John Ortberg, pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, is probably my wife Amy and my favorite preacher. 
He is funny, winsome, biblically sound, practical, and clear. I was at Willow Creek’s midweek New Community service last week and people cheered when they announced John was coming back to guest teach again August 2nd. He is deeply loved there by the people he taught for years.
We have recently listened to two outstanding sermons by him. You can find his sermons here. He 3/05/06 sermon "An Ordinary Day with Jesus" is practical and thought provoking. It is based on the adult curriculum of the same title.
His next one on 3/12/06 "The Church on Monday Morning" is also incredible. It is about the people of the church getting out and making a difference for good in the community. It is inspiring!
In neither one does Ortberg focus on one specific text. And yet his theology is good and it is practical. Amy and I have been taught to focus on one text in preaching and we teach our students to do the same. And here our favorite preacher isn’t! Cognitive dissonance – oh no!
I would explain it this way. In these two sermons, Ortberg briefly outlines the biblical principles that could be exegeted from many passages and focuses his sermon on fleshing out application. You could look at them as long application sections of an expository sermon where the exposition is assumed!
There is a place for these topical sermons but a congregation needs a steady diet of Scripture or they will depend on the preacher and his whims. But if you want to hear good topical sermons, listen to these two. They come highly recommended.
2 replies on “Two Outstanding Ortberg Sermons without a Text”
I read the note that John Ortberg is biblically sound. I’m having a problem with some of his teachings. As an example, I’m especially troubled on page 207 of THE LIFE YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED. Mr. Ortberg is all excited about a man who mentioned “the Christ-thing which has no name” that is within a person. Supposedly God said this. Doesn’t God know Jesus’ name? Or is God talking about somebody/something else that is within? What is “the Christ-thing”? If anybody knows, it’s OK to e-mail me at lynn@sayyestojapan.org.
Andy:
Interesting analysis on John Ortberg’s preaching style. After a while of not hearing the Word directly preached, I long for it. Think evaluation of the topic comes down to at a minimum the following topics. I would be interested in hearing your opinion on the matter.
1)Whether verses like “the Word of God is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword . . .” and “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for . . . that the man of God may be adequate and equipped for every good work” are equally applicable to teaching and living biblical principles if the Scripture is not read or spoken. Does the Word have the same impact if it is represented only, as it would if it was directly preached / spoken?
2)Given the last chapters of Deuteronomy and Joshua 1:7-9 that talk about keeping the Word and the consequences of keeping it or not keeping it and given the ever present theme in Psalm 119, represented by verses such as “I shall hide Thy Word in my heart that I might not sin against Thee,” and “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”, is godly living possible without direct knowledge of the Word? Is it possible if Scripture is presented as principles only? Even the Word Made Flesh used Scripture as the sword of the Spirit when tempted in Matthew 4.
3)Romans 10:17: “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” What is the importance of the spoken / written Word to coming to saving faith in Christ? You’ve doubtless heard the statement that the Word “will not return void” used to defend the importance of sharing the Word in evangelism. Can the Gospel be preached effectively without quoting Scripture?
I’ve been favorably influenced by John Ortberg material both at a conference and by one of his books. Want to read If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. Intend to listen to the Monday morning sermon.