Article by Dr. Joel Beeke (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) who has written over one hundred books. He is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, a pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as the editor of Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, the editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, the president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society.
Five False Dichotomies
Which is your kind of preaching—expository or relevant? That is an example of a false dichotomy—a logical fallacy. False dichotomies operate under the assumption that there is no alternative, including no way to combine the qualities entailed in the so-called opposites.
One of Satan’s methods to mislead preachers is the false dichotomy. By setting two valid ideas against each other when they really belong together, the devil can use the appeal of one truth to attack another. If we swallow the bait, then the devil’s hook and line pull us away from faithful preaching and we lose both sides of the truth. Here are five myths—false dichotomies—that can catch preachers.
Myth #1: Preachers must be either exegetical lecturers or church motivators.
The exegetical lecturer is the pastoral version of a Bible commentary. The preacher is determined to avoid subjectivism; his sermon will be only the pure Word of God. Consequently, he rarely speaks from his heart to the hearts of his hearers, and they leave with full heads and withered souls.
Offended by the barrenness of that approach, the church motivator seeks not to inform but to transform by convincing people to adopt certain courses of action or programs. However, though he may lace his messages with Bible quotations, he sounds more like a motivational speaker or even a cheerleader than a messenger of God.
The faithful preacher takes the best from both sides of this dichotomy, for he strives—with the Spirit’s blessing—to have his expositions of the Holy Scriptures burn as fuel inflaming the church to holy affection and action.
Myth #2: Preachers must be either spiritual directors or doctrinal instructors.
The spiritual director—a fatherly figure—doles out specific advice to his children in the Lord. His mouth is full of wise counsel and practical directions, but he does not bother much with lofty doctrines of the faith such as the Trinity, the holiness of God, or Christ’s atoning work.
The doctrinal teacher—knowing how shallow Christians can be if they do not know what they believe—thoroughly explains the system of Christian faith revealed in the Holy Scriptures. However, he says little about application, leaving it to the Holy Spirit to apply the general principles of God’s Word to each individual’s life.
In reality, we must avoid both extremes, since “All Scripture . . . is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). The faithful preacher must have his eyes on Christ as revealed in the doctrines of the Bible and his feet on the ground to apply that doctrine to the needs and lives of his hearers.
Myth #3: Preachers must be either verse-by-verse expositors or textual preachers.
Another false dichotomy is set up when we insist that the only way to expound the Scriptures is by preaching through a book of the Bible one verse at a time. Sadly, the verse-by-verse expositor may be so chained to his method that he will not depart from it to address a crying need in the congregation’s life. Continue reading →
Dr. John MacArthur answers the question, “What would you say to a young man who was aspiring to be in full-time ministry, who strongly desired it but wasn’t quite sure that he was called by God?”
In the lectures below Pastor Robert Elliott of Reformed Baptist Church, Riverside, CA, addresses the need and biblical principles for preaching that manifests an awareness of the context of the target audience. The purpose or goal of such contextualization is not to obscure or blunt the force of gospel truth but to make the message clearer and more forceful for the hearer. These lectures serve as part of the curriculum for RBS’s course on preaching.
Article by Pastor Dan Phillips (original source here)
Christian worship is a supernatural event – but it is not a magic show.
In pagan worship, forms and rituals are thought to be inherently effective. The Latin phrase is ex opere operato, “from the work worked.” It is the idea that we can do things that in turn will make God do things. This is the essence of paganism and of magic: that forms of worship or manipulation produce supernatural effects simply by our performing them correctly.
In Harry Potter, it’s saying the right gibberish-Latin words (“Wingardium leviosa!”). In other literature, it’s gestures, or words-plus-gestures. In some lands, it’s sacrifice and incantation.
My fear is that some evangelicals – despite our call to reject all paganism – unwittingly entertain a faux-baptized form of the same sorts of expectations and beliefs.
How so?
We (correctly) affirm that the Bible is not just a book, not a mere collection of human musings. It is the word of God, “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). It is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), and communicates the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:12-13). It is the means of saving faith (Romans 10:17), and of growth in holiness (John 17:17). It is truly a marvel, a gift from God.
So we (again correctly) make the preaching of the Word the center of our corporate worship. This reflects the stated priorities of Christ (John 8:31-32) and His apostles (1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:2). So far, so good.
But here comes the disconnect: sometimes both preacher and hearers get the idea that, if we do that right – that is, preach the Word faithfully – then God must do great and wonderful things, along the lines of our expectations. Sinners will be saved, saints will be transformed and matured, churches will grow. Glory all around. It’s guaranteed!
Right? Wrong.
I yield to no man in my absolute conviction of the centrality of God’s written word to all thought, faith, worship and practice. It is that very conviction which compels me to point out the corollary truth:
The glory of God requires not only faithful preaching of the Word, but also faithful hearing of the Word.
Once you see it, you will find this verity literally all over Scripture. Take Deuteronomy 28:1 – “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.” This verse brims with vital truth. Continue reading →
Dr. Steve Lawson was with a group of pastors, advocating the virtues of Expositional Preaching. Opening up the meeting for a Q and A, the first question asked was this:
“Dr. Lawson, tell us, how would you preach on Obamacare?”
Here was Dr. Lawson’s reply:
“OK, here’s what you do. Have you got a pen and paper? I want you to write this down.
You turn to the book of Romans and you start in Romans 1 and verse 1, and you preach all the way through the entirety of the book of Romans.
Did you write that down?
Then what I want you to do is go to the Gospel of John. I want you to start in John 1, verse 1 and preach all the way through the Gospel of John – just take your time.
Did you write that down?
Then I want you to go to the book of Psalms and start in Psalm 1 and verse 1, How blessed is the man… and I want you to go all the way through verse by verse through all the 150 Psalms, till you come to the end of Psalm 150, Hallelujah, praise the Lord.
And every time you see the word ‘Obamacare’, stop and address it.
Otherwise, keep going.”
(this excerpt is a transcript taken from the Master’s Seminary – Fall 2018: Fundamentals of Expository Preaching with Dr. Steven Lawson, Session 3)
Text: 1 Tim. 4 – 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
Expository Preparation:
Text: 2 Tim. 2:15 – Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
Effective Evangelists:
2 Tim. 4:1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
In every sermon I preach I start with these words, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the word of God.” Then, the very next words out of my mouth is the Bible being read. In everything that follows, the intention (after much prayer and study beforehand) is to explain the meaning of the text just read, and make application to the hearers. There is no other agenda, nor should there be. The goats might wish for something different, but the sheep want nothing more than an encounter with the Shepherd through His word. This is the genuine move of the Holy Spirit in a congregation – giving the preacher and the hearers a love for the word of God. All else is sinking sand, worthless talk and idolatry. The sheep love to hear His voice. It is true nourishment for their souls. And what is more, they will be back next week, not because something flashy is being promised, not because a special guest speaker will come with something new, but because there is the genuine promise that the word of God will be read, preached, prayed, sung and seen (in the ordinances – baptism and the Lord’s Supper), nothing more and nothing less. And that is all a sheep wants.
– John Samson
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” – John 10:27,28
Article by Dr. Joel Beeke (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) who has written over one hundred books. He is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, a pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as the editor of Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, the editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, the president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society.
Article by Pastor Dan Phillips (original source here)
Dr. Steve Lawson was with a group of pastors, advocating the virtues of Expositional Preaching. Opening up the meeting for a Q and A, the first question asked was this:
In every sermon I preach I start with these words, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the word of God.” Then, the very next words out of my mouth is the Bible being read. In everything that follows, the intention (after much prayer and study beforehand) is to explain the meaning of the text just read, and make application to the hearers. There is no other agenda, nor should there be. The goats might wish for something different, but the sheep want nothing more than an encounter with the Shepherd through His word. This is the genuine move of the Holy Spirit in a congregation – giving the preacher and the hearers a love for the word of God. All else is sinking sand, worthless talk and idolatry. The sheep love to hear His voice. It is true nourishment for their souls. And what is more, they will be back next week, not because something flashy is being promised, not because a special guest speaker will come with something new, but because there is the genuine promise that the word of God will be read, preached, prayed, sung and seen (in the ordinances – baptism and the Lord’s Supper), nothing more and nothing less. And that is all a sheep wants.