Category Archives: Preaching

Should Christians Speak With Authority?

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Ken Ham writes:

Should Christians speak with authority?

“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29).

Over the 40 years I’ve been involved in the Answers in Genesis ministry, I’ve had many Christians/Christian leaders accuse me of saying a person had to believe in six literal days of creation and a young earth to be saved.

Such an accusation is simply not true and can be documented as false from my many talks and articles I’ve written over the years showing clearly I have never equated salvation with believing in a young earth and literal creation days. What my accusers don’t like is the fact I speak with authority on what Genesis clearly says. They want me to allow other views. But there’s only one view: God’s Word as written.

Now, salvation is conditioned upon faith in Christ, not what a person believes about the age of the earth or days of creation. People then respond saying it’s not an important issue.

But, even though it’s not a salvation issue, it’s a very important matter indeed, as it’s one of authority.

The following examples represent the types of conversations I’ve had over the years with various Christians and Christian leaders as I’ve discussed this topic with me asking questions.

Question: “Do you believe Jesus bodily rose from the dead?”

Answer: “Of course, yes.”

Question: “Did you see it happen? Do you have a movie of the event? How do you know?”

Answer: “Because the Bible says so?”

Question: “Do you really believe Jesus fed thousands as a miracle?”

Answer: “Yes.”

Question: “Did you see this event? How do you know?”

Answer: “Because the Bible says so.”

Question: “Do you believe Jesus healed the blind, lame, and deaf and even raised people from the dead?”

Answer: “Yes.”

Question: “How do you know?”

Answer: “I know because the Bible says so.”

Question: “Do you believe the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as a miracle, and when wandering in the desert their clothes and shoes didn’t wear out?”

Answer: “Yes.”

Question: “How do you know?”

Answer: “Because the Bible teaches this.”

Question: “Do you believe a man was swallowed by a fish for three days and survived?”

Answer: “Yes, God’s Word says so.”

I then move to the book of Genesis and ask, “Do you believe God created in six literal days, death came after sin, Noah’s Flood was a global event, and we must take Genesis 1–11 as literal history?”

I often get answers like, “Well, no because of what the scientists tell us about millions of years, the big bang, and evolution. The days must be long periods of time. Noah’s flood might have been a local event. God used evolution.”

And here is my point! For other events in the Bible, Christians usually accept the accounts as written. But when it comes to Genesis, so many Christians and Christian leaders will go outside of Scripture and use what secular scientists are saying to then claim we can’t take Genesis as written on these matters.

And therein lies a major problem. They are putting man’s word over God’s Word and making man the authority, not God. Sadly, many pastors and Christian academics have taught generations of young people this. In doing so, they’ve unlocked a door that one can take man’s word over God’s Word. So if you can take millions of years and reinterpret God’s Word, why not take man’s word on marriage and gender and reinterpret God’s Word to allow gay “marriage,” etc. And this is happening in the church.

Over the years because so many Christian leaders have compromised God’s Word in Genesis, many people have been led to doubt God’s Word, and that leads to compromise and unbelief.

We can and should speak with authority on Genesis, just as we can with the rest of Scripture because it is the infallible Word of God!

I am saying compromise on Genesis is wrong, as there’s only one view—God’s! And I’ll continue speaking with authority (God’s) on this.

Are you taking God at his Word? Or putting man’s word over God’s Word? That’s the issue.

Remedies For Boring Sermons

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Article: “If You Find Listening To Sermons Boring, Try This” by Mark Barnes – original source – https://www.logos.com/grow/listening-to-sermons/

Mark Barnes has twenty years of experience in pastoral ministry, holds an MPhil in Biblical Theology, and has served as visiting lecturer at Union School of Theology. He’s a former editor of Evangelical Magazine and has also written for Grace Magazine, Evangelicals Now, and Evangelical Times. He now serves as product manager for the Logos and Verbum apps and lives in the UK with his wife and two sons.

During my lifetime I reckon I’ve heard about 4,000 sermons. Often I have been challenged, uplifted, provoked, transformed. Sadly, other times, I have been bored.

I believe preaching is one of the most important things that the church can do. First Corinthians 1:21 says, “God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe” (NIV).

But isn’t the way a sermon is heard at least as important as the way it is preached? Paul says “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17).

The writer to the Hebrews makes things even more explicit: “For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith” (Heb 4:2).

How to prepare for listening to a sermon

I am not known for my skills in home improvement, but I did once have a go at repainting a room. I spent hours with my paint roller, making sure I didn’t drip paint on the skirting boards and the paint was applied smoothly. When I finished, it looked very good! After it dried, I showed off my handiwork to a friend. They ran their hands appreciatively over the paint, but then suddenly, a large chunk of paint flaked off! The paint, even though it was fresh, was just peeling off the wall! 

What had gone wrong? 

I hadn’t prepared the walls properly. It seemed like too much work to sand down the walls and too much effort to use some primer. 

The result? 

Everything that I spent so much time doing simply didn’t stick.

I wonder whether that is true for us in church? We spend so much time listening to sermons, but it never seems to stick. Perhaps it’s because we haven’t prepared ourselves properly. It would be odd if your pastor turned up one Sunday with no notes and simply asked, “Has anyone got any ideas what I should preach on this morning?” But is that our attitude when we come to hear a sermon?

Prepare prayerfully

The most important preparation we can make is to prepare prayerfully. In Ephesians 6:19, Paul asked the church to “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me” (BSB). In Colossians 4:3–4 he asks the same: “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message … Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” We, too, should pray for clear, biblical, applied preaching.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that each Sunday five people were praying that God would speak to you? So why don’t you pray for the five people sitting nearest to you in church? If everyone in church did that each Sunday, then everyone would be lifted to God in prayer.

As well as praying for others, we must also pray for ourselves. 

Many people pray when they come into church, and that’s a great habit. But our prayerful preparation shouldn’t begin when we sit in our pew. If preaching is important, we must invest time preparing for it, and we should pray before we leave our homes. How many of us miss our private devotions on a Sunday morning, then tell ourselves it doesn’t matter because we will be praying and reading God’s Word in church anyway? That is not a sign of prayerful preparation.

What should we pray for? We should pray for the sermon, the preacher, and the listeners. Prayer can help even uninspiring sermons hit their mark. Prayer can help preachers who are wrestling with their sinful nature and having a difficult day. Prayer can also help listeners who are distracted or hard-hearted or troubled.

Prepare thoroughly

A man went to see his doctor for advice about being cured of snoring. The doctor asked: 

“Does your snoring disturb your wife?” 

“My wife! Why, it disturbs the whole congregation!” 

So one thing we can do to help us prepare well for Sunday is to get to bed early on Saturday night.

Sometimes we can’t avoid a late night or disturbed sleep, but if we’re continually sleepy when we listen to preaching, there may be something wrong. Perhaps we’re not making hearing God speak enough of a priority?

Preparing thoroughly can also mean thinking about the message before you hear it. If you have regular expository preaching in your church, you probably know the passage on which next Sunday’s sermon will be based. Why not read it before you come to church? Discuss it with someone or even read a commentary. See if you can work out what the preacher’s points are going to be. By doing so, you’ll be thinking over God’s Word, and you’ll be ready and open for the Sunday preaching.

Prepare expectantly

We should look forward to the Sunday sermon. I know that sometimes the preaching in your church is not all you want it to be. You know what? Often it’s not all your pastor wants it to be either! But it’s not presumptuous or fanciful to expect God to bless us when he’s told us that preaching is a blessing. 

As the Bible puts it: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Cor 4:7 ESV). We can be expectant because God is more than able to do amazing things with struggling preachers and half-hearted listeners and average sermons. He’s the one with surpassing power, not us.

How to listen to a sermon

A sermon is served as a Sunday dinner, not like an intravenous drip. It has to be chewed, digested, and swallowed. We cannot simply sit back and expect to be fed if we are not willing to play our part. So not only do we need to prepare for a sermon prayerfully, thoroughly, and expectantly, but we must also listen well. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about how we should listen to sermons.

Listen worshipfully

Too often we equate worship with singing. Certainly, our singing ought to be worshipful, but the whole service is a worship service. Everything that we do during a Sunday service ought to be worshipful, and that includes listening to the sermon.

So what does it mean to listen worshipfully? Simply that we should respond to the preaching in a way that brings glory to God. So while we’re listening, we should pray short, silent prayers of praise, or ask God to help us to take the message to heart.

Listen attentively

Different people’s memories work in different ways, but taking notes can be a great benefit to listening attentively. Jotting down the main thoughts of a sermon helps keep your mind focused. Not every sermon is fitted for a point-by-point outline, but you can almost always identify the big ideas and Bible references. If taking notes doesn’t work for you, then think of other ways to help you listen attentively.

Listen critically

In Acts 17:11 Luke writes, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (NIV). It’s important we trust our pastors and others who preach in our church. We need to be willing to submit to the authority of our church leaders, but we mustn’t  treat them like celebrities or make the mistake of thinking they’re infallible. We should not ask, “What did the preacher say this morning?” What we should be asking is “What did the Bible say this morning?”

Listen submissively

Having said that we should listen critically, we are not above God’s Word. If a preacher says it, maybe we should do it, maybe not. But if God says it, we should always obey. There can’t be any exceptions to that rule. The worst thing that can happen to us in a sermon (and I really mean this) is that we are challenged by God’s Word, but we harden our hearts and refuse to respond. That’s the worst of all outcomes.

How to respond to a sermon

So we’ve prepared to listen to a sermon prayerfully, thoroughly, and expectantly. We’ve listened worshipfully, attentively, critically, and submissively. That’s it, surely? No, there’s one last step— and that’s the most important of all. We must respond well. That’s the point of listening to sermons, after all.

Respond thoughtfully

One way of responding thoughtfully is to discuss the message with other people—for example, over Sunday lunch. (You’ve heard the old joke, I’m sure. Q: “What did you have for lunch today?” A: “Roast preacher.”)

Don‘t roast the preacher, but do discuss God’s Word. Surely the Word of God is more enlightening than politics, the weather, or sports? See who can remember the outline of the message. See if anyone caught the main application or if anyone can repeat the major verse or reference.

And why not take it a step further? 

Each week, see how the Word of God can be put into action in your life. Write down the date, the title of the message, the main idea, and an outline in a notebook. Then, ask questions like these: 

  • What has God commanded? 
  • How does he want me to change? 
  • What habits do I need to get rid of? 
  • What do I need to think about and pray over? 

Next Sunday, you can see how you’ve done at putting the Bible into practice. What prayer requests has God answered? Keeping a journal to remind us of God’s Word can be a great spiritual benefit.

Respond fully

Do you remember we said earlier that a sermon is like a Sunday lunch? Well, don’t leave the sprouts! Sometimes God’s Word has things to say that we may not like to hear but which we specifically need. We must not throw away the biblical truths that will challenge and change us.

Imagine you hear a sermon about the importance of resting on a Sunday. What we might like to hear and remember from that sermon is, “I should put my feet up today!” That’s what we’d like to hear, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the preacher’s main point, not indeed all that God was saying through his Word. If that’s our conclusion, we’ve eaten the sermon dessert but left the sprouts—we’ve left the part of the sermon that’s good for us. 

What God probably wants us to remember from that sermon is not, “I should put my feet up!” What God probably wants us to think about is, “What can I do to help myself and others rest on Sundays?”

So what’s the best way to tell if we really are listening to sermons? By looking at the way we live. Our lives should repeat the sermons that we have heard.

So how do we stop sermons from being boring? As Philip Ryken puts it, “With a soul that is prepared, a mind that is alert, a Bible that is open, a heart that is receptive, and a life that is ready to spring into action.”[1

‘Tuning In’ by Philip Ryken, in Tabletalk Magazine, March 2003: The Power of Preaching. Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2003.

Preaching Should Aim At Simplicity

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Simplicity in Preaching by Kevin DeYoung – original source https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/simplicity-in-preaching/

It’s short and so helpful that I think I can say without exaggeration that every preacher should try to read J. C. Ryle’s Simplicity in Preaching. The 22-page booklet, recently (and inexpensively) reprinted by Banner of Truth, began as an address to a group of clergy at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in the latter part of the 19th century.

Before moving to the substance of his lecture (which Ryle reworked into written prose), Ryle starts off with four prefatory remarks:

1. “I ask all my readers to remember that to attain simplicity in preaching is of the utmost importance to every minister who wishes to be useful to souls.” We aren’t useful unless we are understood, and we aren’t understood without being clear and straightforward.

2. “To attain simplicity in preaching is by no means an easy matter.” It’s actually much easier to sound erudite than to be intelligible. Simplicity is hard work.

3. “When I talk of simplicity in preaching, I would not have my readers suppose I mean childish preaching.” Simple does not mean shallow or condescending.

4. “It is not coarse or vulgar preaching that is needed.” Ryle would have us speak as courteous gentlemen, not as uneducated rabble-rousers.

From there, Ryle launches into the body of his address, offering “five brief hints” for simplicity in preaching:

1. “If you want to attain simplicity in preaching, take care that you have a clear view of the subject upon which you are going to preach.” If you aim at nothing, you’ll always hit nothing. If you begin in a fog, you will leave your people in darkness. The goal of the preacher is not to be thought clever, but to be thought clear. This means, according to Ryle, that we should not be ashamed of having divisions in our sermons, nor ashamed of announcing those divisions. “If we would be simple, there must be order in a sermon as there is in an army.”

2. “Try to use in all your sermons, as far as you can, simple words.” This doesn’t mean the preacher can only use words of one syllable or that he cannot teach important terms and definitions. Rather, it means we should avoid unexplained jargon and words that ordinary people never use (like “erudite” perhaps?!). Preachers must not try to impress the learned or fall back into preening seminary-speak. The application of this point will vary from congregation to congregation, but as a general rule Ryle is surely right: the more you use plan common words, the better.

3. “Take care to aim at a simple style of composition.” Beware of colons and semicolons in your discourse. Beware of long sentences and long paragraphs. Try to develop pithy points and memorable sayings. Ryle gives several examples that we would say are Tweet-worthy: “Hell is paved with good intentions.” “Sin forsaken is one of the best evidences of sin forgiven.” “Meddle with no man’s person, but spare no man’s sins.” “One thief on the cross was saved, that none should despair, and only one, that none should presume.”

4. “If you wish to preach simply, use a direct style.” I imagine some homiletics professors may disagree, but Ryle is adamant that preachers should avoid “we” when they mean “I” and stick with “you” when they mean to address the people directly.

5. “You must use plenty of anecdotes and illustrations.” I imagine some of us in Reformed circles have come to be suspicious of illustrations. To be sure, illustrations can overtake an ill-equipped sermon, but the Puritans were constantly using figures, metaphors, and stories. Ryle cautions against elaborate story-telling and stuffing our sermons so full of illustrations that the message becomes a cake “entirely of plums and containing hardly any flour.” And yet, if we follow the example of Jesus, we will find examples and illustrations all around us.

Finally, Ryle finishes the address with four concluding remarks:

1. “We ought to aim not merely at letting off fireworks, but at preaching that which will do lasting good to souls.” We mean to edify, not entertain.

2. “All the simplicity in the world can do no good, unless you preach the simple gospel of Jesus Christ so fully and clearly that everybody can understand it.” Clear sermons don’t save without a clear gospel.

3. “All the simplicity in the world, again, is useless without a good lively delivery.” Be careful: simple sermons can still be boring sermons.

4. “Above all, let us not forget that all the simplicity in the world is useless without prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the grant of God’s blessing, and a life corresponding in some measure to what we preach.” The preacher works hard, so that God might work through us. We still depend on him for power.

Amen and amen. Do yourself and your hearers a favor—take 30 minutes sometime in the next month to read Ryle on preaching.