I am not sure we are all thinking of this in the same way. When we talk about “preaching Christ,” it is not good enough to simply mention his name, speak of his death and resurrection or speak of the benefits we gain from him. The very Person of Christ must be put in front of the congregation that they might see him by faith. As Ferguson says, we must “manifest Christ to them”

In the first two articles (see here and here), I sought to consider the tone and posture of a preacher during his sermon. I traced out that his manner should be characterized by tenderly persuading the Bride of Christ through ordinary conversation. I highlighted that this is immensely important because it is Christ, himself, who speaks to his Bride through the preacher and that how the preacher speaks informs the congregation of what Jesus is like. Also, I put forward the idea that a sermon is more like being in the upper room with Jesus, even going further and saying that a sermon is like a date night.

All of this serves to set us on a trajectory, in the manner of our preaching, that is far calmer, comforting, gentle, gracious and loving.

But consider a husband who desires the best for his family, leading them toward Christ. Would we think that having the right motives, even the right content, gives him license to speak to his family in whatever tone and posture he chooses (unconsciously or not)? I am assuming that all of us would say, “No.” The ends do not justify the means and, again, how he communicates is a major key in leading them toward Christ.

Why Are We Not Always Aware of Our Manner?

Thinking through all of the reasons we might be prone to less awareness in our manner probably requires more articles. However, just consider, for a moment, how we have listened to various preachers over many years who may be very strong in their tone. They say the right things, but we might have been conditioned and desensitized by their inappropriate tone. We need to become more discerning and aware.

Consider how much we put up with the way some coaches talk to our children. We should not put up with this, no matter the cost. And consider how much we put up with our own tone when we think we must address an important issue. We should not put up with this in ourselves.

And here is the thing that really needs to be said: it is not only inappropriate, it does not work anyway. We often think that if we just press a little harder that people will grow in holiness. That is not how it works. The only thing that grows people in holiness is Christ himself and all of who he is.

I am not saying that there is no time for some intensity or urgency. Certainly, I am not saying there should be no gravitas. Though our manner may have some influence on the gravity of a sermon (especially if you have a Scottish accent), it is the matter that should give a sense of weightiness.

Here is where we turn to consider the substance of our preaching. After saying a few things about our substance, we will consider how this should inform our tone and posture. By then, it will probably be obvious.

What Is Christ Talking About in Your Sermon?

In the miracle that is preaching, Christ is fulfilling his promise to tell of the name of the Lord to his Bride (Psalm 22:22; John 17:26). At the heart of what it means for him “to tell of the name of the Lord” is to set before his people his own glory.

If this is what Christ is talking about in our sermons, then at the heart of the sermon, the main thrust and overall emphasis, is the glory of Christ in all of who he is, in and for his people.

This reality is what causes Richard Sibbes to say, “The special work of our ministry is to lay open Christ, to hold up the tapestry and unfold the mysteries of Christ” (Reeves, Spurgeon on the Christian Life, p. 65).

It causes William McEwen to say, “Christ should be the main argument of every sermon” (McEwen, The Glory of Christ, p. 305).

It causes Spurgeon to believe that in preaching, “The redemptive events at the heart of the gospel must predominate over all else” (DiPrima, Spurgeon: A Life, p. 7).

It causes Michael Reeves to say, “Preachers are called to make Christ known in all his goodness, beauty and truth, that his people might yield themselves to him, delight in him and be one in him” (Reeves, p. 66).

The preacher’s sermon must be saturated with Christ, his Person and work, such that his glory shines through, making known to the people his beauty, goodness and truth.

For clarity, this does not mean that we never speak about the Father, the Spirit or call people to holiness. But it is through Christ that all of these things are made known. And neither will this limit us. Instead, this stretches the preacher as he seeks to put all of who Christ is before the congregation (Reeves, p. 71).

Preaching Christ

While, at this point, I think I may get a hardy, “Amen,” I am not sure we are all thinking of this in the same way. When we talk about “preaching Christ,” it is not good enough to simply mention his name, speak of his death and resurrection or speak of the benefits we gain from him. The very Person of Christ must be put in front of the congregation that they might see him by faith. As Ferguson says, we must “manifest Christ to them” (Passionate Plea, p. 114).

When he says that we are to manifest Christ to the people, it quickly becomes apparent why our tone and posture is so important. But more is being said. A sermon is more than just telling people about Christ. In a sermon, we are to display Christ, in such a way, that the people encounter him.

Luther said that to read the Bible is to encounter a Person (Brandon Smith, Taught by God, p. 63). If that is true of reading the Word, how much truer is it of preaching the Word! If we can begin to think of a sermon as an encounter with Christ, I think it will go a long way in informing our substance. Encountering Christ will cause a myriad of responses, but at the heart of that encounter is that we would experience our chief end: glorifying God and enjoying him.

Encountering and Enjoying Christ in Preaching

Remember the context of our preaching. We have been taken up into heaven that we might taste the New Heavens and the New Earth in the presence of the Lord. In that context, especially, we can experience what we were made for: to delight in the Lord.

This is part of what McCheyne, Spurgeon, and others are saying. When we preach sermons that are filled with Christ, we are drawn up into him, yield ourselves to him and delight in him.

Above them, Jesus said that he will continue to make the name of his Father known, “that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26). Love! We are to preach so that the Bride experiences the love of her Husband and enjoys him.

Now I must pause and agree with Ferguson that this type of preaching is rare. My guess is that most preachers find this exciting and would love to accomplish these things in a sermon. However, it seems that preachers tend to focus more on “the pragmatic things, the ‘how to’ questions, and exposing and denouncing sin” rather than spending time “giving an adequate explanation of the source of the forgiveness, acceptance, and power we need” (Passtionate Plea, pp. 113-115).

To say it more simply, I find that preachers spend far more time focusing on us rather than the Lord. There is often more emphasis on how we are responding, what we are doing, and examining ourselves to see if we have faith. It is not that there is no place for these things, but if we find that the majority of our sermon is putting peoples’ eyes on themselves and not on Christ, we need to rethink our substance.

And we should listen to McCheyne! “Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” If this is true, then Jesus should get above 90% of our time in a sermon!

But it is not about the ratio of time (though I think there is something there to consider). It is about what the people are receiving in the moment and taking away with them. Are they leaving looking at themselves or are they leaving, after an encounter with Christ, rejoicing, at rest, in peace, and delighting in him?

If, at the end of our sermon, the congregation is not delighting in Christ, then they have not encountered him.

More McCheyne, with a Splash of Owen

In sorrow, I must tell you that my preaching has not always tended toward this. Remember my old sermons my wife wanted you to hear? When she listens to them, she will inevitably come and say, graciously, “Really good. Very interesting. Learned a lot…” And then I interrupt her and say, “But I did not give you enough Christ, did I?” And she says, “Nope.”

And do not think that I always accomplish my goal today. It is a constant battle every week to manifest Christ to his people, bringing them into delighting in him. Hopefully I am continuing to learn and grow in my ability to manifest Christ before the congregation. It is good for me to remember that sermons are not simply meant to be an imparting of biblical wisdom. We are to impart Wisdom himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is what they need.

Stealing from McCheyne, I want to preach in such a way that the Bride sees that, “He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief!” And that she is able to, “Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in his beams. Feel his all-seeing eye settled on her in love, and repose in his almighty arms.”

The Bride should be brought to a place where she lets her “soul be filled with a heart-ravishing sense of the sweetness and excellency of Christ and all that is in him.” And so we pray that “the Holy Spirit fills every chamber of her heart; and so there will be no room for folly, or the world, or Satan, or the flesh” (Matt Boswell post).

As the Husband sits across from his Bride at date night, the Bride should be enjoying his presence, his voice, his love. She should be basking in his glory and long for it to never end.

As we sit across the table from our Savior, he does not persuade us toward himself by talking about us. He tenderly persuades us with the greatest thing he can speak of: himself. And whereas on date night, if a husband spoke about himself the whole time, that would be a problem. In this instance, it is the most loving thing he can do. And he does it in a way that leads us to delighting in him, experiencing our chief end.

John Owen believed that beholding the image of the glory of Christ by faith leads to conformity unto Christ (McCulloch, Sanctified by the Spirit, p. 117). When we turn our eyes upon Jesus, the things of this world truly do become strangely dim. A sermon should not just tell people to turn their eyes upon him. A sermon should turn the Bride’s eyes upon Christ, causing the world to grow dim. In this, a sermon causes the Bride to delight in her Husband.

It’s delighting in Christ that leads us away from sin. It’s delighting in Christ that gives us joy in sorrow. It’s delighting in Christ that gives us hope in despair. It’s delighting in Christ that builds faith instead of unbelief. It’s delighting in Christ that causes us to love him more.

A Clarifying Illustration

To help us think through what I am saying, here is an illustration that I hope will be a helpful clarification.

Imagine a family in your church saying to you, “You should come to our house to taste the greatest meal you’ve ever had.” They keep telling you this for years, but they never actually share the meal with you. They just keep telling you that you ought to taste it. In the end, you are never satisfied.

Some preaching can be like this. The preacher’s strongest point to the congregation is, “You ought to taste and see that the Lord is so good.” He wonderfully encourages them to find delight in Christ. He tells them that he is the greatest meal they will ever have, and then concludes by calling them to pursue Christ and taste him.

This is not good enough. The preacher needs to stop inviting people over and simply set the greatest meal before them, feed them and cause them to be satisfied with Christ right then and there. Give them a taste of Christ that they might know, right then, that he is so good.

More simply, let’s not just tell them to delight in Christ, let’s cause them to delight in him by manifesting him to them. This is what it means to encounter Christ in preaching.

How Does Our Matter/Substance Affect our Manner?

If the focus of our substance becomes the glory of Christ, it will affect a whole host of variables in our sermons, not the least of which is our tone and posture. So how does our substance, being centered on Christ, affect our manner?

This should be obvious, but our manner will become delightful. Christ, who is our greatest joy, is being set before us in all his glory. Since this is the case, the preacher must (and will) exude love, joy and peace. The preacher must show that he, himself, is delighting in the Lord. He must show that Jesus is delighting in his people being with him. The preacher is speaking about good news! His manner must express the goodness, truth and beauty of that good news. And I don’t think the preacher will be able to help himself be anything other than delightful if Christ is the substance that saturates his sermon.

This is all in the same vein as when Reeves says, “The truth must be shown (emphasis in the original) to be beautiful if it is to be proclaimed faithfully” (Reeves, p. 77). Not only will what we say show that the truth is beautiful, our tone and posture will, hopefully, convey that beauty. In this, we will channel the delightful heart and disposition of Christ.

Perhaps part of the reason a preacher’s manner is not saturated with the heart and disposition of Christ is because the substance of his sermon is not saturated with Christ. If this is true, let’s reconsider our substance.

Bullet-Point Reminders

As we go back into our study and prepare our sermon for Sunday, and then stand in the pulpit, we may have lots of questions about what this might look like or how to do this. I wrestle with these questions every week! But this article is not the place to begin trying to answer those important and necessary questions. It’s probably already too long! For now, perhaps we can keep these bullet-points in our hearts to help set us on a better trajectory:

Christ is speaking and we are speaking as Christ

• Christ’s Beloved Bride desires to hear her Husband’s voice of love
• Our melody must match our lyrics
• The context of our sermon is in heaven, where the Bride is meant to taste the New Heavens and the New Earth
• His Bride has met him in the upper room, and has been taken out on a date night
• Tenderly persuade his Bride with appropriate, ordinary conversation, while speaking of the most extraordinary thing, which is Christ
• Saturate our sermon, from beginning to end, with Christ and his heart for his Bride
• Our sermon is to be an encounter with Christ, where, during the sermon, his Bride comes to delight in him

Conclusion

If you ask my interns what my number one rule of preaching is, they will say, “Preaching is impossible.” It is. From a human standpoint, it is impossible to speak to the Bride according to the matter or the manner that rises to the heights of the majesty and glory of Jesus. And yet, the Lord is pleased to use weak, frail vessels to set his glory before his Beloved.

Preaching has brought me to my knees, probably more than anything ever has. All that we have expressed in these articles is futile if the Holy Spirit of Christ does not lovingly condescend to bring about his beautiful purposes in our preaching.

I hope that, at this point, we have all become more aware of our manner in preaching. If that has not happened, I hope that we have all at least become more aware of our need for Christ, by his Spirit, to do the miraculous work of speaking to the Bride. Only he can bring life, love, joy and peace to his people. May he bless our pitiful efforts.

Brent Horan is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Senior Pastor of First Reformed PCA in Penn Hills, Penn.