The Challenge of Preaching

John Stott

The Challenge

of Preaching

Abridged and updated by

Greg Scharf

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K.

© 2013 John Stott and Greg Scharf

All rights reserved

Published 2013 in the U.K. by

Langham Preaching Resources

an imprint of Langham Creative Projects

Langham Partnership, PO Box 296, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 9WZ

www.langham.org

This edition published 2015 in the United States of America by

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

2140 Oak Industrial Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505

www.eerdmans.com

Based on Between Two Worlds, first published 1982

in the U.K. by Hodder and Stoughton, London, under the title I Believe in Preaching

and in the United States of America by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Abridged and updated by Greg Scharf with the approval of John Stott and under licence from Hodder and Stoughton.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Stott, John R. W.

[I believe in preaching]

The challenge of preaching / John Stott;abridged and updated by Greg Scharf.

pages cm

Based on Between Two Worlds, first published 1982 in the U.K. by Hodder and Stoughton, London, under the title I Believe in Preaching and in the United States of America by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company — Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8028-7335-4 (paper: alk. paper)

eISBN 978-1-4674-4411-8 (ePub)

eISBN 978-1-4674-4371-5 (Kindle)

1. Preaching. I. Scharf, Greg. II. Title.

BV4211.3.S76 2015

251 — dc23

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: Today’s New International Version. TNIV. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved worldwide.

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

1. Challenges to Preaching

2. Theological Foundations for Preaching

3. Preaching as Bridge-­building

4. The Call to Study

5. Preparing Sermons

6. Sincerity and Earnestness

7. Courage and Humility

Epilogue

Appendix 1: The Glory of Preaching: A Historical Sketch

Appendix 2: McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan

Notes

Further Reading

Foreword

In 1959 the young John Stott was appointed rector of All Souls Church, Langham Place, in the heart of London. There his regular exposition of the Bible as a pastor and teacher became so influential that over time his ministry has spread to every corner of the globe. He has become known as a tireless advocate and friend of the church in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where the church has been growing so rapidly under such extraordinary pressure. The memory of ‘uncle John’ is held in deep affection by church leaders and church members across those continents.

The various programmes John Stott founded to serve the global church family have been amalgamated under the name of Langham Partnership, which seeks to help the church grow to maturity by equipping a new generation of preachers and teachers. It is motivated to fulfil John Stott’s vision of seeing every pulpit worldwide occupied by preachers who are committed to the faithful and relevant exposition of the Bible.

John Stott’s preaching and writing have always been characterised by three things: faithfulness to the Bible as the Word of God, relevance to the contemporary world in which we live, and remarkable clarity of expression. All of these qualities are evident in this volume, which is an abridged and updated edition of his earlier work, I Believe in Preaching (published in the USA as Between Two Worlds). I would like to express our warm thanks to Dr. Greg Scharf for his work in providing what will become an invaluable resource to those involved in the Langham Preaching movements around the world.

As this book makes clear, preaching is not only a matter of technique. It is vitally connected to the integrity and character of the preacher. In the case of John Stott, countless people around the world can testify to the godly influence and deep encouragement he has brought to their Christian lives and their Christian communities. His biographer, Timothy Dudley-­Smith, has this to say:

To those who know and meet him, respect and affection go hand in hand. The world figure is lost in personal friendship, disarming interest, unfeigned humility — and a dash of mischievous humour and charm. . . . He thinks of himself, as all Christians should but few of us achieve, as simply a beloved child of a heavenly Father, an unworthy servant of his friend and master Jesus Christ, a sinner saved by grace, for the glory and praise of God.

It is a joy to see The Challenge of Preaching made available to a new generation of pastors and preachers around the world. May it stimulate every reader to be more committed to the task of bridge-­building — sustaining our faithfulness to scripture alongside our commitment to proclaim its truth with conviction and relevance to our own generation.

Jonathan Lamb

Director, Langham Preaching

Oxford, May 2013

Preface

Preaching sank to a low ebb in the last half of the twentieth century. Has it recovered at all? That question is difficult to answer because we do not yet have the benefit of a long-­term perspective. What can be said is that two contradictory trends have emerged, both of which have positive and negative implications.

First, preaching has been democratized. Almost anyone can preach, regardless of whether they are ordained. This is not altogether a bad thing. Lay preaching can be used by the Lord to build his church, and we could wish with Moses that all God’s people were prophets (Num. 11:29). Unfortunately, however, it seems that some preachers’ only qualification for ministry is their ability to attract large crowds and donations, and not their commitment to truth and holiness. This trend has been most noticeable among advocates of prosperity teaching, who promise health and wealth in Jesus’ name. This distortion of the gospel is proving very popular among those whose social and economic prospects are bleak.

But while preaching is being democratized, it is simultaneously becoming increasingly elitist. Gifted preachers are now able to broadcast their message and preside over multi-­site churches where the sermon is presented on video screens. Many such preachers are orthodox, kingdom-­minded, and holy and their impact for good is significant. They can reach out to churches that formerly did not offer solid biblically-­based teaching. However, the distance between these preachers and their hearers may undermine the biblical requirement that overseers be an example (1 Tim. 3:1–4:16) and that shepherds know their sheep (John 10:1-14). These requirements have always been difficult to fulfil in large churches.

A more subtle danger is that young preachers compare themselves with these exceptional preachers and wrongly conclude that they do not have preaching gifts. Beginners may try to imitate them in superficial ways, rather than working to develop the gifts God has given them. They may also be less likely to be given preaching opportunities as church leaders will be reluctant to use inexperienced preachers when congregations have grown accustomed to excellent preaching.

This book sets out to encourage preachers by reminding them of the importance of their calling; to exhort them to spend time in careful and prayerful sermon preparation; and to remind them of the personal qualities that must characterize every faithful preacher of God’s word. When you have finished it, may you too be moved to pray the words that John Stott often prayed before preaching:

Heavenly Father, we bow in your presence.

May your word be our rule,

Your Spirit our teacher,

And your greater glory our supreme concern,

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Acknowledgements

I am very grateful to John Stott for the immeasurable impact he has had on my life, preaching, and opportunities for ministry. He was my preaching teacher for one quarter at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where I now teach. He was my mentor and example at All Souls, Langham Place, where I was a pastoral intern and staff member. He was the pastor who preached at my wedding. He led a reading group I attended in London. He remains my friend and inspiration. I currently chair the United States partner of the Langham Partnership International of which he is the founder. So my gratitude goes well beyond my thanks that he originally wrote this book.

But I am especially grateful that he did write it. As I worked, with his encouragement and blessing, on this abridgement and revision of his original book, I realized that his impact on my own preaching was far greater than I had recalled. The concepts had so made their way into my bloodstream that I assumed many of them were my own!

I am also grateful to Isobel Stevenson who skilfully edited what I sent her to preserve John Stott’s voice while making room for the updates and adjustments that needed to be included. Several esteemed colleagues from the Evangelical Homiletics Society made suggestions that greatly helped my thinking. Many prayer partners contributed significantly though indirectly, as did my favourite prayer partner and encourager, my wife Ruth. To all these, and many others who played crucial parts, I am grateful. I thank God for giving me the strength and opportunity to see this project through to completion and trust that he will use it for his glory.

Greg Scharf

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School,

Deerfield, Illinois

January 2011

chapter 1

Challenges to Preaching

Preaching is indispensable to Christianity because Christianity is based on the truth that God chose to use words to reveal himself to humanity. First, he spoke through his prophets, interpreting his actions in the history of Israel and instructing them to convey his message to his people in speech and writing. Then he spoke in his Son when the Word became flesh (John 1:14) and through his Son’s words, spoken either directly or through his apostles. Thirdly, he speaks by his Spirit through his servants who preach in his name (Luke 24:47-49). The word of God is thus scriptural, incarnate and contemporary. This point is fundamental to Christianity.

God’s speech makes our speech necessary. We are called to pass on the message we have heard to others. We must speak what he has spoken or, in other words, we must preach.

This emphasis of preaching is unique to Christianity. While every religion has its teachers, many of whom teach with authority and charisma, they are all essentially expounding ancient traditions and ethics. Only Christian preachers claim to be heralds proclaiming good news from God and dare to think of themselves as ambassadors or representatives speaking the very words of God (1 Pet. 4:11).

The importance of preaching has been recognized throughout church history (see Appendix 1). Yet we are told by some that the day of preaching is over and that preaching is a dying art and an outmoded form of communication. These lies have silenced and demoralized preachers. So it is worth our while to look at three contemporary trends that challenge our belief in preaching. They are a general hostility to all authority, the electronic revolution, and a loss of confidence in the gospel.

Hostility to Authority

Ever since the Fall, people have been hostile to God and unwilling (even unable!) to submit to God’s law (Rom. 8:7). This basic fact about the human condition has shown itself in a thousand ugly ways. Today, however, this attitude is particularly pronounced and all accepted authorities (family, school, university, state, church, pope, Bible, God) are being challenged worldwide. Some of this rebellion is justified, for it is a responsible and mature protest against authoritarianism and dehumanization in politics, business, education, religion and other areas of society. But Christians must be careful to distinguish between true and false authority; between the tyranny which crushes humanity and the rational, benevolent authority under which we find our authentic human freedom.

As people have won greater freedom from institutions, the target for hostility has shifted to ideas. No idea is unchallenged. It is assumed that everyone has a right to their own opinions, which may not be challenged by anyone, let alone a preacher. Some have even gone so far as to describe sermons as acts of violence against listeners. They question the right of preachers to stand before others, claiming to speak for God.

These attitudes have led some to argue that instead of regarding the congregation as a flock to be fed, a preacher should see them as customers and use the sermon to help them solve their spiritual problems.¹ This type of consumer-­oriented preaching dominates North American pulpits and has been exported around the world. The pew now sets the agenda for the pulpit. The sermon’s starting point is usually a problem for which the Bible (or some other source) provides a solution. Audience analysis (knowing our listeners) — though vital — now often displaces the careful study of the Bible.

The practice of letting listeners set the agenda for preaching has been reinforced by the widely-­held view that there is no objective truth; everything is subjective. Something only becomes true if it resonates with me. This means that the final say about what a passage means rests on individuals whose personal stories resonate with it. If what is said does not fit with the experience of an individual or a community, it is rejected. This attitude undermines the authority of the biblical text. Final authority no longer rests with Scripture but with those reading or hearing it. No wonder so many listeners resist submitting to biblical sermons! They have come to believe that they are the reason sermons are preached and