God is and God Has Spoken: Tips for Bible Teachers/Preachers

Periodically I’m asked the question whether I believe the Sunday morning sermon should be designed primarily to reach lost people or teach Christians. That question is not illegitimate considering the varying commitments in the contemporary church to being seeker sensitive, emergent, or missional.

It is interesting that the question would essentially center on what I believe rather than what is correct. Such is the influence of postmodern relativism upon the way even believers think or talk. Of course, it should not escape our attention that seeker sensitive or emergent emphases flow from said influence.

Not surprising then is the myriad of tips doled out with regard to the issue of preaching in the emerging church. The following example is representative. 1) Connect with People’s Feelings. 2) Be a Story Teller. 3) Be a Situation Learning Catalyst. 4) Participate. 5) Be Sacramental.

Two of the foundational tenets upon which life and indeed the church are built are the actuality that God is and the reality that God has spoken. Because God is and because He has spoken, it is His word that is authoritative for our lives. Tips of the above sort flow from a relativistic influence which flows from a loss of Scriptural authority with its concomitant commitment to the aforementioned verities: God is and God has spoken.

Thus, the answer to the question, “[Do you believe] the Sunday morning sermon should be designed primarily to reach lost people or teach Christians, as well as the answer to contemporary preaching tips is the same: God is and God has spoken. Because these things are true, the design of the sermon springs from the words God has spoken. We refer to those words as the text [of Scripture]. The thrust of the text will be the thrust of the sermon.

That does in fact mean that most of the time the primary emphasis in the local assembly has to do with the saints. And, biblically, the body gathers to worship and scatters to evangelize (or be missional). At the same time, we recognize that lost people will be in the service every Sunday. We must be mindful of that dynamic and preach the gospel each week as well.

The balance is this: in one sense, the whole of the bible is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If Christ is not the central theme of each sermon, then we are not preaching Christ nor are we engaging in Christian preaching. So, as the word of God itself is faithfully proclaimed, Christ will be held out as our only hope whether the hearers are saved or not; the gospel will be proclaimed throughout the message; and the word will be applied in accordance with the intention of the original authors. That’s the only way to be faithful to what truly is God’s word.

Faithfulness to God and to His word really is the issue for only God’s word has the power to change lives (Rom. 1:16f). A few preaching tips might be in order then, by way of reminder, in light of the lofty truths that God is and He has spoken.