Preaching for a Verdict
An
outline on “preaching for decision”
I. Some Theological roots of "Preaching for a
verdict."
1. Creation. God created humans with “free will,”—we have
the freedom to decide.
2. Fall. In the Garden, Adam & Eve used this free
will to decide to disobey God.
3. Depravity. Since the Fall, the
human will has been "depraved".
That is, our will, while still free, is biased toward disobedience—as
Augustine observed, we are free to chose right, but we
seem freer to choose wrong.
4. Prevenient
grace. God's enlightenment preceding
salvation is called "Prevenient grace"
which enables us to respond to God and receive salvation in spite of our bias
toward disobedience due to the Fall.
5. Salvation. God's plan of salvation includes a provision
for us to decide—to believe, confess, repent, receive—these
acts spring from our darkened wills enlightened by prevenient
grace. (As important as the will is, the decision itself does not save us, God
does; but He does not do it against our will, thus our decision is a
pre-requisite.)
6. Sanctification. God's plan for the sanctification of His
people—their spiritual progress in Christlikeness—also
includes the exercise of the individual's will... spiritual progress is no
automatic, but occurs as the believer decides to submit to God's grace
and refuses to reject God's work—God changes us as we willfully submit to His
work.
7. THUS... since neither
our conversion nor any progress in sanctification occurs without the action of
the will, preaching which does not call for a verdict—call for decision—will
result in little salvation of souls nor the spiritual progress of the church...
This is the theological reason why we "preach for a verdict" and
"call for decision." It is not a mere "method" we use which
changes with the culture. Though methods
of response may change over time, preaching for a verdict is an essential part
of preaching itself... in a sense, "The whole sermon is the altar
call."
II. Yet, calling
for a decision is still difficult—Why?
1. The _privatization of religious experience.
2. The danger
of decision — (the negative strengthening of
the will.)
3. We feel personally rejected when they don't respond.
4. It looks “judgmental” to the culture.
5. We don't want to look
like Jimmy Swaggart.
6. It does not fit the
“therapeutic model”
7. We react to our own past bad experiences with altar calls.
8. Our subtle shift
from “salvation” to “help” in the use of the altar.
9. A doctrinal shift in dominant mode of spiritual
progress to “gradualism.”
III. Some Decision Devices
(Listed
in decreasing difficulty for respondent.)
1. Stand up right where you are. Stay standing.
2. Stand and come forward to the altar
(counseling room).
3. All standing, to respond, you sit down.
4. All eyes open, raise hand, keep
it up.
5. All eyes open, raise hand.
6. Head bowed, raise hand.
7. Heads bowed, catch
my eye.
8. A decision to delay.
I’m going to think about this during
the week.
I’m going to talk to somebody this
week.
I’d like to talk to the pastor this
week about this.
I confess my need, but I am not
ready to decide yet…pray for me.
9. Some of you are deciding right now.
IV.
How to give a traditional altar call.
1. Prepare message toward the altar call.
2. Determine the “decision device.”
3. Visualize the process as you pray.
4. Preach toward the decision throughout the
entire message.
5. Get off at the first exit.
6. Don’t buy it back.
7. Transition physically.
8. “Sit down in the storm.” Begin low, continue slow, rise up higher,
catch on fire, sit down in the storm.
9. Start familiar music without a fuss.
10. Give a clear call—neither mushy nor a chain
of pearles.
11. Bow heads…sing, etc.
12. Usually give a between-the verse “second
notice.”
Presented at the
Expository Preaching class of FLAME
August 11, 1995, Keith
Drury