Preaching & Preachers: The Act of Preaching part 2

Update: I haven't forgotten about or given up on this project. I hit my head in a pretty nasty fall a few months ago and have developed post-concussion syndrome. Not to get into too much about it, but I'm having difficulty writing. I have sermons and writing assignments that I have to complete first and at times, takes me much longer than it usually does. I appreciate the patience, and sorry for the delay and if the posts don't come as regularly as I had hoped.

We continue our series of reading through M.D.Loyd-Jones classic Preaching and Preachers. This chapter presents 11 elements of preaching that Lloyd Jones considers vital to the act of preaching. We covered the first four last time.

1. Action
2. Authority 
3. Freedom
4. Receiving from the Congregation
5. Seriousness
6. Zeal
7. Warmth
8. Rapport
9. Urgency
10. Pathos
11. Power

Seriousness - The preacher is dealing with the souls of men. Matters of eternal consequence. This is no laughing matter and preaching is no joke. You can be full of passion and be serious. Whatever the delivery style, the people must know that he knows, believes, and means what he says. Lloyd-Jones cautions that serious does not mean boring. 

Zeal -  "If [the preacher] has not been gripped nobody else will be." The preacher must be consumed with the truth and anxious to deliver it. He wants others to hear and believe what has consumed his heart in the study of Scripture. The preacher must be involved, he must be a witness of what he preaches, not just an advocate relating true things, being detached from the congregation and the truths presented. 

Warmth - The preacher needs to feel the truths that he speaks. He gives example of Paul and Whitefield who wept over souls. Very convicting section. 

Rapport - He doesn't give much thought to this section, but this is a very important truth. The truth doesn't change based upon who you are preaching to, but the way you preach it might change. Preach to those the Lord has given you, not those you WISH the Lord has given you. 

Urgency - We never know if this is the last message we will ever preach, or those listening to us will ever hear another message before heading off into eternity. Now is the time, today is the day. Be urgent in your preaching. 

Pathos - The whole point of preaching is to persuade people to follow and believe. Why are you preaching if you are not trying to persuade? Richard Cecil said "To love to preach is one thing, to love those to whom we preach is quite another". Pathos comes from a love of God's people and a love of God's truth. When these two are combined, you will have pathos. MLJ stresses that truth does not produce just intellectual insight, but there is emotion when understanding the truth. 

Power - There must be power or it isn't preaching because preaching declaring the living Word of God. You must have light and heat.

In this chapter, we get his famous definition of preaching. "What is preaching? Logic on fire! Eloquent reason!"