“The Three Hearts of Preaching” (part three)

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 in the final installment of “The Three Hearts Of Preaching.” (BC)

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We have seen so far that the first heart is God’s heart—what did He have in mind? Then we saw that the second heart of preaching is my own heart—do I get it and love it?

Now we move to the third heart of preaching—the listeners’ hearts.

We clearly want the Word to change the hearts of those who listen. We want them to do a lot more than say they enjoyed what we just did, or even to go a step higher and say they can tell we believed what we just taught.

We pray they will get it into their hearts, believing the truths and acting on them, embracing and enjoying the principles, staying with these values in their hearts.

So we appeal to their hearts in these ways:

• Earn the right to be pastoral and personal with love. Our people know if we love them by how we treat them and speak to them.
• Think through who this audience is—try to imagine a sampling around the desk with you as you prepare! Remember the divorcee  and the teenager and the strong family….
• Consider visuals and physical pictures.
• Plan to speak “as one speaking the words of God” (I Peter 4:10).   We are, if we are proclaiming His Word.
• Help them feel the need in the introduction and the answer in the conclusion.  Start strong; finish clearly.
• Use the “rifle shot” of a specific goal rather than a shotgun of many truths.   It helps to try to summarize the text in one sentence as we look for what was in the heart of the Lord.
• Appeal to emotions without attacking them. “Isn’t this what you really want for your life because of our Lord’s desire…?”
• Be kind and warm. To yell at them is not as biblical as some make it.  Or as practical.
• Admit our own needs and struggles.  We should not always be the hero in our stories!
• Do mini-conclusions as you go, not waiting to throw it all at them at the end.
• Talk over and up to people, not down to them.
• Give repletion to the big idea by repeating it, using it as the outline (three parts of the sentence perhaps). Tying sub-points to it regularly, and making sure the conclusion drives it home.
• Point constantly to Christ and the cross.  It is His Spirit who changes hearts

When we realize we are representing the Creator and General Contractor of the universe, we realize how serious this all is. And so do they!

That is the first heart—what did He mean?

And the second heart—they see that this central truth grabs our heart also. Their shepherd is sold on this.  It shows.

Some will embrace it with their own hearts. Not all, but some—ask Jesus about that.

And when some do, the Word has done its thing—and God is glorified.