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Tag: preaching

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Published on 8 Comments on The Teacher is not an atheist – he's just a crummy christ

I'm preaching on Ecclesiastes on Sunday so I've been listening to some other preachers.  They pretty much all preach Ecclesiastes as the futility of atheism.  And of course when you preach it like that, what's the solution?  Good old theism.  Yay theism.

And one or two preachers have even suggested that Christian theism gives the most amount of meaning.  So yay Jesus too.  (Although the last preacher I listened to -- BIG NAME --  was way too excited about theism to get around to that Jesus nuance.)

Anyway, just thought I'd state something that's pretty darned obvious but it seems like it needs saying.  The Teacher aint no atheist.  He's a hard-core theist.  Check it:

Ecclesiastes 1:13; 2:24-26; 3:10-22; 5:1-7, 18-20; 6:1-2; 7:13-14; 18,20; 8:2, 11-17; 9:1,9; 11:5,9; 12:1-14;

Here's just a sample of what he says:

God has set eternity in the hearts of men.... He's done it so that men will revere him... Stand in awe of God... God made mankind upright but men have gone in search of many schemes... I know that it will go better with God-fearing men who are reverent before God... God will bring you to judgement... Remember your Creator... Fear God and keep his commandments.

He's a theist right?  A pretty ardent one.

But what do you expect from a son of David, a king of Jerusalem? (Ecclesiastes 1:1)  Here is a christ - an anointed king.  But, here's the thing, he's not the King of Heaven.  He's a king under heaven (notice how 'under heaven' and 'under the sun' are parallel 1:3; 3:1).  He's not the One full of the Spirit without measure, instead he seeks to shepherd the Spirit (or chase the wind, e.g. 1:14) while he must receive his teachings from the true Shepherd (12:11).

The teacher is self-consciously not the Messiah (he's a very naughty boy!).  He's not the Christ with a capital C certainly. But he is a christ with a small c.  And so he embarks on a sustained meditation of life in which the king is subject to all the forces that we are.  This christ is also under the sun and therefore under the powers that enslave mankind and even nature itself.  This king, for all his wealth and power and wisdom cannot pierce through the shroud of sin, law, judgement and death.   And so what hope is there?  None!  Not with this king.  Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.  And then we are judged - by the God is who is ever-present in Ecclesiastes.  But ever-present as Judge.  And who knows how we will fare under His judgement.

That's life under the sun.  Here's what we can expect if the Teacher is our christ.

But if that's the problem, what's the solution?  The glories of theism?  The truth that God knows us and has a wonderful plan for our lives?  The thought that my actions have eternal significance?  The Teacher knows all these things and declares them utterly meaningless.  Our only hope is Christ.  The true Christ.  The Christ from Heaven.  The Christ who conquers sin and law and judgement and death and bursts through into resurrection hope.  That's the answer to Ecclesiastes' meaninglessness.

Any other solution is vanity of vanities.

 

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Published on 8 Comments on Open Air Preaching

I was asked on Twitter what I'd say to someone who asked me to defend the practice of open-air preaching.  I could do no better than quote Spurgeon:

No sort of defense is needed for preaching out of doors; but it would need very potent arguments to prove that a man had done his duty who has never preached beyond the walls of his meeting-house. A defense is required rather for services within buildings than for worship outside of them. (Lectures to My Students, p254)

Or maybe George Macleod:

I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage heap; at a crossroad so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew and Latin and in Greek; at the kind of place where cynics talk smut and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where he died. And that is what he died about. And that is where churchmen ought to be, and what churchmen ought to be about.

Steve McCoy did some great posts on the subject back in February.  In one of them he links to Manchester Pastor and Street-Preacher Kevin Williams.

Williams' hour-long video (embedded at the end of this post) is fantastic on the motivation, rationale and practice of street-preaching.

And here is a 5 minute excerpt where he discusses his "Zero-Apologetics" approach to evangelism.  Don't you love an evangelist who coins the phrase "Zero-Apologetics"?  Glory!

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC7SS0RSWwA&feature=player_embedded"]

Here's Williams' whole video

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wChq3jHyLjI"]

You can download as an mp3 here.

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Published on 7 Comments on Lotz on Luther on Preaching

If I ever taught preaching, this would be the set text.  Every week.  Forever.

In ten short pages David Lotz runs through 13 propositions regarding proclamation as God's Word (Dave K summarizes helpfully here).  Then he speaks of the form and content of gospel preaching.  Check out this paragraph for instance:

 Luther envisions an appropriate “rhetoric of preaching” that can only be labelled “kerygmatic discourse.” Such speech does not narrate historical events, instruct in doctrine, describe outward states of affairs (such as “sin” and “grace”), nor exhort to moral activity. It proclaims, announces, declares that God in Christ loves, forgives, accepts you, me, us; and it invites, even incites, the heart’s acceptance of this gift. Such speech takes the objective reality of “God in Christ” and makes (renders) it present and personal: thereby it creates a new reality in my hearing, “God for me,” which through faith (and thus through the Spirit working through that speech) becomes yet another new reality, “God in me.
The whole thing is worth its weight in gold.

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Published on 2 Comments on Youth Talks on Christ from the Old Testament

Here are my Powerpoints and links to the video clips I used.

1. Jesus and Adam (Powerpoint file)

Genesis 3

Jesus - there in the beginning.
Jesus - promised from the outset.

Defeating Doubts:  Is Jesus really that important?

Video clip: Gethsemane scene from The Passion

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2. Jesus and Abraham (Powerpoint file)

Genesis 22

Defeating Doubts: Isn't the bible weird?

When you read it without Jesus it's awful!
When you read it with Jesus it's incredible!

Video clip: That's Real Love

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3. Jesus and Moses (Powerpoint file)

Exodus 3

Defeating Doubts: Where is God when it hurts?

Jesus comes down into suffering
To bring us out.

Video clip: Richard Wurmbrandt - Tortured for Christ (first 3:20)

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4. Jesus and David (Powerpoint file)

1 Samuel 17

Christianity is not Do it for Christ
Christianity is Christ did it for you as your Champion

Defeating Doubts:  I'm too weak to be a Christian!

Video clip: Tim Keller - What is the Bible about?

If I had time for a fifth I'd do...

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5. Jesus and Isaiah (Powerpoint file)

Isaiah 6 and 53

Christ is high and lifted up on the cross
He is my substitute.

Defeating Doubts:  I'm too sinful to be a Christian.

Video clip: Nothing but the blood

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Published on 9 Comments on Favourite preaching feedback ever

This week I've been preaching to teenagers at some nightly youth events.  I've never really seen myself as a "youth leader" and have avoided "youth work" for most of my ministry.  I wouldn't go as far as Philip Larkin but I've always understood his line about childhood:  "Growing up I thought I hated everyone.  Now I realise, it's just kids I hate."

I'm not saying I'm completely with Larkin.  But I know exactly what he means.  I spent my childhood wishing I was a grown up.  And now every time I happen across Radio 1 I frown in stunned incomprehension - at the music, but even more at the DJs.  I have never worn a "hoodie", still less one with a cool Christian slogan.  And I have a violent allergy to all those motivational pep talks you hear at youth events, encouraging teens to "step up their commitment to Christ" and "burn for Jesus."

Thankfully these youth events weren't like that.  And the kids just lapped up the Bible - obviously so.  That's the cool thing about young people, if they're bored they'll let you know.  If they're engaged they'll jump up and down on their seat in wide-eyed glee.

There was a moment on Wednesday when I was talking about Isaac - about to be sacrificed as the beloved son on a mountain on the region of Jerusalem (see more here).  A girl in the front row turned to her neighbour and said loudly "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.  It's totally Jesus!"

And that's my favourite preaching feedback ever.

Published on Leave a comment on Why bother with Jesus

Here's the audio of the Jazz evening I wrote about recently.  It's a shortened version of this older talk with a couple of additions.

I spent some time with Rico Tice going over the older version of my talk.  It was the best feedback session ever.  Brutal.  But good.  The biggest thing I'll take away is Rico saying "You can't just hold up Christ the Rock, you've got to show how the world is sinking sand."  It immediately struck home with me.  That's definitely a weakness in my preaching.

I've never really "preached against the culture" because I never want to come across as a Daily Mail reading nay-sayer.  But the world is sinking sand, and prophets are meant to point that out.  "Go out and get them" said Rico.  "Don't just let down the net, go out and get them.  Get your hook into them and reel them in."

So now, instead of just saying, "Follow Jesus, He's great" I also say - "And right now you're already following something.  But it won't get you through death will it?"

Instead of just saying "Jesus brings joy" I also say "The world doesn't really do joy does it?  Distraction, Entertainment, Comfort, but not Joy."

I've always been comfortable "painting Jesus in attractive colours".  I hope I get better at that too.  But I also need to show them the bankruptcy of the alternative.  Not just Song of Songs.  Ecclesiastes too.

Published on Leave a comment on Ten Words on the Preached Word

A repost.  Some random thoughts on what I'd like to see more of in my own preaching and the preaching of others...

  1. Thou shalt worship Christ from the pulpit.  The priestly task of declaring the gospel of God (Rom 15:16) entaileth a twofold direction to the sermon.  The preacher not only standeth before a congregation to declare truth, but before the Lord to worship Him.  Of course 'worship' does not mean putting on airs - feigning the manner of a Spurgeon or a Piper.  It does mean happy and humble gratitude in the presence of Jesus.  And of course this twofoldness is accomplished in one and the same task - proclaiming 'Worthy is the Lamb.'
  2. Thou shalt communicate, through both content and style, a tangible sense of the newness of God's revelation.  May such phrases as these perish from thy lips: 'Of course we all knoweth do we not...'  We really do not knoweth.  We need to be toldeth.  Hence preaching.  Therefore preach with eager and childlike enthusiasm for the surprising and always disruptive grace of God.
  3. Thy tone shalt be declarative and devotional.
  4. Thy method shalt be expositional and christocentric.  (Of course expositional does not necessitate 'verse by verse')
  5. Thy fevered entreaty shalt not be 'DO' so much as 'LOOK'.
  6. Thou shalt not apologize for the word, whether for its supposed harshness or obscurity or backwardness or unbelievability.  In truth the word is capable of defending itself on all these counts.
  7. Thou shalt not go searching for illustrations.  Thy passage no doubt has plenty of good ones of its own.  Whosoever shalt spend time looking for stories to 'lighten up their talk' must be cut off from the assembly.
  8. Thou shalt not go searching for jokes.  There is no doubt plenty of humour in the Scriptures themselves without you searching lamepreachergags.com.  Anyone found guilty of the needless and clumsy insertion of 'a joke' shall be stoned to death.  Show no mercy.
  9. Thou shalt not preach that 'Christ is God'.  Thou shalt preach that God is only and always the God revealed in Christ.
  10. Thou shalt not lift up the Lamb because thou art supposed to but because thou canst do no other.

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Published on Leave a comment on It's not about which Testament, it's about which Gospel

I've been chatting to three different mates about their sermons this week.  In each case the commentaries they have read and the sermons they have listened to have, in the end, put us in the driver's seat.  Ironically, those commentators and preachers who make the most noise about being "God-centred" have seemed to be the most keen to put us at the centre.

And it doesn't seem to matter which testament they're preaching from.  Two friends are preaching from Psalms.  And even though the Psalmist is described in impossibly lofty terms - an Ideal King and Sufferer and Worshipper - yet the applications from the great and good leave us aspiring to approximate the Psalmist's experience.  (And Jesus is brought in at the end as someone who really approximated the Psalmist's experience rather well!).

My other friend is preaching on the parable of the man who finds the treasure and buys the field.  He is surrounded by evangelical interpretations which make us the protagonists in the whole kingdom drama.  (Suffice to say, that is not the way I take it!)

It's reminded me yet again that "Christ in the Old Testament" is just the tip of the iceberg.  We need to fight a much more basic battle - Christ in all Scripture.  Is it really all about Him?

It's also reminded me: You gotta watch those "God-centred" preachers!

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Published on 5 Comments on It’s not about which Testament, it’s about which Gospel

I've been chatting to three different mates about their sermons this week.  In each case the commentaries they have read and the sermons they have listened to have, in the end, put us in the driver's seat.  Ironically, those commentators and preachers who make the most noise about being "God-centred" have seemed to be the most keen to put us at the centre.

And it doesn't seem to matter which testament they're preaching from.  Two friends are preaching from Psalms.  And even though the Psalmist is described in impossibly lofty terms - an Ideal King and Sufferer and Worshipper - yet the applications from the great and good leave us aspiring to approximate the Psalmist's experience.  (And Jesus is brought in at the end as someone who really approximated the Psalmist's experience rather well!).

My other friend is preaching on the parable of the man who finds the treasure and buys the field.  He is surrounded by evangelical interpretations which make us the protagonists in the whole kingdom drama.  (Suffice to say, that is not the way I take it!)

It's reminded me yet again that "Christ in the Old Testament" is just the tip of the iceberg.  We need to fight a much more basic battle - Christ in all Scripture.  Is it really all about Him?

It's also reminded me: You gotta watch those "God-centred" preachers!

Published on Leave a comment on I'm not being racist but…

There is no greater guarantee of a racist sentiment than the opening "I'm not being racist..."  And the louder the protest, the more we worry about the diatribe to follow.

But there's a preaching equivalent.  Last week I listened to many online sermons by the great and good and I repeatedly heard this phrase:

"Now, I don't mean this legalistically, but..."

I must have heard the saying about a dozen times in 5 sermons.  In one instance it was prefaced by this nugget of reformation gold: "Obedience opens up the channels by which God's grace may flow."

...But not in a legalistic way you understand.

Protests that "I'm not being a legalist" do not exempt you from the charge.  To my mind they only raise greater suspicion.

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