Preach The Word

Chuck Swindoll: Declare the truth as you have been built to declare it. Explanation of the meaning and the application of Holy Scripture. It is the most effective method of getting knowledge from the page of the Bible into the hearts and minds of the believers.

Aaron: As a preacher, Pastor Chuck Swindoll absolutely loves his study days. And if you are at all like that, you know it is not a burden but a joy to just immerse yourself in your research. But if you are not careful, all that study can cause you to preach in a foreign language behind the pulpit and diminish your ability to communicate.

And that is why I want to share this great tip from Chuck that has allowed him to harness all that information so that it elevates his ability to preach. Before we dive in though, I want you to hear from Chuck himself on the why behind all his hours in the books.

Chuck Swindoll: My desire in communicating is to accurately present the scriptures in a clear and unmistakable manner, free of code talk, free of inside nomenclature so that anybody can understand it. And we can all see its significance and value in our lives.

Aaron: Great. Wonderful wisdom from Chuck. Real quick, though, my name is Aaron Massey and it is my joy and privilege to serve at Insight for Living and to bring you the content in this special series to help you preach the word.

And now here is Chuck's tip for harnessing all that time in your books. Study with your listeners in mind.

If you do not know, Chuck wrote an excellent book on preaching called *Saying It Well*. And I want to share with you what he writes about it from his book. He says,

Chuck Swindoll: As I prepare, I always keep the uninitiated in mind. I do not have to do much explanation for the serious student of the scriptures. I do not preach to seminary professors. They might benefit from the application, but I do not have to explain the Lord's use of cup or baptism.

They already get it. The uninitiated on the other hand, need more and more help as our society becomes increasingly more ignorant of the Bible. We can no longer afford to assume that people know their Bibles.

Aaron: And in my opinion, I would say this is Chuck's number one tip when it comes to the mechanics of sermon preparation. Because if no one can understand you, your preaching is literally useless.

Of course, your time and your study is necessary and biblical. Paul wrote, "work hard so that you can present yourself to God and receive His approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." That is 2 Timothy 2:15.

And in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 13 through 15, Paul tells preachers to throw themselves into the task of scripture reading, encouragement, exhortation, and teaching.

Useful preaching depends upon a lot of study. But if we do not perform this task with the right aim, then it fails to be an act of love. And the right aim is clarity.

And that is why Paul asked the church in Colossae to pray for him to preach Christ as clearly as he should. Colossians 4:4.

An essential way for you to make your study time an act of service is to do it with your listeners in mind. It is to be asking, "Do they need to know this? How can I help them understand this? How can I put this in concrete terms? How can I make this interesting? How can I say this so that they instantly get it?"

Now I want you to hear some more of Chuck's thinking on this. So here is another clip from Chuck when he was preaching on Colossians chapter 4 verse 4.

Chuck Swindoll: That is why Paul says, "Help me to make it clear. Help me guard against using words that will be offensive or confusing or over their heads."

CS Lewis writes, "Any fool can write learned language, the vernacular is the real test. If you cannot turn your faith into it, then you either do not understand it or you do not believe it." I like the way that sounds. If your words are so confusing and so high and mighty, you do not really believe them, you are just mouthing empty words.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon put it well, "Christ said, 'Feed my sheep, feed my lambs.'" Some preachers, however, put the food so high that neither sheep nor lambs can reach it. They seem to have read the text, "Feed my giraffes."

You are not giraffes, you are sheep. I am a sheep. So I deliberately keep it at the base level. Not to insult you, as a matter of fact, that is a compliment. I do not want you to miss one main word of what we are reading.

Aaron: Whether it is for 5 or 10 or 15 hours, studying is like climbing up this high mountain. But your climb was not on this straight and easy path. You had to zigzag, you had to hit dead ends, and then forge your way to the top.

And then when you preach, it is like you are standing at the top of that mountain, and you want your listeners to join you up there and enjoy the scenic views. When you study with your listeners in mind, as you translate what you are learning into simple and clear language that anyone can understand and relate to, when you do that, it is like you are cutting a straight and clear path for your listeners to reach you at the top of the mountain.

And the more you do that for them, the easier it is for them to get there. In short, it is Chuck's love and respect for his listeners that makes him so effective in this area.

I mean, despite his incredible skill, despite his remarkable gifting, he works so hard to help people really get it. In fact, even after he has done all of his studying, after he has carefully crafted his detailed outline, while he is reading through his sermon notes, he is still keeping them in mind.

Listen to what he writes in *Saying It Well*.

Chuck Swindoll: While reading through the notes, I will pause occasionally and ask myself, "Is this clear? Does it make sense?" I put myself in the listener's place and I wonder, "Will he or she get the point?"

If I have doubts, I return to my study and I rework that part. I have this constant drive to connect with my hearer. I never forget the folks who are uninitiated.

Aaron: And our hope for you with this video is that you will never forget them either. Studying is necessary, but it is not sufficient. You want to study with your listeners in mind so that you preach with clarity. And your listeners will love you for it.

To end, we want you to hear one more clip from Chuck on this that reflects his heart and attitude toward his listeners.

Chuck Swindoll: 19 steps in my home lead from the first floor to the second floor, and my study is on the second floor. Taking those 19 steps, I find myself more motivated and excited as the years pass.

Now here is the reason, because in every ministry I have ever served, there have been people who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And some of you are here right now, right now, listening to what I have to say.

You have no idea how you fuel my fire. You have no awareness, I am sure, of how you motivate me to take that flight of stairs every day of my life, to dig into the scriptures because I know you want to know what is this saying, and how can I use this in my life. You are hungering and thirsting for righteousness.

And I want to say two words, "Thank you. Thank you." Thank you, that is more than two, but they are the same words. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for hungering. Thank you for staying thirsty.

My sister gave me a book years ago, I was in the Marine Corps, she sent it to me overseas, and I got it and right in the front, she had written the poem, "Whom have we, Lord, but Thee, Soul thirst to satisfy, Exhaustless spring, the waters free, All other streams are dry."

Aaron: So that is it for this video. Again, I am Aaron with Insight for Living, and it is our privilege and joy to serve you as you lead God's people and preach his word. Before we go, let me point you to a few resources.

First, be sure to like this video, subscribe to our channel, and check out our Preach the Word playlist where we are posting Chuck's best insights on this important calling. And second, if you do not own a copy of Chuck's book on preaching, *Saying It Well*, we highly recommend it. It is his preaching memoir that is also like his practical preaching manual. And you will not be able to put it down.

Third, Insight for Living has a section on our website for church leaders where you can find hundreds of articles and sign up for our weekly email bringing you an insight from Chuck. One week, you will get a technical tip for preaching, and the next week you might get a biblical principle for shepherding. Find all the info you need in the description. Thank you so much for listening. Preach the word and say it well.