Mark Driscoll has written a series of booklets called A Book You Will Actually Read. The one on Church Leadership is a gem–concise, biblical, informative. We ordered a bunch for our leaders and will distribute them at our next leadership training.
As many have noted, one of the downfalls of contemporary preaching is its application focus. When application is our focus, we preach to the will, not the heart. As a result, we make disciples who “do,” who live by works despite our soteriological claims to justification by faith alone. Edwards, as usual, provides a helpful corrective to contemporary aims in preaching. He also offers an encouragement to preachers that despair over forgotten sermons. Remembering the sermon, according to Edwards, is not the point in preaching.
The main benefit obtained by preaching is by an impression made upon the mind at the time, and not by an effect that arises afterwards by a remembrance of what was delivered. And though an after-remembrance of what was heard in a sermon is oftentimes very profitable; yet, for the most part, that remembrance is from an impression the words made on the heart at the time; and the memory profits, as it renews and increases that impression. (Thoughts on the Revival, Part III, emphasis added)
Be released from application-driven preaching into heart-focused preaching. Pray that God would make an impression upon the hearts of your people to such a degree that application is the side-effect of a sincere love for God.
The aim of every preacher should be the difference between Shakespeare and Milton.
the difference is that after reading or seeing a Shakespeare play you want to sit down and discuss the glories of Shakespeare, whereas after reading a Milton poem you want to sit down and discuss the ideas and imperatives he has thrust at you.
The joyful burden of every preacher should be, not to have our listeners discussing the glories of our insights, but rather, to provoke their sincere engagement with the ideas and imperatives of Scripture!
Check out McCoy and Thorn’s SubText
