This short book is primarily aimed at preachers of God’s Word, and yet the instructions are valuable for every faithful follower of Christ. Christopher Ash opens the book by speaking to discouraged preachers who might doubt from time to time whether their weekly toil in sermon preparation is really worth it. After all, in today’s modern world, preaching is considered by many to be an outdated form of communication and learning, some remnant of a puritanical past, with little relevance for today. With online Bible Study tools, countless recordings of sermons to watch and rewatch on one’s own time, daily release of podcasts and theologically bent blog posts, is preaching as effective as it once was? Ash argues convincingly “Yes.” Not only is the preaching of God’s Word to the gathered assembly still the most valuable and effective form of discipleship among the people of God, it is effective in this way for no other reason than that God has ordained it to be so. As Ash says, “Indeed, the weekly gatherings of the local church to hear the preached word should be understood as the primary dynamic and driving force of church life, alongside the gatherings for corporate prayer” (99).
The book is composed of three chapters (plus an appendix which functions as a fourth chapter). Each chapter is rooted firmly in God’s instructions provided by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, and then supplemented with a systematic overview from all of Scripture to support his points.
Chapter 1 – The Authority of the Preached Word
In chapter 1, Ash sets out to lay a biblical foundation for the authority of the preached word. “My thesis in this first chapter is that we must listen today to the voice of the Christian preacher because he is the prophet in our generation as Moses was in his”(16). Ash is not trying to say that modern preachers function in the exact same way as Old Testament prophets, for the Old Testament prophets spoke the very words of God. Nevertheless, the prophet in Old Testament Israel had a higher and more important role than even the King. Kings sought the counsel of the prophets precisely because the prophets were masters of God’s Word, and effective living embodiments of God’s Word to such a degree that they could be trusted to provide godly counsel and wisdom in a way that no other person, no matter their rank or position could.
Ash therefore makes the historic and important case that preaching is the central “and most excellent” part of the pastor’s work. Quoting Charles Simeon, “God himself speaks to us by the preacher,’ and that ‘If (preachers) preach what is founded on the Scriptures, their word, as far as it is agreeable to the mind of God, is to be considered as God’s” (21). Ash supports this bold statement by looking primarily at the pattern originally laid down in Deuteronomy but continued throughout the entire life of God’s people. The entire book of Deuteronomy is essentially Moses, the prototypical prophet, preaching the covenant word of God to the assembly of God’s people. The written word has been given to God’s people, praise God! But it is the written word preached that God so chosen to be the regular diet of sanctification in a believer’s life. “Neither the written word alone, nor the prophet alone, is sufficient, but rather the written word preached” (27). This is why the Apostle Paul, after writing the magisterial letter of Romans, could say, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome” (Rom 1:15). The Word of God (Paul’s letter to the Romans) was and is authoritative, but it is the Word of God preached that is uniquely powerful to transform.
“…[T]he usual instrument by which God wields this authority is the preacher. So the question is this: is the preached word also the word of God? The Bible is the word of God; but can the sermon be the word of God? The answer must be: ‘Sometimes’” (38). This is why the Apostle Peter writes that those who speak should “speak as one who speaks oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11), and why the Second Helvetic Confession stated that the “preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God.” The Confession goes on to clarify, “Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still true and good.” This kind of language is lost in most modern evangelical circles, but it is historic language used throughout the history of the Church. It does not mean the preacher is a prophet in the same way as Moses, for the authority is not in the man himself, but rather is a borrowed authority from the written and completed word. Nevertheless, that borrowed authority is real. Preaching is uniquely authorized by God to accomplish God’s ordained purposes. It must not become second-tier, or considered lightly either by church leadership or the Christian in the pew.
Chapter 2 – Preaching that Transforms a Community
In chapter 2 Ash, once again drawing from themes discovered in Deuteronomy, reveals four themes regarding preaching:
- The reality of God
- The stubbornness of people
- The urgency of faith
- The wonder of grace
First, the reality of God. Moses had an all consuming sense of the awesome reality of God. Moses’ God was not small, nor was he to be trifled with. He is jealous for own glory. He is a consuming fire. Moses therefore preached with an overwhelming sense of this unavoidable reality. Moses understood the pagan cultures around him, and confronted their idols head on with the clarity of Scripture. “He knows about the seductions of money, sex and power in Egypt (which is why he warns the King against them in Deut. 17:14–20). He knows about the sexy Asherim and the virile Baals in Canaan. He has read their prospectuses; he sees their advertisements. He knows what they offer. He has seen how they are worshipped. He understands their prosperity gospel. He knows they too promise ‘life and good’, and all sorts of very real bodily blessings, but they cannot perform what they promise. And so in his preaching Moses engages with the culture surrounding the people to whom he preaches” (51).
Second, the stubbornness of people. Over and over again Moses preemptively anticipates the stubborn hearted response of his listeners. Moses continually uses the phrase “Do not say…” “Do not say in your heart…” “Beware lest you say…” Moses says this because he knows what their hearts will do with the poignancy of God’s word, they will find some way to resist. Idols are so deadly precisely because they latch onto the heart and deceive us into thinking our idolatry is in fact faithfulness. Faithful preaching therefore must pull apart these syncretistic tendencies. It must call people up and out of idolatry that leads to death and towards worship of the one true and living God that leads to life.
Third, the urgency of faith. Moses regularly uses the phrase “Today…” Or “This day…” Their entire future depends on what they do on “this day.” The decision to follow God could not be put off to some future simpler time. Moses preached with a sense of the existential crisis that would occur should the Israelites fail in obedience. Ash does well to demonstrate that we cannot depend ‘today’ on decisions we made ‘yesterday.’ “the litmus test of whether I really chose yesterday is that I will again make the same choice today. Otherwise the choice I say I made yesterday was a shallow and spurious choice and an empty profession of faith” (59). Faithful preaching must call for decisive movements of faith today.
Fourth, the wonder of grace. Moses sets before the people of God two choices, life and death. And then he instructs them to “choose life.” To ‘choose life’ is simply to believe God’s covenantal promises that would ultimately culminate in the work of the Messiah. Moses therefore, with all of his law, was a preacher of grace! What Moses saw hazily, looking forward to the promises that lie ahead, we see with clarity as we look backwards to the promises as they are fulfilled in christ. We must preach grace with confidence. Every sermon must be rooted and abounding in the grace of Christ.
Chapter 3 – Preaching that Mends a Broken World
Lastly, in chapter 3, Ash picks up the very important discussion of the people of God, as a covenant community, and the power God has invested in them. The question is asked in this chapter whether there are not more pressing ways to heal a broken world, than one man preaching to an assembly of believers. After all, if there is violence in the streets, is not an after school program of greater importance than a Sunday gathering? “Are we not, as one sceptic put it, ‘Fiddling in Bible land, while Rome burns’? Isn’t what we’re about as preachers simply irrelevant to a broken world?” (77).
When Moses preached, he did so before the “assembly” of the people. All God’s people assembled together to hear the Word of God preached. All God’s people together made a decision to obey and to live as a covenant people. “Preaching, properly understood, cannot be done by telecommunication, but only in assembly” (80). For this reason, the great new movement of Christians that do not seriously belong to a Church body, but either float occasionally between churches, or simply watch sermons independently on their own time at home, is not God’s design. All through the Old Testament, God’s people are called to come together in an “assembly” (qahal in Hebrew) for the preaching of God’s word (Deut 1:1, Deut 31:10-12, 1 Chron 13:5, 1 Chron 28:8, etc).
True worship will lead to “assembling” while false worship leads to “scattering.” “From Babel onwards (Gen. 11:1–9) human pride has brought upon itself the judgement of divine scattering. I build my tower with me at the centre and you build your tower with yourself at the centre and so there is bound to be war. In the absence of the unifying voice of God, all we are left with is the divisive babble (Babel) of our own voices” (84). What an important theological reminder for today’s people of God who are saturated in individualistic thinking. If we want to offer worship to God that he accepts—like Abel and not like Cain—we must do so in the context of community, where we learn together, we grieve together, we rejoice together, we sing together, we mature together, we fall together, we rise together, all under the authority God as written in His Word and as preached by His preacher. All of these pieces fit together in the New Testament Church. This New Testament vision of the Church, as the assembly of God’s people, is the hope of the world. There is no greater work we can do to heal our communities, to bring peace to the streets, to end gang violence, to end fatherlessness, to speak into depression, anxiety, and loneliness, than for the people of God to gather in the assembly, and to submit themselves to the preached word of God.
Final Words
I loved this short book. While it was aimed at preachers, it is a helpful introduction to the heart and authority of preaching. Many of the themes found in this book were once upon a time considered basic and introductory for most Christians, but today they are unfortunately uncommon. Many Christians reading this book will be surprised by the way that preaching is described especially in chapter 1. But that is precisely why this short book is so important. In a simple and accessible way, it introduces the reader to ancient themes that must be restored.
I also would encourage pastors of all stripes to get their convictions in order when it comes to these topics. Do we believe in the authority of the preached word of God in the same way our forefathers believed? If so, are we committing ourselves to this work with the same passion, direction, and clarity? Do we believe preaching to be the greatest tool of discipleship available to the church today, or do we see it as one tool among many, or worse yet, a blunted tool that is not particularly potent for today’s people.
Oh may God restore a true biblical vision of preaching to God’s people.
