A Brief Recap of the 9Marks Preaching Conference
The 9Marks Expository Preaching Conference (September 22-23) included seven sermons, each followed by a panel discussion about how the preacher prepared and delivered his sermon. The goal was to instruct the attendees in the art and science of expository preaching.
Below you will find:
- A brief recap of the discussions
- A brief recap of the sermons
- Links to some additional resources
Brief Recap of the Discussions
Don’t let sermon preparation be merely an intellectual exercise. It is important to feel the text yourself before you deliver the text to your people.
During the sermon, physically point your people to the text so they can see it for themselves.
Let the shape of the text determine the emphasis of the sermon.
Applications should not merely entertain. They should concretize the author’s argument.
Christianity is the most “two-eyed” religion, meaning it views the world as it truly is, not with one eye closed.
Listen to good expository preachers to learn. Ask what they are doing in their sermons and why, what’s effective and what’s not. Don’t imitate their personalities but emulate their skill and faithfulness.
The main point of your text must be the main point of your sermon. But remember that it takes work to determine what is the main point of your text. Don’t assume you know what it is until you’ve done the work to find out.
In your preparation, interrogate the text. Answer every question you can think of about it.
There is a place for topical preaching, but exegetical preaching should be the main diet.
Scripture is the place to go for God’s take on things.
If you don’t believe in the sufficiency of scripture, you won’t believe scripture is what your people need. Therefore, it will undermine your preaching.
We need expository leadership as well as expository preaching. It is contradictory to preach God’s word but lead your church by business practices. We must show the sufficiency of scripture all week.
In your effort to preach and lead by scripture, don’t neglect prayer. In Acts 6:4, the apostles devoted themselves to both.
Asking which is more important, prayer or the ministry of the word, is like being in an airplane and asking which wing is more important, the right or the left.
Preach the word with all patience.
Use questions to lead the congregation to application.
Use other scriptures to prove what you’re saying in your sermon where necessary but be careful. Each new text you introduce takes the listeners out of the primary passage and can overwhelm them.
Don’t use additional scriptures just to adorn your sermon.
Beware of waiting until late in the sermon to reveal your main point. It is usually best to state your main point early and let all your subpoints reinforce it.
Try to put things as simply and memorably as you can.
Everything in the sermon should serve the argument you’re making, which means there will be a lot of good thoughts left on the cutting room floor.
Notice how Paul advances his argument with leading questions.
If you’re naturally good at illustrating, beware of over-illustrating your sermon. Always ask, “Does it serve the main point?”
Be careful with humor in your preaching. Some are naturally humorous (Luther and Spurgeon). Others are not (Calvin, Edwards, and Lloyd-Jones).
Often people use humor as a cheap, easy way to connect with the audience. But we want to connect with them over our shared passionate response to the word of God.
It’s not always wrong to use humor in your sermon, but it usually is.
There’s an important difference between enjoyment and edification.
Your people will not have another hour like this all week. They’ll have plenty of entertainment out there in the world. But they will not receive God’s word like this in any other venue. Take it seriously.
Try to match the emotional tone of the text you’re preaching.
Brief Recap of the Sermons
Sermon One: Exodus 40 (David Helm)
Pastors, do you know what you’re doing? It’s important that you figure it out. Without this “determinative principle,” you’ll be tossed around by the pressures of your people’s preferences and our godless culture.
From Exodus 40, see that your primary job is preaching Christ and pursuing holiness.
- What God told Moses to do (v.1-16)
He was to place the ark—the place of meeting with God—as the first fixture in the tabernacle and anoint it and the priests for holy service.
- What Moses did (v.19-33)
He did everything “as the LORD commanded” (v.7). He finished the work (v.33).
- Effect of what Moses did (v.34-38)
God took up residence with his people, culminating the entire book of Exodus. God’s glorious presence, forfeited in Eden, was regained—but not fully.
Full restoration of God’s presence with his people would come about much later through Jesus Christ. With his sacrificial work on the cross, the work was truly finished (John 19:30). Moses built the tabernacle, but Jesus is building the church for God to fill with his glory (Hebrews 3:1-6). Moses anointed the ark and the priests with blood. Jesus anoints his people with his own blood.
Because of all that Jesus has done, the pastor’s job is to proclaim Him and continually pursue holiness.
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Sermon Two: Psalm 4 (Omar Johnson)
Christians should live as though God is alive, rejoicing not because life is good, but because He is good.
In trials, trust that the living God listens to the pleas of his people and works to sustain and satisfy them. Psalm four gives us four actions to take toward this end.
- Pray (v.1)
You show what you actually believe about God in your praying.
Pray specifically enough to know when it’s answered.
Pray scripturally, linking specific scriptures to your specific prayers.
Pray steadily. Your prayers should persist as much as your problems persist.
- Repent (v.2-3)
- Worship (v.4-5)
Worship is what we do on Sundays, but it is also what we refrain from doing Monday through Saturday. For example, though there are often legitimate reasons to be angry, there are never legitimate reasons to sin.
- Rejoice (v.6-8)
There is no reliable source for joy other than God.
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Sermon Three: Daniel 1-6 (Mark Dever)
The book of Daniel is not about “daring to be a Daniel.” It is about trusting God during trials and opposition.
- God is our only hope
Daniel’s integrity did not preserve him. God, the only true sovereign of this world, did. Daniel is an example of faithfulness, but that’s not the point of the book. Just the like moon can only shine because it reflects the sun, Daniel could only be faithful because of God’s faithfulness. The most important character in Daniel is not Daniel, but God. The most significant faithfulness portrayed in Daniel is not Daniel’s, but God’s. That means that we share Daniels hope.
- You can survive
No worldly circumstances should drain our hope. Note that Daniel survived longer than the kings that ruled over him. All of God’s opponents will eventually fail.
- You will face opposition
This world does not always reward righteousness. Daniel continued to face persecution to the end of his life. Don’t expect utopia here.
Unrealistic expectations harm us; realistic expectations arm us. Commitment to God’s glory will normally bring suffering in this world. But you will never meet a trial that will outlast you.
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Sermon Four: Nehemiah 8 (H. B. Charles)
The battle for the Bible used to focus on inerrancy. Now it focuses on sufficiency.
Many pastors claim to believe in the Bible’s sufficiency yet turn to everything else instead.
We must get back to the basics before it’s too late.
Spiritual change occurs by the proclamation of God’s word.
A congregation is only Christian to the degree they are regularly confronted and shaped by God’s word.
Nehemiah 8 gives us four markers of a “people of the book.”
- Strategic gathering (v.1-2)
This gathering of thousands was a grassroots movement, yet fully united “as one man.”
The laity ordered the clergy to “bring the book.” The pew was as committed to the word of God as the pulpit.
If your church is troubled, pray for their desire for the word of God. Pray they will begin to assemble yelling “bring the book!”
The Bible is not man’s word about God. It is God’s word to man. The nature, character, and authority of scripture is rooted in the nature, character, and authority of God himself.
- God-centered reverence (v.3-6)
Ezra read for 6 hours to the people as they stood in the square.
Spiritual reform requires time in the word. Read it, teach it, exhort from it. Don’t let other stuff crowd out time for the word.
But it was more than intellectual reception of the truth. It was worshipful. They built a pulpit. They stood, their physical posture reflecting reverence. And their sound doctrine resulted in singing hearts. Their deep conviction led to high praise.
Pastors, you are not only teachers, you are worship leaders.
- Faithful exposition (v.7-8)
If you get expository preaching right, the rest of the marks of a healthy church will follow.
Either God will do it through his word, or you’ll wear yourself out trying to do it through your own strength.
Nehemiah 8 mentions “understanding” 7 times. God wants his people to understand his word. Hearts are changed when the mind is taught.
Pastors, let the text drive your preaching and teaching in both its content and intent. If you don’t, something else will drive it instead. You will preach either by exposition or imposition—imposing your own content and intent upon the scriptures.
- Obedient response (v.9-18)
They responded with weeping, rejoicing, and immediate obedience. People of the book demonstrate obedient attitudes and actions upon receiving God’s word.
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Sermon Five: Mark 4:1-20 (Ben Lacey)
People will respond to the word in varying ways. Understanding this will help you avoid discouragement in ministry.
- Some will hear and immediately deny it (v.3-4; 14-15)
Satan undermines the work of God by undermining the word of God.
- Some will hear and later disown it (v.5-7; 16-19)
They may get baptized, become church members, and even evangelize, but when the heat comes, they will decide that it’s not worth it after all. Whether it is because of persecution from the world or the pleasures of the world, these people eventually leave Jesus.
Heat exposes what has roots and what doesn’t.
- Some will hear and delight in it forever (v.8-9; 10-13; 20)
Pastors, herald the word. In heaven, no pastor will look back feel this work was a waste of time.
Even if you don’t see immediate results, keep at it. As someone said, “the seed may lay in the ground until you do before it starts sprouting.”
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Sermon Six: Romans 7:7-20 (Justin Perdue)
The law is good.
- The goodness and holiness of the law in its greatest use (v.7-13)
We would not be able to see our sin without the law. The law exposes sin. It shows the depth of our sin and drives us to Christ.
- The corruption of the flesh and the mercy of the Lord (v.14-20)
“The old man floats” (Martin Luther). Our old man is dead, but still exerts influence over us.
Pastors, presume your congregation loves God and wants to obey, yet battles with the corruption of their flesh. Like you, they are weak and lament it.
We all live in this paradox. Our flesh loves sin; our new nature hates it.
Jesus endured law’s curse and fulfills law’s promise. In Christ, it is as though we’ve never been sinners in God’s eyes.
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Sermon Seven: Revelation 5 (Trell Ross)
Lead your people to worship the Lamb who is a Lion.
Revelation 5 offers three snapshots of the future.
- The unveiling we’re going to see
- The one who is able to reveal
- The worship we will join
2 Responses
Matt, what a great review! I am printing it and studying it again and again. Thank you for the work you put into this and for all you do. Let me know if I can support your work in any way. God bless you. TG
Thanks TG, we appreciate you coming to the conference and your service in the region.