PREACHING AND HEARING

To be able to profit from a sermon, it is good to understand the biblical elements of preaching and of hearing a sermon.

What Sermons Must Be

Firstly, a sermon must be expository and faithful to the text for therein lies the power—not from the preaching per se but from the word preached, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom 10:17). We are “to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1:17–18). Paul himself confessed, “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:3–5).

Secondly, sermons with illustrations and testimonies are helpful to make the truth relatable and relevant. In Bible College, we learned the four forms of effective speech: (1) Statement, (2) Restatement, (3) Illustration, and (4) Testimony. From where do we get the illustrations/testimonies? Illustration handbooks/encyclopedias can be a source, but the best source is still the Scriptures which are full of them, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom 15:4), “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1 Cor 10:11). Again, God’s Word is paramount in terms of illustrations and testimonies and we should use the infallible and inerrant illustrations and testimonies that come from Scripture as much as we can.

Thirdly, practical application is important to challenge the people to examine themselves and take stock of their lives and do what is good and right in light of the truth that has been expounded, as James 1:22 famously states, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Doctrine first, then practice. Neither should be absent in a sermon.

Most importantly, it is the Holy Spirit who is the one who applies infallibly and effectively a sermon when it is truthfully and faithfully preached to change lives (John 16:7–13), provided the hearers will hear the Spirit and His Word with the right mind and heart (Matt 11:15).

All the mechanics of effective speech notwithstanding, there is a spiritual element that cannot be ignored. That was why our founding pastor and my homiletics teacher—the Rev Dr Timothy Tow—rightly observed, “Homiletics (Preaching) is a mystery.” At first I did not understand what he was trying to say, but now after all these years as a preacher, I see the significance of that profound statement. Preaching is certainly not the same as delivering a speech. A Toastmaster’s course will not cut it. The Holy Spirit’s role is key.

Danger of This Modern Age

Now, let me address a danger that we have today and that is the plethora of false and deceitful preachers and teachers out there. This should not come as a surprise for the Lord had forewarned, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. … And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matt 24:4–5,11).

Besides the danger of false preaching and teaching, there is also the danger of false hearing. The way people today hear and see things is more often than not impaired by social media with thumbs up/down emojis. The things said from a Bible-based pulpit are not things people want to know or like to hear today. What is truth is now dictated by popular opinion or sentiment, not God’s Word. People are no longer interested in doctrine or teaching. They want to know the how but not the what and the why. To them, if it works, it must be good and right. Pragmatism rules the day and the way, not truth or sound doctrine.

With pragmatism ruling the day, Bible colleges and seminaries in order to attract students and income are offering easier “practical” courses with “politically correct” philosophies. Are you preaching or preachy? Is your preaching heavy with doctrine? It will not win you votes.

Market-Driven Pastors and Churches

Pastors today are under pressure to be “relevant”. But what does that mean? Well, you are “relevant” only if you can deliver what your hearers want to hear—the consumer (ie hearer) is king, not the Lord, not His Word. The market dictates the message. In a market-driven church, “the congregation is king”. We want to see the numbers! We want to see the money! Truth and righteousness are not determined by VPI/VPP but my KPI. Be warned, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.” (2 Pet 2:1–3).

More and more pastors are giving in to market-driven consumerism. In order not to be sidelined, they say they have no choice but to “pivot”. Dance to the tune of the popular voice. To keep my job, I must stay niche. I must move away from the stuffy traditional expository and doctrinal preaching to the hip and cool “motivational” style of dressing and addressing. Get rid of the coat and tie, don the leather jacket and jeans. You need to look cool! You need to charm! Communicate through how you look—your wardrobe, your hairstyle etc. Make the worldly look pious. The vibe is you don’t have to give up the world to be accepted by God. This strategy is a sure win—you will see the numbers and the money. But not the Lord, “For … he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isa 53:2–3).

Yes, the market-driven pastors and orators are very inspirational and highly esteemed. They have the gift of the gab. To sound Christian and churchly, they quote Scripture, but Scripture is there only to serve as a pretext to promote their personality and philosophy. Their egocentric mantras are popular because they know just how to say things you want to hear and get you to buy what they are selling. Their speeches are peppered with popular clichés and full of jokes and anecdotes. Their life examples and experiences are all meant to achieve a goal, and that is to manipulate you to like them and be shaped into their likeness (successful, popular, rich and powerful). In the end, both speakers and hearers are captivated by a self-deluding narcissism: I must like myself and esteem myself highly to be successful. I must be right because I am liked (look at all the “likes” I have in my “-tube” and my “-book”). This is nothing short of pride and idolatry. The sinfully gullible will gulp in all that self-serving mantra hook, line and sinker. Everyone’s ego gets pumped up each time and on a high. These speakers and hearers deserve each other (2 Tim 4:3). As the Bible says, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Tim 3:13).

Beware of “Woke”

Caveat Auditor (Hearer Beware). Be aware that the “woke” spirit, so pervasive in today’s sinful and selfish society, has found its way into our homes, schools, and churches. Social media has a huge role to play in all this. It is influencing big time the mind of people young and old, programming them to be only receptive to their egos. It is again the age-old sin of pride. It is all about I, Me, Myself. This wicked spirit is intolerant and fierce and will bully and abuse to get its way.

Churchgoers who have been influenced by such a spirit will only hear what they want to hear. They have been groomed by social media, and they will use the same media to destroy those who say no to them. These “woke” people will seek to destroy you if you so much as disagree with them and do not do what they say, even claiming that it pleases God and that it is good and even godly; “yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:2).

Primed for the Antichrist

Hearers today are not hearing God’s Word the way God wants them to hear. The spirit of the age today is self-indulgent. If your sermon is not to my liking, not palatable to my taste, not tuned to the way I see my world and my life, you are finished! If I am offended in any way, I will see to it that you get cancelled. You must disappear. You have no right to exist, period. Our Lord had forewarned, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” (Matt 24:9–10).

Such will even quote Scripture to justify their evil, “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” (Matt 5:25–26). The “woke” attitude is this: I don’t care whether it is the truth or a lie. I don’t even care whether you live or die. The “woke” crowd will do anything to stake their place and save their face. They will turn the truth into a lie and take the lie as truth. They don’t care for truth and they don’t care for you. What they care is this: What you say or do offends ME. You have offended ME. And that is all that matters. And because you do not follow ME, I will spare no effort and use whatever means I have at my disposal to get you cancelled and silenced. They stoop to slander and libel to defame and kill. Such is the “woke” spirit and it is wicked and evil to the core.

The Bible already predicted this, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Tim 3:1–5). This is all a prelude to worst things to come, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2 Thess 2:3–4). People today are being primed to accept the Antichrist.

Pray for Protection

Please pray for your pastors, that they will remain faithful to the sacred privilege of preaching and teaching God’s Word in all its fullness and truthfulness with charity and humility (Gal 1:10, Eph 4:11–15, 1 Thess 2:4). Pray also for yourselves that there will be a faithful and humble hearing of God’s Word.

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim 4:2–4).