“Of about ninety-seven verbs used in the New Testament for communicating God’s truth — preaching in the broadest sense of the word — at least fifty-six are declarative . . . Our primary task is to make truth plain” (Motyer, Preaching?, p. 103).
Don’t Overpreach
“Who was it who said ‘we are called to give people to drink of the well of the water of life, but we are not called to make them drink from the bucket or chew the rope’?” (Motyer, Preaching? p. 99).
Which Means Preachers Must Plead
“The chief part of what we commonly call application is persuasion” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 232).
Led and Misled
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #140 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking …
Working on a Building III
Introduction Water brings life, and living water more so. We have spoken before on the importance of “assuming the center,” and one of the central ways to do this is to create a place where living water can flow. Water is a gathering force. The Text: “Afterward he brought me again unto the door of …
A Slack Hand
Scripture takes a dim view of a slack hand. “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: But the hand of the diligent maketh rich” (Prov. 10:4). This applies to all of us—men and women, boy and girls. It applies to every station of life—job holder, housekeeper, or student. One of the plain indicators …
Clean Gone Out of This World
This is a Table of grace. This bread and this wine are means of grace. But God has determined a spiritual law for the world. Grace is organic, and it grows and flourishes. Grace is alive, which is why it can multiply, according to its kind. Grace and peace can be added. Grace and peace …
Assembly Required
“The art of preaching is presentation . . . We would never put the ingredients of the cake on the table for our guests, but I have heard sermons like that” (Motyer, Preaching?, p. 89).
Application, Not Aiming At
“It is never judicious to make an application to any particular individual, and very rarely to a small and well-defined class. What is popularly called ‘hitting at’ some person or few persons will almost always do more harm than good” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 231).
On Not Preaching Switchbacks and Hairpins
[On “rightly dividing” in 2 Tim. 2:15] “Orthotomeo is a compound of ‘straightness’ and ‘cutting’. It only occurs elsewhere in the Bible in the Greek translation of Proverbs 3:6 and 11:5, in both places associated with the word hodos/”road”: to cut a straight road, like the Romans did, and like our motorways attempt! But however …