either the preparation or the delivery could possibly have accomplished. This is because God’s anointing was flowing through the preacher and through God’s Word. A good preacher will learn to trust that this will happen – and will resist any tendency to become self–congratulating about it – because she knows exactly where it came from: the Glory of God. 3. Invite people to be open to

through the preaching

In so many areas of life, our expectations affect our experience. This is true as believers when we hear the preaching of God’s Word. If we expect that it’s going to be a dry lecture – that’s likely what we’ll experience. If we expect that it will be an informative teaching session, then it will be that for us. The preacher can serve God’s people well by helping them to expect God to show up in the preaching. The preacher will do well to urge people to be open to divine encounter through the preaching. If believers are open to divine encounter and expecting it, they will likely experience just that – after all, Jesus said ‘ he who seeks shall find’. (Matthew 7:8) Before each time I preach, I pray that people would experience God’s presence through the message – that there would be a sense of divine encounter. I pray that people would leave the gathering thinking to themselves, “I felt the touch of God in that place!” I want to do a great job in my preaching – I really do. But even more than that, I want people to have a really great encounter with God – and I want that to happen in and through the preaching if it can! The goal of Christian preaching is not to ‘teach the Bible’, as far as I’m concerned. There are plenty of people who DO feel that is the goal of Christian preaching. I am not one of them. The goal of Christian preaching is to proclaim God’s Word in such a way that people can know and experience God and be changed by His glory, presence, power, and love!

Romans 1:16 niv – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…” …THE POWER OF GOD I’ve been in too many church services where it felt like the preacher considered herself or himself more of an academic lecturer than anything else. My conviction is that Christian preaching is meant to inspire people to be the salt and light that Jesus says they are. Preaching should help people catch a vision for living with the power of God on a personal level. Ultimately, Christian preaching should be something God works through to help people experience life–change in ~15~

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Christ; the preacher has to determine that they are not there to just dispense information about God or the Bible. They must aim to communicate the timeless truths of God’s power – so that the people can live with God’s power. The Christian preacher has to envision the potential for people’s minds and hearts to be affected deeply by the message being given – much like what happened when Peter was preaching in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 2:36–38: “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

That phrase ‘cut to the heart’ signifies being deeply moved. This doesn’t happen simply by the telling of information. This happens because of the power of God moving actively through the preaching! And the result is also powerful. The people are baptized – and receive the empowering gift of the Holy Spirit! The life–changing power that comes through a moment like this is inestimably great! Christian preaching has the power to do this: to catalyze an adoption of the word of God that brings about transformation, and power for victorious living. Three things need to be carried out in order for God’s people to be more likely to be equipped to live with God’s power as a result of the message. can make

1. Describe the difference

The preacher’s key task is to give people a sense of what is possible for their own lives. The best way to do this is to paint a picture – a picture of what is possible when God’s power and presence are part of the equation! If the preacher only ever stays ‘in the text’ and never demonstrates that what is ‘in the text’ can change what’s going on in life – the preacher has missed the opportunity to help people envision an alternate possibility for their lives. Christian preaching should include an aspect of describing the difference God’s power and presence can make in living out the word presented in the text. People are compelled to change when the pain of continuing to live the same way is greater than the pain of making a change. When a description of what could be is given, it creates a sense of tension regarding staying the same.

2. Direct people into an

.

Preaching is often thought of as ‘presentational’; we conjure up images of a smart person giving a TED talk – but doing it in a church setting. Sometimes people think of preaching as the sharing of a thought or concept about God or a spiritual topic. There are elements of Christian preaching which are presentational, but our preaching is also meant to be experiential. The experiential elements can include creative moments – but what I ultimately have in mind is an experience of God’s power.

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God’s power may come through the preaching in ways that go beyond the preacher’s intentions or choices – and I welcome that! At the same time, it is wise to look for ways to make an experience of God’s power more likely. As a preacher, you can direct people into an experience of God’s power by using prophetic insight in the examples and stories you tell. You can help people experience God’s power by creating moments of ‘divine interaction’. Moments of ‘divine interaction’ can happen at the end of the sermon proper – or scattered throughout the message. These are moments where the preacher guides people in asking God to speak personally to them, or the preacher may speak a prophetic word directly to the congregation, or take a spontaneous moment to minister in healing. These moments of divine interaction may not be officially part of the sermon – but they are moments that convey the message: God is powerful and you can live in the reality of His power!

3. Challenge people to live by

and

God!

Throughout the scriptures, there is a consistent theme: God shows up with power and blessing for those who exercise their faith in Him and walk with Him. Because preaching is one of the ways disciples are made, it is essential that Christian preaching challenge people to live by faith. What this means is that at some level, the preacher is urging the disciples to believe God for something, and take a risk in their life of living for and serving God. The preacher is in a unique position of being able to articulate something already made clear in the scriptures. The preacher’s voice can amplify what God is already speaking to His people.

For people who are deeply engaged in ministry, it is so clear that our spirits are made to live a life where we are walking closely with God. But for many people, that isn’t so obvious – or at least, how to do so isn’t. For a good number of believers, it’s a big deal to just ‘come to church’ – and maybe say grace before dinner. But the preacher has the opportunity to show people the blessing and goodness of living a life of walking with God. To do this, the preacher needs to be able to put herself in the shoes of the person she is preaching to. He’s got to be familiar with the difficulties and barriers to a walk with God that the people are facing, and address those real– time issues. When a Christian preacher reminds people or teaches people how to walk with God, their preaching has served the people – and God – very well.

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GROUP DISCUSSION: Gather in a small group and discuss what was covered in this session.

1. Share your earliest memory of a preacher doing preaching. What do you remember about the preaching?

2. Describe the kind of preaching you like to listen to or experience. What makes it compelling to you?

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3. Who is your favorite preacher?

4. Which of the four core elements of John Hansen’s definition of preaching seems most important to you, personally? Is there an aspect of that element you particularly appreciated learning about? Why?

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5. Which of the seven essential components of preaching from the section on ‘The Word of God’ is most meaningful to you, and why?

6. How has great preaching been a part of your life in a positive way?

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RESPONSE: Write a short paragraph of response related to this chapter’s teaching for each question.

1. Why does preaching matter?

2. What should great preaching accomplish?

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3. Why should the Word of God be central in Christian preaching?

4. How can preaching help a person understand the will of God?

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5. Does Christian preaching give people an experience of God’s glory? Answer and explain.

6. In what ways is God’s power seen or experienced in preaching?

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7. What would you add to John Hansen’s definition of preaching to give it your own spin?

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PREACHING ACTIVATION

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NOTES

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2

FIVE TYPES OF PREACHING

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; Correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience And careful instruction.”

2 Timothy 4:2 NIV

PREACHING by John Hansen

THERE ARE SO MANY OPTIONS! I was at The Cheesecake Factory recently, glad to be enjoying a delicious meal at a wonderful restaurant. For thirteen years, Ann and I had wished, dreamed, and maybe even prayed that a Cheesecake Factory would come to our town, and at long last, that happened. I was happy to be having this particular Cheesecake Factory experience in my own town! I was looking at the menu, eating way too much bread, and trying to decide what I’d order for dinner. I was in the mood for chicken – so that should have simplified things – but not at the Cheesecake Factory! As I was reading through the options, I counted twenty–two chicken dishes. Twenty–two! And that was not even counting any of the salads that came with chicken! Who knew there were so many different ways to make a chicken dish!

When you think of preaching, you might think, “A person stands up, reads scripture, then talks about God and people.” But would it surprise you to know there are practically as many forms of preaching as there are chicken dishes at the Cheesecake Factory? Consider the variety of preaching forms: dialogical, propositional, exegetical, inductive, expository, deductive, topical, testimonial, conversational, historical, narrative, didactic, doctrinal, expositional, monological, dramatic, evangelistic, textual, apostolic… this list could go on, but you get the point. At the core, what first came to your mind might not be so bad: ‘person stands up, reads scripture, talks about God and people’. Academics and theologians tend to congratulate themselves on their capacity to complexify and categorize – but truly great preaching simplifies. , and

Ask two useful questions: What is

is preaching?

There are two questions every preacher must think through: What is good preaching? And – what good is preaching? I believe in chapter one I made a case for a birds–eye view of an answer to these questions – but now it’s time to get even more specific. To address the question ‘what is good preaching?’, we do need to have a summary understanding of the variety of forms of preaching – keeping in mind that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. I suppose that every person who has created or has a preference for one of the forms of preaching would say that form is good preaching. The truth is there is goodness in all of the forms of preaching – and some of the types of preaching may be more helpful than others.

I am not going to attempt to address all nineteen forms of preaching listed above. What I have found is that there is not an agreed–upon definition of any of those terms. As is the case with many creative or philosophical endeavors, the definitions are subjective. I will address just four of these many forms of preaching, and I will provide my definition for each. Three of the forms are the most broadly used – and potentially the most useful. But the first – while common – I believe is not all that useful in the preaching environment of a church that is meaning to really reach people. God can work through any form. Balaam’s Donkey is proof of that. But these forms deserve our attention: exegetical, expositional, topical, and narrative. ~28~

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PART ONE: EXEGETICAL PREACHING Isaiah 28:13a NKJV – “But the word of the Lord was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,”…

Definition of exegetical preaching: 1. Exegetical preaching is preaching that provides a running verse by verse , sociolinguistic, and details that are pertinent to verse.

with

Exegetical comes from the word exegesis. Exegesis is the critical analysis and interpretation of a text. When someone is doing exegetical preaching, they usually work slowly and methodically through a chapter of scripture and a book of the Bible. As they work through verses, they break down specific grammatical issues in the original language, they cite historical context details for each verse, they include chain references to related Bible verses, and explain the meaning of all that is going on behind the text. They might bring up issues of textual criticism (assessing the editorial and compilatory processes in how the text came to be). They may offer some explanation of what the text might mean for a modern hearer, but this does not tend to be the emphasis. a. Exegetical preaching

as scholarly, but

of the big picture

Exegetical preaching has the advantage of coming across as intelligent and academic, due to the sheer volume of information that is shared. For certain types of folks, the gathering and dispensing of information about Biblical texts is a key goal – both for the preacher and the people.

Generally, this form of preaching has the weakness of ‘missing the forest for the trees’. That is, because of spending so much time in a limited number of words, this approach can easily lose sight of the big picture of the whole Bible. This approach can tend to miss the big picture of how this text relates to the world we now live in.

There is so much value in exegesis. Every preacher should do exegetical work while preparing to preach! We’ll look at that more in chapter 4. For me, the exegetical method is insufficient in every way as a form of preaching, because it gives the believers listening the impression that the goal of the Christian life is to learn as much information as possible about ancient sociocultural, historical, and linguistic matters. It fails to keep the broad story of scripture in view. It does not make room for the shepherding word that should come to God’s people through preaching, and it does not provide much direction for application unless it is explicit in the text.For these reasons, I avoid doing exegetical preaching – and I avoid listening to it. I urge you to refrain from mere exegetical preaching. a. Exegetical preaching claims a

of a Bible verse as its foundation

Incidentally – the verse that is often quoted as support for exegetical preaching is Isaiah 28:10-13.

“Precept upon precept, line upon line”. But, ironically, it is usually quoted out of context. The verse ~29~

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actually says, “For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that, a little here, a little there.”

Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”—but they would not listen. So then, the word of the Lord to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there—so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.” (Isaiah 28:13 NIV) The context of the prophet’s words were a rebuke to the drunkard Ephraimites who could not be bothered to take in and live out the big picture of God’s Word!

Line upon line, precept upon precept…? No, this was not the prophet giving ‘instructions for preaching’. This was the prophet rebuking people for their unwillingness to apply God’s Word.

PART TWO: EXPOSITIONAL PREACHING 2 Timothy 4:2 niv – “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”

Definition of expositional preaching: 1. Expositional preaching is preaching that starts and remains in a specific , exposes and expounds what is , and explains the and the of the text, in a way that follows and suits the genre and of the text.

This form is more often called ‘expository preaching’. The word ‘expository’ sounds too much like ‘suppository’ – so I’ve chosen not to use it. I love this form of preaching, and I don’t want even the possibility of a negative association! So, I’m going with ‘expositional’. It almost sounds like ‘exceptional’ – and I think this form of preaching is just that. There is a broad range of what can be considered expository preaching – but whatever it is – it must be textilicious! Again, there is no agreed-upon definition of these terms as pertains to categories of preaching. But the essence of expository or expositional preaching is that you start with the text of scripture – and the form, thoughts, and direction given spring from the scripture. Some feel that expositional preaching should only happen in the context of preaching directly through a book of the Bible – but I don’t see that as a requirement. a. Expositional preaching

and is based on good

.

The value of expositional preaching is that it makes room for, and calls for engaging in, good exegesis; but it also makes room for the preacher to compose a structured message in which he or she can correct, rebuke and encourage, as far as the meaning and application of the text being preached will allow. 2 Timothy 4:2 gives the preacher the sense of expectation that his or her preaching should encompass these elements: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” The expositional method allows a preacher to establish a message that is faithful to the text and context ~30~

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– but with room to address the reality of the current-day application and meaning healthily. b. Expositional preaching should launch from

.

One of the key values of expositional preaching is ascertaining an understanding of and possessing adherence to the original authorial intent. Every section of the Bible was written by an earthly author inspired by God to address a specific situation. The writing was done with specific intention.

Some might conclude that this means expositional preaching should only stay ‘behind the text’, explaining the intent of the scripture relative to its context and stopping there. Proper expositional preaching should come from a thorough understanding of the original authorial intent, but need not be bound by it. Expositional preaching should be able to expound relevant meaning and application for this day that honors the general principle and intent of the author. At the same time, expositional preaching provides a meaning that is not limited to the original Bible author’s context. c. Expositional preaching can be applied to

or form of preaching

Some theologians and church leaders feel that expositional preaching should only be practiced in the context of working through one book of the Bible, a chapter or less at a time. There is no need for this restriction. So long as the preaching starts and remains in a specific text, exposes and expounds what’s in the text, and gives an explanation and application of the text, in a way that is in keeping with the genre and structure of the text – expositional preaching has taken place.

Some would also restrict expositional preaching from including stories or illustrations. I guess those folks feel strongly that preaching ought to be boring! As for me – I’m telling stories even while I preach the text!

PART THREE: TOPICAL PREACHING 2 Timothy 3:16 niv – “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

Definition of topical preaching: , analyzes 1. Topical preaching is preaching that starts with a particular for how it speaks to that topic, includes exposition of specific relevant the , gives , and provides biblically-based clarity for .

The Bible is an amazing book – but it does not give comprehensively assembled sections for everything we live through. The Bible doesn’t purport to be ‘the Book of Everything’. It doesn’t address everything – and it speaks clearly to what it speaks to. In other cases, the Bible speaks into a subject less straightforward ways. And sometimes, to arrive at clarity on what scripture says on a subject, one must analyze the tension between the various ways scripture speaks into that subject. ~31~

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a. Topical preaching can provide analysis of the

of scripture in a subject

For example, on the subject of money, the scriptures speak powerfully into the subject of both generosity and savings. Both are pertinent. In a topical approach, there is an opportunity to look at both perspectives in a message or series. In other cases, the topical sermon may find principles in the scriptures which address certain topics, even though they don’t speak about the topic specifically. For example, on the subject of diet and nutrition, scripture does not specifically mention sugar. But the principles of moderation and self-care do address this vital topic by way of thematic principle interpolation. b. Topical preaching is at it’s best when it uses the The best topical sermons are those that still deal with the texts expositionally. That is, exegesis is still done to verify that the topical conclusion and application is not violating any exegetical truth.

In many cases, it is possible to form a complete expositionally constructed message based on one passage of scripture that addresses a specific topic. For example, a preacher may choose to preach on marriage as a topic – and might then choose Ephesians 5:21-33 as the text. A topical message formed in an expositional approach brings the best of both worlds, and it is powerful.

Topical preaching gets a bad rap, and the caricaturization of it is that the preacher is simply cherrypicking Bible verses that happen to have the topic word in the reference. There may be some people preaching topical messages this way – and I believe we can do better. As I’ve explained, the best method is for the preacher to apply the exegetical, expositional method to each verse being used, with careful attention to the larger surrounding context of the verse. c. Topical preaching is the form used most often Nevertheless, I think it is important to notice that in the New Testament, many of the sermons that are preached by Jesus, Paul, Peter, and others have a topical nature and structure. For example, in Acts 3, Peter is preaching a sermon on the topic of Christology – and he quotes several Old Testament verses, such as Deuteronomy 18:15 in lines like this: “For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people” (Acts 3:23) Another example would be Jesus, in Matthew 15. He was giving a message on the topic of honor – and he quoted Isaiah 29:13 among other verses on the topic: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:14) The point is that topical preaching is something New Testament preachers implemented. Even Jesus utilized this method. I would be very hesitant to condemn it! d. Topical preaching helps believers see the

within the scriptures

As a pastor for several decades now, I can see the vital importance of making disciples who know God’s Word, and who have cultivated their own grasp of the scriptures as a part of their growth

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in the faith. I do believe that expositional preaching holds out the best likelihood for achieving this, because it allows for the believer to give more concentrated focus to one section of scripture.

Nevertheless, topical preaching allows a disciple to see the broad range of insight the scripture may have as a whole. Topical preaching helps believers see the tension between various points of view held within the scriptures themselves. By becoming aware of this tension, the believer begins to arrive at a sense of the range of thought from the heart of God on any given matter.

Not everything that is called preaching is that. Just because it’s a talk from a pastor doesn’t mean it’s preaching. Plenty of times I listen to podcasts of pastors I love – and their podcasts are talks – ten values of the Kingdom of God, etc. And the talks that many pastors give at conferences are often not topical or expositional preaching, but a teaching on a subject of church leadership.

Someone who is new to the craft of Christian preaching should not get the idea that topical teaching leadership talks are the goal in Christian preaching. That isn’t the aim. Helping disciples build a Christian faith that is grounded in scripture is the aim – and there is another form of preaching that can aid in that process: narrative preaching.

PART FOUR: NARRATIVE PREACHING Matthew 13:24 niv – “Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field…”

Definition of narrative preaching: 1. Narrative preaching is preaching that presents way that requires an experience of gives way to the way a does.

and revelation in a by the listener that ultimately

The word ‘narrative’ makes us think of stories – and it should – that’s what a narrative is! To narrate means ‘to tell a story’, according to the common dictionary definition. But a narrative is really a means to come to know something. The root word in ‘narrative’ is the Latin verb ‘gnarus’, which means knowing – an experiential form of knowing. One way to come to know something is through a straightforward, informational, linear presentation of the thesis or idea. a. Narrative is not just ‘story’; it’s a way to

something by discovery

Another way to arrive at knowing something is through narration, or a story. When we think of story, we might draw to mind ‘main character, supporting character, journey, and happy ending’.

But in a more technical sense, story – or narrative – is about arriving at knowing something by experiencing a journey where there is tension that forces us to make a discovery or conclusion that brings some resolution. Narrative preaching can bring about this kind of learning process quite well – and it was used quite often by the Master.

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b.

often made use of the

form of preaching

Jesus employed narrative preaching techniques often. The parables of Jesus are poignant because they take us on a little adventure; we imagine a scenario, and we feel tension. Our hearts desire resolution, and so we look for the revelation or meaning that can bring resolve – and rather than the conclusion being laid out for us in a linear way, it’s there in the story. For example, in the message of the Prodigal Son we are introduced to a son who leaves his father where he was doing well – and then he wastes his life ‘with the pigs’. We feel the tension as we imagine this son out in the mud, eating pig slop. We wish for some kind of resolve – we wish that maybe there could be a change, or that he could still somehow be welcome back home… and the story unfolds with that resolution taking place. The tension, the journey, the resolution – these were the methods by which we came to know that God really is gracious. c. Narrative preaching helps

of the standard didactic method

Jesus could have skipped the narrative and just said, “Here’s the teaching: God is full of grace, and if you mess up, He will welcome you back, the end, Amen.” Yes – he could have – and sometimes he DID teach that way. But he also knew that we sometimes need variety in epistemology – that is, variety in the way in which we learn and then think about things; and narrative helps break the monotony of linear teaching. d. Narrative preaching is not

and is not just for

of the Bible

Narrative preaching does not mean that the preaching is based on a narrative portion of scripture.

Narrative preaching does not mean that the sermon will just be ‘storytelling’. Some kinds of narrative preaching will employ a traditional storytelling motif or be based on a narrative section of scripture – but these are not what make it ‘narrative preaching’. What defines narrative preaching is the non-linear method of communication – and the allowance for tension and a journey of discovery of revelation that gives way to resolution.

Narrative preaching is thought of as a newer form of communication. The standard academic model of learning for thousands of years in the Western world has been based on rhetorical platonic logic. This way of teaching and learning has been and continues to be a wonderful way of learning by the direct presentation of a thesis or idea. In the twentieth century, the socratic method of debate and dialogue began to become more standard in learning and teaching. This allowed the idea of tensions and questions to be more acceptable in a learning environment. At the same time, teachers came to understand the timeless power of story, and the narrative method of learning – and the narrative form began to be used for teaching. By the late twentieth century, preachers had caught up with the trend as well – and really, we were all finally catching up with Jesus!

You might be thinking, “Okay, I guess I get it – if we’re talking about preaching an actual narrative, ~34~

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like David and Goliath.” But, I want you to know that you can faithfully preach a Biblical message in the narrative form even from a passage that isn’t a narrative at all. Remember – the difference is in the structure of learning. For example, you can take a portion of scripture such as Ephesians 1:110, which is a straightforward, theologically-oriented scripture that describes the atonement, and employ narrative preaching as the structure. You might do that by beginning with a teaching on the problem – the problem of shame, brokenness, pain, guilt, and sin. You might build the tension of those realities by describing their weight and threat, and introducing the dissonance between the possibility of that problem persisting forever and the deep question as to whether there could possibly be any hope. And then, you could work through the text to bring out the revelation of the atonement in a way that brings resolution. No ‘story’ would have been told – but the narrative form would have been employed. Does that help you get a sense of what narrative preaching is? e. Narrative preaching can employ

as it’s structure

On the other hand, there are more conventional forms of narrative preaching that can be utilized as well. For example, you can take a text of scripture, such as the story of the Gerasene Demoniac from Mark 5:1-17, and re-tell it from the perspective of the demon-possessed man. You might create a monologue in which you start with the demon-possessed man’s trouble and hopelessness.

You would describe what it was like when Jesus showed up – and what’s different in his life now.

And then, to preach this, you tell that monologue in the first person, as though you were him.

It’s different, creative, and challenging. Some people might object – because they are more leftbrained, and are conditioned to receive teaching in the more traditional, linear model. But you might be surprised how refreshing it will be for many to be brought on a narrative journey of discovery! f. Great narrative preaching should start with

and

process

Just as with expositional or topical preaching, this form still requires that the preacher spend time doing proper exegesis of the text. You don’t skip this part just because you’re doing ‘narrative preaching’. In fact, I’d argue that you need this step all the more! I believe there is a place for expositional, topical, and narrative preaching – but whatever form, I’ve determined that for the most part, when I preach, I want to preach in a way that can be deep, creative, and powerful – but also simple and applicable. I’ve developed a way of referring to the kind of preaching that I generally do – I call it ad-vitam preaching.

PART FIVE: AD VITAM PREACHING Seriously – I need my notes!

On Easter 2012 at Centerpoint Church we had six Easter services. And the first Easter service was absolutely packed. Our Sanctuary can fit about 750 people, and it was completely full. The worship and announcements ended, and it was time for me to get up there and preach. Easter is ~35~

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a time when lots of guests and friends and family are there – and so we try to put our best foot forward. I came out to the platform, and looked at the pulpit – and my Bible and my notes were gone. The congregation was just quieting down by the time I realized I had no notes – not even my Bible – and I had no idea where they were. In that moment it’s not like I was going to say, “Hi, hi – uh, happy Easter, glad you’re here, ummm, has anyone seen my Bible and my notes?” So I literally ran off to the side and began searching frantically for my notes and Bible. The congregation was silent. They might have actually thought it was some sort of a creative skit or something – like a lost man pantomime or a silly intro. I was looking at some of our other team members with this frantic look on my face, miming the words, “My Bible! My notes?!? my Bible!??!” I ran down to the front row of seats to look there. The congregation was stone cold silent, just watching me run across back and forth. My notes and Bible weren’t there, and there were 700 people just staring at me scurrying around searching – and at that moment, my sweat glands became faucets, and my face was the color of a tomato. I stood there thinking, “What was my message?” Finally, one of our team members ran out from the other side – with my Bible and notes. This whole thing took all of about 30 seconds – but for me, it was an eternity! And as a preacher, something inside me was saying, “Never again!”

My old way of preaching That moment changed some things for me. Up until that time, I would work incredibly hard to write a manuscript with three to five points, often with sub-points A and B for each point. I would bring my stack of five to seven pages of notes to the platform with me, prepared to deliver my five points and ten sub-points in an organized manner. But that day, I came away thinking, “I need to simplify! There is no reason I should be so stuck just because I don’t have my notes!”

And I changed up the way I approached preaching. And the way I approach preaching is what I like to call ad vitam preaching.

Definition of ad vitam preaching: 1. Ad vitam preaching is preaching that communicates idea is oriented, expressed as an and many times throughout the message

from the text and that , phrased in a way,

Ad vitam is latin for ‘unto life’. I want to preach in such a way that what I say brings the message of God’s Word to life for people, and impacts people’s real lives! That’s what ad vitam preaching is all about. I created the ad vitam style of preaching because I want people to come away from the message remembering what it was about – and knowing how to live it out! The people we minister to have more information than they could ever need, all within two or three clicks on the supercomputer their hand. So the days where preaching could be most useful as a tool to simply inform are done, and long gone! If people want a Bible study that is information-oriented, they can find fifty versions of whatever Bible study or commentary content they want to while they are ~36~

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on their way to church! a. Ad vitam preaching brings ing

through

that results in inspir-

In the next five to ten years, that issue is only going to increase. I think over the next decade the average person who comes into our church isn’t going to show up thinking, “Inform me.” I think the average person coming through our doors and into any gathering we may put together is thinking, “Transform me! Move me! Inspire me! Give me handles I can really grab hold of in this thing you call God’s Word! Help me figure out how to live better if God’s Word has anything to say about that!

Show me how to put feet to what I read in the Bible!” And I think the answer is ad vitam preaching! b. Ad vitam preaching is built on

process

My conviction is that preaching is at its best when it is ad vitam – when it is for life and full of life.

And so what I have been growing to do more and more is to get to the heart of what I believe God wants to say, in and through any given text of scripture, for that particular moment. I want to do this with a foundation of real exegesis and expository structure. But the expository structure and exegetical work is the foundation; that means that for the most part, it isn’t seen. It’s doing its job to hold up the rest of the message – but like a true foundation – it simply is not what’s prominent. c. Ad vitam preaching brings an text

application summary statement out of the

As I am growing in carrying out ad vitam preaching, here’s what I want to do: I want to preach to disciple and shepherd rather than to inform. That is, I want the preaching to shepherd people, to move people, to disciple people – and that means the preaching needs to be actionable; it needs to be oriented around the next steps we can take so that our lives move toward the fullness, wholeness, and goodness that comes from living God’s way. d. Ad vitam preaching seeks to express the

of the scripture’s direction

To do this, I take a cue for my preaching from Picasso, and Apple. Every year or so, Apple comes out with yet another iPhone – and even a decade after the first one, people still line up for the latest. The reason why Apple’s devices are so compelling is because of their stark simplicity. In Apple’s secret school for training their new designers, Jonathan Ives has the new designers spend hours studying one series of paintings by Picasso: The Bull. The Bull starts out with a drawing of a heavy, full-figured beast. And the next drawing still shows the bull with just a bit less shading. In the third picture, the ink on the bull eases off a bit, but he’s still a full-figured brute. Then in plate four, Picasso is starting to do his ‘Picasso thing’ – just establishing the lines. In plate five, Picasso is redistributing the parts of the bull to create a new balance. In plate six, he is simplifying the curves, and in plate seven, the compositional balance is becoming even more clear. By plate eight, the essential form of the bull is there, but becoming more representational. In plate nine, the ~37~

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Picasso distills the essence of a bull. 1945*

*© 2012 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY. http://www.circaa.com/images/5a9afe50b1d2b9f22800004f

shading is almost completely gone. In plate ten, the bull is there, but the form is more suggested.

And then in plate eleven, the bull is there – but only in its most essential, abstracted form. Apple puts all of its designers through training that is based on Picasso’s process. And the result is the iPad or iPhone: elegant, simple – and the single-most desirable tech product on earth.

Th is Picasso process is needed in preaching!

This process is something that needs to happen for preaching to become ad vitam preaching. It is about distilling the essence of what God wants to say through a particular text, in a particular moment. Yes, in a way that is faithful to the expository realities, and true to a faithful exegesis.

But distilling that word matters! It is about abstracting that word from being confined to mere historical context and linguistics, and setting it free so that the word becomes life… verbum ad vitam.

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e. Ad vitam preaching calls for the preacher to single out message can be built on

that the whole

In the following chapters I will break down my preaching preparation process in more detail – but for now, let me give you a birds-eye view of my process with specific regard to ad vitam preaching.

First, I spend time exegeting the text. If possible, I study through the Greek New Testament or the Hebrew. I say ‘if possible’ because frankly, I don’t always have time for this step. I spend time with the text in the original language and/or in various translations to unearth the exegetical issues and pitfalls so I know where they are and how to avoid them. I read the commentaries.

I read the text again and again, and all the while I am asking “God, what do you want to say in this moment?” I’m looking for ONE IDEA. Because in any given text, there could be twenty or thirty different ideas that are all valid aspects of what is there. But twenty or thirty things don’t move people. Twenty or thirty things dumped on people inform them, at best. And I want to MOVE people, to INSPIRE people, and preach a message that transforms them! So I’m distilling it down to an idea – something I believe is true to the text, is actionable in life, is meant for real life, and is full of life! And then it gets a little messy. Because preaching is about words, and I want the words to be shaped well. And that’s a process.

An example from John 15 For example, I was recently preaching from John 15:9-17. I was preaching about family relationships, and I had John 15:9-17 in mind. This is a part of scripture where Jesus says nine times something about LOVE. And I finally had a sense of the ad vitam message of this text, if I could boil it down to one thing. And so then the mess begins, as I work to wordsmith the idea in a way that will stick. This is the mess before the message… f. Ad vitam preaching takes care to ad-vitam touchprase

an actionable,

, prophetic

Here’s my process of working to determine a prophetic, actionable touch-phrase for my preaching from John 15:9-17: I just began to write phrases that could carry some or all of what I was hoping to express. I write down every phrase, even the ones I know are useless even as I write them. I keep writing those phrases until one jumps out or comes together.

Here’s what that looks like in this one example: • Lift your family with love • Lift the tone in your family with love • Tame the tone with love!

• Turn on the tone of love

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• Let love rule in the house!

• Infuse your family with love • Let love infuse your family • Set a God-honoring tone of love in your family • Fortify your family with love • Let love fortify your family • Foster a feeling of love in your family • Determine the love decibel loudness • Establish the essence of love in the edifice • Fuse your family together with love • Foster a tone of love in your family!

• Foster a higher love-factor in your family!

When I finally typed out that last phrase, I felt it. “Boom! That’s it! Foster a higher love factor in your family!” I knew I had my ‘homiletical shepherding point’ – my ad vitam touchphrase. I look for a phrase that will be easy to remember. That means it is likely to include linguistic features such as alliteration, rhyme, echo, opposition, mirroring, acronym, or rhythmic speech. These poetic devices help make the phrase more memorable. It takes a lot of work to create such a phrase – but when you do this work, you’re more likely to preach a memorable sermon. the prophetic, ad vitam touchphrase

g. Ad vitam preaching should in the message

That phrase then becomes the central theme of my message. In the course of my message, I repeat that idea about twenty times. Because I sense that what that phrase communicates is the heart of what God wants for each person to do in their lives because of that sermon! Of course, the actual text has SO much more to say than just what my ad vitam touchphrase gives. And I suppose if I were trying to write a theological treatise or a sermon that my seminary professors would love, I might try to include all of those things – if I had a two-hour time limit for preaching. But, I believe preaching in the context of the church body is meant to bring God’s word to life, and bring the life of God’s Word into the people’s lives. And so, I simplify and wordsmith – to bring out that one thing I feel the Spirit of God prompting me to reinforce and get across. That ad vitam touchphrase is liveable, and often prophetic. And as I repeat it, I can sense the ad vitam effect taking shape – and shaping God’s people with God’s Word as life.

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GROUP DISCUSSION: Gather in a small group and discuss what was covered in this session.

1. Discuss what makes for good preaching:

2. What good is preaching?

3. Share which form of preaching appeals to you the most and why:

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4. Name a preacher you listen to and what form of preaching they seem to use:

5. How do you feel when you hear a preacher say ‘…in the Greek…’?

6. Which form of preaching seems most challenging to you?

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RESPONSE: Write a short paragraph of response related to this chapter’s teaching for each question.

1. What are several things that make exegetical preaching less beneficial?

2. What good is the exegetical process?

3. How is expositional preaching valuable?

4. What are some of the reasons commonly given for why topical preaching is bad?

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5. Explain why topical preaching can have depth and can be solidly scriptural:

6. In what ways is narrative preaching different from the other forms? How can narrative preaching be beneficial?

7. What is a possible weakness of John Hansen’s ad vitam preaching style? What is a possible strength?

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PREACHING ACTIVATION

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NOTES

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3

ANATOMY OF A SERMON

“…Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word…”

Ephesians 5:25-26 nlt

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DISSECTION CAN BE DISGUSTING… I still remember being in a middle school science class, when the teacher began the lesson by saying, “Today, we are going to be dissecting frogs.” She had a tray in front of her – she removed the lid, and it was full of cold, dead frogs. She had us pair up and come to the front to pick up our frogs. My partner and I came up, got our frog, and returned to our station. And then, with our teacher’s guidance, we sliced open the frog’s belly. We poked and prodded – and then followed the directions to remove various organs. The smell of formaldehyde filled the air – and out the organs came, one by one. Lung sacs, intestines, heart, liver, spleen… it was interesting – but it was also kind of gross! I was a kid who loved to go down by a stream and collect frogs, play with them, watch them jump around or splash into the pond. I enjoyed chasing them as they scampered and hopped. This little cadaver and pile of organ-mush was definitely not the same thing at all!

I have to admit – trying to provide the ‘anatomy of a sermon’ feels a little like that science lab day.

Most of us enjoy good preaching. We expect good preaching to inspire us, to shape us, to move us – to bring us to spiritual “a-ha” moments, to give us life direction. So the idea of dissecting a sermon and just looking at its lifeless parts might not be all that enthralling – but it might also prove to be very helpful. And the anatomy I’m going to provide is probably not exactly what you’re expecting.

The difficulty in trying to teach the anatomy of a sermon is that sermons are not at all like the tray of dead frogs. The frogs from that tray were all practically identical, except that some were male and some were female. Preaching, on the other hand, is very unique. As I’ve shown you in the first two chapters, there are many different forms of preaching. There are various approaches to preaching, with various kinds of intentions as to what the sermon should accomplish. But there are some core aspects of sermon anatomy that need to be understood for the preacher to bring his or her best to the task.

1. The sermon has a central Preaching is something that takes place in many different contexts: a sermon can be preached at a leadership conference, at a crusade in a foreign country, at a funeral, during a wedding ceremony, at a church the preacher doesn’t normally attend… but the mainstay of good Christian preaching happens in the context of a gathering of the church body where the preacher is the pastor of the congregation, or one of its pastors. In fact, the opportunity to preach in these other contexts is usually an honor given to someone who has first proven merit as a faithful pastor-preacher in the church. a. The context of the sermon is Jesus called together His followers, His ecclesia, His Church, to be people that would embrace the gift of salvation through Him, and then learn to live differently as His followers. The Church is the people of God, called together in a new kind of community that will grow together as an ~48~

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expression of God’s Kingdom, through evangelism, worship, ministry, fellowship, and discipleship.

These are the five purposes of the church, as described by Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Church 1. The idea is based on the scriptures – especially the Great Commandment of Matthew 22:37-39, and the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. I believe Rick Warren served the church well with the delineation of the five purposes of the church, and I agree that these five elements are the heart of what the church is meant to be. There is room to express the five purposes with some degree of personalization. Churches are unique – and the way each church lives into the five purposes can vary in healthy ways. b. There are

of the Church

One: Evangelism happens every time the good news is preached and demonstrated. People need to hear the simple Gospel – that there is a way for sin to be forgiven – and that there is a hope of Heaven.

Some people need to be able to evaluate apologetic and philosophical reasonings for the Gospel.

Others need to see evidence for the functional value of the Gospel. That evidence might come in the form of love lived out, or signs and wonders taking place. When evangelism is effectively taking place, people are repenting of their sin, turning to God, and giving their lives to Jesus!

When evangelism is happening, people are becoming followers of Jesus for the first time – and they understand that there is a reality of sin, guilt, shame, death, hell, and emptiness – but that there is also the possibility of forgiveness of sins, eternal life – and a new way of living here and now as a follower of Jesus.

Two: At its core, worship is about giving honor and praise to God. The Church is the people – God’s people – who learn to give praise and honor to God. The Biblical mandate is to come into His presence with singing (Psalm 100:2), to come into His courts with thanksgiving, and through the gates with praise (Psalm 100:4). In order to worship, God’s people learn to experience an encounter with God. To properly worship and praise God, God’s people – the Church – must learn to experience and be in His presence. This is part of why the church spends half of its time singing and worshipping when it gathers. But part of the worship gathering is centered on the preaching of God’s Word – because the experience of the preaching of God’s Word is also a faculty of worship. Good Christian preaching should be able to facilitate a sense of divine encounter in which God’s people are coming nearer to Him and giving Him praise!

Three: Ministry tends to be something we think just a few people do – the pastor, for example. But from a Biblical perspective, all of God’s people are called to do ministry. Ministry is simply the act of serving the church Body so that it can be built up. The church is a living organism – and the gatherings that it engages in every week help all the members of the Body experience the life~49~

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giving experience of being built up in Christ. But there have to be willing and ready ministers – that is, people of God who are ready to serve as needed so that the whole church Body can function well.

Four: The church is meant to create and provide fellowship for the people of the Body. Jesus had this idea that His followers would come together and ‘become one’ – that they would love each other as He had loved. That’s His vision! It calls for the willingness of God’s people to connect in relationships where real fellowship can take place! It is challenging to develop real community – but real community is part of the authentic church of Jesus Christ.

Five: Discipleship: Jesus did clearly say “Go and make disciples…”. He wanted disciples – not converts, not attendees, not crowds, not programs, not tithers. All of those things have their place – but at the core – Jesus wants the church to be disciples who are making disciples. A disciple is a person who is learning and growing – and being transformed by what they are learning. A disciple of Jesus is learning and growing in the ways of Jesus, and is embracing the challenge to live out the Jesus mission. Sometimes discipleship gets construed as endless Bible study, but the discipleship Jesus did was marked by sending people out to do the stuff! c. Christian preaching must serve

of the Church

What does all of this have to do with preaching? This is the context of preaching! Great Christian preaching has the five purposes of the church in view – and serves those purposes in and through the preaching. The preacher must be the servant of the church and its purposes. The preacher’s work is to communicate the timeless truth of God’s Word in such a way that these core functions of the church are substantiated and supported. The work of the preacher is ultimately to use the tool of preaching to shepherd God’s people into any and all of these five core functions: evangelism, worship, ministry, fellowship, and discipleship! The central context of preaching – and of any sermon worth preaching – is the Body of Christ, the Church!

2. The sermon has a specific I’ve already established that the sermon has the Church as it’s context. But – when you talk about the ‘capital C Church’, you’re still thinking in very broad terms. Real Christian preaching happens in a particular local church. What that means is that the sermon has a community – a specific community – that it must speak to. A sermon intended for a generic group of people will be generic. The best sermons have a specific, known community in mind – a particular local church, with all of its positive and negative qualities, all of its particular peculiarities, and all of its blessings and burdens.

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a. The preacher must

the

For great preaching to take place, the preacher needs to know the community. It isn’t enough to know about the church body – the preacher needs to personally know the church body. When you develop real relationships with people in the church body, you become aware of their real-life issues, their joys, their sorrows, their problems, and their needs. This makes for preaching that resonates. People know the difference when you’re just pontificating and when you’ve really been in their position, or been in enough proximity to them to genuinely feel their pain. b. Make time to

the people you’re

for

I make it my practice to meet with people from the church Body throughout the week. I look for ways I can be engaged in people’s lives through impromptu conversations, scheduled meetings, drop-ins, and time in Lifegroups. I recently asked a guy in the church if I could come to see his business. It took the whole day, because it took an hour and a half to drive to his company. When I got there, I could see the breadth of the company he was running – the company had a twentyacre location with three manufacturing buildings and offices – and nearly 300 employees. He gave me the grand tour of the place – and I caught a sense of the passion he had for the work his business did. I also caught a sense of the pressure he was carrying. I joined his leadership team for lunch and listened to the kind of problems his team is up against. I then spent a little time alone with him and discovered more of his personal journey and the kinds of hopes he had for his life.

I drove home that day – an hour and a half in traffic – and thought about all I had observed. First of all, I experienced his three-hour daily commute – and imagined him enduring that frustrating experience every morning and every night for decades. It gave me some insight into why I hadn’t seen Dale in any Lifegroup. I saw a man who was running a small business that gave employment to nearly 300 people. I saw a leader who had a challenging leadership environment with intense pressures of deadlines, logistics issues, cost and production problems, staffing concerns. I knew that this was something I could never truly appreciate without having been there. And when I get up to preach and talk about pressure – I have Dale in mind, real-time. c. Let your preaching

be shaped by the reality of your

When I meet with people where they work, it grounds me in the reality of the challenges they face in the environment where they are spending 70% of their time. It gives me an appreciation for the value of their tithe. It helps me to experience how many miles away their day-to-day life is from the church and sermons that I preach, both literally and figuratively. It shapes the kinds of preaching that I do – because I see the exact place where what I’m preaching needs to get worked into life.

I cannot go to the place of work of every single person in the church, but I can “do for one what I wish I could do for everyone”, as Andy Stanley has suggested. The truth is, I might only make it to visit eight or nine people in their places of work in any given year. But that experience helps me to ~51~

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be a better preacher. It gives me greater compassion for why people seem to zone out, and it helps me discover the actual needs of the people, generally. It’s one thing to say that preaching should be ad vitam, but meeting with people where they work, live, and play is one of the ways to connect with the real-life situations the people I’m preaching to are living in. Taking time to meet with the people on their turf is what makes it possible to preach for them rather than preach at them.

3. The sermon has inspired and inspiring Most people are coming to church for their own interests. In theological la-la land, we can wish and assume people are coming to church purely for the glory of God, eager for the opportunity to simply give Him worship in the corporate setting and receive whatever preaching or teaching the pastor sees fit to give. But from the perspective of the average person coming to church, they are coming to get their needs met. To me this is not negative; it is good and noble that they’ve decided to come to church for those needs to be met! They are coming to experience some sense of the transcendent – and receive some hope and direction for life. They may also be coming in hopes of finding connection in community and the opportunity to make a difference – but even those things are secondary. a. People come to church for

and that’s okay!

For many people the work-week is exhausting, and the challenges are heavy. If they are deciding to come to church, they are coming with the hope that whatever happens in church would move them, help them, inspire them, lift them up, make them feel something… and they probably have a sense that at the core, it’s God they need. And yet, they are coming to church. They’ve come to believe that church is a place where they can come to receive something that will charge them up and bring some positive change to their lives. I believe that they’ve come to the right place! And as they get their needs met, I believe they will also grow in the higher-level spiritual engagement of ministering to God for His worthiness and beauty, and loving people in His Spirit’s power to change the world. But I’m glad to start with people where they are! b. Create a preaching

that can

, instruct, and attract

At Centerpoint Church, I’ve developed an approach for preaching which allows our church to receive inspired and inspiring content. Each year, I plan a one-year preaching calendar. I usually include eight to ten people in this process: there are generally just three to four people on our preaching team – but there are just as many others who have a vested interest in our effectiveness and impact – with wise perspective to bring to the process. In addition to the preaching team members, I usually include our production director, our groups pastor, our outreach pastor, our guest experience pastor, our worship pastor, and one of our youth pastors. I want to create a oneyear preaching calendar that will speak into all facets of life and faith that a broad spectrum of us can think of together. I want a preaching calendar that our whole team shares ownership of.

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c. A great preaching plan includes series, series, and -based series – with scripture from both Testaments.

-oriented

My aim for a great preaching calendar is to arrive at a well-rounded, intentionally crafted plan that will include three kinds of series, and include two kinds of Biblical content, broadly speaking.

The three kinds of series are: attractional, growth-oriented, and Word-based. There is always overlap in these three types of series – but generally, it takes intentionality to include all. An attractional series addresses the felt needs of people who are not currently part of a church. These tend to be things like marriage, family, parenting, stress, personal improvement, and emotions. A growthoriented series addresses foundational discipleship issues such as spiritual gifts, the Kingdom of God, dealing with suffering, spiritual disciplines, and core theology such as the Cross or stewardship. Word-based series are either a series through a book of the Bible (usually a short one!), or through a section of a book of the Bible – for example, a series on Joseph through ten chapters in Genesis. Finally, I want to make sure that the one-year preaching calendar has both Old Testament and New Testament. d. Attractional series address the common

of people outside the church

When we do an attractional series, we do our best to let the community around us know about it. We send out a mailer, we do a boosted social media push, we strongly encourage members to use invite cards to bring a friend. People do come – and the attractional series gives them an experience with the church that is positive and ‘scratches the itch’. Through our other processes of assimilation and next steps, a good number of those folks stay – and then experience the growthoriented series and Word-based series. It isn’t a perfectly dialed-in system; it’s more of a broadly outlined approach that is effective.

At Centerpoint Church, we do series-based preaching. I’ve determined that our mission is to love and lead people to a life-changing connection with Christ. We want to reach people that are far from God, that don’t have a connection to Jesus or His church, and who need help, hope, and salvation. We are trying to reach regular people who might not have a context for what church is or why church matters. And since a large part of ‘church’ involves listening to a preacher for 30-40 minutes, we want to express what that lengthy moment is in terms of the value it has for people. e. Preaching by series helps express the

of what the preaching can offer

Series-based preaching allows us to express the value of what will be offered in the preaching in a way that speaks to both the members of the church and those outside of the church. For example, we recently did a series called ‘relationslips’, with the tagline, ‘Improve your relationships, improve your life!’ There was a descriptive paragraph that went along with the series that talked about why relationships matter, how we all face difficulties in relationships – but that there is wisdom and help in the scriptures – and our series ‘relationslips’ will deliver that help. If we just said, “Come

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hear our weekly sermon from James 1:19-27,” it would be accurate, but it would not express much of the value that the sermon brought.

Part of what this is addressing is the sociological reality of conditioning. Think about this: we have been sociologically conditioned by our education and our entertainment to expect content to come in themes and units. Throughout our education, we take individual classes on specific subjects; the subjects are broken up into units. And we alternate from one unit to another. In our entertainment, many of us enjoy starting a new TV series – because we got bored with the old one.

We expect content to be carried in these ways – themes and units. Preaching by series allows the sermon content to come in a familiar flow – which makes it more assimilable. It gives people’s brains a familiar construct for importing what we’re conveying. f. Create and use attractive would use bait

and

for series like a

With series-based preaching, we work hard to create a series title and graphic that is attractive.

The reason for this is that Jesus called us to be fishers of men – and fishermen learn to chum the waters and use baits, lures, and nets effectively. I could decry the consumer culture that drives so many of the people where I live. Or, I can learn to acknowledge and work with some of the consumer tendencies that are engrained in people – and craft nets and bait that work well for my fishing expedition. I am not fishing for the people I wish existed (people free from consumeristic tendencies). I am fishing for the people that actually live and work in my community. And they do have a consumer mindset. g. Work with the

, not against it

The core of the consumer mindset is one that is asking, “What is the value proposition in this?

What value is there in this for me?” I believe there is great value for people in coming to know Jesus and growing as part of His church! So it is no stretch at all to craft communication around the value that is inherently in the preaching. It would be far easier to just stand up week to week and say, “Today we’re going to read Deuteronomy chapter 2.” It takes far more work to create original series that are attractional, growth-oriented, or Word-based. It takes effort and ingenuity to come up with tag lines and graphics that are compelling. But it is worth it – because it helps me and our preaching team establish that we will have inspired and inspiring content in our sermons. h. If you are inspired by

preaching,

Let me say something else about inspired and inspiring content. When I first began preaching, I didn’t know what I was doing – and there were weeks where the pastoral load was so intense, I hardly had time to think, let alone create a sermon to preach. Even if I did have time, I just had weeks where I couldn’t come up with anything. I felt inadequate and uninspired. But I found several resources: Rick Warren’s sermons were all available in note and outline form for purchase.

Craig Groeschel began providing all of his for free – manuscripts, outlines, and graphics. Wow, ~54~

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problem solved! Or so I thought. I would sometimes download and doctor up one of those resources – and preach it. I would say something like, “My message today is inspired by a message from Rick Warren…”, and that allowed me to share the message without destroying my integrity.

But it was not a good long-term solution. i. Don’t get used to using

sermons

When you first start out as a preacher, it is understandable that you might want to do something like I did – because it is a way of learning. It can give you a familiarity with a certain form of preaching – and experience with delivering admittedly effective content. But it is not helpful to do this too frequently. It is harmful because it stunts the development of your voice as a preacher.

It also causes others to question your integrity, unless you are very specific about your source acknowledgment. It also causes you to miss the powerful moments between you and God where His heart and His Word are coming alive to you!

We live in a hyper-connected age. It used to be that if a person wanted to hear a Rick Warren sermon, they’d have to jump through hoops to hear it; they’d have to go to Saddleback Church or order the tape from them. But now, I don’t even have to search for a Steven Furtick sermon. They are being pumped directly to me on social media, podcasts, YouTube, and everywhere else – if there is anywhere else! What that means is that if I take Steven Furtick’s sermon and doctor it a little and re-preach it as though it was my own – everyone is going to know it. In the end, plagiarism is illegal and unethical. If I see an idea from another preacher that is just so inspiring that I have to run with it and use it, I simply need to appropriately acknowledge the source. But what is even more important is to be the kind of preacher who is personally inspired. j. Dive into

yourself!

In the eighth chapter I will share specific methods for cultivating and capturing your inspirations, but for now let me say this: part of your job as a preacher is to get inspired. That means – be the kind of person who is personally diving into God’s Word, and experiencing God’s presence. Be the kind of person who is staying curious about life, wisdom, and personal growth. Be the kind of person who notices and takes notes when ideas and analogies are occurring to you. Be the kind of preacher who is inspired so your sermon and your preaching can be inspiring.

Finally – for sermon content to be inspiring, the most crucial thing is for you to be a person of enthusiasm. The word enthusiasm comes from the roots en theos – to have God within. The origin of great preaching is not so much about academic analysis of a text, or creative wordsmithing, or wonderful stories and illustrations. The origin of great preaching is a heart that’s full of God – full of God’s love, presence, hope, and power. So – do you want to be a great preacher? Then be a great lover of God! Get comfortable being in God’s presence. Shut off your phone, turn off the podcasts, log out of Netflix – and get into God’s presence. Enter into the only place truly great preaching comes from – the Holy of Holies.

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GROUP DISCUSSION: Gather in a small group and discuss what was covered in this session.

1. How has the context of the sermon, the Church – made a difference in the world throughout history?

2. How does preaching fit into the big-picture impact the Church can have in the world?

3. Why does it matter for a preacher to really know the local church Body he or she is preaching to?

4. What are some things the preacher can do to get to know the members of the Body?

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5. Why does preaching need to be inspiring and not just instructive?

6. How does a preacher fail to be inspired?

RESPONSE: Write a short paragraph of response related to this chapter’s teaching.

1. What are the five purposes of the church, and how does preaching relate to these purposes?

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2. How can a preacher be better connected to the church Body, and how can this improve her or his preaching?

3. Why do people come to church and what are they hoping to receive?

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4. What is the value of a good preaching plan, and what should it include?

5. Name a few attractional themes and why these are important for a good preaching plan:

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6. What is the essence of ‘getting inspired’ as a preacher?

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PREACHING ACTIVATION

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NOTES

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4

SERMON PREPARATION

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15 niv

PREACHING by John Hansen

THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY HOURS IN A DAY… I remember hearing Dr. John Thompson, Professor at Fuller Seminary, say that a pastor should spend one hour in preparation and study for every minute of sermon that will be preached. By his math, pastors and preachers should be spending 30-40 hours in study and preparation for preaching. That sounds exactly like something a seminary professor would say! I’m pretty sure that Dr. Thompson was using hyperbole to make a point: do the work of preparation! The truth is, I find there are times when I have plenty of time to prepare, times when I have a small amount of time to prepare, and times when I have almost no time to prepare – and yet – I preach. In this chapter, I want to share with you my personal sermon preparation method, for all three situations.

Whenever I go to the carwash, I have a choice to make: do I want the deluxe wash and wax? The supreme wash? The standard wash? And the real choice is – do I want to spend $30, $20, or $15.

Either way, the car is going to get washed. Most of the time I opt for the deluxe wash and wax – because I know the wax protects my car’s finish. But there are some moments where I’m feeling cheap, or funds are low, and I opt for the standard wash. Again – the car still gets clean either way.

I sit in the waiting room, and 30-40 minutes later, the car is done. I’m on my way. But there are other times when the car is a mess, and I don’t have 30-40 minutes. So I do the five minute, $5 drive-through car wash at the gas station. It gets the job done. But if you look up close, you can still see bug guts that survived the wash, and areas under the mirrors and handles are still not that clean. But most people wouldn’t notice those things. Even that wash was serviceable. Preaching preparation is a little like all of the above!

Plan to spend

to prepare to preach a full-length sermon

I need twelve to fourteen hours of sermon prep time to do my best work. I need blocks of uninterrupted time that are three hours each to do solid work. My process actually begins with my annual preaching plan. When I do an annual preaching plan, I create series ideas that include a proper scope and sequence for the series. I usually plan out the main scripture passage and write a few sentences of the general idea I had in mind for that part of the series. So when it comes time to do my actual preparation, I’m not ‘flying blind’ in most cases. I already have a general sense of the direction of the series and specific message, and a scripture passage I’ve already decided on.

Of course, there are times when I have not completed the whole scope and sequence – and then I need an extra hour or two to work on what I’m preaching. If I have twelve hours, I can do fairly thorough preparation for preaching. Some weeks, I get the full twelve hours – other weeks, I might only get seven. Still other weeks, I may only have three hours to prepare – and I still need to get a message together. Some weeks, it’ll have to be the $5 drive-through wash at the gas station!

Let me start by giving you my full-scale sermon preparation method.

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PART ONE: Engage in the 1.

sermon preparation method when possible and make

Maybe you are tempted to skip this section, because, of course you will pray. But I am insisting that you start your process with prayer because I have found that this is one of the steps that often gets missed because it does not seem to be necessary. But your time of prayer over the preaching that you will do is incredibly powerful and important. Personally, I begin on Monday by praying over my own heart, soul, mind, and body as I prepare. I ask God to pour out His grace into my mind and spirit, and that I would encounter Him as I prepare. I also pray over the actual moment of preaching, which for me is usually the coming weekend. I pray in advance that whatever I come up with, it will come from God, and be for His people. I pray for inspiration, stories, and deep biblical revelation. The principal from Jesus is that you have not because you ask not (John 16:24).

So let me begin by asking for what I need: inspiration and revelation from God! a.

God first as you pray!

So, do likewise. Let prayer be your first step. As you begin to pray, start by honoring and loving the Lord. Yes, there is a task to get to, and yes, you want to ask for God’s help with the task of sermon prep. But first, love the Lord! And then, thank God for the power of His Word. Thank God for the fact that His word is alive and active. Praise God for giving His word! And thank God for giving you the opportunity to preach. These are His people, and He is in trusting you with His holy Word, in the holy moment of the believers gathering, to build up and inspire his people. Declare that you are confident that God loves you, and loves His people, and therefore, will be with you in the preparation process as you get ready to preach! b. Get your

ready

I am somewhat old-school. I love the feeling of ink on paper as I prepare. So I prefer to do the first phase of my preparation with notepaper and pen. I am not a fan of yellow notepaper. I know some people swear by yellow legal pads. I do not! I prefer white legal pads (or spiral-bound pad) and a medium point blue gel pen – and some highlighters. I don’t know why I am so picky, but I always feel so much better about my sermon preparation when I start with these elements in hand! At the top of the page, I write the name of the series and the scripture reference that I plan on working through. And then I look at that blank page, and I pray some more: “God, give me insight and revelation in Your word today!”

For me, the computer is the place where I do my finalizing work. So I don’t like to start too quickly with the computer document. In graphic design, great designers learn that before turning on the Adobe software, the designer should spend some time with pencil on paper to draft sketches and ideas. This discipline of the designer ensures that there is an analog element to the design. ~65~

PREACHING by John Hansen

It causes the designer to slow down… and slowing the pace tends to be what gives rise to real creativity. Once the illustration software is open, there are too many automatic tools, pre-made shapes and textures and images that are available. It’s too easy to just use those things as the design. So the great designers begin with pencil and paper first – sketching and shading old-school.

And that’s generally where more inspired design work comes from.

I find that something similar happens in preparation for preaching. When I have that blank page in front of me, and pen in hand, I know that I am engaging in an analog process. There is nothing else before me except that blank page and the Bible. No distracting red dots from this or that app, and no other windows tempting me to peer into them. No online commentaries – or worse – instantly available YouTube videos of other preachers’ take on this passage. This page becomes the canvas upon which my first sketches will be drawn. So, pray, and make the page. Put on some instrumental music and get in the zone.

2.

the

The first Bible I spent a great deal of time reading was the NIV Bible. My first Bible is precious to me; it is marked with highlighters of every color in the rainbow, and the margins on many of the pages are filled to the edges with personal notes. That particular Bible is nostalgic for me, but I don’t read from it much anymore. This is partly because the pages are falling apart in my fingertips at this point! But I do generally prepare for preaching by reading from the NIV first. a. Pick your If you have not done so already, the first thing you will need to do is determine the text you are preaching from. You should select one natural pericope (pear-ick-oh-pee). A pericope is a segment of scripture that contains the expression and completion of a thought. It might be one or two sentences, or two or three paragraphs, or a whole chapter. Choosing a pericope is easier in Old Testament narrative passages and Gospel narratives. In the New Testament epistles, a pericope should contain the complete thought-unit within that chapter. It’s important that your pericope be long enough that there will be plenty of substance for the preaching. But the word pericope comes from the Greek root ‘to cut around’ – and you should cut around enough that the section is not too long! b. Read in My practice is to read the passage two or three times in the NIV. And then, I read the passage in three or four other translations. Reading in other translations helps me catch the text in a different light. A new translation gives voice to the text in a new way – and that helps me break out of my preconceived ideas of the text. It helps me set aside the lenses of familiarity. At this point I’m not making any notes, I’m just reading. I’m just marinating in the words of the text and the thoughts of God that are in the text.

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c.

with the text to drive it

Sometimes it helps me to read the text out loud, and sometimes I even read the text with a foreign, southern, or New York accent. I know this sounds silly, but I do it just for fun. Literally, just for fun! Playing with the text like this and making it fun allows a different part of my brain to be activated so that I can take in the scripture at a deeper level. Sometimes I lie on the floor and read the text out loud while rolling back and forth on the ground. Sounds weird – I know. I’m literally just trying to do whatever I can to drive the text into my whole being – even into my body and my back! Other times I will sing the text – just making up a melody and singing through the passage.

The point of this part of the preparation process is just that: take in the broad brushstrokes of the passage and the main ideas of it at a macro level. So, read the text five to ten times, using several different translations. Play with the text. Let the big picture come into view. Read the chapter before and after the pericope so you have a good sense for the overall context. And once you’ve done this, then you’re ready to make your observations.

3. Make your Now it’s time to make your observations. Pick up your pen, and read the Bible verses again. This time, make running observations as you go. I usually write the verse number in the margin on the left and then my observations next to that. I simply write things that occur to me. I might jot down certain key verbs that seem to be used in unique ways or several times. I might write down an observation about how this verse reminds me of other parts of the Bible. I might also write down observations about how the text makes me feel or causes me to have a different perspective.

I might write down observations about questions I have about what’s in a text. a. Write your own

commentary on your pad

This is actually part of the inductive Bible study method that I learned as a young disciple through inter-varsity Christian fellowship. Our inter-varsity leader taught us to do inductive Bible study by giving us printed pages of Bible text, where there were five blank lines between every line of Bible text. Our job is to fill in the blank lines with our observations, in the way I just described.

When you give yourself the time and space to make your own observations of the scriptures, it’s surprising how many observations you can make! But do not make the mistake of thinking that this page of observations is your sermon. It’s not. This is not your sermon any more than a measuring cup full of flour is a cake. There is a lot more work to be done!

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PREACHING by John Hansen

OBSERVATION EXERCISE

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PREACHING by John Hansen

b. Ask the

questions

Make your observations. Ask questions of the text. Is there anything about the setting that matters in particular? Are there certain words that deserve special attention? A great tool for this part of preparation is Rick Warren’s spacepets questions. As you read the text, ask – Is there a… to confess?

to pray?

to claim?

to avoid?

to change?

to believe?

to obey?

to praise God for?

to follow?

These questions will skyrocket your observations into the stratosphere! But leave your dog or cat at home – because other than this Bible study trick, there are no such thing as spacepets!

4.

the passage

After you’ve made your observations, it’s time for exegesis. Depending on your level of theological education, your exegesis may be more or less rigorous. Because I have a Masters of Divinity and learned the Biblical languages and the common tools for doing exegesis in the original languages, my process may contain some steps that are not relevant for everyone. a. Uncover the

issues

If the passage is from the New Testament, I read the text in Greek. I make a note of the verb tenses and I make note of the key words that are used in the passage. If the passage is from the Old Testament, I look up the keywords in the Hebrew text. My Hebrew is not proficient enough to actually read the text in Hebrew. I could do it, but it would just take too long! I also read entries from the Bible dictionary on that passage or book of the Bible. I also use online tools such as blueletterbible.org to uncover some of the linguistic issues. b. Determine the

meaning of the text

The main point of exegesis is to determine the then-and-there meaning of the text. What was the earthly author’s intent for writing this text? What was the meaning of this text for its original recipients? So, do your exegesis. On the next page of your notepad, write down whatever exegetical issues you can find. Write down your understanding of the then-and-there meaning. If you’ve read the text in three translations and they are all very different, it’s likely that there is an important exegetical issue. If you can read the original language, do that now. Use online resources such as Logos Bible software or blue letter Bible to dive deeper into the words of the text. If you are not trained as a theologian with skill in the original languages, this step can sometimes be more ~70~

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dangerous than helpful. It can sometimes be a little bit like a person going onto webMD and then thinking that they now have the skill to diagnose and treat cancer. Not so fast! That’s where commentaries come in.

5. Read When I was a student at Fuller theological seminary, I was amazed that one of my professors had done his life’s doctoral work on one book of the Old Testament. Dr. John Goldingay had spent one decade of his life doing Ph.D. level research on the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel only has twelve chapters! But Dr. Goldingay read and studied every single word of that book in excruciating detail in its original language. He wrote the WORD Biblical Commentary on the book of Daniel. He did what most of us pastors and preachers will simply never have the time or skill level to do: a complete and thorough exegesis on the book of Daniel. That commentary is now a trustworthy resource for any of us who ever want to preach on Daniel. a.

the expertise

I know that commentaries can seem so dry and dull. They print words you can’t read in languages you don’t understand, in fine print! But I’m asking you to respect the expertise that is present in the commentaries. Recognize that because of the nature of ancient languages and ancient cultures, it is possible that there is much more going on behind the text than the untrained eye can see. At the same time, know that not all commentaries are created equal. Some commentaries come from theologians and academics who have lost connection with their faith, and who bring an assumption of disbelief to their analysis. Avoid those commentaries! b. Choose

commentaries

Over the years I have collected almost the entire WORD Biblical Commentary in hardback. I have also collected the complete NIV Application Commentary. Both of these commentaries are both scholarly and academic – but faith-oriented. As you choose commentaries, be sure to pick those that are faith-oriented. A standard part of my message preparation is to read these commentaries on the section of scripture I’m preparing to preach. I am careful to read the commentaries after I have made my own observations. It is too easy to just allow the observations that are from the commentator to become the content of the message. If I read the commentaries first, it would be very difficult to have my own observational process. c. Keep in mind that a

is not a

I remember when I first started reading scholarly commentaries it was overwhelming. I recall feeling that I’d never be a great preacher if coming up with that stuff is what’s required. The good news is that coming up with that stuff is not required! Commentary is not a sermon. Please remember that. Read the commentaries. You can begin collecting commentaries of your own,

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or you can access many commentaries online through blue letter Bible or the Logos Biblical software. Jot down notes on your notepad of important commentary around history or culture.

This is not your sermon, but taking it in will help shape the kind of sermon you create.

6.

it out

Now it’s time to begin arriving at some sense of what shape or form your sermon is going to take.

What you need to do at this point is “chunk out” the text. Whether you’ve chosen a passage that is one verse, or 24 verses, there are most likely two or more distinct sections. Your task here is to figure out where those chunks seem to be. Sometimes it is obvious, other times you’ll need to be more thoughtful. Sometimes it is subjective – there may not be just one way to chunk it out. a. Start a new

on your notepad and give

for the

As you re-read the text, does it seem to have only one chunk? Does it seem to have three main chunks? Four? Determine that. Chunk it out. On your notepad, on the margins to the left of the page, write the verse numbers for the chunks. And leave seven or eight lines between each verse chunk. Now, give each chunk a label. A word or a short sentence that describes the essence of what that chunk seems to be about. Does one chunk relate to another? Is there a thread that seems to weave through all of the chunks? Does the way the last chunk ends seem to relate to how the first chunk began? Is there one verb that seems to stand out? b. Make some connections

in the blank space by writing in

and

This part of the process for me is where the magic usually happens. When I say magic, don’t worry, I’m not talking about some sort of mysterious interaction with Gandolf! I’m talking about that moment where I see something coming together. When I chunk it out, I begin to see how this one section of scripture has one or two or three aspects. Usually, as I see the breakdown, words and phrases start jumping out at me that could carry the weight of all of the chunks. Or I will see that there is a main directive that the scripture is driving towards. When I get to the chunk it out phase, I am full of faith and expectation that this magic moment will happen. And it almost always does.

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CHUNKING IT OUT EXERCISE

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Make that magic happen by writing your best observations and explanations and connections in the blank spaces. Highlight those verbs or themes that stand out. Start trying out some focus statements by writing them down in pen… you’ll find that the Holy Spirit works powerfully in this part of preparation. At this point in the preparation process, when I chunk it out, ideas for illustrations, analogies, anecdotes, and stories tend to occur to me. I usually write those on the right-hand side of the page somewhere. Sometimes at this point, I get ‘main idea’ phrases in mind – and I jot those down too.

7. Determine the As you review your notepad with the chunked-out sections, you need to be asking yourself this question: What is it all about? In particular – you want to ask two specific questions: What is the big-picture main idea of this text? What’s the one main thing I want people to know from this text and my sermon? What’s the focus? a. The sermon

is the one

I want people to

from this

Technically, this is called your exegetical proposition. The reality is that in some texts there is only one logical focus. Different preachers may word that focus with some variation – but it’s basically the same. In other texts, there are so many different thoughts that the focus you are drawn to may be unique. It is an important discipline in a complex text to determine your particular focus. You don’t need to explain that there were lots of other thoughts – that’s a given. Of course there were!

You’ve just narrowed the field of focus, by the Holy Spirit’s direction, for the main thought that God wants you to zero in on in this message at this time. But keep in mind – the focus itself is not the ‘main point’ of the sermon. If you stop at determining the focus – you’ve done well – but you’ve only gone halfway. You need to also arrive at your preaching point or points. b. The

is the one from this sermon

point that states what I want people to

You must ask yourself, and ask the Holy Spirit, what do I want people to do as a result of this text and this sermon – what’s the function? This is what distinguishes good Christian preaching from a lecture. A lecture will have many observations and facts and foci. But Christian preaching is a discipleship tool – and it gives people actionable life direction! This is what a pastor-preacher is called to do – to give life direction and urge people in what they are to do as a result of the scripture.

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CHUNKING IT OUT EXERCISE - PART 2

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c. Ask what is the

of this sermon? Write it down on the pad.

These two questions will help you determine your exegetical point and your homiletical point. These two are different. The exegetical point is valuable because it helps God’s people learn to value and embrace the scriptures themselves for what they are: ultimate, inerrant authority. The exegetical point does not necessarily need to be a ‘point’ in your sermon at all. It can be, if it is useful. It is likely to be something that you will include in the sermon in some way – either as a sub-point or as a strong statement in part of the preaching content. But the homiletical point is where the drive is. The homiletical point can give that ad vitam prophetic life-application directive that great preaching should have. Remember that at this point, you are working on your notepad – nothing is set in stone yet! Give yourself the freedom to jot down these statements in rough and raw form.

Don’t worry about the language being pretty at this point. Just get the ideas out there as to focus and function! What do I want them to know? What do I want them to do? If the form allows, I prefer having just one homiletical point – but there are times when the text requires more. Let the substance of the text drive that decision.

8. Decide on the Generally speaking, as I have already relayed, I like to preach with one main idea that becomes the application for the whole text. This is often possible. Sometimes though, the text contains such specific divergent ideas that to preach it well and to do it justice, I will need a multiplepoint form. This is the stage in my preparation where I make that decision. Sometimes the text seems to require it because the chunks are too divergent to bring them together with one thread.

Sometimes I choose multiple points because it is easier and I just don’t have the brain energy to think of one ad vitam directive that could draw it all together.

Decide on the form your sermon will take. Will this be a one-point message? A three or four-point sermon strictly following the outline of the text? Could this be a narrative preaching opportunity?

Determine which form you will use because you are now almost ready to begin writing the sermon.

9. Create the At this point in my preparation, I create a draft document on the computer. I like to do this on a google drive doc because I can access it from anywhere when I’m ready to work on it. I set my hand-written notes out in front of me, and then I go to work. a. Put the

and the

in place in the doc

The first step here is to transfer the basic flow from the notepad to the document. Put the scriptures into the document in the order that your chunking process has revealed. I advise you to set up the document with the whole scripture section copied and pasted in. Verses 1-2, then a couple of paragraphs-worth of blank space. Verses 3-6, then a couple of paragraphs-worth of blank space. ~76~

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Verses 7-11, then a couple of paragraphs-worth of blank space… you get the idea. In the blank spaces afterwards, just write the words ‘explanation’, ‘direction’, and ‘illustration’, as though each was its own paragraph heading. For now, just leave it blank. b. Start

the main point

If I have determined that this can be a one-point message, I now begin my wordsmithing process as I described in chapter 2 for an ad vitam touchphrase. I usually do this at the end of the document – I use that section of this document as a scratchpad. I do the word-smithing there because it’s easier to type out lots of attempts at phrasing. Once I have arrived at the phrase that seems to work best, I put it somewhere before the first scripture section, highlighted in yellow, in bold blue 16 point font. And now the work continues.

10. Write When I write the sermon, I usually start with the basic theological and shepherding message. For me, adding in the illustrations and stories and introductions and closing comes last. I am most concerned that I get the thought of the sermon expressed well. So, even though I know I will have a real introduction at the very top, I start writing the sermon with a basic description of the background of the text I am going to ask people to read. I explain something about the historical context, the time, or the reason this section of scripture was written. I may also explain what has been happening before this moment that we’re about to read. and

a. Start with a short paragraph of

, but write for

I write all of this in paragraph form for oral delivery. To write a sermon for oral delivery, I have to imagine speaking these words to a crowd. That means I’m going to write in a way that my English literature professor would not approve of. I am writing as though I were talking. This is a unique kind of writing, but I believe it’s necessary for preachers. b. Follow the predictable

,

,

pattern

For each section of scripture, I follow a fairly predictable pattern: scripture, explanation, direction, illustration. I include the scripture reference in the writing of my sermon. What comes next is some degree of explanation. Here’s where a few of the best observations from that part of my preparation may be included. Just a few! This is also where any exegetical insight can be included if it is necessary to support the message. The next paragraph is usually something directive. I do believe God‘s word is given to transform us, not just inform us, and as a preacher, that means I’m ready to take the opportunity to give God’s people the direction that His word is pointing to. The next paragraph will be some form of illustration. An illustration is a weird picture of some kind that helps give a memorable handle to the explanation and direction content from the scriptures. ~77~

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Write your sermon. Start, as noted above, by providing one paragraph of background for the scripture that is about to be read. No more than this is needed. Your theology professor would like four pages of this type of content. The people that have been working regular jobs all week will NOT. Insert the actual text of the scripture that you’re preaching. Make it red ink. Next, write one paragraph that includes some explanation of the text, with insights from your observations and possibly from the exegesis and commentary reading. Write or rewrite again your main idea point. Next, write a paragraph that gives the shepherding direction implied in the text. Tell God’s people what God‘s Word says about how to live! Then, write an illustration if you can think of one, but if you cannot, just write the word “illustration“ in bold and leave blank space.

Continue this process for all of the chunks. c. Interlace the ad vitam

ten times throughout the message.

At this point, you have the hard work of sermon writing done! Now, go back and fill in those blanks, write those illustrations and introductions and conclusions that bring it to life and tie it all together. But also, look for opportunities to interlace that ad vitam main point throughout the sermon. On average, I shoot for ten times. Right after every illustration, pair it with that main point. Right after every ‘direction’ section, loop in that main point. In your conclusion, bring back that main point. You want people to walk out knowing ‘that sermon was about this one main idea’. That will only happen if you work that main idea into the message ten times or more. If you can’t interlace it – it probably wasn’t really your main idea – just an awkward, forced ‘observation’. d. Go back and give

a heading

You’ve basically written your sermon at this point – but there is another step you can take which will help you immensely when it comes to delivery. Go back through your sermon, and give each paragraph its own heading. This heading is not for the purpose of anything literary! Don’t try to make a heading that would make your English teacher proud. Ths heading would be removed if this sermon were going to be printed. This heading can be a hodge-podge of words – but it tells you exactly what this paragraph contains. A heading might be jones family/dumb mistake/ yellow. On its own, that heading is meaningless. But – you wrote that paragraph, with a detailed illustration – maybe something like the following: jones family/dumb mistake/yellow … the Jones family faced this terrible problem. The son, Billy Bob, came home one day with a confession; he gathered the whole family together and cried and wept, and said he had this confession. He knew his dad wanted an orange paint job on the car – and he meant to get it painted orange. But he didn’t realize he had his sunglasses on when he picked the color at the autobody shop. He says it was a dumb mistake.

But the car was finished and it was outside. The family all went outside and looked at the car – and it was yellow! No one could believe it – but there it was. All because Billy Bob wouldn’t take off his glasses! ~78~

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The heading – jones family/dumb mistake/yellow – now makes perfect sense. And since you wrote the illustration, if you saw that simple heading, it would completely jog your memory for re-telling what was in the paragraph without you having to read it out loud. Go back through your sermon and give every paragraph a heading like this – something that reminds you of what that paragraph is about. Limit the heading to seven words, maximum. Make the heading bold. This step will be of great value for the moment of truth – the preaching moment! e. Create small group

for the sermon.

Finally, write small group questions as part of writing your sermon. If your sermon is really going to be a tool for discipleship, you need to take some responsibility for the actual learning and living of the message. Write small group questions that will help the people to dive back into the text on their own to experience deeper engagement. Create questions envisioned for a group of disciples together. Imagine that some are seasoned believers and that others are new to the Christian life.

Create questions that compel them to re-read the scriptures and share their own observations and experiences around those scriptures. Never write simplistic questions such as, “How many times did David use the word ‘you’?” Imagine a small group of ten to twelve people sitting in a family room on a Wednesday night with a volunteer facilitator, processing the ideas and challenges of the sermon. Imagine them working together to encourage each other in how to apply God’s Word.

Imagine that some of the folks are new believers, and others are more mature. Create questions that will help them engage well with each other, with the sermon ideas, and with the text itself.

Create discipleship questions that would engage people in group-based Socratic discussion. Most of the questions I write start by directing a re-reading of the scriptures from the sermon, chunk by chunk, just as it was chunked out in the sermon. I do questions like this: ‘Read 1 Cor 7:1 and discuss – Share about a way that you…’

Ask discussion questions that start with phrases such as ‘Share about a time when…’ and ‘How do you feel about…’ and ‘What is a step you can take to…’. Give these questions to people as part of the handout – and ask people to process the message further in a group with these questions.

I find that as I discipline myself to write key questions, I get a better sense of what I’m trying to get people to learn.

A word of caution: You’ve now written your sermon – but what you must NOT do is stop here and figure you’re ready; what you must NOT do is memorize this as though it were a monologue for the theater. What you must NOT do is stand up and read this manuscript. Please do NOT do that! Yes, your thorough preparation has yielded a good sermon manuscript – but you’re only 75% done. In the following chapters, I will show you how to be 100% done. Let me give you a hint: it’s about ‘the cutting room floor’ and the ‘wide open space’. Yes, you’ll need to get ready to edit out the overbaked unnecessary stuff and create some wide-open space for extemporaneous moments.

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MY EXAMPLE OF THE WRITTEN SERMON – ONE PAGE

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PART 2: 1. Do the a. Simplify and

sermon prep when you have to. the process

When I find myself with less time than is required for a full-scale preparation, I usually do a simplified process that will only include steps 1,2,3,6,7, and 10 – and even these will be condensed.

If I’m completely candid, when time is very short – I jump prayerfully right to step 6. I read through the scripture and chunk it out. As I chunk it out, I make on-the-fly observations and try to synthesize the main idea or main ideas, depending on what the text offers. I then move immediately into writing the sermon. I can usually complete a sermon in a process like this in five hours. I do know that God can work powerfully in messages like this – but when preachers often don’t engage in the exegetical process, discipleship can suffer, error can be taught, only what is already known will be taught, and depth can be lacking. b. Decide to do the

or the

method

There are other times when I have only two hours to prepare. It may be because the week was filled with meetings, and then there was a death. When someone dies, the pastor who is involved in caring for the family will instantly have about fifteen hours of work – between initial care visits, the funeral planning meeting, funeral preparation, and the funeral or memorial itself. Sometimes this can all happen in one week. If that week already had been stacked with other meetings and requirements, the preaching prep time has gone out the window. For times like this, it’s time for the file – or the fly-by.

When I have two hours or less, I first look into ‘the file’. I consider whether there is a message I have preached in the past (three years ago or more) that could suit the series as a replacement. I can spend an hour or two re-tooling the message, and then basically have a thoroughly prepared sermon. But I find that when I do this, I feel like I’m driving on fumes. My soul within me feels empty – because I am merely ‘performing’ the material – not truly delivering something that has filled my own spirit that week. I can feel the difference.

There are other times when I have two hours or less that I employ the $5 drive-through car wash approach. This fly-by method doesn’t give me much time on the ground in exegetical preparation – but it does give me time to at least catch some inspiration. At this point, it is a drastically condensed version of the complete method above. I read the text, chunk it out, and quickly ask of the text, in prayer, “What is this about – big picture? What’s the focus of this whole passage and these chunks? What do I believe God wants people to do because of this text as a whole?’ I get that main idea down – and then I create a chunked-out outline. I do not even attempt to write a manuscript. I do write or at least determine an introduction and conclusion story – because I know I’m not likely to think of those things on the fly. I rely on my capacity to speak extemporaneously ~81~

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– and create an outline that will give me just enough structure to do that and still have some semblance of structure.

The truth is, there are times when I’ve used this last method and felt that it has been more effective than all of the above full-scale method! The reason for this is that the full-scale method tends to overdo it. What this has shown me is the absolute necessity of editing and paring down the message to make sure there is room for a sense of flow. This is what can lead to a truly inspiring time of preaching. More on that in chapter five!

JOHN HANSEN’S FULL-SCALE TEN-STEP SERMON PREP PROCESS: 1.

and make

2.

the

3. Make your 4.

the passage

5. Read 6.

it out

7. Determine the 8. Decide on the 9. Create the 10. Write

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CHAPTER 4 — Sermon preparation

GROUP DISCUSSION: Gather in a small group and discuss what was covered in this session.

1. How is a sermon different from an essay?

2. What happens when a preacher shoots from the hip too often?

3. What is surprising to you about the full-scale preparation method?

4. What seems difficult to you about the full-scale preparation method?

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5. What could be a weakness of the full-scale sermon preparation method?

6. What is the weakness of the scaled-down sermon preparation method?

RESPONSE: Write a short paragraph of response related to this chapter’s teaching for each question.

1. Which step of the full scale sermon prep method seems like it will be the hardest to you?

2. What would the result be if the preparation stopped at step 3?

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3. How can commentaries help the sermon writing process – and how could they be a hindrance?

4. Why is writing small group discussion questions a valuable part of the sermon writing process?

5. What is the value of taking time to wordsmith an ad-vitam touchphrase for the sermon?

6. How can the scaled – down preparation method still help the preacher create a great sermon?

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PREACHING ACTIVATION

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CHAPTER 4 — Sermon preparation

NOTES

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5

THE GLUE OF A SERMON

“Jesus said, “ how can I describe the kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it?”

Mark 4:30 nlt

PREACHING by John Hansen

WHY CAN’T I JUST HAVE MY COFFEE? A couple of days ago, I came down to the kitchen in the morning. It was 5:00 am, and I was looking forward to trying this delicious new Peruvian single-origin coffee I’d just gotten the day before. I make my coffee with the Aeropress; it really does make the best coffee possible! We have a five-gallon water dispenser that has hot water ready to go – so all I had to do was grind the beans. I ground the beans with a conical burr grinder (you’ll have to look it up – but it is the only way to grind fresh coffee beans if you care about coffee at all!) And then I went to get the water. I filled the glass measuring cup with the hot water – but I quickly realized it wasn’t hot. The problem was the GFI circuit had tripped – and the water heater was not powered up. Cold water works for making cold brew coffee – if you have eighteen hours to spare. I wanted my coffee right then and there! Frustration ensued – along with a more cumbersome pots-and-pans approach.

The problem was conductivity. The connection was broken and the power was not flowing. The parts were there – but the power was not. When we prepare to preach – part of our job is to ensure that the parts are there, that we understand their value, and that we’ve placed them in the right sequence. But we also need to make sure that the current is flowing through all of these parts. The power in preaching is not so much in having the right parts as it is in making the right connection and flow.

PART ONE Introductions Imagine that you have moved to a new city. You’ve just gotten settled into your house, you’re still in the middle of unpacking, but you decide it’s time to find a church. So you search online and find one that seems decent. You pack the family in the car, and you drive across town to attend their service. You sing some worship songs, and then the worship leader invites you to sit down.

The next thing that happens is that the pastor stands up and says, “Good morning! I’d like you to open your Bible to James chapter 1 verse 12. This ancient text is written by the half brother of Jesus, in roughly the year 62 AD, during a time of Greco-Roman occupation in which the socioeconomic inequity was creating social wah wah wah blah blah blah…”

You really do love Jesus and value the Bible. But this sermon is off to a rough start and it’s all sounding like Charlie Brown’s parents’ ‘wahwahwah’ at this point. You are already tired from the week, and you have no clue who this man talking is. You know that the history matters, but the truth is, this morning, you feel like you just don’t care. You start zoning out and nodding off, until your wife elbows you and looks at you with stern eyes, and gestures for you to clean up the drool that is dripping down your chin!

What just happened?

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CHAPTER 5 — The glue of a sermon

A terrible introduction in the preaching, that is what just happened! This scenario I just described can easily happen to a person who loves Jesus. They will probably survive a terrible introduction.

But what about people who do not have much faith at all yet? What about someone visiting and experiencing church for the first time? Doesn’t the preacher owe it to them to learn how to engage in a better start for the beginning of his or her preaching? I believe they do.

1. Establish conductivity with a A great introduction at the top of a sermon can create a sense of resonance and rapport between the preacher and the people of God. This is just as important for the long-time member who knows the pastor as it is for the brand new person who’s never heard a sermon in their life.

Even if you are the pastor who regularly preaches to the congregation, they need a moment for their heart and spirit to sync up with yours. They need to reconnect with who you are as a real person and they need to understand why they should listen to you. Your introduction can accomplish this. Your introduction can establish the conductivity for the power to flow and for the personal connection to be made.

Sometimes I find an absolutely perfect introduction. The punchline of the story seems to have a dovetail fit with the rest of the sermon. Sometimes. Other times, I have an illustration that isn’t perfect, but I use it anyway. Some weeks, when you preach every week, you just can’t think of the perfect intro. But you still need to have that moment where you establish the conductivity, so you go with what you have. That’s fine! If you can find that dovetail fit, great! If you can’t – go with whatever intro you can in order to create that connection before diving into deep content. Let me share five kinds of introductions with you. a. Share a

with

to establish rapport

I think a personal story is a great way to start a sermon. First of all, a personal story allows you to be just that: a person. People have a way of putting preachers on a pedestal. If you start your sermon by telling a personal story, it is likely to showcase something funny that you’ve lived through. From that moment on, you are more relatable. You are not just the great pontificator, you’re a real person, with real experiences, just like everyone else in the room.

When you tell a personal story as an introduction, it is helpful if it is humorous. Even if you don’t think the story is outright funny, it would be a great choice to attempt to tell it in a funny way.

Look for the humor that you could interject when telling the story. When people laugh, their hearts open up. You want your introduction to help open peoples’ hearts to the message you’re going to preach. For a long time, I did not consider myself to be a funny person. Actually, I still don’t. But I recognized the need to be more humorous in my preaching. So I disciplined myself to watch stand-up comedians. It was torture (see? I can do it now! I can be funny!) I took notes on everything I saw comedians do that was funny. They make specific choices about timing, tone of ~91~

PREACHING by John Hansen

voice, punchline placement and facial expressions. I determined I would implement those choices in my introductions when possible. For some people, humor comes naturally. For me, I needed to study how humor happens! If at all possible, share a humorous personal story to start a message. b. Use a

intro from time to time

Another kind of introduction that is useful is a news headline intro. There may be something that you’ve seen in the news that is worth using as a headline item introduction. You might show a picture of the headline and reference it. There needs to be something about that headline that is attention-grabbing, or causes tension. The headline might allow you to suggest a kind of problem that needs to be solved. And because it’s something from the news, it is likely to have broad resonance for everyone. c. Employ the

intro – but use it sparingly

A third type of introduction that is sometimes useful is the “shock and awe” introduction. This might be a shocking statement or a shocking imaginary story that jars people into thinking differently or being on alert. For example, you could start a sermon with a shocking statement such as, “63,000 people in a seven-mile radius from where you are sitting right now, are going to hell. 17,000 people in that same seven-mile radius are going through hell right now in their lives.

And you and I are just sitting here.” (Mic drop! Wow!) That is a shocking statement, and as such, it has the capacity to jar people, to wake people up, to provoke people, and to create a desire to listen so that the problem created by that shocking statement can be solved by the message that is going to be preached. I don’t use shock and awe introductions very often because they feel manipulative to me. But they are useful, and sometimes they are just what is needed. d. Start some sermons with a happy

intro to keep your

people

A fourth type of introduction is the “facts and figures” intro. This kind of introduction is similar to the shock and awe intro, but it does not necessarily have to be shocking. A “facts and figures” intro tends to connect well with the more left-brained types. But let me just say, left-brained people matter to God! I personally might value the funny and lighthearted story, but there are those left-brain types out there that yearn for a little bit more substance. From time to time, you can make their dreams come true in the introduction at least! An example of this introduction would be something like this: “Let me share some statistics with you as I start the message today. According to givingUSA.org, Americans gave $410 billion to charity last year. On average, Americans give 3.7% to charity.

We live in a generous country. But we can sometimes assume that we do not personally need to engage in generosity because we believe that other people have got it covered. According to nonprofitsource.com, Christians in America give 2.5% of their income to their church or missions, ~92~

CHAPTER 5 — The glue of a sermon

and only 1% of families making $75,000 a year or more donated 10% of their income. If we believe that everybody is tithing, we’ve got it wrong.” e. Offer an

got get the message started with

Another kind of introduction that is effective is the analogy. Jesus used analogies fairly often. You can picture him walking along with the disciples, and saying, “Consider the lilies of the field, they do not labor or spin and yet…”. He was creating an analogy between the lilies of the field and people, in the sense that the lilies did not need to worry, and yet God clothed them with colorful beauty. An analogy is effective because it takes something we already know about, and pairs it with something we don’t know as much about. The analogy creates a bridge that allows us to gain understanding through similitude. Analogies do tend to put us in a more reflective mood – and the preacher should take note of this. If you want the people to be in a reflective mood – an analogy is a good way to get them there. f. Follow the “

!” plan for the intro

For the sermon to go well, it’s best if it starts well. To get the sermon off to a great start, follow the “1-2-3 punch!” approach. Here’s what it looks like: You tell a great intro illustration using any of the above techniques. This creates a sense of interest in the message generally.

You use another illustration that creates some tension – or describes that there is a problem; this creates a sense of intrigue.

You clearly express that in this message you are going to show a solution to this problem that will be life-changing. This creates intense interest in the message that will be shared – because humans are inherently solution seekers!

Then – punch!. Drive right into that scripture – do the paragraph of background material if you have to – but punch right into that scripture. This will help ensure your message starts well!

PART TWO Illustrations 1. Keep the

with excellent

If you are a preacher, chances are you enjoy theological content. Ideas about God, reflections on the scriptures, philosophical ideas about faith, spiritual insights about specific verses… these are your favorite! And as a preacher, you have enjoyed spending lots of time with all of the above. And you love it! But do you remember Dale from chapter two? He doesn’t love it. He can appreciate it to a certain degree, but if there’s too much of it, the GFI circuit breaker trips, the connection ~93~

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is lost, and the power stops flowing, and his head starts nodding. Not nodding in agreement, but nodding off as he drifts away in a good nap facilitated by the philosophical dronings and theological murmurings you are providing which serve to lull him to sleep. Sorry to be so blunt, but that’s the way it is. your sermon to include an content

after every

of

Great preaching has a cadence and rhythm to it. Anecdotally, after about three minutes of theological, spiritual, philosophical content, there needs to be an illustration of some kind. Any kind. Functionally, the illustration allows the people of God to have a mental break from trying so hard to assimilate concepts and information. Of course, there are some people in the congregation who are philosophically and academically oriented, and for whom there is less of a need for the illustrations. But those people are few and far between, in my experience. So – pace your sermon.

After three or four minutes of theological content, provide that cognitive break by bringing in an illustration!

When you hit pause on the theological content and shift into an illustration of some kind, the people who are listening to you experience a shift in brain activity. Most illustrations instigate more right-brained processing. The theological content, the explanations and spiritual directives that you’ve just given, move to a different and deeper place in the brain. Their brains are still working on that content, assimilating it, digesting it, reflecting on it, but now at a subconscious level. You do the people of God a disservice if you don’t use illustrations often and give them a chance to move that processing to a deeper level. This is the functional purpose of the illustration.

And in my view, this is the highest purpose of any illustration.

The illustration also serves a sociological, cognitive, and literary purpose, if you will. The best illustrations truly do construct a bridge of meaning between the theological content and the ability to imagine. The best illustrations have a way of fully supporting the explanation of the text or the pastoral direction of the text, or the main idea of the sermon. Illustrations also establish a sociological connection by introducing something that everyone can relate to. So be sure to use an illustration, every three or four minutes! Your theology professor may not love it – but the everyday people of God will! a. Use the

illustrations to make your message better!

By now, you’re probably wondering where illustrations come from. The worst ones come from online sermon illustration websites. Those sites are there the way a stale box of crackers is there in the cabinet. If there is nothing else whatsoever, you can eat those crackers – and they’ll do the job – but no one’s really going to like them. Instead of reaching for those stale, tired typical preacher stories, reach for the CASHFAMSS! It’s an acronym. If Rick Warren can change the world with SPACEPETS, I can do it with CASHFAMSS! This is an acronym for eight distinct types ~94~

CHAPTER 5 — The glue of a sermon

of illustrations. When you are creating a message and you find yourself thinking, “I can’t think of any illustrations!”, refer back to the CASHFAMSS and see if it doesn’t help you come up with something: illustrations I think I’ve already made the case for why humor is so important with regard to introductions.

But it’s just as important for illustrations. Near the middle of the message, a person’s blood flow is slowing down. This means they are less likely to think well about what you are saying. Nothing gets the blood flowing quite so well as a good moment of laughter! Use a comedic illustration to make that happen. It may be a joke that has a punchline that could segue into the next section of the message. It could be a funny image that can connect one point to the next. It could be a silly story that you tell with great comic timing and expression. Ask God to help you find comedic illustrations for those mid-message moments! illustrations For creatively-oriented people, artistic illustrations really make the point. You might find a piece of visual art that somehow speaks to the message content. You could show the artwork and describe how it relates. Another kind of artistic illustration would be a song, or song lyrics, or a poem. Not everybody loves artistic illustrations, but most people can relate to them. illustrations Most preachers that I know are not all that scientific. But scientific illustrations help add a sense of credibility to what you are sharing. Using a scientific illustration can also allow you to be perceived as more of an expert than you are. I am not advising you to be deceptive, but sometimes it helps people receive your message better if they have more respect for you! A scientific illustration might be research that a scientist has prepared that supports your point. Be sure to clearly state the journal or place of publishing where this scientific research can be found. Give credit to the source for the study. illustrations An interesting place to find illustrations is the dustbin of history. Historical illustrations have the advantage of being highly relatable because the history may be commonly known or commonly accessible. For example, you might relay the historical account of the battle of the Alamo, and use it as an illustration of unlikely odds. If told with storytelling flair, these kinds of illustrations can transport a person in their imagination to another time and place, and that’s helpful. But be careful with historical illustrations. They call it the dustbin of history for a reason. Historical illustrations can feel dusty and tired and can make people feel that the message really isn’t relevant. illustrations ~95~

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Sometimes I can’t think of a single illustration from art or science or the news or comedy or history – so I just make one up. Fictional illustrations are always a possibility. You just create a short story to support and connect your point. Begin this kind of illustration by saying something like, “Imagine with me for just a moment that…”. By doing this, you are tacitly establishing that this is fiction. After all, you have asked people to imagine something. The great thing about fictional illustrations is that with a little creativity, you can always come up with one! But don’t overdo these. People intuitively know that something that is made up has a little less value in terms of connecting to your theological content. illustrations As I mentioned previously, Jesus is a master communicator and a master of the art of analogy.

Imagine Jesus walking along, gesturing to the wheat fields and making the declaration, “The fields are ripe for harvest…”. He is taking something that everybody knows about – wheatfields – and then tying that together with something that people don’t know much about: Kingdom harvest. An analogy is wonderful because it builds a bridge of common understanding. As I also mentioned previously, analogy tends to place us in a more reflective mood. For this reason, analogies are better used in the middle of the message instead of at the beginning. Sometimes an analogy can be made with an object. Object lesson analogies are great because they literally give people something to hold on to – at least visually. illustrations I think if Jesus were alive today, he would love going to the movies. He loved telling stories – and that’s what movies do. Movie illustrations allow the preacher to utilize a cultural reference point that is familiar and generally neutral (a movie) to connect peoples’ hearts and minds with the theological content of the message. When I use a movie illustration, I either show a short scene from the movie or retell it clearly – and draw out the connection and poignancy to what I’m preaching. Caution – if the movie is still in theaters don’t give away the ending – that will annoy people! illustrations A vast majority of people have some experience playing some kind of sport at some time in their lives. Most people do have some sport they are a fan of, and this makes sports illustrations a good bet. You might describe the amazing victory of an underdog team. You might give a behind-thescenes rags to riches story of a certain athlete. Or you might describe the powerful effect of a certain great coach… but be careful. If you are not a major sports fan, make sure you get it right.

I am not a big sports fan, and one time I was giving an illustration about football. And I kept referencing the San Francisco Giants as this great football team. The only problem is, the Giants are a baseball team! I was wondering why people were laughing so hard at my sports illustration!

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from life If you learn to watch for them, you will begin to recognize that many of the moments in your own life have an element of story to them that can add life to your preaching. Stories from your own life are great because they are original. They’re yours. And you can usually tell them without much effort! If your story is about someone else or includes someone else, be sure to ask them for their permission to share something that includes them. This is especially true if that person is your spouse or your children. They need to know that their private life can stay private if they want it to.

PART THREE Conclusions: 1. Don’t let the conclusion be an The way you end a sermon matters. There have been times when I’ve wrapped up an ending by saying something to the effect of ‘that’s all folks’. I think I watched too many Looney Tunes cartoons back in the day! If you don’t know what I am talking about – there used to be a cartoon series called Looney Toons, and at the end, the closing scene would have Porky Pig come out and tip his hat and say with a stutter, “That’s all folks!”. It works for a 70’s era Saturday morning cartoon – but for a sermon? Not so much. The truth is, sometimes you just can’t figure out a good way to conclude – and so you bring it in for a crash landing. It’s not the end of the world when it happens – but – there is a better way. a. Put a

, or a

Your sermon was a gift – and you put it together with care, you wrapped it well. Now, put a bow on it! Revisit the CASHFAMSS list and look for a way to incorporate an illustration at the close that either closely supports the main ad vitam point – or that at least supports the last idea you shared.

You might look for a way to revisit your opening illustration and add some detail that you left out at the beginning. This ‘bookend’ approach is helpful. You could also create a conclusion by simply asking people to imagine a different life – a life where they are living out the truth of this sermon.

When you do this, you are creating a story – a story where each person listening is the hero, living out the Word that was preached. Try this technique! b. Share a

, and share the

.

At the very least, find an illustration that relates to the idea of rescue – and bring the message in for a landing with a gospel close about the salvation and rescue we have in Jesus. The good news is that rescue is such a commonly embraced human motif that there’s often one in the recent news.

A firefighter who rescued a family, a woodsman who rescued a lost hiker, a doctor who rescued

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a hurt and stranded child… any story like this can be a useful conclusion leading into a simple sharing of the gospel message.

2. Don’t pray a

, do a

wrap up!

When the sermon is done, the standard thing to do is offer a ‘closing prayer’. We even say, “Let’s close in prayer.” What are we closing? The door to Heaven? I get it, we’re performing a transitional function – we are transitioning out of the ‘sermon proper’ and into a moment where the worship team can lead a final song. That’s all well and good – but I think there is more in the moment than we usually offer. Don’t just pray a closing prayer. Instead, do a prophetic ministry wrap-up. a. Lead a time of

to the message point

In the ministry time after the message wrap-up, lead a time of corporate response to the message point. Ask people to repeat after you all together in prayer some kind of statement of commitment, or repentance, or acknowledgment of what God’s Word has asked of us. Lead this moment by praying representational ‘we’ prayers. Or, lead this moment by praying in the first person but on behalf of all those gathered, asking them to repeat the phrases after you. Create an altar call moment, inviting people to come to the front in a posture of obedience and faith to a specific kind of invitation. Have the ministry team there, ready to minister! b. Give

in the ministry time after the message

The typical American church doesn’t know what to do with the modern-day prophetic – and a big reason for that is that we don’t give it much place in our main worship gatherings. I urge you to be bold as a preacher and use the time after you’ve wrapped up your message to minister prophetically.

Once you’ve invited people to receive Jesus – venture out further in prophetic ministry. Ask God for visions or words of knowledge, or specific prophetic words – and then – speak them out! This will bless those you are ministering to, and provide a living picture of how those gifts function.

I hope you can see from this chapter that the introduction, illustrations, and conclusions really matter. They are the glue that holds the whole sermon together. Make sure you use the glue in the right places.

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GROUP DISCUSSION: Gather in a small group and discuss what was covered in this session.

1. What’s the use of doing an introduction? Why does it matter?

2. Which one of the five kinds of introductions are you most drawn to?

3. Share an experience you’ve had where a preacher didn’t use any introductions or illustrations, and how it affected you:

4. What seems difficult to you about creating introductions?

5. Share which of the CASHFAMSS illustrations you feel you’re most likely to use in a sermon when you preach:

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6. Broadly speaking, what’s the point of the conclusion?

7. Discuss how you’ve seen intros, illustrations, and good conclusions help or hurt a sermon you’ve experienced:

RESPONSE: Write a short paragraph of response related to this chapter’s teaching for each question.

1. What are the five different kinds of introductions, and what good can they do?

2. Which of the five kinds of introductions seems most compelling to you, and why?

3. Choose one of the cashfamms illustrations and describe why it is useful and effective:

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4. How could illustrations possibly be misused in preaching?

5. Choose one of the CASHFAMSS illustration forms, and write one here:

6. Why are conclusions important for sermons?

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PREACHING ACTIVATION

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NOTES

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6

DELIVER IT

“…His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones…”

Jeremiah 20:9 niv

PREACHING by John Hansen

WANNA BUY MY DIRT BIKE? In my garage right now, I have a small Yamaha dirt bike. It has an electric start motor, and it’s a fun little motorcycle to ride around in the dirt. But it’s taking up a lot of space and no one really rides it anymore, so I want to sell it. If I advertised that it was for sale, I imagine that someone would come to my house and offer to buy it. I could press the start button, it would fire right up, and then I could tell them I want $300 for it. At this point, they could give me the $300, and I could give them the dirtbike. But it would work out way better for them if they would test drive it first. You see, the little Yamaha looks fine, and you’d think that it works fine. But the truth is, it can’t accelerate beyond idle speed in any gear! Even worse, third gear doesn’t work! But you wouldn’t know that until you took it for a test drive.

With preaching, it’s important to take your sermon for a test drive or two. You might think the sermon is fine, but it’s only when you take it for that test drive – when you say it out loud as one whole sermon - that you see that ‘third gear’ doesn’t actually work, or that it’s stuck in idle speed, so to speak. So in this chapter, I want to show you how to prepare for delivery and take it for that test drive – and I want to show you how to deliver it, to drive it with as much horsepower as it’s got.

PART ONE: PREPARE YOUR There are times when a preacher can shoot from the hip – that is, preach without any preparation or any notes. In fact, thousands of preachers do just that on a regular basis and it works out fine. I am not one of those preachers. For me, the preparation process and the notes I create are crucial.

1. Edit

your content quantity

In chapter four, I gave you a detailed preparation process. And the end result should be a completed sermon manuscript if you follow my process. But here’s my guess: your manuscript is too long.

Use the word count function on your word processor or Google doc. If you have more than 3500 words, it’s too long. Most people who do public speaking and read from a manuscript read about 100 words per minute. Generally speaking, you’ve got 30 to 40 minutes to preach your sermon.

So, edit down the length of your sermon to 3500 words. Even though it will make your theology professor sad, the parts of the sermon you probably need to edit down are those parts with heavy theological or exegetical content.

I have experienced preaching where the preacher read their manuscript word for word, while occasionally looking up from the pulpit to glance at the people. I do know that God can still work even through that kind of delivery, but I don’t think it’s the best approach. Writing a complete manuscript allows you to carefully think through the theology, teaching, and thoughtful flow of your sermon. But the goal is to preach a sermon, not read a sermon. So you need an outline more than you need a manuscript. ~106~

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2. Create a

outline from the manuscript

An ‘outline’ in the traditional sense stipulates a written organizational structure expressed as Point #1 and Point #2 and Point #3 with sub-points A, B, C, etc. That is not the kind of outline I want you to make. I want you to create a direct flow outline from the manuscript you wrote. If you followed my process in chapter four, you have a manuscript where every paragraph has a heading.

To create your outline, simply copy and paste every scripture, point, and paragraph heading in order onto a new document. Leave space between each of those items. Include the whole scripture if there is room, or just include the scripture address. If you can believe it, this will be all you will need to preach from.

~107~

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3. Format your

so that it fits on a

By the way, I prefer to preach in an old-school way. What I mean is, I prefer to preach from an actual paper Bible. I also prefer to not have any extra loose papers. I do not bring my manuscript to the pulpit at all. I allow myself to bring the Bible and one page of notes. I create the notes document in a unique way as a word document. I set up the document in landscape orientation, and then I make the document have two columns. The result is a page that I can fold in half and use as my outline, only needing to flip the page one time. This keeps note distractions to a minimum, and yet it gives me all I need to preach the message I prepared. This also allows me to have a page of notes that fits invisibly inside of my Bible.

4. Prepare to

your sermon

At this point, it’s time to internalize the sermon. I choose the word ‘internalize’ instead of ‘memorize’ because that’s really what needs to happen. I don’t necessarily want to memorize the sermon as though it were a monologue I was going to perform. I want to internalize the flow, the chunks, and all of the content in a way that I can deliver with some fluidity.

5. Employ the

and

method for internalizing

To internalize your sermon, you should print out the manuscript, and also print out the outline.

Open the Bible to the passage of scripture you will be preaching from. Place a post-it note page tab there in your Bible so you can turn to that verse without fumbling. First, read your message out loud from start to finish. Set a timer and see how long it takes. If you need to do some cutting, do that now. Otherwise, continue the internalization process. Next, read the message out loud again, word for word – but this time, lift your eyes from the page during every single line, even if only for a second. The third time read the message out loud again, but this time place your thumb on the point or paragraph heading and glance intentionally at that heading while reading each paragraph out loud. The fourth time, place your thumb on the outline document at each heading or point, and this time read the manuscript out loud word-for-word, but when you glance up, glance at your outline where your other thumb is keeping track of where you are. Finally, read your outline out loud. Just the headings and points, to remind yourself of the overall flow of the message. Once you have done this, the message has been internalized!

6. Prepare your

for preaching

You may want to prepare your Bible for preaching as well. If you have chunked out the scripture, you might want to use your pen to draw dividing lines at each start and stop point in the scriptures.

That way, when you’re standing in front of the group of people to preach, you have the start and stop indicators right there in the scripture. If you had facts and figures or specific terminology that is difficult to remember, you can jot that down by pen on the outline. Again, put a sticky-note tab page marker on the scriptures you are using so you can find them easily. ~108~

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7. Practice the preaching If at all possible, you should take your complete sermon manuscript and outline and Bible into the place where you will be preaching, and practice there in the empty room. Experience what it feels like to communicate those specific words in that particular place. Experience what it feels like to rustle with your Bible and notebook page in that particular podium. Get familiar with the spatial reality of the platform or altar area where you will be preaching. Get used to the sound of your voice in that room. This is all part of your preparation.

PART TWO: PREPARE YOUR I recently had a dream that I was at some kind of party, but it turned out it was a church meeting.

I suddenly became aware that I was supposed to preach at this gathering. I heard the music wrapping up, and it dawned on me that I had nothing prepared and nothing in mind to say. At that moment, I also realized that I didn’t have any clothes on! I was looking around the chairs where I was sitting at the front grabbing for somebody’s jacket and somebody’s bag to cover myself up. The time came for me to go up, and I did, and I started blabbering in a meaningless way, and people began leaving one after the other. What a weird dream! For me, it was a nightmare! I actually have dreams like that with some regularity. It reveals that my soul is aware of the sense of expectation that comes with the task of preaching.

Human beings are tripartite. You have a body, soul, and spirit. You are a spirit that has a soul that lives in a body. Your spirit is the part of you that is eternal and is destined for heaven. Your soul is the part of you that is rooted in temporality. Your soul is the seat of your mind, your will, and your emotions. And as a preacher, you will need to tend to your soul and psych yourself up for the task of preaching.

1. Flip on the Passion is contagious. When a person has zeal and enthusiasm, it is generally compelling. So preacher, decide now that when you preach you’re going to flip on the passion switch. Passion is about energy. You have the opportunity to communicate energy and enthusiasm to God’s people so that they will be engaged with God’s word.

2. Check your

at the door

You might wake up on the day that you are going to preach and feel enthusiastic and happy. Or you might wake up in a grouchy mood. Preacher, do everyone a favor. Check your mood at the door. Decide to be in a good mood. Choose to act in good mood ways. If your mood is grouchy and gloomy, it will be very hard for the sermon to come across in a life-giving and passionate way.

3. Be

but be

When you begin to preach, be yourself. Speak naturally. Don’t try to imitate some other preacher.

You be you! But also, recognize that speaking to a group of 50, or 100, or 500 people or more is ~109~

PREACHING by John Hansen

different than speaking to a friend or two at a coffee shop. So be yourself, but animated in a way that makes sense for the venue in which you are preaching. Increase your volume well beyond normal conversational level. Let your face, your eyes, and your expressions be strong enough to project to the back row – and yet, because most preaching is also captured on broadcast or streaming, don’t overdo it.

4. Use both winsome

and intense

As you begin to preach, choose to engage in a way that allows a positive, winsome warmth to come through. People need to feel as though you are the kind of person they want to spend time with and learn from. Choosing to allow warmth and care to come through helps establish a good connection. But as the message develops, you need to let that warmth give way to intensity and moments of urgency. After all, you are carrying forward a directive from the heart of God that can change someone’s life. There is an urgency in that!

5. Free your It is quite possible to deliver a sermon while standing still and making no gestures, but it is the rare soul who can do that well. I want to urge you to free your physicality as you preach. Free your hands to gesture. Free your neck to move your head and look around the room. Free your feet to step outside of the podium area. Free your physicality to increase your expressivity!

6. Put some attention on your

and your

In my observation, there are two common errors that preachers make in delivery: they allow their voice to wind up into a high pitch, and they race through their delivery at a pace that is hard to keep up with. Put some attention on your pitch. Is your pitch getting higher and higher? Lower the pitch intentionally. What about the pace – are you racing through the message? You might be able to keep up with yourself, but the people listening to you? Not so much. Slow your roll, preacher! Adjusting the pitch and pace of your delivery may be just the adjustment you need to achieve a greater sense of gravitas in your preaching.

PART THREE: PREPARE YOUR Christian preaching is an inherently spiritual endeavor. By definition, you are speaking in spiritual language, in such a way as to build up the spirit and spiritual lives of those you are preaching to.

Do not underestimate the importance of preparing your own spirit for this holy task. Here are some ways you can do that.

1.

in the

you will preach

By now I have made it clear that prayer is an important part of your sermon and preaching preparation. But praying in the place where you will preach is a choice you can make that has a number of benefits. First of all, it allows you to do something spiritual – praying – in the place ~110~

CHAPTER 6 — Deliver it

where you are planning to do something else that is spiritual and more challenging: preaching. It also allows you to effectively intercede for what will take place in that very space.

2.

down the aisles

Sometimes I prepare my spirit for preaching by walking around the sanctuary with my Bible and notes in hand. I walk throughout the aisles, declaring some of the content and main ideas of my sermon over the empty chairs. This gives me a sense of confidence, and I believe it allows the spiritual content of my sermon to be brought down into the atmosphere in which I’ll preach. So do this. Walk the sermon down the aisles and imagine every life the words will touch.

3. Take

over the

and

yourself

As you walk and pray in the place where you will preach, take authority over the atmosphere.

There is a real spiritual enemy who would love to bring distraction, confusion, or out-right evil manifestation. Take authority over the atmosphere and forbid any demonic activity! I pray in the following way in the place where I will preach every time: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I tear down every stronghold of the devil right now. I renounce any curse, hacks, spell, or demonic assignment directed at me, the people of God in this place, and the spiritual atmosphere of this church. I declare the blood of Jesus over myself, and God’s people gathering in this place, and the place itself-and I declare this will be a blessed gathering, in Jesus’ name!

God, let every single person hear Your voice and feel Your touch and experience Your power and presence in this gathering, in Jesus’ name! I bless myself in Jesus’ name with confidence, authority, and anointing to preach with power, Amen!”

4. Embrace the

and

I realize that most of what I have been teaching in this book is about what you can do: how you can read the scriptures, how you can do exegesis, how you can write a sermon. But you need way more than what you can do. Great Christian preaching comes from the realization rooted in Zachariah 4:6 – “…not by might, not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord!” As a Christian preacher, you should expect that over and above all your preparation, you would experience the unction and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The unction of the Holy Spirit is the manifest presence of God moving in and through a moment to bring power, drive, and breakthrough. The unction of the Holy Spirit is something that takes the preaching beyond the realm of your cleverness and into the realm of God’s Kingdom and power. You ask for His anointing – and then the unction may come. You cannot fabricate the unction of the Spirit – but you can make room for it!

5. Surrender to the

even while preaching

Practically speaking, you need to embrace the unction and anointing of the Spirit in your preaching.

I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit can be present in your preparation and sermon writing. But ~111~

PREACHING by John Hansen

it is a spiritual discipline as a preacher to embrace the ways the unction of the Spirit of God may come amid moments of preaching.

You must allow yourself to be overcome by His mighty presence, love, and goodness. You must allow yourself to surrender to the Spirit and the moving of the Spirit even while preaching. This means you may stray from your notes and your outline or not complete it at all. But let me ask you, what would be better; for the people to get your completed clever sermon, or for the people to get a sense of God‘s mighty power and presence flowing in the moment for breakthrough? I think the answer is pretty clear.

6. Make

to

!

When a group of skilled musicians get together and begin to jam, good music can come together.

But in a jam session, the musicians all know it when they are hitting a sweet spot where musical magic can flow. They stay in that sweet spot. They let the electric guitar player play that section again and again and again, and each time that electric guitar player finds a new and even more intense melody or progression. It’s called riffing.

As you preach, make some room to riff! The unction and anointing of the Spirit of God may allow you to discover the sweet spot of your sermon. It’s as though the rest of the sermon was just background, and this one section is where all of the life and energy and dwell of God is! So riff on it! Riffing is when you allow yourself to state, state again, and re-state with a different angle or more intensity – and the best riffing happens by the Holy Spirit leading. There’s something prophetic about it, something eternal about it, something timeless about it, something so powerful about it. Don’t get so stuck in your pre-determined prepared sermon structure that there’s no room to riff!

PART FOUR:

, PREACHER!

Whether you are preaching on a Sunday morning, Saturday night, or any other day of the week, the time will come when you’ve got to bring it, preacher! You will be sitting there in the chair in the front row, and you will walk up on that platform, and you will preach. Just decide right now that when it’s your turn to get up and preach, that you will bring it! Bring the passion, bring the fire, bring the boldness, bring the revelation, bring the expertise, bring it!

1. Make no No matter what, when you first open your mouth to speak, do not make any apologies. Do not say anything like, “Well, I didn’t have much time to prepare, sorry about that, but hopefully God will move!” Don’t even think about uttering anything like, “The main pastor isn’t here today, so you’re stuck with me, sorry!“ Just say “Hi, my name is John, I am one of the pastors here, and I’m excited about the message I get to preach today!” – and then – bring it! ~112~

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2. Choose

, project

One of the things that happens to me sometimes is that my confidence gets attacked. I find myself thinking, “This sermon is terrible, I don’t have anything good to say here.” This is actually an outright demonic attack, intending to sabotage my strength. On my better days, I see this for what it is, and I bind the enemy and tear down that stronghold. I then say out loud, “I choose confidence right now in Jesus’ name! I believe God loves me, and God loves these people, and God is going to work through this sermon no matter what I do or do not have to say!” After this, it is up to me to choose to project confidence and boldness, whether I am feeling it or not. If I do not choose to project confidence and boldness, there will simply be a large number of people that will not be able to take in the message. When I think of that, I am motivated to choose to express myself as though I were feeling as bold as a lion. In the end, the Lion of Judah is living in me, so this is not a stretch!

3. Look at the

and imagine Jesus’

One of the fascinating things about human beings is the broad range of expressions their faces can make. Human faces can express joy, delight, shock, surprise, anger, fear, wonder, sadness, happiness, pensiveness and intrigue – among a whole range of other emotions. But the human face can also express boredom and disinterest – and in fact, the natural state of the face, even while not intending to convey boredom or disinterest, does exactly that. I’m sure you are familiar with the term ‘resting business face’ – of course, you probably learned it with different verbiage! That phrase exists for a reason – it’s a reality.

The difficulty for the preacher is that you are looking out at the faces of the people you are preaching to – and you are wondering whether what you are saying is connecting. And what do you see? An ocean of resting business face. And while the reality is that most of those people are just peacefully taking in what you are saying with a neutral mood, your psyche interprets their RBF as a statement of rejection. And all of a sudden, while preaching, you find yourself fighting the thoughts in your mind: “They hate this, they think this is stupid, they think i’m stupid, they don’t value what I’m saying, the don’t value what the Bible says, they don’t value god!”

Unfortunately, when this happens to me, I sometimes give in to my flesh and begin to say things that were not in my notes, like “…and if you actually loved God you’d be glad to hear this point!”, or “…but the problem is, a lot of us don’t really care what God’s word says, and we need to repent, right now!”. It’s the revenge of the preacher – the spiritual smack-down – purely in reaction to the RBF of the hapless sheep. And then, their RBF problem gets worse as they are thinking, “Wow, what is he so mad about? Rough night at the Hansen house?” Here’s the solution: look at their faces; make eye contact with individuals as you preach – but imagine Jesus’ smiling face. Seriously – see their faces, but imagine Jesus smiling back at you.

~113~

PREACHING by John Hansen

4. Reflect Jesus’

to the people

People tend to mirror what you give them. As a preacher, you want a joyful look on the faces of those you are speaking to; you can initiate that by smiling at them! There’s magic in your smile.

Did you know that? When you smile, it creates an autonomic release of endorphins and other hormones that cause a surge of positivity. This positive inner energy does transmit to the people.

It creates a sense of warmth and safety – and with that – a likelihood that they’ll relax their RBF and smile back at you! Besides, if you can sense how Jesus is smiling at you – don’t you think He’s probably got a smile for them, too? Chances are, He does – and maybe He wants you, preacher, to be the one to show it!

~114~

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GROUP DISCUSSION: Gather in a small group and discuss what was covered in this session.

1. Share about a preacher whose delivery you love. Why do you love their delivery?

2. Discuss why having manuscript pages with you in the pulpit could be good or bad.

3. Share any techniques you have learned for memorizing or internalizing content.

4. How can your mood, your physical presence, and your gestures help or hurt your preaching?

5. Discuss the value of preparing your spirit to preach. What kinds of spiritual warfare do you think are coming against the preacher and the preaching? What should you do about it?

~115~

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6. What choices can you make to experience more of the anointing when you preach?

7. Which one of the directives in the ‘bring it!’ section seems most important to you?

RESPONSE: Write a short paragraph of response related to this chapter’s teaching for each question.

1. What are the steps recommended for internalization?

2. Why would it matter to have only a Bible and a half-sheet page of notes?

~116~

3. What impact does physicality, pitch, and pace have on the experience of preaching, and what choices can you make in regards to this?

4. How can a preacher prepare their spirit for preaching?

5. How can the preacher make more room for the Holy Spirit in the preaching?

6. What does Joel Osteen do right? (hint – the phrase pearly whites comes to mind!)

PREACHING by John Hansen

PREACHING ACTIVATION

~118~

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NOTES

~119~

7

THE PERSON WHO PREACHES

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

James 3:1 niv

PREACHING by John Hansen

AN IMPOSING FIGURE – AND DEEP PREACHING As a teenager, I attended All Saints Episcopal Church with my family. It was a traditional, East Coast liturgical church: organ, choir, processionals, robes, incense, kneelers in the pews – the works. Some people rip on liturgical churches – but in my experience, it is possible to have a powerful, life-giving experience with God in a liturgical church – and it is also possible to experience strong preaching in a liturgical church.

At All Saints, the Rector (Episcopalian equivalent of Senior Pastor) at the time was Orley Swartzentruber. He was a 6’ 7”, heavyset 65-year-old man; he was formerly a Mennonite of Dutch-German origin – and you could still hear a trace of the old-world accent from time to time.

He had a deep voice, and he did not come across as jovial or light-hearted in any way. When it came time to preach, Orley would walk down from the altar and stand floor level with no pulpit, no podium, and no microphone. His long white robe and vestment and stole covered him – and he looked like a ‘holy man of God’.

He would come out to that spot, right in the middle, floor level, and he would just silently stand there. He would scan across the congregation, all seated in the pews in front of him. Silently, he would take about 30 seconds to just look at everyone. Then he would take a few deep breaths and sort of let out a sigh – and because he was such a large man, robed in holy array, looking sternly at us in silence, this whole moment was imposing. Then, he would close his eyes in silence in front of us all – and that moment seemed like an eternity to the fourteen-year-old me. But after about 30 seconds, he would open his eyes and begin to speak. His tone was deep – grounded in great gravitas. And he did not use any introduction. He would just say, “The text today shows us that…’ – and then he’d preach. No notes, no Bible – just the man, filled with God, speaking life and wisdom into the people of God. Reverend Swartzentruber’s preaching was loved by the people of that church. People felt that his messages were deep, life-giving, and wise. But the reason people loved his preaching was because they loved and trusted him as a person. He had character that was above reproach – and those noteless sermons came from a prepared mind and a prepared spirit. He later shared with me that in his first 30 years of preaching he wrote every word and used his notes – but that in his second 30 years of preaching – he simply did not. He felt the well was full from years of diligence – and it was. Nevertheless, he advised me that if I were to become a preacher, not to skip the diligence in the first 30 years. I loved what I saw in that preacher’s second 30 years – and I hope to get there one day.

If you are called by God to preach, then preach. But let your identity be that of a loved child of God. You may be called a preacher, but you are first and foremost a person – God’s person. You are a person who preaches. It is important that you choose to be a healthy person so that your preaching comes from a healthy place. The healthy choices that we make are often made in private.

In private, we either floss our teeth, or we don’t. In private, we either control our diet, or we don’t.

In private, we discipline ourselves to read or engage in relationship instead of just consuming entertainment. These private choices lead either to a healthy life or to an unhealthy one. ~122~

CHAPTER 7 — The person who preaches

1. Build your

so your

of preaching can be powerful

The reality is, any of us who engage in preaching want it to be powerful. That’s a good and noble desire. But there is a direct correlation between public power and private strength. You need to choose to build your private strength. As you do, you create a foundation for a public ministry of preaching that can be powerful.

Private strength comes from your personal connection to the love and power of God. I cannot emphasize enough that the greatest need the preacher has is to have a close and intimate relationship with the living God. Of course preaching and teaching can be done by a person with a superficial connection to God, but that is not what this world needs. This world needs you to be the kind of preacher that comes out from the fire of God‘s presence burning with strength, conviction, revelation, and passion!

Make being a great Christian your priority far ahead of being a great preacher. Be the kind of Christian that loves Jesus well, first and foremost. Be the kind of Christian that serves with a humble heart. Be the kind of Christian that is ready to love people around you with grace and compassion. Be the kind of Christian that shares the gospel with those who don’t know Jesus.

Be the kind of Christian that personally yearns to learn the ways of God and live the ways of God. Be the kind of Christian that lives to build up the kingdom of God, and is constantly setting personal empire-building tendencies aside. Be the kind of Christian that chooses hope and operates by faith, believing God for great things! This kind of Christian life will give you an inner strength, private strength, that will allow your public ministry to be marked by real power! a. Cultivate

at all costs

In the church world, we learn how to put on a good face and act godly around each other.

Sometimes we settle for a façade of godly character when our actual reality is lacking in godly character. But if you are going to be a great preacher, your character counts. You must cultivate godly character at all costs. Godly character is living in such a way that you make right, ethical, and moral choices both in public and in private, and living in such a way that God’s love and truth come through your life with clarity.

One of the things you can do to cultivate godly character is to establish a relationship of accountability with someone. Once you’ve established a relationship with an accountability partner, ask each other the hard questions. Confess sin to each other. Urge each other to take steps to do what is right and good! For any of us, there is a natural tendency to drift away from doing what is right – and you have that tendency. But you also have a supernatural tendency that can be tended and increased, which can allow you to transcend patterns of sin. Accountability relationships help draw out this supernatural tendency.

If God should be so gracious as to expand the influence of your preaching ministry, you will have been given a great privilege, and a great responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required. ~123~

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If God gives you large scale influence as a preacher, it will be that much more important for you to live with integrity. When a well-known preacher is discovered to have had a private lack of integrity, it is only viewed by the world as hypocrisy, and it brings shame on the church of Jesus Christ and the Savior himself. Yes, there will be mercy and forgiveness in Jesus, but the damage will have been done to His reputation with the very world He wanted to see loved and saved. b. Develop healthy spiritual

to

your soul

To be a growing Christian, you must develop patterns for healthy spiritual disciplines. The classic spiritual disciplines are abstinence, solitude, fasting, Sabbath, Bible-reading, worship, prayer, service, and fellowship. Each of these is a choice, and these things bring health. At first, I might not enjoy these things in the same way that I might not enjoy broccoli and cauliflower. But they are good and create spiritual health, just like vegetables help create physical health.

So, if you would be one who would stand up and lift her voice to preach God‘s word publicly, first be one who would quietly, privately, read God‘s word. If you would be one who would stand up before people and bring a revelation of who He is, first be one who spends time silently in His presence experiencing the reality of His presence! If you would be one who would stand before a crowd and pray, first be one who would kneel before the One to intercede when no one is looking.

If you would be one who would stand before God’s people and address them as a church family, be one who would first engage his life in relationship and fellowship with that family. If you would be one who would receive a financial offering for your service of preaching in the church, first be one who would faithfully tithe to God’s church!

When you engage in these kinds of spiritual disciplines, you deepen your own soul. When a preacher has a deep well, everyone who listens to him or her is more refreshed. So, do the deep digging through spiritual disciplines so that your well is as deep as it can be. c. Create a pace of life that includes healthy

, margin and

You need to be a whole and balanced person to be the kind of preacher that can have the greatest lifelong impact. What this means is that you need to take care of yourself. Get good sleep. Eat a balanced and nutritious diet. Do physical exercise five days a week to make sure your body is healthy. Find some hobbies that have nothing to do with church or preaching to engage in so that you are a multi-faceted human being. Schedule your time so that you have plenty of margin for relaxation. Play matters! Play helps to defragment your brain and recalibrate your vagus nerve.

Play well so you can live well – and so you can preach well!

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says “the bow that is always bent shall break”. Don’t be the living picture of that old phrase! Unstring your bow regularly. Your brain needs the mental space to be disengaged from theology and preaching so that when it’s time to preach, there’s energy to do it well! ~124~

CHAPTER 7 — The person who preaches

d.

for the dynamic activity of the

in your life!

You already know that as a preacher, you don’t just want to get up there and deliver a lecture. You have a sense that you need the Holy Spirit to move in power as you preach. For that to happen in a natural way, you need to be the kind of person who is making room for the dynamic movement of the Holy Spirit throughout your whole life.

Be the kind of person who follows the leading of the Holy Spirit today. Listen to the promptings of the Spirit regarding your interactions with people. Speak prophetic words to people throughout the week in places that have nothing to do with church or ministry. Lay hands on the sick and believe for healing in situations that are far from the church doors. Pray in tongues and experience vision in the privacy of your personal time with God in devotion. In short, be the kind of person who is used to the dynamic, fluid, active presence of the Holy Spirit on a day-to-day basis, so that ministering in the Holy Spirit’s power will not be a stretch when it comes time to preach!

2. Be a

and always strive to

your preaching

After you have been doing ministry for a while or preaching for some length of time, you may begin to have the feeling that you know what you’re doing. This is dangerous. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple is one who is learning – not one who has learned. Decide now that you will always be a disciple of Jesus, and that you will be a lifelong learner, humble and hungry to keep discovering whatever He could show you about the universe, about the world, about the nations, about your country, about psychology and sociology, about love and art, about politics and business, about church and missions, about revival and spiritual power. What a universe we live in, how much there is to keep learning! And, what a marvelous Teacher we have! a. Listen to a

of preachers and be

I have a personal habit these days of listening to six or seven preachers every week. I purposefully choose preachers that are all very different so that I can experience a range of preaching styles and content. I listen to Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Bishop T.D.Jakes, Bill Johnson or Kris Vallotton, Steven Furtick, Cash Luna (in Spanish) and Timothy Keller. They are all very different in style, substance, and even theology. Hearing their style, the kind of content they come up with, and their flow in the anointing gives me inspiration and mental models for new options as I preach. I have to be careful that I don’t think I need to imitate them. That is not the point. But I do enjoy the inspiration that comes from listening to great preaching. b. Learn all you can about

subjects

Some people feel that preaching in the church should only ever be about what Bible verses alone say. By now you know that I absolutely value bringing a message that is biblical, but I also value bringing life wisdom to people. In order to do this, I have to learn about subjects and topics

~125~

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outside of the confines of the scriptures. For example, when I stand up to give a sermon about marriage, for those 30 or 40 minutes, I need to be as much of an expert on marriage relationship dynamics as I can be. So, I read books from secular authors and Christian authors on the subject of marriage, family, parenting, and relationship dynamics on an ongoing basis, because this is an attractional topic that I frequently address. This allows me to grow in my own capacity to have wisdom and insight on these kinds of topics.

If you are going to preach a message on personal time management, you can certainly find scripture that will speak to that topic. But it will speak to that topic like an umbrella. For example, Psalm 90:12 might be such an umbrella: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. That is a great verse – and it reflects God’s desire for us to engage in great time management. But – it is general and covers the topic like an umbrella. You will need to create content that comes underneath the umbrella. So – read books and articles about time management, personal energy levels, thyroid health, productivity… let all of this inform what you will teach about how to apply what that umbrella verse covers.

And then, when it’s time to preach, don’t hold back. Stand up and be the expert for the day! You are a preacher who serves in the great rabbinical tradition of Jesus. That rabbinical tradition offers wisdom for wise living. You can and should do that! Remember that the goal of preaching is not just to teach the Bible, but to help people to live the Bible! Be an authority on that subject for those 30 minutes – confidently, boldly proclaiming wisdom for transformation and good living! c. Receive

graciously and let it

Whenever one person does something in front of or for another group of people, those people will have opinions. As a preacher, you are standing before people to bring them a sermon about God, who they already have ideas and notions about, and the Bible, which they also have ideas and notions about. Many people have a humble disposition and realize that their preacher has been called by God to speak into their lives, and they are glad to just receive the message, even though they do, in fact, already have ideas about it. Other people that have different ideas than what you shared seem to feel they are called by God to give you critique and criticism. They may send their feedback in an email, on an Instagram post, a Facebook message, or in person right after the service. Brace yourself for it.

When you preach, you are putting yourself out there. You are revving all of your personal endorphins and your adrenal system as you stand before God’s people to preach. You have invested hours in study, fight, and preparation for this moment of preaching. All of this leaves you very vulnerable once you have preached. This means that your default response to feedback may be defensiveness. If at all possible, do away with the defensiveness, at least externally. Set aside your impulse to snap back at the person giving you their negative critique. Just take a deep breath, look at them, and say, “Thank you for the feedback. I hadn’t thought of that.” Full stop. Done. Take ~126~

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another deep breath. Silently, in your mind, pray and say “Jesus, my holding back from snapping back at this, your sheep, is my offering of worship to you in this moment.”

The same principle applies to online feedback. If you see comments and posts critiquing your preaching negatively, ignore them. First of all, humility is a requirement for godly leadership in the Kingdom. Secondly, responding would probably come from your pride, not the leading of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, social media forums are just not a great place for defensive dialogue. d. Ditch

and develop

preaching voice

When you first learn to preach, your default will be to emulate a preacher that you know. And this is so good. They have given you a mental model that you can implement effectively. There is a season for preaching in this way. Try it. Take careful notes on the method and style of Andy Stanley – and give it a shot. Analyze the preaching approach of Steven Furtick, and try it on for size. Document the divine power of TD Jakes… and go for it! Oh, and good luck with that! By emulating the method and approach of the great ones, you will learn much.

But at a certain point, you have to set aside Saul’s armor and find your own preaching voice. The world already has a Judah Smith, the world already has a Beth Moore… now the world needs a YOU! God has given you a unique voice, and your task is to discover how to let that voice ring out loud and clear for His glory as you preach!

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GROUP DISCUSSION: Gather in a small group and discuss what was covered in this session.

1. Why is it important for you to distance yourself from ‘preacher’ being your identity?

2. What are some choices you are making to build private strength in your inner life?

3. Share about a person in Christian ministry, or a preacher that you know, who exhibits wonderful godly character. What are the marks of that godly character, and why does it matter?

4. Who do you know that is a lifelong learner? How does their thirst for knowledge shape their ministry well?

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5. What do you think when you see a preacher full-on imitating another preacher?

6. Share about the effect a minister’s lack of integrity has had on you:

RESPONSE: Write a short paragraph of response related to this chapter’s teaching for each question.

1. What are you currently doing to cultivate private inner strength?

2. Why does character count so much for a preacher?

PREACHING by John Hansen

3. What spiritual disciplines are you currently practicing regularly? How are they helping you to deepen the well?

4. What are you currently doing to have fun in your life? What is a hobby you would like to get into?

5. Why is feedback so difficult to receive? What benefit can come from receiving feedback, and what is required to receive feedback well?

6. Which attractional subjects do you personally feel that you currently have some insight on?

Why is it important to learn as much as you can about attractional topics?

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PREACHING ACTIVATION

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NOTES

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8

INSIGHTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

“For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.�

1 Corinthians 9:16-17 niv

PREACHING by John Hansen

THE RADICAL STACK I read an article online about a new restaurant that was about to open in Temecula. It was called TOAST – and it was going to be a breakfast and lunch place. It looked enticing – so soon after the grand opening Ann and I decided to give it a try. We got there early on a Friday morning and sat down at an urban-chic steel-framed, wooden slatted hi-top table. The place had an interesting menu – lattes and mimosas, all available at 7:30 in the morning. There were all kinds of interesting breakfast options. For example, you could order a ‘flight of bacon’. I thought ‘when pigs fly’ was just a phrase – but TOAST apparently gave wings to pork! The entre that caught my eye – and which I ordered – was called the radical stack.

The radical stack has a brioche bread base, and then, in ascending order, it has a hamburger patty, sliced cooked ham, roasted pork belly, hash browns, smoked cheddar cheese, roasted tomato, sausage, jam, bourbon maple aioli, and a fried egg. Come on, somebody! When it arrived, I was overwhelmed – it was a culinary masterpiece. It was about five inches thick, and the only way to eat it was with a fork and knife. Unfortunately, there was no way to get all eleven items on one fork load. But when you did accomplish the minor miracle of getting all of the items in your mouth at the same time, it was sheer delight. Every bite was so full of such nuance of flavor. And every bite had plenty of meat. That radical stack was something to talk about! I have remembered the experience of the radical stack ever since – and I have gone back for it again and again since then!

In a sense, great Christian preaching should be like that radical stack. Full of the flavor that can come from intros and illustrations – but also full of the meat of God’s Word and real revelation.

It should give God’s people something to talk about, and it should be memorable. I’m hoping you will preach radical stack kinds of sermons every time – but you know what? There will be plenty of times when you just won’t have the time, energy, or bandwidth to bring all the elements together. In those moments – I hope you’ll bring out that beef patty with some aioli… the meat of the Word of God proclaimed in the power of the oil of the Holy Spirit!

In this final chapter, I just want to share a few insights for implementation in preaching. These tips may help you establish some routines and habits that will make you a better preacher.

1. Create a

of

You’ll come to discover that illustrations are the ‘special sauce’ of great preaching. How in the world do you come up with a special sauce for every time you preach? By being disciplined to collect illustrations for when you’ll need them. Here’s my suggestion for you: create a file on the notes app on your phone (or use evernote) and label it ‘illustrations’. In that file, collect pictures, news articles, screenshots of headlines, notes of moments, stories that occur to you, analogies that you’ve seen, etc. If you have the energy to get fancy you can create a tagging and labeling system. ~134~

CHAPTER 8 — Insights for implementation

I personally just create a note for every illustration idea I can think of. I don’t wait until I have a sermon I’m working on to think of an illustration. I collect illustrations almost every day so that when I’m preparing a message, I have a well of ideas I can draw from.

2.

your

for illustrations

One of the best sources of illustrations is your own life. You live through a moment where something frustrating happens – guess what – that’s a sermon illustration! You live through a moment where something scary happens – guess what – that’s a sermon illustration! You live through a moment where something hilarious happens – guess what – that’s a sermon illustration! You get the idea.

Mine your life for illustrations. After that frustrating/funny/scary thing happens, create a note about it so you’ll remember it. You can add detail or meaning or connection to a sermon later. But when the moment is fresh, write it down. See the stories in your life – they are a gift to you from God! 3. Make the most of the You will most likely be using a microphone when you preach. The mic is a tool – and like any tool, you should learn how to use it. If you use an ear-worn mic, spend some time putting it on correctly. Take some time to fit it well to your ear and head. Learn how to get it in position the right way so that you are not swatting at it throughout the whole message. When you are new at ear-worn mic use, you should plan on taking an hour or so to work with the mic, learning how to set it up correctly for your particular anatomy. Do not just let a sound guy put it on you and then just go out and preach. You need some time to get used to it!

When you use an ear-worn mic, you need to route the wire correctly from the mic set to the pack. The extra slack of the wire should be tucked into your pants – otherwise, you’ll have this distracting little piggly-wiggly wire tail sticking out from your behind. It’s distracting and looks like a wiry dingleberry. Just say no to mic wire dingleberries! The mic wire works best when there is a shirt between the wire and your skin. When I have tried to wear the mic wire with just one shirt, the mic wire starts to stick to my skin, and then when I move, the mic wire moves and starts to slide off to the side. It then tugs at the headset whenever I turn my head. No one else sees this, but it is highly distracting to me. I have learned to wear two shirts – and the mic wire works best when it’s routed between the shirts. Finally, if you preach multiple services, plan on changing the battery on the pack between every service. Even if the display panel on the pack says you have three bars of power left, don’t trust it. Just change the battery – and avoid the distraction of losing power.

4. Plan to

even if you don’t

It used to be that every preacher wore a suit and tie or a full dress. That’s obviously not the case anymore. But it is still appropriate to give attention to what you wear when you stand before a ~135~

PREACHING by John Hansen

crowd. In most environments, it is no longer necessary to dress up in a suit and tie or dress – but it is right to dress well. Be conscious of what’s in style, and choose to dress that way. What you wear will instigate a certain perception of you – so be intentional about what you want that perception to be. Ultimately, you want people to be able to respect you, and you don’t want what you wear to be a hindrance to that. You’ll face some tension in that there will be some people who will respect you well when you wear a button-down, and some other people who will respect you well only if you’ve got on a jeans jacket and sneakers. You’d do well to really think about who the target demographic is that you’re trying to reach and get through to – and dress well in a way that would be stylish or business casual to them.

5. Wear

and bring extra

You may be one of the few people who is cool as a cucumber and who never sweats. But if you’re anything like me, you do have nerves, and that leads to sweat. Also, the exertion of preaching can often lead to sweating. If you wear layers, there is more of a chance that the sweat will be caught before it’s on display every time you raise your arms. If you are a profuse sweater, you might even consider buying some sweat blocking T-shirts – and wearing a third layer such as a denim jacket or blazer. Additionally, if you preach in an environment with multiple services, you should bring an extra T-shirt for every service – and an extra top shirt as well. You’ll feel better and more confident if you’re dry!

6. Do use the

, but don’t

in there all the time.

Most churches these days have a green room or ‘preacher’s study’ where you can go before or after service. Make use of the green room, just don’t hide out there. When you are done preaching, leave the platform and go to the green room. Immediately change out of your sweaty undershirt, change the batteries in the mic pack, and drink some water or iced tea. Eat a banana or something light and healthy. Sit down for a minute. Enjoy a brief moment of solitude while the band plays the closing song. But as soon as you can, leave the green room and go out to the lobby, the foyer, or the patio to connect with the people.

There may be some weekends when you’ll be sick but you preach anyways, or you have a migraine but you preach anyway. Those times, feel free to hang out in the green room the whole time between services. While it isn’t good general practice – it is good practice when you’re not feeling well.

7. Don’t settle for doing

when you could be preaching with

When someone preaches and people are commenting about it, the reflection is often something like ‘he was really funny!’ I think it is great that a preacher can be humorous! Yay preacher, and yay God! Sometimes a preacher will get loud and riff on a very familiar theme, something to the effect of ‘your best days are ahead of you, God is for you not against you, you’re the head ~136~

CHAPTER 8 — Insights for implementation

and not the tail, you are more than a conqueror, if God is for you who can be against you, you’re not fighting for victory, you’re fighting from victory!’ Yay preacher, and yay God! But – if that is all that comes from the preaching – the task has not been handled well. Oh, the people may say, ‘That was awesome!’ Because everyone loves a bag of Skittles! But over time, if that is all the preacher brings – that Body is in trouble. That’s just preachertainment. Don’t settle for it.

You can bring in a little preachertainment here and there – just be sure it’s like salt and pepper.

Make sure there’s a juicy steak for that salt and pepper to rest on! Take the time to find the Godbreathed scriptural message you are meant to bring – and unfold that Biblical Word! Plead with God for His anointing – and let the unction of the Spirit take you over in fresh new ways. Let your preaching be marked by God’s power flowing through you! Do this by spending time in His presence as you pore over His Word to find the pure word you’re intended to preach!

~137~

NOTES

RESOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN PART OF MY LEARNING JOURNEY: The Dynamics of Preaching, by Warren W. Wiersbe, © 1999 by Warren Wiersbe; Baker Books The Elements of Preaching, by Warren & David Wiersbe, © 1986 by Warren & David Wiersbe; Tyndale House Publishers Preaching & Preachers; the Classic Text with Essays…, by Martin Lloyd Jones, © 2011 by Zondervan Preaching With Relevance, by Keith Willhite, © 2001 by Keith Willhite; Kregel Publications The Witness of Preaching, by Thomas G. Long, © 1989 by Thomas G. Long, Westminster John Knox Press Fundamentals of Preaching, by John Killinger, © 1985 by Fortress Press So Pastor, What’s Your Point? By Dennis J. Prutow, © 2010 by Dennis J. Prutow, The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Publishing Preaching Sticky Sermons by Brandon Kelley and Joe Hoagland; © 2016 by Brandon Kelley and Joe Hoagland, Rainer Publishing Become a Preaching Ninja by Lane Sebring; © 2019 by Lane Sebring; Preaching Donkey Publishing Preaching Nuts & Bolts by Brandon Hilgeman

ENDNOTES 1. Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message and Mission. Zondervan, 2007.

PRE ACHING Learn practical tools for preaching from biblically-grounded, well-prepared, and well-delivered sermons from an expository foundation. Th is course exposes students to both a broad genre of

Christian preaching and a variety of methods and forms of biblical preaching. Students will study the theory of homiletics, including foundational exegesis and hortatory formation, as

well as the sermons of eight excellent current-day preachers and eight excellent preachers from different historical periods.

KEY OUTCOMES  To learn and articulate a theology of preaching and a sermon preparation method that is comprehensive, practical, biblically-grounded, and hermeneutically responsible.

 Learn the Ad Vitam approach to preaching developed by John Hansen.

 To become familiar with the anatomy of a variety of types of sermons and adept at utilizing the building blocks of sermon writing.

 Learn to comprehend the relationship between the messenger and the message.

 Discover how to deliver a sermon with excellence, power, anointing, and authority.

PASTOR JOHN HANSEN John Hansen is a passionate leader, pastor, and author. As the lead

pastor at Centerpoint Church in Murrieta, California, he is known for creative and inspiring Biblical teachings that are full of practical

applications for life and help people experience life-change in Christ.

His desire is to ignite passion in others for the Holy Spirit, which he carries out in a naturally-supernatural way.

He has been married to his wife, Ann, for more than fifteen years.

They have founded Centerpoint Ministries and Filled to Flow Ministries. He has taken Centerpoint Church from a small gathering of 65 people to a thriving church of several thousand. He has his

Masters in Divinity from Fuller Seminary. He currently lives in Murrieta, California, with Ann and their three children and spends his free time paragliding and hiking.

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