“A sermon had better have too much salt in it than too little” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 227).
Which Is No Fun
“We have all listened to preachers who, we felt, were more interested in blacking eyes than in comforting hearts and tenderly directing lives” (Motyer, Preaching?, p. 25).
Another Sourcebook
“The Pilgrim’s Progress with its strong sense and homely simplicity, its poetic charm and devotional sweetness, is so rich in the choicest illustration that every preacher ought to make himself thoroughly familiar with it, and to refresh his knowledge again and again through life” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, pp. 225-226).
Go Thou and Do Likewise
“Of the thirty-seven or so references [in Acts], six associate growth with the quality of church life and of Christian character, seven link growth with the evidence of ‘signs and wonders’, and twenty-four link growth with the preaching of the Word of God — indeed in 12:24 the growth of the Church is actually called …
Working on a Building I
Introduction As you know, our desire is to build a sanctuary that is more conducive to worship than the temporary quarters that God has graciously given us up to this point. Because we want every aspect of our lives to be governed by Scripture, this means that we must turn to Scripture for guidance and …
And to Breathe
“Preaching is a speaker-hearer relationship, and the preacher has to learn to give the hearer space to listen” (Motyer, Preaching? p. 11).
The Face of Jesus Christ
We honestly have very little idea what Jesus Christ looked like. We worship Him as the visible image of the invisible Father, and yet we do not know what that visible image looks like. What kind of visible image is that? We know what the paintings of Him look like, and they generally all have …
State of the Church 2014
Introduction It is our custom to have a “state of the church” message every year around this time. Sometimes the message has to do with the church nationally, and other times the point is more local, pertaining to our own congregation. This year I want to focus on this congregation, and the point of this …
A New Way of Being New: Christmas Eve 2013
The Spirit of God was upon Jesus, and with Jesus, from the very first moment of His human existence. “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall …
His Brothers Shall Return
During Advent, I have been preaching through a series of messages on the Lord’s family — Joseph first, then Mary, and then His brothers and sisters. The outline for the sermon yesterday had been done since Wednesday, and in that message I was pointing out how the Lord’s brothers did not believe in Him until …