Jesus was the great master evangelist. It is His life that has inspired every attempt at evangelism. Save for Jesus, there would be no evangelists. He was the master, and set the standard. He led the way. And it is His way that still commands the respect of the throngs. His methods still attract the attention of the multitudes. They are tried ways. Twenty centuries have failed to produce more efficient methods. This proves the faultless sovereignty of His labors.
Three men who made an uncanny adaptation of the Master's principles were Wesley, Finney, and Moody. A close analysis of their sermons reveals the methods they used in preparation of a sermon. The secret of Finney's outstanding success was undoubtedly his utter submission to the Holy Spirit, his faultless logic, and his unanswerable argument. Moody's paramount characteristics were his burning earnestness, his simple faith in the Bible, and his impassioned appeal. Wesley, on the other hand, was noted for his unquenchable fire for God, his high and holy ambitions, and finally his deep and soul-stirring contrition and humility. But the heart of all their sermons was Jesus and His atonement. Each sermon contained but one idea, carefully developed and supported throughout by Scriptural passages. These ideas were illuminated with apt illustrations, and then brought home to the hearts of the listeners with tender and persuasive appeal. This is a safe pattern for the modern evangelist.
Christ's Sermon Pattern
SIMPLICITY.—How sublime are the records of Jesus' service as the greatest of all evangelists! The poorest of all heard Him gladly, and the greatest thinkers of His time were moved by His message. Probably the most fundamental part of all was the utter simplicity of His message. This is most essential for us to adopt. He put His words in the simplest and most easily understood form; still He dealt with the most profound truths of life and death, time and eternity. He was a teacher of little children, but one whose gracious words gripped and held multitudes in silent and absorbed attention. He could fit His message to every prevailing circumstance—to the busy housewife, he rough soldier, the philosopher, and the skeptical scholar.
The ministry of Jesus involved the eternal destinies of men; so does ours. Jesus could not afford to be misunderstood; neither can we. Consequently, we must seek earnestly for the simplicity and clearness which characterized all that Jesus said. If we intend to win men to our truth today, we must give our message clearly and with definite power. The evangelis tic sermon must positively adhere to the laws of clarity and unity. There must be no muddy doubts, no confusing theories, no foggy specu lation. There is no style of evangelistic preaching more effective than that of simplicity.
HOLY SPIRIT.—The power of Jesus must first of all be attributed to the ever-present Paraclete, or Holy Spirit. Indeed we find the baptism of the Holy Spirit stressed in every message. No matter if it be to the busy throngs, to the countless multitudes, or to a lonely figure in the night, Jesus' message was simple, direct, and positively impressed by the Holy Spirit. We shall have a degree of success in our work only as we individually triumph with our Lord through this provision.
LOVE.—The power of Jesus was dependent, second, upon His message. The sermon that moves is produced by a life that is subdued by love. If we have a message that moves our own lives, and if we present it in simplicity, we shall indeed bring the attention of the world to our message. If we are unswervingly loyal to the fundamental truths of the Son of God, if we do not permit ourselves to be swerved from our course, then this message cannot fail to impress the souls of others.
EARNESTNESS.—In delivering His sermon Jesus never once lowered the dignity of His impressive personality. He was always earnest; sometimes He was profoundly impassioned. There was no levity or lightness in His manner, no trifling with great subjects. Still, He used occasional humor and sometimes irony, but He never offended His audience. Probably the most notable method He employed was conversation. His delivery was forceful, appealing, personal, and conversational. This method of conversational presentation of truth indicates the basis of the popularity of Jesus. This is why Jesus was the master of His audiences.
CONVICTION.—In order to produce a sermon of conviction, the evangelist must positively feel His call to the work as definitely as Jesus had the unshakable conviction that He was called. The words He was about to give were not His own; they were God's. He was never an extremist. He never based His sermons on the sensational. They were timely and drawn from the situations around Him, but they were never unbalanced. His appeals were always compassionate. He threw His entire life into His sermon. He was "moved with compassion." "Jesus wept."
Jesus was entirely free from fear. He was not prosy, stiff, and reserved. In His sermons He presented details of life that He had keenly observed. From these observations He drew His illustrations. This was the Master's method of producing soul-winning sermons.
IMAGINATION.—In His sermons Jesus dis played an amazing imagination. They were vivid in context and sublime in adaptation. He was no idle dreamer, but displayed supremely practical conceptions.
POSITIVENESS.—Jesus was positive. He did not engender doubt. His sermons did not display the slightest indication of uncertainty. He believed in what He said. He did not suppose, or think that possibly His message was true. He knew!
BURDEN FOR SOULS.—In order to save a soul, we must have a burden for souls. Men can tell at once if the evangelist is genuinely in earnest for their salvation. Christ's interest in men was a consuming passion. He was sincerely interested in those for whom He labored. Their helplessness stirred Him to deeds of mercy. His appeal was ever heart-stirring because He sincerely loved them, and in the delivery of that appeal He was intensely personal.
He was supremely sympathetic to every appeal made to Him. The weary, sinful, oppressed, and hopeless knew that His sermon was meant for them. He was endeavoring to impart courage to them. They knew it! How I would have loved to hear Him preach! Every sermon was marked by infinite tender ness.
The Real Secret of Every Sermon
Ellen G. White says of Jesus, "Every glance of the eye, and every feature of the countenance, was marked with humility, and expressive of unutterable love." That is the real secret of the preparation and delivery of an evangelistic sermon. All of us, as underevangelists, would go far today if we would strive to ac quire the gentleness of persuasive speech. This must come from a truly gentle heart. The prime essential, then, of all evangelistic work today, which is to be modeled after His divine example, is that the heart and the life be so completely surrendered to Him that they will be fully controlled by Him.
DYNAMIC.—What the preacher is will always influence His ministry. If the preacher's experience is dynamic, his preaching will be dynamic. It is this dynamic personality that will command respect and receive attention. It was the directness of Jesus that was a most valuable element. His sermons were direct and did not ramble. Even His sermons showed that He was approachable. He was genuinely friendly. What Jesus taught was only what He was. The most effective sermon to the congregation is the one that the evangelist has already preached to himself. Let us linger with our message until it becomes ours in living experience. We will then move men Godward as did Jesus.
CURIOSITY.—In presenting the evangelistic sermon one should never overlook the powerful appeal of curiosity. Jesus most aptly used this method. This is one element that is sure to secure attention. Arouse curiosity with the very first word.
PERSONALITY.—Of course, the most appealing attention provoker is the evangelist's own personality. When one begins to talk he should arouse the attention of every listener. Jesus demanded attention by the use of words as "Hearken," "Behold," and "Verily, verily, I say unto thee." It is very plain that the character of the first word determines much of the attention we get. The attention is held by plain statements, an uncompromising attitude, and words of authority. One who is vague in speech and imprudent in action will find difficulty in holding the confidence of the masses very long.
ILLUSTRATIONS.—Another method of holding attention throughout the entire sermon is to use striking figures of speech. Obvious analogies are bound to produce interest. As an il lustration, Jesus spoke of prophets in sheep's clothing but with hearts as ravening wolves. Thus the evangelist who can express truth in clear, straightforward, beautiful language has a great advantage over the evangelist who cannot.
The successful evangelist will use illustrations drawn from surrounding circumstances that the people understand well. He will be loath to use book illustrations. To a sermon that is well prepared these illustrations will be the leaven and an invaluable aid. Knowledge that is fresh, inclusive, systematic, and clearly conceived gives evangelistic power to its possessor.
The evangelist should never become content with his present attainments. He should never rest in his efforts to learn and use the very best methods of reproducing his message in the lives of his hearers. No preacher has the right to allow his own personal idiosyncracies, peculiar mannerisms, and repulsive habits to impair the effect of a message that comes from God. The evangelistic sermon must be true and coherent. It must be a perfect rendition of God's message. It must be simply but earnestly delivered. We are not wandering in the mists of doubt. We are not confused with uncertain ties and questionings. We have a message to give. Humanity soon wears out; the message will endure. The man must be secondary to the Holy Spirit. Other elements in successful evangelism are training, education, development, and organization.
—To be concluded in April
