Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church
This brief write-up will expound upon 12 features of biblical preaching. These features need to be reviewed and recovered in our day so that God’s Word will go forth with mighty thunder, in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that God may save many for the glory of Jesus Christ.
1. EXPOSITION — To exposit the biblical text refers to the teacher bringing the authorial intent out of the text of Scripture. This is the meaning of the particular text. To exposit means to dive deep in bringing the true meaning out of the text and making it plain to the hearers.
2. PRECISION — Biblical preaching must be precise. There must be clear arguments, cogent lines of reasoning and biblical supports for what is stated. The Bible is very precise. God is very precise. The gospel is very precise. The truth that saves is very precise. So our preaching should be very precise and clear.
3. DECLARATION — To preach God’s Word includes the declaration of God’s Truth. To declare is different than sharing truth. Someone may share a cookie, but we declare what God has said. The minister of God has a word from God as received in Scripture and he declares it to the congregation that has assembled to hear from God. Preaching is the declaration of Truth.
4. INSTRUCTION — All biblical preaching must include instruction. To instruct is to inform the mind and engage the intellect. To preach God’s Word is to reveal the mind of Christ, the heart of God, and the wisdom of the Spirit. To preach powerfully demands clear instruction.
5. APPLICATION — Jesus is the master example of preaching with application. He summoned His hearers to action. He called them to repent and believe. He warned them of remaining in their sin. Consider the Book of Hebrews, which is a word of exhortation, which repeatedly calls the hearers to action. True preaching includes both imparting Truth and specific calls to action.
6. PASSION — To preach God’s Word is to let the Word of God speak through the man. When God speaks, heaven roars all the earth must listen! A faithful preacher internalizes God’s Word and says that it’s like a fire in His bones that He cannot keep in. He preaches with passion so all would hear, believe, be moved, and be caught up with the glory of the divine Truths expounded.
7. PERSUASION — The art of public speaking includes persuasion. Jesus persuaded. Paul sought to persuade in his preaching. To persuade is to present the realities of something in such a way so as to bring others with a contrary viewpoint to a different perspective. The gospel is preached with the intention of persuading the lost to turn from their sins and embrace Christ!
8. EVANGELIZATION — All biblical preaching must include the good news of Jesus Christ. A sermon without Christ is like a solar system without the sun. To preach the Bible without the good news of Christ is to give a car without the engine. It’s useless and void of any good thing. Let all who preach proclaim Christ and Him crucified in every sermon. Not every text is about Jesus Christ but every text can lead to Jesus Christ. Preachers must evangelize in every sermon.
9. INVITATION — To give an invitation does not mean a call to ‘raise a hand,’ or ‘walk an aisle.’ Rather, to invite refers to the preacher heralding God’s Word, proclaiming the salvation found only in Christ, and then summoning lost sinners to forsake all else and embrace Christ by faith alone. To invite is to compel, to woo, to summon, to beg, to seek, to entreat, and to welcome.
10. COMPASSION — Faithful preachers emulate Christ as men of compassion. To preach is to pity the lost and present the only remedy for their sin-sick souls. To preach the Word is the greatest way to show compassion upon lost sinners and converted saints. Preaching presents Christ in His fullness to all who have gathered so they may gaze upon Him for rest, rescue, and refuge.
11. CLARIFICATION — Preaching the Word of God must include clarification. To preach well is to ensure that the words that have been spoken derive from Scripture and that the stated facts fit within the larger theological framework of systematic theology. Thus, faithful preaching includes the clarifying of what is said through repetition and supporting the truths stated with other Scriptures in the entirety of God’s Word.
12. EXHORTATION — To preach is quintessentially to exhort. It is a call to action. To preach is to summon to change. A man who has the Word of God presents the meaning of the text in such a way that he then exhorts the hearers to take action in light of what was declared. Enter through the narrow gate! Unless you repent you’ll perish! Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts! Praise Him for His excellent deeds! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
On biblical preaching: here are more articles & podcasts from Pastor Geoff's website.