What’s a Sermon?: A Perspective for People in the Pews (Part I of III)?
Once every three weeks I serve in the kid’s service at church—a huge blessing that allows me to share the gospel regularly with the youngest in our midst. The main hall and the kid’s hall sit parallel to one another and share a hallway, so when we take the kids to the toilet, we ask them to stay silent. One day, returning to our hall, I turned to the kids and said, “We need to be quiet now, because the sermon is happening.” They all agreed, zipped their lips, and followed me back. Just before we went entered though, one of the girls turned to me and whispered, “Mr. Adsum, may I ask a question,” to which I nodded. “What’s a sermon?” she asked.
It was a fair question. One I’m sure is shared by members of churches around the world, both young and old. It reminded me of a story I heard a few years ago, of a new Christian turning to the pastor and asking why they sang “Group-Karaoke style” during the service. (In fairness, Karaoke was the new believer’s only experience of seeing words on a screen set to music.)
To many Christians, both new and old, there are likely to be things about the way church works which remain a mystery simply because they feel it’s too awkward to ask a question. Whilst there are hundreds of books on preaching for the edification and education of pastors, these books are usually inaccessible for laymen, and so the question marks remain. Perhaps that’s you?
If so, thank you so much for reading this article. This is the first of three articles, which I hope will help to clear up some misconceptions about preaching, explain how we as church members can support and uphold the work of the preacher, and offer some practical advice on how to get the most out of the sermon each Sunday.
This Is the Word of the Lord
Preaching and prayer are intrinsically linked, the former is fed by the latter and fails without it. The preacher must submit himself to the Lord and take seriously the responsibility he has to deliver the word of God faithfully. His work isn’t about feeding his own thoughts and opinion, but rather inviting you to feast on every word which proceeds from the mouth of the Lord (Deut. 8:3). A wonderful example of this pastoral submission is the following prayer from eighteenth-century preacher Augustus Toplady.
Your pardoning voice I come to hear,
To know you as you are:
Your ministers can reach the ear,
But you must touch the heart. (Augustus Toplady, modernized by the writer of the article)
Depending on your denomination or church background, these words—“This is the Word of the Lord”—may be familiar to you. Often spoken after the reading of the Scripture and followed by the sermon. Though some will inevitably become numb to the repetition of these words, their potency, as well as their use in explaining the purpose and practice of preaching, is invaluable. Whilst some pastors may preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible, some by subject matter, and others from set passages in a calendar, the sermon is more than a lecture, a defense of a thesis, and one man’s opinion.
With the Bible in hand, the preacher is tasked with speaking to you, whilst trusting that the Spirit will speak into you. As Toplady says in the prayer above, “[God’s] ministers can reach the ear, but [he] must touch the heart.” This should be our principle hope when we hear the word of God preached, not that we would be given mere advice, learn from the latest research or studies, or even hear the ponderings of our favorite preacher, our prayer should be that the preacher would deliver teaching from the inspired word of God which uncovers our sin, brings correction, trains us in righteousness, and equips us for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16–17) and that the Spirit would do the work of bringing that teaching to rest in our hearts.
Preaching to a Sinful Choir
Like many people, I struggle to figure out how to view readily available online preaching and books filled brilliant and staggering sermons from throughout history. I continue to benefit from the work of those—both past and present—who have compiled and continue to upload solid biblical teaching; however, I’m also aware of the dangers. The enemy has a pernicious habit of drawing the Christian’s attention away from their local church and encouraging them to cast it instead upon something more palatable. Online sermons can be paused or shut off entirely if the words dig a little deeper than we might like. The Bible explicitly contrasts faithful preaching with false teaching—both inside and outside the church—which is specifically tailored not to offend, but to please the hearer.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Tim. 4:3–4)
Whilst this does sadly happen in local churches too, my prayer is that wherever you are, regardless of whether your preacher is too quiet or shouts the house down, has been serving for a dozen years or might be old to enough to have fought in the battle of 1066, that he loves the Lord and longs to preach the word diligently each week; though he on occasion fails to do so. This is my prayer, because preaching is primarily for the local church, the congregation the pastor knows and loves. Author and preacher Jason K. Allen says:
We do not preach to impersonal groups, but to individuals with circumstantial concerns, distractions, questions, needs, and urgencies. The aim of the sermon is to speak the Word specifically to them, the gathered crowd. The Word is powerful enough to be preached anywhere and anytime with effect, but our full confidence in the preached Word should not minimize the need for the sermon to be tailored for the specific moment. (Portraits of a Pastor, 64)
Your pastor has in mind the decades old addict who turns up each week who he’s sure is about to receive faith for the very first time, the struggling saint who feels incapable of giving up their nightly gossip, and the bleary-eyed suffering servant who has gone through great pain to be here.
Preaching is for the one closest to God, furthest from him, and for the preacher himself.
Preaching is for the congregation, for a sinful choir who needs to be led to worship God once more.
Before I Close
Prior to moving to Berkshire, my wife and I attended a church in which the preacher would often say the words, “before I close” about twenty minutes before concluding his sermon. I don’t know whether he genuinely believed he was rounding the corner on the final lap, or he had simply been saying it so long that he’d forgotten he was even doing it, but it made us laugh every time.
Your pastor will have quirks, he may preach in a way you don’t like, or according to a method you disagree with, but if he’s seeking the Lord, he longs to see sinners saved, and loves your congregation, please pray for him at least seventy-seven times as much as you complain about him.
Over the next two articles, I’ll be offering you ideas on how you can support your pastor in this endeavor, and how you can spend your time wisely and worshipfully during the sermon. If in doubt, remember this: if you love your pastor, why not encourage him this Sunday, pray for him during the week, and bless others by asking them how they found the preaching and what they learned.
* To read Part II and III of this series, click here and here.
Adsum Try Ravenhill is married to Anna and together they are passionate about seeing young men and women discipled within the context of the local church. You can find Adsum through his writing at The Raven’s Writing Desk and alongside Anna as the co-host of the Consider the Ravens Podcast, you can also find Adsum’s articles for GCD here.