Only
one thing will replace great preaching, and that is greater preaching. For many
in the world today preaching has gone into eclipse. It needs to be restored.
Jesus commands it, Paul commends it, the church requires it, and history proves
it to be essential. We could have no greater example for preaching than Jesus.
"Jesus
came preaching", the Holy Scriptures declare in Mark 1:14. He sent out
the twelve saying, "As you go, preach, saying the kingdom of heaven is
at hand" (Matthew 10:7). Mark 1:38 states that the reason Jesus entered
the culture of His day was to preach. He preached in synagogues, homes, cities,
on hillsides, at funerals and weddings. The common man heard Him gladly because
he understood His words.
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The
Savior of the world was a powerful preacher. His preaching was unapologetically
doctrinal. His proclamation covered the ethical themes of social, domestic,
and civil life. The key to His power in preaching was the anointing of the Holy
Spirit. Jesus' articulate delivery drew its strength from His divine and moral
nature. There was no compromise in His message or lifestyle. He lived what He
preached.
Writers
often try to characterize the style of Jesus' preaching. Albert Bond, in The
Master Preacher, refers to Jesus' gentleness, simplicity, sincerity, originality,
and variety. D.P. Kidder's A Treatise on Homiletics says that Jesus style
was highlighted by instructiveness, directness, adaptability, and austerity.
He is without doubt indescribable by human pen or tongue. He was the Master
Preacher.
No
one touches the mastery of Jesus in illustration. He kept in touch with the
common man. His simple thoughts and ideas from nature carried the weight of
eternal truth. Wiersbe and Perry in The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and
Preachers state that Jesus' use of questions should be noted. Forty-eight
of his messages give us one hundred sixty-eight questions. As Jesus moved and
preached He illustrated. In very informal proclamation He used visual aids from
the temple, the fisherman's net, the sower's sack of seed, the flowers in the
field, as well as writing on the ground in silence. As the eternal Word of God,
He was always in the communication mode when with other people.
The
message of Jesus is given in capsule form in Mark 1:14-15.
"And
after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the
gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is
at hand; repent and believe in the gospel'".
Jesus
proclaimed euanggelion - the good news. This gospel is the message of
the church. It is a biblical message having its root in the fulfillment of the
Messiah in Old Testament scriptures. Jesus was a Biblical preacher. He made
plain the Old Testament text He came to fulfill. On the road to Emmaus in Luke
24:27, Jesus explained the things in scripture concerning Himself from Moses
to the prophets. This is the preacher's beginning task. He is to make sure his
message is biblical news so it will qualify as good news.