“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #143 “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same …
So Quite Flaring Your Plumage
“Whatever savors of display is exceedingly objectionable in a preacher, and particularly at the outset” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 255).
Judas and Jesus
As I have been preaching through 2 Samuel, I have pointed to what I regarded as a reverse type of Christ, which was the death of Absalom. You have two sons of David, one faithless and the other faithful (thus “reverse”), but who both died hanging on a tree, both pierced by a soldier, and …
Strangers in Your Midst
Introduction: From the beginning, the Christian faith has been at home in cosmopolitan settings. This has worked in two basic ways. One is when God’s people are living together in a way that truly honors God, and He blesses their land. When this happens, others are attracted to that blessing, and they want to come …
A Clean Conscience at the Table
As you have been told a number of times, this is not a Table of introspection and morbid confession. Confession is relevant to what we do here, but it should not be what we do here. You wash up before you come to the Table, but the Table is not the designated place for washing …
What God Stretches
As we marshal our resources, as we count our shekels, we want to remember what the biblical definition of prudence is. We want to be prudent in our how we raise money for our sanctuary, but we don’t want to be so prudent that we are tempted to think we could do something like this …
Don’t Outrun Your Own Headlights
“If the preacher is greatly excited at the outset, the audience usually are not, and he had better restrain himself, so as not to get beyond the range of their sympathies” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 255).
One Is Quite Enough
“The introduction should generally consist of a single thought; we do not want a porch to a porch” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 254).
Showing Without Showing Off
“Beauty and eloquence should be added to make things even more clear, not more impressive” (Galli & Larson, Preaching That Connects, p. 144).
Don’t Circle the Airport
“It’s especially frustrating for a congregation to hear a second finally” (Galli & Larson, Preaching That Connects, p. 129).