Good Preacher/Bad Preacher

"So they said to each other, 'Weren't our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?'"  (Luke 24:32, HCSB).


You've heard of good cop/bad cop stories, but this applies to all professions.  Jesus was a preacher par excellence and had no peers.  "When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes" (Matt. 7:29, HCSB).  There was something different about the way he taught that even the common man heard Him gladly. Jesus knew how to make that "connection" (to be on the same page) as if He were one of them--the Jews.  And He identified with the issues of the day, the problems and burdens of the Jews, and the message of grace itself--the good news.

But Jesus didn't just tell them what was on His mind, for telling isn't teaching any more than hearing is listening.  Good teachers illustrate and make their point clear, often repeating it for emphasis.  A good teacher must do certain basics to drive home that point he wants to make without losing focus:  introduction and attention-getting method, points he wants to make, illustrations of those points, and repetition or summary of what was said.  You tell them what you will say, say it, and tell them what you said.

Jesus had a revolutionary style!  He used figures of speech in His teaching and more specifically told stories, especially parables about familiar events or circumstances that drove home the point.  Jesus also used epigrams, or short, wise statements seeming like a paradox, and He also used object lessons from some accessible item or circumstance.  He also was known for how He framed questions in a Socratic manner that elicited a desired or obvious response. He would readily turn a question into another question.   He skillfully made use of metaphors people could relate to and likened Himself to familiar things in order to make the point clear.  The good preacher doesn't lose his listeners due to boredom or belaboring a point either.  He must be aware of where the flock is and sensitive to their attention span and how well he's keeping it, not getting lost or off on some tangent--stay on subject.

A sermon isn't a lecture or Bible study, it's an outreach to all the members of the body and even attendees and visitors.  A good pastor knows the difference between teacher mode and preacher mode!  There is a place for teaching in a sermon, but it's primarily preaching just like there's a place for preaching in a Bible study or teaching session.  But good preaching speaks to the heart, not just the mind; it doesn't just inform but enlightens and illuminates Scripture.  Going forward one should feel inspired, convicted, motivated, and above all, especially edified.  There is a difference between being informed and being educated.

A good sermon isn't just "interesting" but it should be "challenging." We seek to be enlightened in the Word and see Jesus come alive in it.  Just presenting facts will inform, but showing how to apply them will enlighten and illumine us.  We must not see the Word as merely something to be well-informed about; we can know the Bible and a lot about it, without knowing the Author.  The preacher can lecture on the nature of Christ quite eloquently and not even be aware of His presence and maybe not even know the Lord much personally.

We need our eyes opened to wonderful things in the Word, and all Scripture surely is profitable for doctrine, but also for instruction in righteousness (application).  If we don't go away with any application the preacher really hasn't done a complete work.  Yes, we must all preach sound doctrine, but sound preaching is more than just preaching doctrine.  Jonathan Edwards said that his doctrine was all application and his application was all doctrine.  His sermons were meant to start revivals not lecture in theology (everyone knows him for "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God").   One's passion must be in the preaching to show that it affects you before it can affect others, especially the lost.   Good preachers preach the Word, in season and out, and comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable!   

When the preacher actually makes contact with the flock, they feel he's one of them and can put himself in their shoes.  They identify with the preacher and know where he's coming from.  That's why Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me."  "... The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.  They will never follow a stranger, instead, they will run away from him, because they don't recognize the voice of strangers" (cf. John 10:4-5, HCSB).  Sheep know their shepherd!    Soli Deo Gloria!

What Kind Of Soil Are You?

In the parable of the sower, in Matthew 13, Christ depicts four types of individuals who hear the gospel and how they respond.  There is the soil along the path, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. It is important to evaluate the condition of our own soil because we can go through phases in life where it may vary--we are not always apparently good soil, even if we are saved.   We may identify with these kinds of soils at some time in our spiritual journey, but to enter the kingdom of God we have to be good soil--we may just backslide or revert to our old nature at seasons of our life though.  But it is erroneous to conclude that there is a whole new category of a believer called a believer with a thorny soil;  he must have been good soil at one time or he never would've been saved in the first place.

It has been shown that the average person rejects the gospel 7.6 times before accepting it--that is an average and one person may reject it 8 times and another 7 times, and so forth.  That is proof that we are not always receptive to the message of truth and aren't usually ready for it as given or sown the first time.  But God prepares our hearts over time and when we are prepared soil we do respond affirmatively. "Salvation is of the Lord," says Jonah 2:9 and we do not cooperate in it as Rome teaches but simply accepts it by faith with God doing all the work, even giving us faith as a gift--it is not something we conjure up by our efforts.   All of us can relate to once being thorny soil that had other things on our mind or even rocky soil that doesn't want to pay the price of persecution or tribulation and hasn't counted the cost--Jesus warned His followers to "count the cost."

In this parable, the sower is the same, the seed is the same, and the soil is the same; what is different is the condition of the soil and this is the responsibility of the recipient.  The sower sows wherever he has the opportunity or sees an open door.  Only in so-called  "good soil" does the seed germinate and take root to go on and bear fruit.  Why is fruit important?  John the Baptist said, "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance..." (Luke 3:8).   "By their fruits, you shall know them."  Jesus "appointed [us] that [we] should go and bear fruit and that [our] fruit should abide..." (John 15:16).  We should "bear much fruit and prove to be [His] disciples." (This fruit is the outcome of our lives for Christ, doing good deeds foreordained for us and not the fruit of the Spirit since the listeners of Jesus knew nothing of this and the Spirit was not yet given!)

I am of the persuasion that faith without works is dead and without fruit there is no faith--true faith produces fruit and this fruit is good works (though converts is a good work, it is not the only one); we are not saved by good works, but we are not saved without them either-without works our faith is suspect.  There may be Christians who don't amount to much and may end up with no reward according to 1 Cor. 3:15 where they are saved, as if by fire, but they do produce some fruit and end up losing or forfeiting their reward.   The condition of the soil is up to us and we are culpable for soil that is unresponsive to the gospel and has no place for the Word in our lives.

Lots of people are superficial and initially believe the Word of Christ, but don't have genuine saving faith, having good intentions, but poor follow-through.  The purpose of this parable is to show three types of recipients to the general call of the gospel when we preach or evangelize and why they don't accept our message.  It is meant to encourage us to sow a seed and that some will inevitably fall on good or tilled soil.   Hearing the Word is not sufficient, one must be obedient to the gospel and go on to follow the Lord as His disciple.  Soli Deo Gloria!