Preaching the Word in the Power of the Spirit
I had the opportunity this summer to preach to high school students at a Christian camp, which is always a great opportunity. On Tuesday night I proclaimed God’s Word to that group with anticipation and resolve but left that time wondering if I could have done more in preparation. While I know that the Word of God is living and active (Heb. 4:12) and never returns void but accomplishes God’s work (Isa. 55:10-11), it seemed there was more that could have happened in that moment. In some ways, it just felt absent of the power of the Holy Spirit. To use an older term, it seemed to lack unction.
A newer work on preaching I have been engaging with recently is entitled The Simplicity of Preaching: See, Savor, Say.1 It is a great work conceptually, focusing on our need as preachers to behold what is written in a passage in its exegetical detail, enjoy what we are seeing in the text, and from the overflow of our hearts proclaim those truths to our people with appropriate accuracy and affection. I completely agree that we need to see, savor, and say as preachers, that is the regular rhythm we must engage in.
And while this book speaks of the role of the Spirit in preparation and in the preaching moment, there is a bit more to be said. While I love the simplicity of these three terms, I would like to make it into three pairs for our consideration as preachers. And I want to say it in a way that makes the person and work of the Spirit central to our endeavors as preachers.
See and Seek
“My fear for us as preachers of the Word is that we are content to dig into the text and study diligently, but not encounter the God who is spoken of, who is revealing himself to us.”
Proclaiming the Word of God demands all of our mental energies. God revealed himself to us in his Word and it is our responsibility to mine out of that book what is there to be known according to the author’s intention. Scripture is inspired, inerrant, and infallible and we must think about its grammar and details in accurate fashion. We need to study to show ourselves approved workmen and see what is there (2 Tim. 2:15).
But not only do we need to see the details of the passage, we need to seek the God who is revealed in the passage. My fear for us as preachers of the Word is that we are content to dig into the text and study diligently, but not encounter the God who is spoken of, who is revealing himself to us. The Word of God was inspired by the Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21) and he illumines our understanding of Scripture (1 Cor. 2:12-13). So, when we study Scripture in preparation for delivering messages, we need to approach the task as one who goes to the Word that is Spirit-inspired, dependent on the Spirit to quicken our understanding and awaken our affections to what is seen there.
“As such, we as preachers must understand the Bible is not an end in itself. It is the means by which we know God (Jer. 9:23-24). We see what is in a text clearly and accurately with a single-minded pursuit, namely, to seek God.”
As such, we as preachers must understand the Bible is not an end in itself. It is the means by which we know God (Jer. 9:23-24). We see what is in a text clearly and accurately with a single-minded pursuit, namely, to seek God. One thing we seek after, that we may dwell with him, gaze upon his beauty and seek his face (Ps. 27:4, 8). Brothers, go to the text you aim to study and preach with a resolve to interpret accurately and also to seek the living God and encounter him afresh, worshipping him with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28).
Savor and Strive
We see what is there to be seen in Scripture with accuracy and truthfulness and we seek the God revealed in the Bible, and we do so to enjoy him and be transformed in his presence. In-depth study of God’s Word should produce in us a heart that says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25). We see God in his Word and recognize, “You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). Seeing and seeking should lead to savoring God, enjoying him in the fullness of his majesty.
“In-depth study of God’s Word should produce in us a heart that says, “Whom have in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25).”
And as we savor God for all that he is, reveling in his greatness and goodness, this transforms us. We behold the glory of God in his Word, and we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18). And the verse ends by saying this transformation comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. It’s in seeing and seeking and savoring God in his Word that the Spirit works change within us. In our study, the Holy Spirit will convict us of sin (John 16:8) and by means of the Word of God he will sanctify us (John 17:17; cf. Ezek. 36:26). We strive, by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, to live holy, loving, God-glorifying lives.
As preachers, we need to recognize that seeing exegetical and theological details with accuracy is necessary but not sufficient. We need to seek God with all of our hearts and, as we do so, have our affections stirred for him and recognize our own need of his transforming work in our lives. John Owen once said if the word does not dwell in power in us, it will not in pass in power from us. We are not above this process; we need fresh encounters with God in his Word and prayer that take us to repentance and faith in the gospel. Brothers, go to the text you are studying and pray that the Spirit would produce fitting affections and fruit in response to all that you are seeing.
“As preachers, we need to recognize that seeing exegetical and theological details with accuracy is necessary but not sufficient. We need to seek God with all of our hearts and, as we do so, have our affections stirred for him and recognize our own need of his transforming work in our lives.”
Say to Spread
As preachers we see, seek, savor, and strive so that we say the Word of God to a gathered people, the church, and they spread that word to others. When we come to the pulpit having encountered God through his Word and prayer in this kind of transformative way, we will speak the gospel “not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” (1 Thess. 1:5). We come proclaiming the truth of God’s Word “in demonstration of the Spirit and power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5). We want to speak with power in the Holy Spirit as we preach, and so all that leads up to that moment in our preparation is crucial.
And we speak in such a way that our people hear the Word, encounter God by means of His Word, savor the God that is revealed, are transformed, and then say the truth to others in their home, neighborhood, workplace, and the culture. We speak so the word of Christ can dwell in them richly and then they can teach and admonish others with all wisdom (Col. 3:16). The Word should reverberate from our midst to one another and into the world so that the gospel may do its powerful work (Rom. 1:16).
After this kind of study, a preacher cannot help but open his mouth and proclaim the God who is sovereign over all things. He will be compelled to make him known, to glorify Christ and speak of his wonders. We will have deep reservoirs of satisfaction in the triune God that emerge in life-changing proclamation, by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit. Brothers, proclaim Christ to make him known with exultation and to present your people mature in Christ (Col. 1:28-29).
We Must Seek Him
Our call as preachers is to see the Bible accurately, seek to encounter God by means of his Word, savor God with proper affections, strive by grace and the Spirit to repent and pursue righteousness, say with conviction what is there in the text, and see the Word spread from our church to the world. In all of this, we need to men who are desperate for God, dependent on God in prayer, and seeking for the power of the Spirit to work in and through us.
Luke 11:13 states, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Brothers, are we going through the motions of preaching, or are we seeking a greater filling of his Spirit (Eph. 5:18) such that we would see more of him, seek him more passionately, savor his glory, strive for growth, and then say and spread his Word with joy? Are we praying that God would move in us that he might move in his people? Will we posture ourselves that he would work in our lives?
“Brothers, it is worth it. We desperately need Spirit-empowered preaching in our day. Turn from sin, idolatry, weights, and distractions, pursue God in all of life. Make him absolutely central in all things. Look to Jesus, find satisfaction in him, and proclaim his glories. This is what will produce intimacy with God and power in our ministries.”
In his book Spirit-Led Preaching, Greg Heisler claims, “If our hearts are deeply convinced that apart from the Spirit’s empowerment our preaching and our message are powerless, then we will be burdened as a way of life with absolute dependence upon the Spirit of God for all things.”2 In other words, all that we are saying here does not just apply to our time in the study and the pulpit. If we desire to minister the Word with power we must shed weights and sins that cling closely and run the race of the Christian life at all times in dependence on God’s grace and Spirit, looking to him constantly in Word and prayer (Heb. 12:1-2).
Brothers, it is worth it. We desperately need Spirit-empowered preaching in our day. Turn from sin, idolatry, weights, and distractions, pursue God in all of life. Make him absolutely central in all things. Look to Jesus, find satisfaction in him, and proclaim his glories. This is what will produce intimacy with God and power in our ministries.
Dr. Jeremy M. Kimble
Professor of Systematic and Applied Theology, Cedarville University
Dr. Jeremy M. Kimble is passionate about teaching college and graduate students the truth of God’s Word. His hope is that through his teaching, students will grow in their love for God and others, rightly understand the grand narrative of Scripture, and apply theological truths to everyday life. Dr. Kimble is committed to teaching in the classroom, mentoring students, and speaking in church, camp, and conference settings. He served in pastoral ministry for eight years and is currently an active member and minister at University Baptist Church. Dr. Kimble's academic interests include biblical and systematic theology, ecclesiology, preaching and teaching, and the mission of the church.
