Category Archives: Preaching

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Diverse Application in Preaching

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One of the most treasured lessons I have gleaned from the old Puritan divines is the practice of “discriminatory application.” This method seeks to apply the sermon’s truth in diverse, yet specific, ways because every audience is the collection of diverse spiritual conditions.

For help in this practice we can turn to William Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying. It is the standard teaching on how the Puritans went about the practice of application.

Perkins defines application as “the skill by which the doctrine which has been properly drawn from Scripture is handled in ways appropriate to the circumstances of the place and time and to the people in the congregation.” You’ll notice this definition presupposes a delineated “doctrine” in every sermon. At the risk of oversimplification, we could say the Puritans viewed a sermon’s “doctrine” much like modern homileticians advocate every sermon have a main point or big idea. Once the main point has been explained and expounded its truth should be applied.

Perkins says “there are basically seven ways in which application should be made, in keeping with seven different spiritual conditions.” Ever true to his Puritan tradition, Perkins is somewhat repetitive in his listing, so I will summarize his seven conditions under the following four.

4 CONDITIONS FOR APPLICATION

  1. The Hard Heart. Those who are unbelievers and are both ignorant and unteachable. To the hard-hearted the law must be stressed, and its curse stated clearly along with its threats.
  2. The Seeker. This category includes those who are teachable, but ignorant, and those who have knowledge of God, but are not yet repentant. The law of God must also be stressed to this group, but when the beginning of genuine sorrow appears they are to be comforted with the gospel.
  3. The Converted. These need to be taught the full-orbed nature of Christ’s blessings and benefits: justification, sanctification, adoption, and perseverance. They also need to be taught the law, not as those under its curse, but as a guide for how to bear the fruit of new obedience in keeping with their repentance.
  4. The Backslider. For those falling in faith the specific doctrine which counter-acts their error should be expounded and taught. We need to stress its importance to them, along with the doctrine of repentance. Let this be done with brotherly affection.

With these four categorical conditions set, we can now move on to the various ways a preacher can apply truth to each condition. Perkins says, “Application is of two kinds, mental and practical.” The mental and practical each have two summary applications, which I combine into the following list.

4 KINDS OF APPLICATION

  1. Doctrinal application. Doctrine applies the main point in such a way to show the hearer what the mind ought to believe.
  2. Reproving application. Reproof is the flip side of doctrine. It applies the main point in such a way to show the hearer what the mind should not believe.
  3. Instructional application. Instruction is the main point applied in a way to enable the hearer to live well in the context of family, the state, and the church. It involves both encouragement and exhortation.
  4. Correctional application. Correction is the application of the main point in a specific way that transforms lives marked by ungodliness and unrighteousness.

A savvy reader would note at this point that my summary of Perkins’ approach would mean a preacher has at least sixteen different, and legitimate, applications at his disposal in any sermon. Do you see it? If a preacher offered all four kinds of application to all four conditions for application, he would have sixteen points of application in one sermon! The preacher would be wise to heed Perkins admonition that applications “must be carefully chosen, and limited to a few, lest those who hear God’s word expounded are overwhelmed by the sheer number of applications.” The point in application is not to overwhelm the congregation, but pierce their hearts and minds in appropriately specific ways.

How about you? Do your sermons regularly and specifically apply the main point to the varied conditions present within the congregation? If so, praise God! If not, see if you can integrate Perkins’ practice into your preparation for this weekend.

Tomorrow I will show you how one modern expositor goes about preparing for “discriminatory application.”

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A Burning Light

In his incredible lecture on “The Preacher’s Private Prayer” Spurgeon remarked,

It is said of Alleine, ‘He poured out his very heart in prayer and preaching. His supplications and his exhortations were so affectionate, so full of holy zeal, life and vigour, that they quite overcame his hearers; he melted over them, so that he thawed and mollified, and sometimes dissolved the hardest hearts.’

– Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, 45.

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The 2nd Question to Ask of a Sermon

Questions for Sermons

Yesterday, I said the one question to be asked of any sermon is, “Was it faithful?” A faithful sermon is one that exalts God’s glory in Christ, by clearly making the point of the passage the point of the sermon and broadly applying its truth to the life of the congregation.

Once this question is asked and answered the pastor ought to move on to the second question, “How can it be better?”

METHODS OF EVALUATION

No sermon is perfect, thus every sermon can be better. Honest evaluation can be painful, but inspired Solomon said, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:6). So, how can a pastor evaluate his sermon? Here are three options:

  1. Listen to the sermon. I am regularly amazed at how few preachers ever listen to one of their sermons. Listening is an easy way to identify what habits in vocal delivery are helpful or hurtful.
  2. Watch the sermon. Even better than listening is watching the sermon. This allows the preacher to not only hear vocal tendencies, but also see how his physical expressions and movements serve or distract.
  3. Watch the sermon with trusted brothers in Christ. This is the best way to evaluate a sermon. Some pastors are prone to discouragement and the feedback of other brothers helps to counterbalance doubt and despair. On the flip side, some pastors are prone to think every sermon is a “home run” – or at least an extra base hit – and the critique of other brothers promotes humility. Additionally, multiple perspectives will help the preacher see areas of improvement he might have otherwise missed.

CATEGORIES FOR EVALUATION

Sermon evaluation is done best when every person involved has concrete categories and questions driving the critique. Two basic ones are worth consideration:

  1. Content. Did the sermon faithful exposit the individual passage? Did the sermon have a main point? If so, was the main point clearly and rightly derived from the text? Did the main headings/points/divisions appropriately support the main point? Was there a clear and logical flow to the sermon’s persuasion? Was application used throughout and discriminatory in nature? Was the application tied to the text? Were the illustrations winsome and illuminating? Was the gospel responsibly and naturally integrated into the sermon? Did the sermon have a strong introduction and conclusion? Was the sermon too long or too short?
  2. Delivery. Was the sermon passage read with clarity and appropriate expression? Was passion and authenticity demonstrated? Did the preacher speak with confidence, clarity, and credibility? Was humor used purposefully and naturally? Did the preacher maintain solid eye contact? Was gesturing appropriate and natural? Did the sermon have dynamic pacing and momentum?

The questions that can be asked of a sermon are legion. Therefore, it would be wise for a preacher to concentrate on questions that uniquely reflect his congregation’s sermonic convictions. For example, at our church I am primarily concerned that a sermon have two things: 1) undeniable unity/clarity in exposition, and 2) discriminatory gospel application. Your church may have different priorities.

Proverbs 15:32 says, “He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.” If we adjust the text for preachers and preaching it might say, “He who ignores evaluation despises his preaching, but whoever heeds correction gains ability.”

We should ask questions of our sermons. Begin with the question, “Was it faithful?” And then ask, “How can it be better?”

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The 1st Question to Ask of a Sermon

Questions for Sermons

“How did it go?” Any time a sermon is preached that one question will be asked in a variety of ways.

Preachers will step down from the sacred desk and friends and family members will ask, “How did it go today?” Church members will walk away from the corporate gathering, go to lunch or dinner and ask, “What did you think of the sermon?”

While not being wrong in and of itself, the question is surely less than helpful. It begs shepherd and sheep alike to dive into the murky waters of subjective criticism. This water is murky because it can quickly devolve into formless personal preferences; i.e. the sermon was, “good,” “funny,” or “boring.” Childlike faith and obedience drown in such subjective and simplistic criticism.

Don’t get me wrong, yes, we should be asking questions of the sermon. We just need to ask the right one. And the first question, and right question, is – “Was it faithful?”

PURSUING FAITHFULNESS

The primary goal of every sermon is not that it be “good,” “enjoyable,” “funny,” or even “captivating.” The primary goal is faithfulness. It is required of pastor’s that they be faithful, thus the single requirement of a sermon is that it be found faithful. Faithful to exalt God’s glory in Christ, faithful to clearly reprove, correct, exhort, and train.

How do we know if a sermon is faithful or not? Can you even measure faithfulness in a sermon?

Answering those questions depends on what we mean by “faithful.” Here’s my stab at defining a faithful sermon: A faithful sermon exalts God’s glory in Christ, by clearly making the point of the passage the point of the sermon and broadly applying its truth to the life of the congregation. Let me briefly take each of these in turn.

TESTING FAITHFULNESS

A faithful sermon exalts God’s glory in Christ . . . The revelation of and delight in God’s glory is the goal of everything. And God’s glory is supremely shown in Jesus Christ. The Bible is the revelation of God’s glory in Christ, thus every faithful sermon will have a sweet flavor of this divine aim. Testing questions on this point might be, “Was the grandeur of God exalted? Was the way of salvation proclaimed? Was the sweetness and sufficiency of Christ on full display? Do I love God more after hearing this sermon?” Faithful sermons will thus be doxological and christological.

 . . . by clearly making the point of the passage the point of the sermon . . . Faithful sermons need not be inventive or creative. They need to plainly and clearly expose the passage they deal with. The best way to do this is to identify the passage’s main point and then make that point the point of your sermon. Such an approach ensures faithfulness to the text and faithful to the Glorious One the text proclaims. Testing questions on this point might be, “Was the passage clearly and contextually explained? Did the point of the sermon obviously flow from the point of the passage? Do I have greater understanding and affection for this passage?” Faithful sermons will thus be expositional.

. . . and broadly applying its truth to the life of the congregation. God said His word is “profitable, for reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.” A faithful sermon will apply the truth of God’s word in a way that spiritually profits the congregation. And it must do this broadly. When the church gathers it is filled with some member who are weak, some who are weary, some who are joyful, and some who are lost. A faithful sermon will show the passage’s profitability for all kinds of people. Testing questions on this point might be, “Did the sermon help direct my life in Christ? Did the sermon confront and comfort? Did the sermon apply to Christians and non-Christians?” Faithful sermons will thus be applicational.

Questions will be asked every time a sermon is preaching and I hope the first question more often than not is, “Was it faithful?”

Church members should ask this question. And pastor, you should ask this question of yourself. For then, and only then, should you move on to the second question to ask of a sermon. That one comes tomorrow.

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An Easy Test for Sermonic Clarity

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“Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ . . . that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” – Colossians 4:3-4

Clarity is one of the few essential characteristics of preaching.  A sermon success will indeed rise and fall on the degree to which it is clear. Therefore, every faithful preacher ought to continually strive to increase the clarity of exposition in his sermons. An increase in clarity simply means an increase in the exposition’s understandability and memorability. In Christ-Centered Preaching Bryan Chapell offers an incredibly useful way of testing for clarity (which he deals with under the label of “unity”) with his “3am Test”:

You will have unity when you can demonstrate that the elements of the passage support the theme of your message and you can pass the “3 a.m. test.” The 3:00 am test requires you to imagine a spouse, a roommate, or parishioner waking you from your slumber with this simple question: “What’s the sermon about today, Preacher?” If you cannot give a crisp answer, the sermon is probably half-baked. Thoughts you cannot gather at 3:00 a.m. are not likely to be caught by others at 11:00 a.m. – Christ-Centered Preaching, 47.

In recent weeks I have discovered another useful test: The Sermon Notes Insert. Earlier this year I spent some time at The Church at Brooks Hills and was struck by the expansive “Message Notes” insert Platt provides for his congregation the week’s bulletin.1 After a few months of going back and forth on doing something similar, we finally took the plunge at IDC and I have been pleasantly surprised with the feedback.2 Like everything in ministry, the adjustment comes with advantages and disadvantages.

TWO ADVANTAGES OF A SERMON NOTES INSERT

First, it provides a measuring stick for a sermon’s clarity. I use the insert to provide the congregation with the sermon’s main point, divisions, as well as any applications that might be particularly helpful. The insert basically answers the question, “What do I want a hearer to remember and meditate on from this sermon?” The question presupposes two things: 1) the sermon actually has something worth remembering, and 2) the sermon has discernible structure. An insert then is one way to easily gauge a sermon’s memorability and understandability. In the weeks since we started offering an insert I have noticed during sermon preparation that I am more intentional to be precise with language. If a teenager has difficulty following along with the insert, your sermon is just too boring, complicated, or verbose. Maybe even it’s all three.

There have been a few weeks where quite a few members missed a fill-in-the-blank, which revealed to me that I wasn’t as clear on the respective point as I intended to be. The insert also helps me have a tool to encourage young and inexperienced preachers with. If I struggle to put together an insert from their manuscript, then it is overwhelmingly likely the manuscript needs work before delivery.

Second, it invites the congregation to focused hearing. If the insert is done well it won’t inhibit listening (see disadvantage #2 below), but it will invite listening. I have observed our congregation more engaged through the entire preaching event because they have a template to aid listening. The insert also provides church members with a simple resource to fuel meditation throughout the week in small groups or devotional study.

Although these two points are sufficient in and of themselves to encourage some churches to use an insert, each advantage has a corresponding and potential disadvantage.

TWO POTENTIAL DISADVANTAGES OF A SERMON NOTES INSERT

First, it encourages “sound bite” preaching. In some ways the insert is a collection of sermonic sound bites. That’s ok as long as they have an evident flow and unity, but I can see a situation where a pastor feels somewhat constrained by the insert’s sound bite reality.

Second, it changes the congregation’s posture from listening to note-taking. Martyn Lloyd-Jones understand this danger when he famously said, “I have often discouraged the taking of notes while I am preaching. . . . The first and primary object of preaching is not only to give information. It is, as Edwards says, to produce an impression. It is the impression at the time that matters, even more than what you can remember subsequently. . . . While you are writing your notes, you may be missing something of the impact of the Spirit.”3 Although I am inclined to believe The Doctor is too strong on this point, his concern is nevertheless valid. An insert will be a valuable resource from some church members and not for others. The key here is to make it available, but not required.

I believe the advantages of a sermon notes insert outweigh its disadvantages, but every pastor and congregation is different. Should you think an insert could serve your church, go for it. If not, maybe there will be a time in the future when it will.

  1. Here is an example from Platt’s recent sermon entitled, “The Cross & Christian Ministry.” ↩
  2. Here is an example from my recent sermon on Mark 4:35-5:43. ↩
  3. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors (Edinburgh, 1987), page 360. ↩
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What to Do on Weeks When You Don’t Preach

When You Do Not PreachOne of the greatest things a pastor can do for his own health and that of his congregation is to take regular weeks off from preaching.

I began this year, my first of full time preaching, with the goal of preaching no more than forty times. Should the remainder of this year’s preaching calendar go according to plan I will have preached exactly forty times at the end of 2013. You don’t have to be a math wiz to realize that, on average, I have one week off from preaching each month.

Everyone’s sermon preparation time differs, but I seem to average about twenty hours for sermon prep on those weeks when I preach. That is quite a good chunk of time to redeem on weeks when sermon prep isn’t a pressing task. So, the question I want to try to answer in this post is, “How can a pastor wisely redeem the time on the weeks he does not preach?” Let me suggest three things . . .

Pray. Of course, a pastor should be praying “always and for everything” (Eph. 5:20), but weeks off from sermon preparation provide a preacher with the unique ability for extended prayer. I suspect that every preacher devotes specific blocks of the week’s time to the sermon, so why not just dedicate these blocks to earnest intercessory prayer? Prayer is the first half of our job description and gives power to the other half, so use these weeks to refill your ministerial tank in prayer before the Father.

Study. A week off from sermon preparation represents an excellent time to devote your mind to matter that needs unique study. Are there any particular texts coming up in you sermon series that would benefit from detailed preparatory study? Are there any pressing theological matters unique to your congregation in which you need to solidify biblical convictions? If so, use these weeks for those specific studies. Or you might find such weeks provide wonderful opportunities to knock out several books you have toiled through for some time.

Meet. I tend to use weeks off from preaching to meet with many people from the congregation I haven’t checked in with recently. It also seems to be a good idea to schedule longer leadership or admin meetings for these weeks when they won’t suck energy from soul soon to preach.

Be purposeful and diligent with your time on the weeks you don’t preach. I often find that these weeks are usually the most busy and I think that’s a good thing. You may be “off” from preaching, but you are not “off” from ministry.

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The Hardest Study

In volume one of his collected works the forgotten Puritan George Swinnock offers several hopes for his ministry. His ninth hope is that he would be a diligent preacher of God’s word, and he understands the necessity of prayer to the task:

Luther saith, He the prayeth hard, studieth hard. Lord, let all my sermons, as dew be heaven-born, that they may drop down upon my people like rain upon the mown grass. Let prayer be the key to open the mysteries of Christ to me, and let prayer be the turning of the key, to lock them up safe within me. Let prayer open and shut all my books, form and write, begin and conclude every sermon. Ah, now should he pray both for his preaching, and before he preacheth, who, by every sermon, preacheth his beloved neighbors into eternal burning, or eternal pleasures!

– George Swinnock, The Works of George Swinnock Vol:1, 324-325.

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4 Marks of Heralding the Gospel

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“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17

In Preaching: A Biblical Theology Jason Meyer channels Gordon Hugenberger to amplify what it means to herald (kerusso) God’s word. He writes,

The ‘herald’ is the town crier that speaks with the forceful ton of ‘hear, ye.’ In other words, the herald made his proclamation with a rousing “attention-getting noise” that could not be ignored.

Gordon Hugenberger reinforces the gravity of the herald’s task by stressing the political or military associations of the word. He points to the work of Suidas, the tenth-century AD Greek lexicographer, who said, ‘A herald is in time of war what an ambassador is in peace.’ The herald would go into ‘enemy territory ahead of an advancing army to warn the enemy of certain destruction unless they accepted the proffered terms for peace.’ Therefore, the king would invest the herald with power ‘either [to] accept surrender on behalf of his king or to declare war if those terms were rejected.’ The herald’s authority is completely derived and is legitimate only to the degree that he faithfully represents the one who sent him. (23)

Meyer is right to say, “Preaching is not discussing or explaining something with the tone and tenor of a fireside chat.” Preaching instead is the publishing of a King’s reign and rule, it is an announcement calling sinners to lay down their arms of iniquity and surrender their souls to Jesus Christ, the great Warrior King. If preaching is heralding, after the manner Hugenberger recounts, what are some characteristics that ought to be present in the preacher’s heraldic delivery? I can think of four.

4 DISTINGUISHING MARKS OF HERALDING THE GOSPEL

Heralding the gospel means preaching with authority. I am thinking here of a palpable sense of strength in the preacher’s message and delivery. We would go astray if we think the preacher has any authority within himself. No, his authority is derived from the King. The man of God stands behind the sacred desk as the King’s ambassador announcing the terms of the New Covenant. The terms are clear and certain, thus he proclaims them with all the authority the Spirit gives. We would also go astray if we think authority means a particular volume level flowing forth from the preacher’s mouth. I have seen men who are meek in tone preach with more authority than the young pastors who love to dwell in the upper register at all times. An analogy to parenting works well here. There are times when a father needs to raise his voice, but a calm word of instruction or discipline carries no less authority. A herald will have a demeanor of authority.

Heralding the gospel means preaching with confidence. Heralding with authority assumes a peculiar confidence within the herald. He is confident in the King who commissioned him and confident in the word he was sent to announce. If a preacher isn’t confident or assured in the truth he stands to proclaim he will not herald the gospel. Just like authority, heraldic confidence is outward looking. The preacher cannot be confident in his own persuasive power or attractive personality. Persuasive personalities have led many a hearer to hell. No, the herald’s confidence is in the Spirit he received and the Word the Spirit illuminates. Preachers should be careful on these first two marks because misplaced authoritative confidence can slide into arrogance. Heralding is a humble declaration, for the herald preaches not himself.

Heralding the gospel means preaching with urgency. Life and death hang in the balance during every sermon. The herald nor the hearer has any guarantee of tomorrow, of another chance to speak or listen. I can’t improve on the Prince of Preachers words here, “Oh my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not madly to destroy themselves. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

Heralding the gospel means preaching with fearlessness. This is the overriding mark that Meyer is concerned with, and rightfully so. Heralding means not fearing man, but fearing the King of Kings. It is His word, thus it must not be tampered with. The preacher is to obey the command of old, “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa. 58:1). Jesus knows heraldic preaching will be opposed, will bring persecution, and will often bring death, but the herald must fear God alone: “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:26-28).

Preacher, you are a herald. Will you climb to the sacred desk this weekend? If so, make your ascent and then open your mouth with authority, confidence, urgency, and fearlessness.

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Book Review: Christ-Centered Preaching by Bryan Chappel

9780801027987Bryan Chapell is the former president of Covenant Theological Seminary, the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church of America. His book Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon was first published in 1994, but has seen a renaissance in recent years as Christ-centered biblical theology has become popular in the broader evangelical world. Chapell’s main burden is to provide “principles for redeeming the expository sermon from the well-intended but ill-conceived legalism that characterizes too much evangelical preaching” (20). Thus, Chapell’s overall hope is to move preachers into an understanding and practice of preaching that centers the sermon’s content on the redeeming work of Christ.

OVERVIEW

Christ-Centered Preaching consists of three parts: 1) Principles for Expository Preaching, 2) Preparation of Expository Sermons, and 3) A Theology of Christ-Centered Messages. In part one, Chapell distinguishes between word and witness, saying it is “the Word preached, rather than the preaching of the Word, [that] accomplishes heaven’s purpose” (27). The Word is not simply powerful; it is without peer in its ability to create and transform human beings. This Word is ultimately a witness to Christ. So then, if the word of God transforms people and Christ is central in transformation, then preaching out to ultimately be about Christ. It is in this section where Chapell unpacks his “Fallen Condition Focus” (FCF), his unique contribution to the field, which I will soon evaluate.

With the principles of Christ-centered exposition in place, Chapell moves on to give sound instruction for how to prepare such exposition. The section includes everything from a four-part process of study to the use of outlines to the proper employment of illustrations. The book concludes with two chapters devoted to developing a theology of Christ-centered messages. An aside here is that the book’s value would increase if part’s two and three were revered. In other words, it seems wiser to break up the book as the “What, Why, and How” of Christ-centered preaching instead of “What, How, and Why.” Nevertheless, in part three Chapell shows why he believes that every part of the Bible reveals truth regarding humanity’s fallen condition. Therefore, the purpose of Christ-centered exposition “is to decipher these redemptive signals so that listeners understand a text’s full meaning in the context of its God-glorifying, gospel intent” (273). Redemptive sermons help protect preachers from the moralistic “be like” sermons Chapell sees permeating the church. Redemptive exposition is based on three steps: 1) Identify the Fallen Condition Focus, 2) Specify the Christ Focus, and 3) Discern the Redemptive Purpose (299-305).

THE HINGE ON WHICH IT TURNS

Chapell is particularly effective when he calls preachers to value unity in their sermons by saying, “Each feature of a well-wrought message reflects, refines, and/or develops one major idea” (44). He knows that razor sharp precision to one main idea is no easy task; instead it is one that requires great discipline. “Boiling out extraneous thoughts and crystallizing ideas so that the entire message functions as a unity have tested many a preacher” (44). Yet, the testing is necessary to fight through because unity not only aids preachers, but it aids congregation as well. Chapell is well read in the rhetorical and homiletical history, thus he is right to believe that all good communication – including preaching – requires a dominant theme.

Chapell clearly demonstrates what unity is and is not when puts a preacher through his somewhat famous “3 A.M test.” This test requires the preacher to imagine a spouse, roommate, or church member waking him from a deep slumber in the middle of the night with this simple question, “What’s the sermon about today, Preacher?” Chapell writes, “If you cannot give a crisp answer, the sermon is probably half-baked. Thoughts you cannot gather at 3:00 A.M. are not likely to be caught by others at 11:00 A.M.” (47).

In Colossians 4:4 Paul asks the church to pray for him to preach clearly, “which is how I ought to speak.” Good communication is clear communication. Faithful preaching is clear preaching, and this Chapell understands. Not every sermon needs to be the genesis of revival that will fill history pages for years to come. Yet, in every sermon the preacher must be found faithful (1 Cor. 4:2), thus in every sermon he must be clear. Chapell is right to place such prominence on unity. But from where does such unity come?

Chapell is spot on when he says, “Determining a sermon’s subject is half done when a preacher has discerned what the biblical writer was saying.” It’s is one thing to know what the biblical author said, and another to know why he said what he said. To help the preacher understand the “why” of every text Chapell introduces his “Fallen Condition Focus.” He defines the FCF as “the mutual human condition that contemporary believers share with those to or about whom the text was written that requires the grace of the passage for God’s people to glorify and enjoy him” (50). Drawing from 2 Timothy 3:17 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God . . . so that the man of God might be complete” – Chapell says, “All Scripture has a Fallen Condition Focus” (49-50).  Thus, the FCF “determines the real subject of a message by revealing the Holy Spirit’s purpose(s) in inspiring a passage. Ultimately, a sermon is about how a text says we are to respond biblically to the FCF as it is experienced in our lives – identifying the gracious means that God provides for us to deal with the human brokenness that deprives us of the full experience and expression of his glory” (50-51). The FCF is the hinge on which Chapell’s instruction turns, but is the hinge the right one?

On my first reading I sensed a pause in my soul when Captain Chapell beckoned me on the preaching boat marked “FCF.” It seemed to me that preparing for a sermon would become unnecessarily anthropocentric, always needing to look under the rock of each passage for humanity’s sin. Yet, the more I read and saw the FCF fleshed out my mind became less hesitant. Expecting objections along this line of thinking Chapell says, “An FCF need not be something for which we are guilty or culpable. It simply needs to be an aspect or problem of the human condition that requires the instruction, admonition, and/or comfort of Scripture” (52). Thus, the FCF can be anything from specific sins to grief to longing for Christ’s return to as desire to raise godly children. Identifying the FCF is integral to Christ-centered preaching because it will show the preacher the way in which the passage uniquely points to Christ. So the FCF is necessary because it leads the preacher to examine what the passage reveals about humanity’s need for redemption and what the text reveals about the God who requires redemption (284).

Although the hesitancy did lessen, I am still hesitant enough to not jump on that boat marked “FCF.” It is a novel and largely helpful concept to employ, but it seems likely to flatten preaching into a kind of one-note preaching. I can easily see some preachers employing Chapell’s technique and congregations hearing every sermon ending with the sound of, “You need to be redeemed in this area, and behold, Christ redeems you in this area.” Let it be said that there are far worse one note preaching styles and I don’t think Chapell is aiming for such an end. However, the preacher who constantly has on FCF glasses comes into the passage with a presupposition that can easily cloud the author’s original intent. How can a preacher employ the FCF in Genesis 1 and 2? In Psalm 93 where the entire focus is God’s majesty? If the FCF is a technique of application, then it will be employed to a useful end. Yet, if the FCF is a technique of interpretation, it will fog the preacher’s eyes from seeing the full-orbed majesty of the Scriptures.

The Puritans, as represented by William Perkins, understood the Christ-centricty of all Scripture and still managed to speak about seven different categories of application for every text. Chapell writes, “Keeping the FCF in view from the introduction through the conclusion will help keep application from dangerous steps off the path of exposition” (233). This is where subsuming the main point of the sermon into the FCF of the individual passage fuels monotonous content in preaching. Use the FCF for application, not interpretation.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT

The inherent issues in Chapell’s FCF, if I am reading them right, would lead me to recommend that pastors and seminary students read the book, just read it with discernment (as we should read every book!). The impact of Chapell’s book cannot be denied and I do think is deserved. When the appendices are included, the book covers virtually every area under consideration for the task of preaching. He even has wisdom for how to use a microphone, sound wisdom at that! The book will be uniquely helpful for a pastor or student descending from traditions or denominations where moralistic preaching is the norm. Moralistic preaching after all seems to be what Chapell is largely concerned about. Rest assured that his instruction will deflate moralism’s hot air balloon rapidly and effectively. If the only thing preachers take away from the book is to steer clear of moralism, Chapell has succeeded in his aim and served the church well.

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Walking Down from Preaching

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A few weeks ago I wrote about a personal routine that I rehearse in the moments before walking up to preach. I want to now briefly consider a practice that preachers can perform when walking down from preaching God’s word.

I remember times in years gone by when I would preach, step down from the pulpit, and think to myself, “That was good. I may have even killed it.”

Those were the good ‘ol days.

These days I seem to preach, step down from the pulpit, and immediately think to myself, “Well, there’s always next week. God, help me do better.” I’m sure that anyone who preaches with any regularity can sympathize. Maybe your experience of doubt or despair takes a few hours longer to germinate, but I bet it shows up nonetheless. We need wisdom from the Spirit to discern whether these groanings of the soul are wrought by God to remind us of our weakness and His sufficiency, or if they are fire-tipped arrows from the Devil to crush our confidence in Christ’s word.

When he walked up to preach Spurgeon was said to repeat with each step, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Brother preacher, let’s be diligent to repeat the same thing when we walk down those same steps. When you walk down from preaching renew your faith in the Spirit’s power and gird the loins of your soul with this truth:

“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

Insofar as you are faithful to declare the truth of God’s word and the mystery of His gospel, your words have this kind of power.1

  1. The Second Helvetic Confession (1566) famously declares, “The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God.” ↩