Reverberation - The Sermon

The Sermon Exposes
God speaks through us whenever we modestly and plainly relate whatever he already has on the bible. Expose it simply and directly. The preacher gives his hearers a chance at life only insofar as he succeeds in faithfully reproducing what god has already said. This is how Crossview preaches the Word and something I personally have grown the most from and I find most effective. Expositional - lays out the meaning and purpose clearly and reproduces it into the hearts and minds of his people and avoids letting anything of his person get in the way. It allows God's wisdom to set the agenda and not the preacher. It allows the preacher to learn with the congregation rather than limiting the congregation to what thereafter already knows. It requires both to learn about God as God has revealed himself and not a they want him revealed. It requires the preacher to preach the easy and difficult bits of the bible.

The Sermon Announces
....the amazingly good news of Jesus Christ. There are ways to do this: Thematic- threads that trace to Christ & Systematic theology- what does it teach about humankind, god, need for savior. We're interested in what God has done or has promised to do. Always include what god has done in creation and redemption. Self help teaching gets filled with moralism, they become nice and do good as a way of sanctification. Motivational preaching to become better, growth,change, love can only last so long versus gospel preaching that comes in demonstration of spirit and power, and real Change. Hearers cast themselves into the mighty and merciful god, they can do all things through Christ!!!!!

The Sermon Confronts
Throughout scripture God commands us to obey, listen, and repent. He confronts our self rule. He confronts us with His crown then our idols, pride, fear, pain, weakness, autonomy, self help, lies, false realities. There is amazing grace. We must be confronted again and again of our wrong allegiance and pointed to the better one. We're confronted with a needed rebuke or with comfort and assurance. Humans think they are the main characters of their own stories, that the universe is about them and morality is defined by them. However, gen 1 shows the universe wasn't made to serve them, and right and wrong isn't defined by them. They live in God's universe and they are utterly beholden to him and the glory of his name. Pleasure, healing, justification are on His terms.