4 Convictions of Biblical Preaching in Youth Ministry
All Scripture is breathed out by God.
- Preach the Bible expositionally. Make the main point of the text the main point of your sermon.
- Don’t tamper with God’s Word.
- Read Scripture publicly.
Scripture is understandable.
- Never dilute or diminish the language or intent of passages in the Bible. Explain the context, but never hold back truth from your hearers for fear of them not understanding. The Holy Spirit serves as the interpreter and applier of God’s Word in the hearts of people.
- The Bible always points to Christ, so we must always point to Christ.
Scripture is useful.
- The Word of God is useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. God’s Word is not only for first-century Christians—neither is it only for people in certain walks of life.
- Don’t be overly creative, just preach through passages of the Bible.
Scripture is efficacious.
- The efficacy of God’s Word means that it can produce the desired and intended result (Romans 10:17; John 8:31, 17:17). There is no need for us to add a fancy spin to our preaching, but rather to preach the Word in boldness and confidence—trusting it to produce fruit.
These notes were compiled by our pastors during prep for our Iron on Iron student ministry conference. Click the link below to hear all of our previous sessions:
Communicate what God communicated…
Say what the Word is.
Show what the Word is.
Shepherd where the word is.
Biblical preaching is our anchor and pillar of ministry.
Not under my possession, but my stewardship… Take responsibility, but not ownership. This is not your ministry! We exercise oversight, serving as overseers. Serve those we lead. An anomaly in our world. Serving stewardship prevents us from lording or domineering over our flock.
Paul referred to an obligation in Romans, but also blessed…Don’t devalue the gift.
God doesn’t need us, He spoke through bushes and donkeys!
Pastors need a strong spine, but we can also never become unconfrontable.
Be worthy of imitation, as Paul sought to be.
Need an enlarged view of Scripture and the task, but diminutive view of yourself.
Christ is referred to as the Chief Shepherd here! The master shepherd. Helena the sheep and the under Shepherd (us).
2 Timothy 4:8
labor for the reward! Biblical as long as it is in the right sense. Seek the approval of the Lord. We have already received Christ as our reward, author of salvation. Can look forward to Christ as the perfector and finisher of our faith.
This was likely Paul’s last letter from Philippians prison.
YOUTH MINISTRY CONFERENCE: IRON ON IRON
March 2025