Timothy George on Doctrinal Preaching

'In a handbook such as this which features models of contemporary preaching, it is not at all obvious that there should be a chapter on doctrinal preaching. Expository preaching, creative preaching, evangelistic preaching, incarnational preaching, narrative preaching, yes; but doctrinal preaching? The very word doctrine, like its cousins dogma and dogmatic, has fallen on hard times. For many people it connotes authoritarianism, intellectualism, and legalism. When applied to preaching it comes out rigid and stultifying rather than dynamic and edifying.

Yet despite those misconceptions, the recovery of doctrinal preaching is essential to the renewal of the church. The crisis of identity which engulfs contemporary Christianity, especially in the West, has resulted in large measure from the loss of a persuasive message clearly proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit. What does the church have to say that no one else can say?
What does the preacher have to say that the psychologist, politician, stock broker, or social commentator has not already said with more passion and insight than most pastors can muster even on Easter Sunday? The credibility of the church's proclamation will not be restored by acquiring new communication skills or devising better sermonic forms, as helpful as these may be. The answer is a preacher in whom the Word of God burns as a fire in his bones, one who must speak because he cannot keep silent, one who preaches with fierce humility ("Who is equal to such a task?" 2 Cor. 2:16, NIV) yet also with unstinted audacity ("Such confidence...is ours through Christ," 2 Cor. 3:4, NIV) in the certain knowledge that God Himself is speaking in the faithful proclamation of His Word. Or, as Second Helvetic Confession (1566) put it even more succinctly: "The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God." This is the burden of doctrinal preaching.

All sermons should have a strong doctrinal content, but there are many special occasions and preaching opportunities which lend themselves to a particular doctrinal emphasis. The following suggestions may be helpful in planning a schedule of preaching throughout the year.

1. Use confessions and catechisms to give a framework for doctrinal sermons. Some preachers, including even renowned evangelical ones, have been reluctant to follow this method. They prefer the sermon to arise directly from the Bible and not from human formulations, not even very good ones. However, it need not be either/or. After all, confessions and catechisms are derived from the Bible. They have no independent authority apart from the Bible, and they must always be tested by, and stand revisable in the light of, the Bible. They are deeply anchored in the history of particular faith communities and can be a useful device for passing on the faith intact to the next generation.

2. Preach on the grand events of salvation history throughout the church year. In Jesus Christ, God has redeemed not only individuals and the cosmos but also time itself. Christians celebrate this fact throughout the year by ordering their lives and worship around the events of Jesus' advent, birth, baptism, death, resurrection, ascension, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Preaching with the aid of a lectionary will bring these themes into focus for sermon preparation.

3. Prepare for the celebration of baptism and the Lord's Supper by sound doctrinal preaching. One of the great themes of the Reformation was the coherence of Word and sacrament. The "visible words" of God in bread, wine, and water should always be accompanied by thorough instruction. Such sermons need not be restricted to the administration of the ordinances. A message on the unity of the church would be especially appropriate for the Lord's Supper, just as the theme of discipleship would comport with the meaning of baptism.

4. Use great hymns of the faith to accent the theological content of the sermon. In the absence of consistent doctrinal preaching, hymns have often been the primary carriers of Christian meaning for many believers. They are best used, however, in concert with sound theological exposition. Who could not preach on the grace of God after singing Charles Wesley's "And Can It Be?" or on forgiveness after "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven?"

5. Show the importance of doctrine in the lives of great biblical and church historical characters. Doctrine has both a propositional and an incarnational dimension. It is the truth of God's Word distilled and applied to fallen and redeemed human beings, but it is that truth lived out in the flesh and blood reality of the people of God. To show how Athanasius staked his life on the doctrine of the Trinity, or how Luther struggled against the fury of hell for the doctrine of justification by faith, is to impress on the congregation the gravity and relevance of the faith once for all delivered to the saints.'

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http://www.founders.org/FJ27/article2.html