A minute ago, my wife asked me to teach her homiletics that can be easily understood. She wants to learn how to craft a sermon. She shared that they are now studying the letter of the apostle Paul to Titus at Evangelical Covenant Church in Manila (ECCM). This reminded me of my lessons taken from Bryan Chapell's book, Christ-Centered Preaching, and also the idea of storing my lectures on a chain.
Lecture 1 is about the power of the word and character in preaching. This is based on the first chapter of Chapell's book. Chapter 1 deals with the inseparability between the power of the Word and the character of the preacher himself in determining the success of a preaching ministry.
The Power of the Word
The Inherent Power of the Word
Bryan Chapell expounds on the power of the Word in three ways: the inherent power of the Word, the power of the Word manifested in Christ, and the power of the Word applied in preaching. Regarding the inherent power of the Word, Chapell describes at least six ways in which such power manifests itself. The Word of God creates (Gen 1:3; Ps 33:9), controls (Ps 147:15-18), persuades (Jer 23:28-29), performs divine purposes (Isa 55:10-11), overrides human motives (Phil 1:18), and examines the inner thoughts of man (Heb 4:12). Chapell summarizes the inherent power of the Word displayed by preaching that is true to Scripture, which “converts, convicts, and conforms the spirits of men and women because it presents the instrument of divine compulsion, not because preachers have any transforming power in themselves” (p. 19). He recognizes the fact that “No amount of human convincing could have turned selfish, pleasure-seeking, or self-destructive lifestyles to an everlasting commitment to God” (p. 21) except for the power demonstrated in the preaching of the Word.
The Power of the Word Manifested in Christ
In exalting the power of the Word manifested in Christ, Chapell compares it to the work of creation and echoes the biblical concept of new creation. He states, “As the work of creation comes through the spoken Word of God, so the work of new creation comes through the living Word of God” (James 1:18; 1 Pet 1:23).
The Power of the Word Applied in Expository Preaching
Expository Preaching Presents the Power of the Word
In discussing the power of the Word applied in preaching, Chapell identifies three areas. According to him, expository preaching presents the power of the Word, presents the authority of the Word, and presents the work of the Spirit. Expository preaching presents the power of the Word, for it is not concerned with any ideas, no matter how sophisticated they are, but only in remaining faithful to the message of the biblical passage. Chapell emphasizes this point by saying that in expository preaching, “We are not concerned to convey our opinions, others’ philosophies, or speculative meditations” (p. 22). The main task of expository preaching is “to present and apply the truths of a specific biblical passage” (ibid.). Only such preaching, says Chapell, “puts people in immediate contact with the power of the Word” (ibid.).
Expository Preaching Presents the Authority of the Word
Furthermore, expository preaching presents the authority of the Word. This conviction is essential in a generation that is contemptuous of any claim to authority. Chapell's description of the current age is accurate:
Who has the right to tell me what to do? This question typically posed as a challenge is really a plea for help. Without an ultimate authority for truth all human striving has no ultimate value and life itself becomes futile. Modern trends in preaching that deny the authority of the Word in the name of intellectual sophistication lead to a despairing subjectivism in which people do what is right in their own eyes – a state whose futility Scripture has already articulated (Judg 21:21).
Chapell further describes the consequence in preaching without this conviction of authority from God:
Without the authority of the Word, preaching becomes an endless search for topics, therapies, and techniques that will win approval, promote acceptance, advance a cause, or soothe worry. Human reason, social agendas, popular consensus, and personal moral convictions become the resources of preaching that lacks ‘the historic conviction that what Scripture says, God says’(p. 23).
He concludes, “Only preachers committed to proclaiming what God says have the Bible’s imprimatur on their preaching” (ibid.).
Expository Preaching Presents the Work of the Spirit
Thirdly, expository preaching presents the work of the Spirit. Chapell portrays the work of the Spirit as “as inextricably linked to preaching as heat is to the light a bulb emits. When we present the light of God’s Word, his Spirit performs God’s purposes of warming, melting, and conforming hearts to his will” (p. 24). With this conviction as to the work of the Holy Spirit, Chapell cautions us not to rely too much on technicalities but to depend on God through prayer. He affirms the proper place of technicalities by saying that a message can be considered excellent on the basis of human skills in preparing and delivering a message, but its spiritual power depends primarily on God” (p. 25). Since, such is the case, Chapell admonishes us to maintain an intimate communion with God:
Effective public ministry requires devoted private prayer…Neglect of prayer signals serious deficiencies in a ministry even if other signs of success have not diminished. We must always remember that popular acclaim is not necessarily the same as spiritual effectiveness (ibid.).
The Power of Character in Preaching
Logos, Pathos, and Ethos
The second major section of chapter 1 of the book deals with the power of character in preaching. It is true that in the sovereignty of God, he uses “a scandalous, domineering, self-seeking preacher, but it is not his usual way” (John Shaw quoted by B. Chapell, p. 25). Chapell’s emphasis under this section is on the quality of life of the preacher, which he describes as “clearing the path” so the Word can do its work. I find four subsections in Chapell’s in discussing the primacy of character. First, he gleans insights from classical rhetoric. He mentions about three components in a persuasive public speech as considered by the Greeks. These components are logos, pathos, and ethos. Logos is “the verbal content of the message, including its craft and logic” (p. 25). Pathos is “the emotive features of a message, including the passion, fervor, and feeling that the speaker conveys and the listeners experience” (p. 26). Ethos is “the perceived character of the speaker; determined most significantly by the concern expressed for the listeners’ welfare” (ibid.). Chapell points out, “Aristotle believed ethos was the most powerful component” (ibid.) of persuasive speech.
The Importance of Character
The second subsection cites sayings, which speak about the importance of character in the ministry of preaching. Examples of these are “Pastoral character remains the foundation of ministry”; preaching is “truth poured through personality” (Phillips Brooks); “your actions speak so loudly I can’t hear what you say”; and “don’t talk the talk, if you don’t walk the walk” (p. 27).
New Testament Passages
The third subsection enumerates the passages in the New Testament that highlight the importance of character. Prominent among them is 1 Thessalonians 1:5. In this text, we find the three components in persuasive speaking: “Our gospel came to you not simply with words (logos), but also with power and with deep conviction (pathos). You know how we lived (ethos) among you for your sake.” Other NT passages that confirm such emphasis on character are the following: 1 Thessalonians 2:3-8, 11-12; 2 Timothy 2:15-16, 22-24; Titus 2:7-8; 2 Corinthians 6:3-4; James 1:26-27; and James 3:13.
Implications of the Importance of Character
The final subsection deals with two implications of the importance of character: guard your character and love grace. Guarding one’s character is vital for two reasons—our character reveals itself as we speak in public, and our character cannot be separated from our message. Chapell affirms the public recognition of the preacher’s character:
True character cannot be hidden, although it can be temporarily masked. Character oozes out of us in our messages. Just as people reveal themselves to us in conversation by their words and mannerisms, we constantly reveal ourselves to others in our preaching. Over time our word choices, topics, examples, and tone unveil our hearts regardless of how well we think we have condoned off deeper truths from public display. The inside is always on view” (p.29).
Moreover, the preacher’s character cannot be separated from the message. Chapell avers that a preacher “may be mouthing a scriptural idea yet remain as impersonal as a telephone recording, as superficial as a radio commercial…The audience does not hear a sermon; they hear a man” (ibid.). Chapell quotes John Wesley, who voiced a similar conviction: “Your temper is uneven; you lack love for your neighbors. You grow angry too easily; your tongue is too sharp—thus, the people will not hear you.” Chapell concludes this discussion by reflecting on his previous pastoral experience that people will not remember the words he said but the kind of life he lived, whether it “gave credence to the message of Scripture” (ibid.).
Loving grace is the fountain source of the preacher’s character. Apart from grace, any attempt to produce character in conformity to the standards ends in futility. Only the grace of God is the source of the preacher's sanctity and remains as his constant message. What is true to his life reflects in the message he proclaims.
For the AI-generated song version of this lecture, check Let The Word Speak.
