The Content of Our Preaching
It is an awesome and fearful thing to be a preacher. But God speaks through His word and if we are not preaching His word then our people cannot hear the voice of God. If I preach the writings of other Christian authors they may hear my word, or Piper's word, or MacArthur's word, or Calvin's word or somebody else's word, but they will not hear God's word unless we preach God's word. The content of our sermons must be zealously, decidedly, unapologetically, intensely biblical.
Listen to me here ... if I took a collection of very good Christian writings ... for example,
Calvin's Institutes
Luther's Bondage of the Will
Hodge's 3 volume systematic theology
the 2 volume collection of Edward's writings
all the extent writings of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
and any other writing you would care to name ...
If you took all these writings and read them with understanding ... you would possess a superior theological education. Yet, a single page of scripture is of more value to your soul than all the above named writings combined! Why? Because all scripture is inspired by God.
And when we step up to the sacred desk and preach, when we preach scripture we preach the inspired word of the Living God. It is the Spirit and the word that bring life. Nothing else we can preach (else meaning other than the bible) can equal this one all excelling book. O Preacher! Take scripture to heart then take it to your people. Everything else is just .... everything else.
It is an awesome and fearful thing to be a preacher. But God speaks through His word and if we are not preaching His word then our people cannot hear the voice of God. If I preach the writings of other Christian authors they may hear my word, or Piper's word, or MacArthur's word, or Calvin's word or somebody else's word, but they will not hear God's word unless we preach God's word. The content of our sermons must be zealously, decidedly, unapologetically, intensely biblical.
Listen to me here ... if I took a collection of very good Christian writings ... for example,
Calvin's Institutes
Luther's Bondage of the Will
Hodge's 3 volume systematic theology
the 2 volume collection of Edward's writings
all the extent writings of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
and any other writing you would care to name ...
If you took all these writings and read them with understanding ... you would possess a superior theological education. Yet, a single page of scripture is of more value to your soul than all the above named writings combined! Why? Because all scripture is inspired by God.
And when we step up to the sacred desk and preach, when we preach scripture we preach the inspired word of the Living God. It is the Spirit and the word that bring life. Nothing else we can preach (else meaning other than the bible) can equal this one all excelling book. O Preacher! Take scripture to heart then take it to your people. Everything else is just .... everything else.
posted by John | Monday, July 14, 2008
1 Comments:
Amen and Amen. Oh the countless nights I have stayed on my knees, with my Bible opened, asking the Spirit to teach me, so that I might share it with those I have preached to.
Commentaries and books are good, but When it comes to standing behind the Pulpit, we'd better be Spirit-led.
Paul W. Foltz DD
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