Scripture Mark 4:26-34 (view online: https://youtu.be/omKQ3jYC5z8)
“I want to do what you do” I
have heard on a few occasions from well-meaning people who seemed to have no
understanding of everything that goes in to becoming a pastor/preacher. And
what they have really meant was preacher, not pastor. Hopefully, what I do when
I preach looks effortless – I can assure you it is not. Maybe you have had a
similar comment about your vocation or hobby, “I wish I could cook like you”,
or “play the piano like you” – whatever it is has taken time, education and
effort on your part, even though you make it look easy. (case in point – comment on internet
post about preaching teaching) [do I think every word I preach is HS inspired?
NO! Do I think every sermon I preach is HS inspired? YES!]
Last week I
preached the difference between an Acts 2 culture that Peter preached to (one
in which people generally knew some background in which Jesus could more easily
be preached) and an Acts 17 culture that Paul preached to (one in which people
had NO background as a starting point to share the good news of Jesus). That is
the predominate younger culture today. Let’s understand that every older
generation thinks the younger generations are different and more difficult to
reach. That is not what we are talking
about. Every 500 years or so there is a major shift in culture, and we are in
the midst of that kind of cultural shift for the first time ever in the United
States. (some of you are saying – what about the 1960’s? Yes , major cultural
shift in music and clothes and drugs and free a laxed sexual morality – HOWEVER,
everyone still knew about Jesus – in fact it was then that we had “The Jesus
Movement”) Europe has already been drastically affected spiritually by these cultural
changes and we are just now beginning to experience what that means for us. The
church of today is ‘the pivotal church’
that will determine what the future of the church looks like for our
grandchildren’s grandchildren.
Last week I also
used the great commission in Mark where we are told to go into all the world
“preaching the good news.” Make no mistake, there is an office of preaching to
which men and women of God are called, gifted, ordained and commissioned to
proclaim the gospel. I am privileged to be a part of that group of called
individuals. At the same time, there is a general sense in which every
Christian is called to preach – as in the great commission. That sense of the
word preach simply means: clearly presenting the good news of Jesus Christ.
I suggested I don’t even know for sure
how to reach the next generations, but have now had time to consider some
of the ways we might do that. For an example I turned to the greatest
preacher of all time – his name is Jesus. Here are two of his sermons – neither
one more than a minute in length – and you thought a sermon had to be at least
20 minutes long.
Mark 4:26-34
26
Jesus also said, "This is what the kingdom of
God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night
and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does
not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain — first the stalk, then the
head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts
the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." (comment)
30 Again Jesus said, "What
shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to
describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in
the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden
plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its
shade." (comment) -
Matt 17:14-20 A man had a son who
had seizures whom the disciples could not heal and brought him to Jesus: "O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay
with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of
the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus
in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive
it out?" He replied, "Because you have
so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard
seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you."
…33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them,
as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using
a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained
everything. (That is where Jesus went from preaching to teaching)
How did Jesus preach?
Here are 5 of Jesus’ preaching
methods that we can all learn
from:
1. JESUS TOLD STORIES
Jesus told countless parables (Mark 4:34 He did not
say anything to them without using a parable.). He pulled spiritual truth
from everyday life.
Think about the
parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus could have proclaimed, “God loves you
so much that He will welcome you back to Him no matter how far you have
wandered away.” That is definitely true.
However, Jesus
instead chooses to tell the story of a boy who disowned his family, partied
away his inheritance, came home to beg for mercy, but was surprisingly welcomed
with open arms by his father who waited daily for his return. Which is
more powerful? The facts or the facts in the midst of a story?
Think about that
– the prodigal son is everyone’s story. It is Adam and Eve’s story – they were
with God, they willfully walked away, and desperately wanted a way back which
God promised would come through her seed. Stories can be real or made up like a
parable as long as you are clear which you are telling. E.g. Acme World
Library.
2. JESUS CRAFTED MEMORABLE
SAYINGS
Jesus spoke poetically. He often
used catchy sayings and plays on words. This isn’t always apparent in
English translations. However, in the original language, Jesus made it much
easier for his listeners to remember what he said.
For example, Jesus memorably
said, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be
condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to
you.” (Luke 6:37-38a, ESV). Another
great example is the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31).
Make your main point easy to
remember. If someone can remember what you said, they will be able to take it
with them wherever they go.
3. JESUS ASKED QUESTIONS
Rather than tell everyone the
answer right away, Jesus used the Socratic Method. He led His audience to
conclusions by asking a lot of questions. For examples check out Matthew 16:26, or 22:20-21, or look at this resource.
Questions are a powerful teaching
method, especially when teaching an Acts 17 person. Questions stimulate
critical thinking. Asking good questions makes people hungry to find the
answers. I sometimes ask questions and leave a pause to allow people’s brain to
fill in the answer.
Are you familiar with Evangelism
Explosion? Those trained would wear a badge with two quesiotn marks to get
people to say what are those for? “Glad you asked, I have two questions for
you…” First contact with a non-Christian usually involves two
"diagnostic" questions. First: "Have
you come to the place in your life where you know that if you died, you would
go to heaven?"
Second question: "If you were to stand before God and he were to ask
you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven?', what would you say?"
4. JESUS USED OBJECT LESSONS
Jesus often used object lessons
to communicate to his audience. He washed the feet of the disciples to
teach servant leadership (John 13:3–17). He
called a little child to him to discuss faith (Matthew 18:1–4). He
described unselfish giving after watching a widow drop two small coins into the
temple offering (Mark 12:41–44).
When he told the parable of the
sower, there is a good chance he was standing near a field. Visually
communicating truth is far more powerful than mere stated truth. If you
want to preach like Jesus, use objects lessons. With the skyway bridge in view
in Toledo – say, “Did you know when Adam and Eve sinned, no one could ever get
back into a relationship with God – and just like that bridge to get cars from
one side of the river to the other – God constructed a bridge so sinful man
could cross over to a Holy God again – The name of that bridge is Jesus…!
5. JESUS USED REPETITION
I have always said about my
preaching – I am only reminding you of what you already know. Jesus
helped his audience learn His lessons by frequently repeating Himself. He
taught the same major themes again and again. For example, Jesus spoke of
his death and resurrection over and over again (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34), and the
disciples still didn’t get it.
Sometimes people need to hear
something many times over before it fully sinks in. In addition, teachings that
get repeated get remembered. If you want to preach like Jesus, repeat.
If you want to be a better preacher, look no further than Jesus. Tell stories, craft memorable statements, ask questions, use object lessons, and repeat.
The story of Jonathan OR:
One of the most notoriously bad
characters that ever lived in New York was Orville Gardner. He was the trainer
of prize-fighters and companion of all sorts of hard characters. His reputation
was so thoroughly bad that he was called “Awful Gardner.”
He had a little boy, whom he dearly
loved, and this boy died. A short time after his boy’s death, he was standing
at the bar in a New York saloon, surrounded by a number of his boon companions.
The night was sweltering, and he stepped outside the saloon to get a little
fresh air. As he stood out there and looked up between the high buildings at
the sky above his head, a bright star was shining down upon him, and as he
stood looking at the star, he said to himself, “I wonder where my little boy is
tonight?” Then the thought came to him quick as a flash, “Wherever he is, you
will never see him again unless you change your life.”
Touched by the Spirit of God, he
hurried from the saloon to the room where he knew his godly mother was. He went
in and asked his mother to pray for him. She did pray for him, and she led him
to Christ.
He went home to where he kept a jug of
whiskey. He did not dare to keep it and did not know what to do with it.
Finally he took it down to the river, got into a boat and rowed over to an
island. He set the liquor on a rock and knelt down, and as he afterwards said,
“Fought that jug of whiskey for a long time,” and God gave him perfect
deliverance.
But what should he do with the jug? He
did not dare break it, lest the fumes set him wild. He did not dare leave it,
lest someone else get it. Finally he dug a hole in the ground with his heel and
buried it. He left the island a free man.
He became a mighty preacher of the
gospel. It was through listening to him preach that Jerry McAuley (a convict
turned preacher and founder of the McAuley Water Street Mission) was set to
thinking, and that thinking afterwards led to his conversion.
Shout to the North
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