My Burden For Preaching: Priority and Passion

The following text was transcribed from the introductory message to the Pastors College preaching conference on February 12, 2008.

Let me tell you why I am here. Jeff Purswell asked me to play a role this week and I hope I can serve you in some small way. But I am here because I am not satisfied with my preaching. I am here because I need to learn and grow. I am here because I am dissatisfied with my preaching. And I am glad I am dissatisfied with my preaching. In my experience, and if my evaluation of my soul is accurate, when I am dissatisfied with my preaching I think that is an expression of humility. When I am discouraged about my preaching I know that normally is an expression of my pride. I am dissatisfied with my preaching. There is no place I would rather be.

Also, I’m amazed to be here! I am amazed that God has called me to this task of preaching. Aren’t you amazed? In light of my sinfulness and God’s holiness, I stand amazed. I am amazed that I have been saved from God’s wrath by grace. And I am amazed that I have been set apart to preach saving grace to others. What a privilege that we have been called to this sacred task! What a privilege that we have been entrusted with this gospel! What a privilege that we are called by God to proclaim the gospel to his people and to those who are lost. How can this be? What explanation is there for the call of God on my life, the call of God on your life, to this sacred task?

It is good and wise at times like these to remember what you were prior to your conversion, and to never grow familiar with your conversion.

I want to remain affected by my conversion and amazed by this calling. I can distinctly remember the first moment I became aware of a call on my life. Not long after my conversion I was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida attending a baptist church. The individual who had first preached the gospel to me was a friend now living in Fort Lauderdale. When he returned home—since he was the only Christian I knew on earth—I went to Fort Lauderdale to be with him and attended the baptist church where he heard the gospel and experienced the miracle of regeneration. And one Sunday while driving back to my friend’s apartment, God distinctly gave an impression that I would one day do what I just observed. The impression was so ridiculous and so ludicrous to me that my immediate response was laughter. I laughed out loud at the impression that I would one day preach and address an assembled congregation! I have never forgotten that day.

There are two unforgettable experiences in my life. I have never forgotten the moment I experienced the miracle of regeneration. I can relive that for you as if it happened last night. And I have never forgotten the moment in Fort Lauderdale where I received an impression to my calling.

I am amazed that I am here. I trust you are amazed as well. Now to my burden.

2 Timothy 2:15

My burden for Sovereign Grace pastors is the priority of preaching. This is succinctly and profoundly captured in one verse by the Apostle Paul:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

This verse provides us with a profile of a ministry approved by God. And apart from the personal example of godliness, this verse describes the most effective way we can serve those entrusted to our care.

More importantly, this is the most effective way a pastor can please God. The task of preaching is clearly in view in this verse. As pastors called to preach, we are called to be diligent in our study of God’s word and discerning in our presentation of God’s word as we devote ourselves to this most important task of preaching God’s word.

Diligence in Preaching

First, we are called to diligence. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed.”

Preparing a message is hard work. And preparation will never become less than hard work. Recently R. Kent Hughes stated that the great problem with preaching today is “homiletical sloth.” We are called to diligence. We are called to do our best in light of our accountability to God. One day we will be evaluated by God whether we were diligent in our study of God’s word and diligent in our preparation to preach God’s word.

One day it will be asked: By the grace of God, did you do your best? On that day will we be unashamed or ashamed? That day of accountability fast approaches, and may our experience this week motivate us—by the grace of God—to do our best so we can, standing before divine examination and evaluation on the last day, not be ashamed.

Discernment in Preaching

We are to “rightly handle” the word of truth. Our responsibility is to get the message right, give the message straight, and give the message clearly. We are to be diligent, we are to be discerning, we are to be devoted to teaching and preaching. Our personal devotion to preaching and the priority of preaching in our churches should be obvious to all.

Strong churches are built through gospel-centered preaching. This is not complicated or mysterious. Where there is effective preaching, churches will grow. And apart from effective preaching, churches cannot grow. Preaching is essential, not optional.

J.I. Packer writes, “I continue to believe in preaching and maintain that there is no substitute for it. And there is no power of sustained vision or close fellowship with God in the church without it.” Well, I am on record agreeing with J.I. Packer. There is no substitute for preaching and we are not in pursuit of an alternative.

John Stott writes, “Nothing is more important for the life and growth, health and depth of the contemporary church than a recovering of serious biblical preaching.” Nothing. Nothing is more important.

My Burden for Preaching

So in my remaining years, I have this privilege to transfer a conviction about the priority of preaching and a passion for preaching. I want to transfer that conviction to all pastors in Sovereign Grace and—perhaps more importantly—I want to transfer that conviction to the next generation called to serve in Sovereign Grace.

I know from my study of 2 Timothy and from a little study of church history that a commitment to preaching will sustain Sovereign Grace churches and will produce strong churches in Sovereign Grace long after I have passed from the scene.

Priority of Preaching and the Pastor’s Schedule

So if you are a senior pastor or participate in the responsibility to teach and preach in the church, this commitment to the priority of preaching should be reflected in your weekly schedule. If I were to meet with each senior pastor, I should be able to ask you for your schedule and see reflected a priority and passion for preaching. There should be blocks of time set aside during the week that you aggressively and fiercely guard, that reflect this conviction.

Especially for senior pastors, there is no more effective way you can serve and lead your church than to devote the hours necessary to diligent study of God’s word so that you might rightly handle his word and deploy his word to the church by addressing their hearts with gospel-centered preaching Sunday after Sunday. Apart from your personal example of godliness, there is no more important and effective way for you to serve your church.

It is not selfish for you to devote time to preparation and presentation of God’s word. It is serving for you to do so. And you are not serving your church as you should if you are not devoting the time necessary in preparation for the preaching task.

So this conviction about preaching should be reflected in the weekly schedule of a teaching pastor or those with teaching responsibilities. Your schedule should reflect your commitment to the priority of teaching and preaching.

Receiving Sermon Critique

Now here is a unique challenge I think we have in Sovereign Grace. I don’t think our incentive to grow in this holy task will come from the critique of church members. We have built—by the grace of God—a culture of encouragement. So normally after a message what you are going to hear from the average member of a Sovereign Grace Church is specific appreciation for a point in your message. Normally individuals do not provide you with a critique. Normally, they are grateful. And because God is so eager to bless his people, we can be confident that when we preach he will grant the gift of illumination. But that does not necessarily mean we have been sufficiently diligent in study or that we will one day be approved by God. So we must not depend on the functioning of the gift of illumination— which is an expression of God’s eagerness and desire to bless his people—to gauge our diligence and devotion.

I think our incentive for discernable growth in our preaching over time is located in this passage. Our incentive must be the approval of God. This must be my incentive. I want to please the Lord. I want him to approve.

And we must aggressively pursue those who are discerning about preaching, beginning with each and every member of the pastoral team and select members of the church. Those with discernment about preaching can help us grow in this task. And if we do not aggressively pursue them, likely they will not divulge any adjustment or correction.

Therefore what I seek to transfer as part of the culture among Sovereign Grace senior pastors is not only this conviction about the priority of preaching, but also desire to grow in preaching so there will be discernible growth evident in my preaching.

Growth in the preacher comes about primarily by a desire to receive the approval of God. Practically, I think it takes place as we aggressively pursue and invite critique from those on the pastoral team.

I can say to you that I am very grateful for all the encouragement I have received. I have been buried under encouragement in Covenant Life Church and in Sovereign Grace churches. But the defining moments of growth in my preaching have come through caring and discerning critiques of my preaching. And, therefore, I want to encourage you to pursue the critique of others.

The Priority of Preaching in the Priority of the Church

This commitment to teaching should be reflected in the schedule of the church, not just the schedule of the senior pastor. I am concerned that we haven’t given sufficient attention to the importance of the broader teaching diet of our churches. Sunday is critical, essential, and not optional. But I don’t think Sunday is sufficient.

I am grateful beyond words for small groups, and in no way do I want to create an adversarial relationship between preaching and small groups. Our small group leaders are heroic in their service. And we have derived immeasurable benefit from our small groups. But I am increasingly concerned there is insufficient teaching in our churches. I desire to see curriculum developed that addresses a diversity of topics and addresses every member of our church relevant to their season of life. And I would say right now from my vantage point (from the cheap seats) I think this is a weakness in Sovereign Grace.

So as you are receiving this instruction about how to improve your preaching, don’t confine this simply or solely to Sunday. I would like this priority to broaden so that the role of a pastoral team broadens in their expression of teaching to the church.

Cross Centered Preaching

Finally, a conviction about preaching is not simply a conviction about preaching in general, but a commitment to gospel-centered preaching in particular. And so this final statement here in 2 Timothy 2:15, “the word of truth,” is shorthand for the gospel. And it forms a critical aspect to our preaching.

In Sovereign Grace we are not simply committed to preaching. Yes, we are passionately committed to expository preaching. But we are passionately committed to gospel- centered preaching.

Recently I had the privilege to preach at a Sovereign Grace church in Fairfax, Va. During the week I received the following email from a member of the church. It’s really a wonderful summation and illustration of the fruit and effect of gospel-centered preaching.

This gentleman opens the email with an outline of his past. He is a recent member of the church and his history involves participating in another church in Virginia for around 15 years. Toward the end of his time at the previous church his pastor died suddenly of a heart attack. He goes on to talk about different circumstances and through those circumstances, he left the church. He identifies himself when he left as being very angry at the church and God’s people. He writes, “I went from being at church nearly every day of the week to only half-heartedly looking for a new church. From August 2003 to August 2004, I only attended church about half the year. The rest of the time I just slept in.”

He moved to Fairfax, Virginia in July of 2004 and some friends invited him to Sovereign Grace Church of Fairfax. This man writes, “From day one I knew that this was the place I was supposed to be attending.” And he talks about the remaining sin and the conflict within his soul. “After a few weeks of sermons focused on the cross I often left thinking, ‘Aren’t they going to talk about anything else? I know about the gospel.’” Later he humbly writes, “Obviously, I didn’t. Because from those first few weeks God proceeded to tear apart everything I had ever held as my beliefs about him, the gospel, as well as other beliefs about relationships with women, and being a godly man.”

He goes on to give more specifics and then he comes to this conclusion.

I can attribute these changes in my life to the amazing preaching that we receive. To finally hear preaching about the gospel has changed my life. While I think I knew the gospel, I had never fully understood what Jesus had accomplished for me. And the fact that I now stand ‘not guilty’ before a holy God and stand before him covered with Christ’s righteousness was something that just blew me away (and still does). And when I share these amazing new truths with my mom, who is a Christian, along with my dad, they are amazed, too. So here I am, three and a half years after coming to Sovereign Grace Church of Fairfax and being introduced to such gospel-centered preaching. I am a changed man. I am in love with Jesus more than I have been. In fact, it feels like I was saved again and maybe just saved for the first time. I love his church and his people. ... The power of the cross is staggering.

Yes, it is. It is staggering. And may the staggering nature and effect of that cross be evident in and through our preaching so on that final day of examination and evaluation, we might, by God’s grace, be approved by God having done our best to serve those he died for and entrusts to our care.

A Workman Approved by God: Transcripts from the 2008 Pastors College Preaching Conference Copyright © 2008 by Sovereign Grace Ministries