The gospel is everything! This statement, as simple as it is, speaks to the very heart of preaching. Looking across the culture around us, we find that Faithful preaching must speak the truth with grace to move hearts toward Christ. Haddon Robinson declared, “When we concentrate on ideas, with the desire to make listeners understand and accept them, strong delivery comes naturally.” Erasmus argued that the purpose “in persuasion is to have the hearer want to embrace the honorable and the useful.” Thus, the goal is to move the heart. However, in this goal, it is imperative to note the impact of delivery. Francis Bacon understood delivery when he compared logic to a fist and rhetoric to an open palm. He asserted that logic handles reason in absolute truth, whereas rhetoric handles reason through the lens of popular opinions. Essentially, a logical argument can affirm the truth but possibly in a heavy-handed manner. Conversely, a rhetorical approach can present the truth more gently. In the eloquent words of Richard Sibbes, “‘If thou wilt, thou canst,’ said one poor man in the gospel… If Christ had stood upon his greatness, he would have rejected the ‘if.’ But Christ answered his ‘if’ with a gracious and absolute grant, ‘I will, be thou clean.’” Sibbes’ argument rests upon the mercy of Christ for the downhearted. However, Christ demonstrates his compassion toward the doubter throughout all of Scripture. The preacher must strive to emulate his master; therefore, the preacher’s intent must be to handle the truth so that the audience hears it in grace. As the Scriptures state, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Pro 15:1).
Eloquent Preaching Requires Holy Spirit Dependence for Lasting Change
Textually faithful preachers blend eloquence with wisdom, thereby facilitating the greater impartation of biblical truth. The sufficiency of the Word, in cooperation with the power of the Holy Spirit, is the key that sets preaching apart from ordinary rhetoric. Eloquence alone is insufficient to sway the hearts of the congregation. As the prophet Jeremiah stated, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). An assumption of eloquence alone ignores humanity's fallen state and therefore cannot be made. Herschel York attested to the coupling of the Word and tone when discussing the Old Testament prophets. He asserted, “If all that mattered was delivering the data, then they would have merely spoken words, but they did not. They also conveyed emotion.” Essentially, the foundational concept is that words communicated alone are insufficient. There must be a Holy Spirit-inspired, passionate response from both the preacher and the audience. Preaching must be grounded within the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit to be effective. This principle is demonstrated in effective text-driven preaching, blending the wisdom of application of the Holy Spirit and the eloquence of exegesis. Therefore, blending eloquence with understanding in proclaiming the Word of God results in truth both exalted and revealed.
The Simplicity of the Gospel is the Greatest Virtue
Faithful preaching recognizes that virtue, gently presented, moves the congregation through love and affection. The most significant movement of love and affection resides in the centrality of the gospel. A. G. Sertillanges asserted that “every truth is life” and that truth is “a way leading to the end of man,” and therefore proclaimed the charge, “Work always then with the idea of some utilization, as the gospel speaks.” The call of Christ was to love God and to love one’s neighbor. Thus, Jesus’ teachings become the pinnacle of preaching. Francis Bacon asserted that logic handles reason in terms of absolute truth, whereas rhetoric handles reason through the lens of popular opinion. Essentially, a logical argument can assert the truth, but possibly in a heavy-handed manner. Nevertheless, a rhetorical approach can present truth more gently. Gentleness presents the truth within the message with love and compassion.
Preacher’s Reliance upon the Resurrection is Everything
Faithful preaching must strive to make much of the resurrection. Augustine posed the thought, “So what confidence and comfort must it give the hope of believers, when they consider how great the sufferer was, and how much he suffered for those who did not yet believe!” Christ suffered and died a grotesque and horrid death to redeem those who were enemies. Augustine’s focus on the death and resurrection highlights the significance of the act in its context. Christ did not die for the redeemed but rather to redeem. Paul asserted, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:17). The resurrection in Paul’s mind is the lynchpin that holds the Christian faith together. Paul continued to build upon the premise of the resurrection: “But now Christ has been raised from the dead…” (1 Cor 15:20). The assurance of the resurrection provides the foundation for every sermon. Therefore, textually faithful preaching strives to make much of the resurrection the foundation of the Christian faith.
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