Nine Essentials Of Biblically Faithful Preaching (And Why You Need To Know)
Is there such a thing as Biblical preaching? In other words, is there a right way or faithful way, to give a sermon and a wrong way or unfaithful way? In my experience, there are as many varied opinions on what makes up a good sermon as there are people. I have had people listen to the exact same sermon, and one said the time flew by and the other said it felt like forever. One said they were edified and encouraged while another said they were bored and confused. Some people believe I preach the right amount of time or could go even longer, some believe I preach way too long. One thing is for sure, if I were to focus on pleasing men in my preaching, if they set the standard, I am going to be frustrated. Thankfully, I do believe God gives us clarity, and I believe it is important for the people in the pews to have this clarity as well.
It is important for all Christians to have clarity because preaching is God’s primary means by which He has ordained that His word would go forth. It has not been all that long that people had personal copies of the Bible, or that so many people could read, we live in a unique time in history in that regard. Primarily, God’s Word has gone forth through public reading of Scripture and through preaching and teaching from elders in the church. None of this negates the privilege and responsibility of people to read the Bible on their own, to whom much is given much is required, but if God ordained preaching as a primary means of imparting His Word to His people, then we all ought to learn what that preaching is to look like, and then place those expectations on our elders who preach the Word to us.
I have written on expository preaching before, but here, I want to focus on one text of Scripture on the matter from 2 Timothy 2. Paul writes to Timothy, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turns aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:1-4, Legacy Standard Bible). I believe this to be the quintessential instruction on preaching for the church.
First, Paul uses the word “preach”, which means not only to declare the truth, but also includes persuading people to believe the truth. Preaching must be authoritative, declaring what is true, and it also must be persuasive, demonstrating why it is true. I have sat through many sermons where the pastor may tell me what is true, but never persuade me to believe it, never plead with me to agree, never show me why it matters. The duty of a Biblical preacher is to not only impart information, but to persuade people to believe it and live by it. Look for a preacher that does both of these.
Preaching must be authoritative, declaring what is true, and it also must be persuasive, demonstrating why it is true.
Second, the preaching is to be “the word”. This is the Scripture which declares Jesus Christ. The preaching is to come from, originate in, and declare forth the Word of God. There have been disturbing trends for years where preachers use a movie series to jump off of, or a well-known song using the lyrics as a foundation for the sermon, but that is not Biblical preaching. Even if one attempts to reinterpret the script or lyrics to Scripture, the preaching has started with the wrong proposition. We start with the Word, and even if the preacher ends up having a sermon that is consistent with the Bible, they have effectively taught their congregation that this is an acceptable way to approach the Bible, from culture first. At best, it will damage the church, at worst, it will end up that the whole sermon is unbiblical. Look for a preacher who sticks with the Word of God from beginning to end of the sermon.
Third, this activity is to be done in season and out of season. Biblical preaching never tests which way the wind is blowing prior to figuring out what to say. Culture has no impact on whether a truth is declared as true or not, rather the Word is what determines what will be preached. There is a ditch on both sides of this too. Some preachers avoid issues because of the way the winds are blowing. There are other preachers who jump on hobby horses every week preaching against the culture making the text speak about issues that it is not speaking about. No, whatever the Word says, whatever the text says, that is what the preacher preachers if they want to be found faithful. Look for a preacher who is unashamed to simply submit themselves to whatever the Word of God says.
Fourth, Paul tells Timothy to reprove. This word means to tell someone they are wrong. One of the greatest offenses you can commit today in our culture is to offend someone by telling them they are wrong. We must recognize, however, that naturally we think wrongly. Many Christians come to sermons to see if the preacher agrees with them, but a Biblically faithful preacher will challenge you in areas you might not agree. A Biblically faithful preacher will tell you where you are wrong. If you never find yourself stung about an area where you needed correction in your life under your preacher, then it may be they are not willing to reprove you. Many have left churches because they did not agree with something the preacher said, but before you ever do that, examine yourself Biblically to make sure it is you who aligns with Scripture and not your pastor. Look for a preacher who is willing to tell you that you are wrong.
Many have left churches because they did not agree with something the preacher said, but before you ever do that, examine yourself Biblically to make sure it is you who aligns with Scripture and not your pastor.
Fifth, Biblically faithful preachers rebuke. This is not only telling someone they are wrong, but telling them that they need to change what is wrong in their lives. This is a call to repentance, and it includes warning people about the consequences of not aligning their thinking and behavior with the truth. A preacher must be willing to tell unbelievers that hell is in store for them as a warning, and believers that they will stand before Christ one day for every thought, word and deed. The faithful preacher makes a call for change in our lives. Look for a preacher who is unafraid to not only tell you that you are wrong, but to tell you the consequences of being wrong, and command you to conform to the Word.
Sixth, faithful preachers exhort. This word is multifaceted, it can mean to encourage someone or console someone. I like the phrase I have heard often times that says that the preacher is to afflict the comforted and comfort the afflicted. This word can also mean, though, to earnestly beg and plead. A preacher is to be unashamed to beg his hearers to listen and heed the Word of God, to beg unbelievers to come to Christ, to beg believers to fix their eyes on Jesus. There is a passion to this word, and the Biblical preacher has no qualms about passionately calling for the hearers to believe God and obey Him. Look for a preacher who is so humble before God that they are unashamed to plead with men to obey Him.
Seventh, the Biblically faithful preacher does this with great patience. The faithful preacher is patient, knowing that a preaching ministry is a lifelong calling. Preachers do not know exactly where God is working in any one individual’s life, so they must rather just continue to be faithful, not looking for a specific result out of one sermon. Many pastors get weary because they think God is not working in the people, but continued faithfulness sowing the Word of God will eventually reap a harvest of abundance. Look for a preacher who is not banking on one sermon to do anything in particular, but rather banking on faithful exposition of Scripture over time to transform the lives of the people.
Look for a preacher who is not banking on one sermon to do anything in particular, but rather banking on faithful exposition of Scripture over time to transform the lives of the people.
Eighth, Biblical preachers do this with teaching. The word here means sound doctrine. In preaching the text, the preacher does not simply call people to action, rather he gives the teaching that undergirds that action. The epistles often give sound doctrine and then life instruction, and the faithful preacher does not focus on the life instruction without calling the people to first understand the doctrine that gives them the reason and hope to live those instructions out. Legalism is built on simple instruction without the teaching that undergirds it. Look for a preacher that brings forth the doctrine taught in the Word of God that gives strength and motivation to obey the instructions God gives.
Ninth, the Biblically faithful preacher recognizes that there will come times when people will leave who do not want this teaching. People have left our church over the preaching and teaching, but that has not dissuaded me one bit from continuing on, and this instruction to Timothy has been a comfort to me in those times. If people come and never leave, if no one is ever offended, if the world would love the sermon too, then the preacher is doing their best to not lose the people Paul said that we would lose. Today it is crystal clear, with all of the options for preaching, one can go down the street and accumulate a different teacher, but the Bilbical preacher keeps on being faithful. Look for a preacher who is willing to endure the loss of people in the congregation as a cost to being faithful to Scripture.
These nine descriptions from Paul give clarity on what faithfulness in preaching is. There is a requirement to Biblically faithful preaching. I would encourage each reading this to consider the preaching you sit under and examine whether it qualifies. If it does not, perhaps try to have a conversation with your pastor, maybe show them this blog and ask their response. Maybe, through some conversation, your pastor would be willing to work on some areas. Unfortunately, I have found out over the past number of years that few pastors who are unfaithful in these areas are willing to have conversations on this issue. If they are doing their best in the pulpit to not reprove and rebuke their congregation, they are likely to be unappreciative of those who rebuke or reprove them. There does come a time to leave, not for the purpose of accumulating teachers who will scratch your itching ears to suit your own passions, but to continuously sit under truth that challenges you to sanctification.
If they are doing their best in the pulpit to not reprove and rebuke their congregation, they are likely to be unappreciative of those who rebuke or reprove them.
I believe that your sanctification is God’s will for preaching in your life. To continue to sit under preaching that is not doing these nine things will stunt both your sanctification and your family’s sanctification. If you need help finding a faithful church with a faithful preacher, I would be happy to assist you with that. If you are in the greater Akron area, come check out Norton Baptist Church. And if you ever think the preacher there is missing it on one of these nine things, come talk to me about it. I am always encouraged to be more and more faithful in my preaching by our congregation. I am not above rebuke or reproval.
