“All I say is, if we would be simple, there must be order in a sermon as there is in an army” (Ryle, Simplicity in Preaching, p. 9).
On the Imputation of Motive
Imputation is a glorious part of our salvation. Through imputation, God credits us with the complete and untouchable righteousness of Jesus Christ. His obedience is reckoned as ours. There are times and places in our lives where we are invited to imitate Him in this—imputation occurs in every wedding, for example. But there are many …
An Adverb, Not an Adjective
We are instructed in Scripture to examine ourselves as we come to this Table. But because we are instructed to do so, we must also follow instructions in the way we do so. “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood …
On Not Baffling the Flock
“But if, on examination, they can neither find the sermon in the text, nor the text in the sermon, their minds are perplexed, and they begin to think the Bible is a deep book which cannot be understood” (Ryle, Simplicity in Preaching, p. 8).
And Some Do It Without An Anesthetic
“I think a preacher should never take a text and extract from it, as a dentist would a tooth from the jaw, something which, however true in itself, is not the plain literal meaning of the inspired words” (Ryle, Simplicity in Preaching, p. 8).
Promoting the June Bugs
To be a Christian acid-washed by the bleach and pumice of modernity is to be a Christian conscripted by the regimented cool, and to be issued a washed-out denim uniform—one which might be considered appropriate camo-gear for that upscale coffee shop, the better to allow a demythologized and deracinated faith to blend right in—and so …
We Are Not Preaching Where It Is Not Needed
“For we are not treating of public religious address for the seraphim, but for the sinful children of men; and we shall commit a grave error, if we assume that the eternal and righteous truth of God, as a matter of course, must fall like blessed genial sun-light into the corrupt human heart, and make …
Now There’s a Pro Tip
“If you want to attain simplicity in preaching, take care that you have a clear view of the subject upon which you are going to preach . . . If you yourself begin in a fog, you may depend upon it you will leave your people in darkness . . . Never choose a text …
Useful Simplicity
“I ask all my readers to remember that to attain simplicity in preaching is of the utmost importance to every minister who wishes to be useful to souls” (J.C. Ryle, Simplicity in Preaching, p. 4).
Wisdom and the Wise: Themes in Proverbs 1
Introduction: As we begin a short series of messages on “themes in Proverbs,” we begin with the topic of wisdom—wisdom and the wise. This book is part of what is called the Wisdom Literature of Scripture, and so in one sense everything the book teaches falls under the heading of wisdom. But I want to …