Preaching with compassion for brokenhearted people
A hospital visit early in Chris Philbeck’s ministry shaped how he prepares and delivers sermons. He argues that preaching is not only about sharing God’s words but reflecting God’s heart—especially compassion for people carrying heartbreak and burdens.
- A formative encounter with a grieving family helped shape a lifelong approach to sermon preparation and delivery.
- Jesus’ preaching shows diversity of style, but is consistently marked by compassion for people in need.
- Preachers are called to speak with clarity and also with the gentleness and humility that reflect the heart of God.
By Chris Philbeck
Every honest pastor will tell you there are individual moments that shape their lives and ministries.
My first experience with one of those moments came early on in my first full-time ministry. In May of 1980, I was hired as a youth pastor at a church in Houston, Texas. One day, not long after I began, we received a call from a church in Amarillo asking if someone from the church could visit a young man from their church who was receiving treatment at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research. So, I wrote down the name of the young man, got in my car and drove to the Houston Medical Center where M.D. Anderson was located. I got the room number from the receptionist and headed for the elevator. When I got to the room, I found the young man, his pregnant wife, and his parents.
To this day, as I type these words, I can remember the heaviness that hung in the air when I entered the room. I introduced myself and explained why I was there. They were cordial and appreciative but, again, there was just an indescribable heaviness in the room. I learned that he was being treated for leukemia and had come to M.D. Anderson to be part of a trial treatment plan. He and his wife had been married a little less than two years, and their baby was due in a couple of months. I stayed for about 30 minutes, prayed with them, and left. But I carried the heaviness of the room with me, and not just for the rest of the day. I’ve carried it with me through my entire ministry.
Let me explain. When I was a 21-year-old youth pastor with nothing more than a summer internship and a weekend youth ministry on my resume, I knew that life could be filled with heartbreak and trials. But I had never seen it (or felt it) in such an up close and personal way. And it’s something I never forgot.
I spent just 18 months in that youth ministry. The deep desire of my heart was to preach, so when I got the opportunity to plant a church in a Houston suburb, I took it. And when I faced the challenge of writing sermons every week, I remembered that hospital visit. I remembered the heaviness of the moment, and it helped shape every aspect of my preparation and delivery. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (New International Version). If that verse reflects the heart of God, it should reflect our hearts as well, especially when we preach. Preaching is a sacred task and responsibility because when we speak we not only share the words of God, but we should also reflect the heart of God.
Compassion as a defining mark of preaching
When you study the preaching of Jesus, you see a lot of diversity. Jesus used parables to teach truths about the kingdom of God, about loving others, and living a life of faith. Jesus asked questions and then used those questions to teach deeper truths that led to deeper faith. Jesus explained and clarified Old Testament Scriptures, and on some occasions, Jesus addressed topics in a straightforward manner. You could make the case that Jesus was a narrative preacher, an expository preacher, and a topical preacher.
But regardless of the style, Jesus’ preaching was characterized by compassion. He felt compassion for the crowds (Matthew 9:36), he felt compassion for the sick (Matthew 14:14), he felt compassion for the grieving (Luke 7:11-13), and he felt compassion for the outcast (Luke 7:36-50). Jesus had his moments of being harsh and even condemning when he spoke to the Pharisees about their hypocrisy and legalism, but a clear characteristic of Jesus’ ministry, including his preaching, was compassion. In fact, my favorite “picture” of Jesus in the Gospels is found in Matthew 11:28-30, where he says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus knew his audience, he knew their need, their broken hearts. While writing this column, I was reminded of a quote H. A. Ironside once shared with his seminary students: “Always preach to broken hearts and you will never lack for an audience.” Not only does that quote never go out of style, but it also becomes even more powerful in a church world with celebrity pastors (how sad is that) and pastors who often see themselves as CEOs more than shepherds.
Jesus’ first recorded sermon is found in Luke 4:14-20. He went into the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, stood up, and read these words from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted” (The Living Bible). Jesus came into the world to heal the brokenhearted. He did that with his message and with his life. Let’s get both right. Let’s preach with clarity about the love of God, the promises of God, the forgiveness of God, the presence of God, the comfort and peace of God, and so much more. And let’s preach with the compassion Jesus showed people during his earthly ministry.
Earlier I cited Matthew 9:36 and the compassion Jesus felt when he saw the crowds that accompanied his public ministry. That word compassion has the simple meaning of being moved deeply in your inner being. It’s caring enough to “feel” the need. When that’s part of our lives, it will be part of our preaching. My 30-minute encounter with a brokenhearted family 45 years ago taught me that, and it’s a lesson I never want to forget.
Author: Chris Philbeck
Chris Philbeck serves as senior pastor of Mount Pleasant Christian Church in Greenwood, Indiana. He has been in ministry since 1980 and has had the privilege of planting a new church, leading a turn-around church, and now leading a megachurch. Chris is passionate about biblical preaching, effective leadership, and developing new and better ways for the local church to make an impact in the community and the world.
