Theology That Bites Back
“The very first qualification for expository preaching is the recognition that we are guardians of a sacred ‘deposit’ of truth (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:12-14), trustees of the gospel (1 Thess. 2:4), ‘stewards of the mysteries of God’ (1 Cor. 4:1,2 KJV).”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 27
“The size of the text doesn’t matter, so long as it is from the Bible. What matters is what we do with it”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 26
Introduction: The Lord has been blessing our congregation in many striking ways. We have been growing in remarkable ways, and an essential part of this growth entails the inevitable growing pains. Quite a few of you just moved to our community just within the last year, and it may seem to you that you have …
In reality, ‘expository’ refers to the content of the sermon rather than its style. To ‘expound’ Scripture means to bring out what is in the text, to reveal it. The expositor opens what seems to be closed, makes plain what is confusing, unravels what is knotted, and unfolds what is tightly packed.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 25
Peter was a tall, intelligent and gregarious member of the church. He was a family man, and his family also seemed pretty interested and engaged in the life of the community. He was always there on the premises when expected, but when it came to theology he was never one for questions. He always looked …
The question sometimes arises of whether there is a difference between teaching and preaching. If there is, it is very minor. Jesus both taught and preached (Matt. 4:23) and the Apostle Paul described himself as both a preacher and a teacher of the gospel (Tit. 1:3; 2 Tim 1:11) . . . There was probably a good deal of overlap.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, pp. 23-24
Next week will be New Year’s Eve, and for the last letters section of the year, I will select letters to answer from the accumulation of two weeks. The reason for this delay is that you have better things to do on Christmas Eve than to read a letters section for a blog, and it …
Hank and his wife Suzanne were one of the most active couples in the church. They were leaders in their home-schooling circle, and had been instrumental in getting many parents in the congregation to take their educational responsibilities seriously. In addition to being charismatic and hard-working, they were attractive people, and their young family would …
Introduction: In the light of all the foregoing, we should therefore not be surprised when we find that we must affirm the goodness of the material world. This should be obvious, but tragically ...
“A low level of Christian living is due, more than anything else, to a low level of Christian preaching.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 22
