A preacher is called every week to prepare himself for proclaiming the old message of Scripture to today’s congregation. In three articles I will ask your attention for some important aspects of the process of sermon preparation.

One aspect of this process is of course the “professional” or “technical” one. Preparing a sermon implies that we do what we can to give a thorough explanation of the text. We can, moreover, find rules in all sorts of manuals telling us how to address in a responsible way the text to the hearts of the hearers. These manuals also help us to give the sermon a good structure.

There are, however, other aspects that directly touch the heart of the preacher. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expresses that well when he writes: “The preacher’s first and most important task is that he prepares himself and not his sermon.” This first article focuses on that issue. At least four points need to be mentioned in connection with this “preparing oneself.”

A spiritual being⤒🔗

A preacher must ensure that he is a “spiritual being.” In principle, by this I mean two things: the preacher must be a child of God and he must also continually know the hidden fellowship with God and put into practice a life built on the mysteries of the faith.

First of all, something about the first aspect. The Bible makes absolutely clear that someone must personally participate in salvation if he wishes to teach that salvation to others (see, inter alia, 2 Cor. 4:13). In 1656, Richard Baxter (1615-1691) published his famous “preacher’s sermon” under the title, “The Reformation of the Office of Preacher and Pastor” (The Reformed Pastor). Herein he writes how catastrophic it is when, as happens often in the church, there are unconverted preachers, preachers without any spiritual knowledge. How many, he asks, become pastors before they are true Christians…?

But that is not the only thing. A servant of the Word must also be a “spiritual being.” He must practice the hidden communion with God in a life of faith and of holiness (see, inter alia, 1 Tim. 4:12ff.). Again I point to Baxter. He writes that when a preacher has “communed much with God” during his preparation, this becomes evident in his preaching and affects the hearers. On the other hand he also admits that he sometimes makes the congregation aware of the troubles of his own soul: “When I allow my heart to turn cold, my sermons become cold. When my heart is confused, then my sermons also become confused.” Therefore, he summons his colleagues to watch their own hearts: “Maintain your life of faith, your love and your zeal; seek in quietness the hidden communion with God!”

Living with Scripture←⤒🔗

A preacher must give much attention to his life with Scripture. Martyn Lloyd-Jones emphasizes in this respect that a preacher must at least once a year read through the entire Bible, leaving out nothing. In this connection he warns ministers not to read the Bible as simply a sort of book for preachers (i.e., to find texts for their sermons or the proper passages for their pastoral visits). He writes: “One of the deadliest habits that can ever threaten a preacher is that he reads his Bible simply in order to find texts for his sermon. That is a real danger that must be exposed, fought against and opposed with all one’s power. Don’t read the Bible to find texts for your sermons, but read it because it is the nourishment God has prepared for your soul, because it is the Word of God, because it is the means whereby you can learn to know God. Read the Bible because it is the bread of life and the manna that has been prepared for the feeding and well-being of your soul.”

In light of this kind of advice it is not surprising that authors from the Puritan tradition emphasize that preachers must apply the Word continually to their own lives.

A life of prayer←⤒🔗

That the sermon preparation must rest on the preacher’s personal prayers is a truth that has been continually emphasized throughout the centuries. Augustine, for example, already said, “Let the person who preaches the Word not dare to open his mouth before he has prayed” (a free translation).

The expression “a life of prayer” applies, however, to a much wider field. While it comes to a head in the entirety of his preaching, it applies to a preacher’s entire life and service. This is shown characteristically in a sermon of the English Puritan Robert Trail (1642-1716):

Servants of the Word must pray much if they want to see fruit on their labour. They often count how many hours they spend in reading and studying. It would be much better for us and for the church of God if more time were spent in prayer. We tend to talk more about the example of Luther, who daily spent three hours in his study in prayer, or of Bradford [a well-known English Reformer and martyr], who studied on his knees, and about other examples of people in our own time, than that we follow them.

Servants of the Word must pray much for themselves, for they have inner corruptions, just like other people. Furthermore, they face temptations that plague servants of the Word only. They must pray for the message they bring.

A servant of the Word must also pray for a blessing on the Word and he must diligently seek God on behalf of his listeners. This may be the reason why some servants of God, although they have fewer gifts and talents, are blessed more than others who are far more capable. Not because the former are better preachers, but rather because they pray more. Many sermons that are quite good in themselves remain fruitless because of a lack of constant prayer during the preparation.

Pastoral insight←⤒🔗

Lastly, a preacher needs to have a pastoral eye for all that his hearers need. Although in the Puritan tradition it is sometimes said that a preacher of the gospel is “a man of one book” (the Bible), just as often it is emphasized that he must carefully study two books: the book of the Word of God and the book of the hearts of his hearers.

This of course does not mean that these two books are of equal value, and also certainly not that the hearts of the hearers are a source of revelation next to Scripture. On the contrary, it is precisely the aim of these Puritans leaders to bring the hearts of the hearers under the discipline of the Word. Not only the study of the Bible is needed for this, but also a knowledge of human hearts with their resistance, questions, desires, and joys. The place that this second “book” occupies in the process of preaching is well expressed by John Flavel (1628-1691):

“A wise servant of the Word will devote more study to the hearts of his hearers than to the best books in his library that are written by men. In his sermons he will not choose what is easiest for himself, but what is most needed for the hearers. Preachers who know the situation of their flock – and that’s how it should be – will rarely be at a loss as to what text they should choose for the following Sunday. What is needed by the members of their congregation will always determine their choice of a text.”

In connection with his quotation the question arises: “How do we acquire this knowledge?” Various answers are possible. In the first place, it is very important that the preacher knows his congregation. This means that in his pastoral care (and in his teaching of the catechism!) he listens to his people, so that he knows what is important for them (and also what is not important…). Good literature is also of great significance. I am thinking of two areas here. In the first place it is necessary to find out via books, magazines, newspapers, etc., what is felt to be important in our culture and community. We are all influenced by these opinions and it is necessary to be continually aware of them and to deal with them in our preaching. Rather than ignoring the times wherein we live, we should always keep them in mind. If necessary, this may certainly be done in a critical manner.

In the second place I think of sources on what used to be called “practical theology.” I am speaking here of writings that give spiritual guidance concerning the questions of the heart. Here the practical-spiritual works of the Reformation, of the Dutch Second Reformation, and of English Puritanism are important.

Finally←⤒🔗

So we may expect from every preacher that he prepares himself for his sermon … that the seed of the Word falls into a well-prepared soil.

This article was translated by Freda Oosterhoff.