Preaching with transformation in mind

It's good to be reminded that preaching is intended to change lives. So here's a tip of the hat to Chris Meirose for pointing me to Mark Batterson's assertion that, in preaching, "irrelevance is irreverence":

The key to unforgettable preaching is packaging truth in ways that are biblically sound and culturally relevant. Let me borrow from the parable of the wineskins. Think of biblical exegesis as the wine. Think of cultural relevance as the wineskin. If you have one without the other, you’re not going to quench anybody’s thirst. You need the substance (biblical exegesis) and the container (cultural relevance).

If we divorce Biblical exegesis and cultural exegesis we end up with dysfunctional truth. It doesn’t do anybody any good. Either we answer questions no one is asking. Or we give the wrong answers.

That's worth remembering. I'm reminded of an older article by David Mains on "Killer Applications":

The 66 books of the Bible are not primarily informational. They expect people to do something—to live a life worthy of the Lord, for instance—to obey the commandments; to look after the poor and the powerless; to honor the covenant; whatever.

All too frequently, however, sermons fail to make clear the response being called for. Because of this failure, a listener can seldom answer the question, "In what way will I be different as a result of hearing this message?" . . . .

Few ministers have been taught to think in terms of "how-to's," and frankly, these are seldom found in the biblical text.

Of course, it's easy to take relevance too far. At bottom the Word itself is inherently relevant; God will provide the relevance. But these two articles have helped me, at least, to remember that the Word should be preached with the lives of hearers in mind.