“Preach the word”-- 2 Timothy 4:1
“The work of preaching is the highest and greatest and most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called” – Martyn Loyd-Jones
“The secret to a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending and to keep those two things as close together as possible.” Sermons begin because God has spoken. “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Tim. 3:16). Sermons, then, should end with the congregation’s solemn realization that God has spoken. As Moses said, “Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey” (Deut. 6:3).
Good sermons keep the end near the beginning. God speaks in Scripture and God’s voice echoes in the hearts of the congregation when the word is preached. The preached word serves as a life giving connection from God to his people. Men live, after all, “on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). This is why, in Scripture and since the Reformation, preaching the word has been recognized as an essential mark of the church.
Where Does A Sermon Begin?
Paul said “you have known the holy Scriptures….Therefore preach the word.” Preaching occurs because God has spoken. To preach is to receive and then to echo the message God has given. As Abraham Kuruvilla said, preaching is “an extension of that divine utterance, an amplified echo that carries God’s word to God’s people.” Sermons arise as the text is received, examined, and shared. The preacher must be saturated with the text.
With the text ingested, the text can be investigated further. Important words should be defined. The text itself should be outlined grammatically. The preacher should ask what is the text about and what the text says about what the text is about. Haddon Robinson described this as the text’s subject and complement. Then there must also be a time of theological reflection on the text. Discover what the text says or implies about God, humanity, salvation, ethics, and future glory.
The exegesis and theological reflection is then used to form the sermon outline and manuscript which share God’s text and message with the congregation. This homiletical outline conveys information, persuades, and leads to doxology. The sermon itself helps the congregation to see herself relating to God through Christ in the text revealed by the Spirit. Both the text and the sermon should have one main point. This main thought or thesis is then proven or argued by the supporting material already in the Scripture. These items are connected to the audience in the sermon. The congregation must see a real problem or question, how that is answered by God in Scripture, and how life can be better with God’s answer in place.
Keep the End Close to the Beginning
The sermon finds its beginning in the revelatory work of God in Scripture. The end of the sermon should reestablish the congregation’s awareness of being in the presence of God. The sermon exists because God has spoken. The congregation exists because God has summoned them to himself. Charles Spurgeon explained that in preaching “we are mirrors reflecting the transactions of Calvary, telescopes manifesting the distant glories of an exalted Redeemer.”
The sermon’s conclusion must then call the congregation to action in the presence of God. The sermon is not just informative or entertaining. The sermon is a sacred life changing act of worship. God works through the Scripture preached to accomplish his purpose. Abraham Kuruvilla said, “Biblical preaching…is the communication of the thrust of a pericope of Scripture discerned by theological exegesis, and of its application to that specific body of believers, that they may be conformed to the image of Christ, for the glory of God—all in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The sacred event of preaching reminds the church that God has spoken and they must hear. In this way “every thought is taken captive to Christ” and the church is “conformed to the image of Christ.” Through the preaching of the word, the church remains present in the world. As Luther said, “Now, wherever you hear or see this Word preached, believed, professed, and lived, do not doubt that the true ecclesia sancta catholica [church holy and universal] must be there.” He went on to say “ And even if there were no other sign than this alone, it would still suffice to prove that a Christian, holy people must exist there, for God’s Word cannot be without God’s people and, conversely, God’s people cannot be without God’s Word.”
Preaching is both temporal and eternal. Preaching identifies God’s people, calls God’s people, and is used to save those who would be God’s people. Preaching, then, has eternal effects. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” and “how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Rom. 10:17, 14). Christians, then, must follow Paul who said, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Christians continue the sacred word of preaching because God promised his word, his preached word, “would not return to him void” (Is. 55:11). Christian, keep your sermon’s beginning near the end.