Exercise all the Preaching Muscles

Whatever muscles you exercise will be your strongest muscles. I remember growing up watching professional wrestling. The well balanced wrestler stood up with a solid muscular build the top of the head to the bottom of the foot. Other wrestlers in worse shape appeared to have never seen the inside of a gym.

But there were wrestlers who had arms that were rock solid showing that they had diligently worked their biceps. However their bellies showed that they couldn’t remember the last time they completed a sit up or crunch. These wrestlers did not have a balanced approach to their exercise routine.

Preaching Both Good And Bad News

Now on to preaching. You ever heard a preacher who is an expert at the bad news. She or he knows how to examine and describe the intricacies of that bad news. This kind of preacher knows who is going to hell. This preacher can define clearly what you ain’t doing right. This preacher can tell you what you are doing wrong, but they doesn’t tell you who you need to run to for salvation.

When it is time to celebrate, they can’t do it, and they end up just forcing it either copying a close from the internet or just simply increasing the volume.

This importance of Good News in Sermon Construction is fundamental to Frank Thomas’ homiletic as taught in his works like, “They Like To Never Quit Praising God.” I encourage you to take a look at his works and how the Good News can drive and guide the sermon construction process. Click Here for more information.

Ok, but What is going on when I don’t exercise the “Good News Muscles” as well as the ‘Bad News Muscles?” It is the same principle. What you exercise is what you will strengthen. If you never celebrate the good news, then your preaching will become as dry as the hills of Gilboa. Or even worse, it may become a mean spirited attack on the sinner.

This is a very common problem.

No Bad News Might Mean Not Being Real

Let’s be honest though, only looking at the Good News without ever seeing the bad news can be problematic as well. The reality of living in a fallen world must be a part of your preaching. If you never address this reality, then your preaching will become unrealistic as it loses touch with the people you are trying to reach with the message of Jesus.

The answer? Give due time to the reality of the real world. When people talk about relevant preaching they are talking about this. They want you to preach to real issues. Show how the text you carry addresses real contemporary issues. Show how the text you carry points to a Jesus who is still “God with us” in the real issues of life.

Read that closely. Not just Us with God…but God With US.

But back to the main point. Don’t you dare lose the good news. Because as soon as you lose the good news, you lose your reason for preaching. Exercise all the muscles so that they all will be strong. The muscles of your understanding of the good news and the muscles of your understanding of the reality of the bad news. Then when you celebrate, you are celebrating the good news overcoming the bad news in the real world.