“The Three Hearts of Preaching” (part one)

Here at RFYM, we are excited to share with you the thoughts of a new contributor to these articles. Highly respected pastor, church leader, author, and Bible teacher Knute Larson has shared with us this week’s series of articles—and on the very significant theme of preaching. We welcome Knute, and encourage you to give careful thought and consideration to Knute’s good words on “The Three Hearts Of Preaching.” (BC)

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Preaching and teaching are all about three hearts.  That’s all. Get these down and you have it.  You get truth and love across, and the Word of our living Lord.

But it is work. Good work indeed, but hard work.  It is the serious process of getting what is in God’s heart into our hearts and then into the hearts of the listeners.

First, and most important, the heart of God. What was He thinking when He had this written? What was the intent of His heart? (I am assuming we are using Scripture as our text for teaching and preaching, with a goal of exposing the verses. Got to be able to answer the famous question, “Where did you get that?” when we are done. For sure.

So how can I possibly figure what God meant when He inspired the verses? If my IQ is normal and my vision limited, and His is infinity, how shall I have a clue?

Since “no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (I Cor 2:11), I must first seek His Spirit’s help by prayer and clean connections.

With prayer for His guidance and wisdom, we check the three contexts of every verse or truth—

1) the paragraph or immediate train of thought

We do not rip something out of its context. Cults prove anything that way, as do teachers who just grab a phrase and run with it!

The question takes study.  What is the writer’s mood? What is he explaining in the chapter and paragraph?

2) The book of the Bible it is in

What is the purpose of this whole letter or book?  Is this James writing to Christians about  how true faith shows in good works, or is this Paul explaining to the Romans how salvation is by faith alone, apart from works?

It is good to read the whole book as a unit regularly while going though its chapters and verses.

3) The Bible itself

The best commentary on any verse is the rest of the verses. No question. The Word will not contradict itself. Even the Apostle-Teacher Paul said we should “compare spiritual with spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 2:13; NKJV)

Surely some of the best “for example” illustrations are from other parts of the Bible. All of this takes study, which is good work for sure.  And what a privilege to seek to know God’s heart and intent behind a truth!

I have found it helps to be able to say in my own words, and in one complete sentence for a sermon if possible, what God was saying in the text.

And I must always remember that the average listener out there in the pews reads this Bible I am teaching from less than thirty minutes a week!

So the first heart in all biblical teaching is God’s. It all starts there.

Wednesday we look at the second heart of preaching—mine.  Yours.