“The kind of God we believe in determines the kind of sermons we preach.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 13
A Theology of Christmas Presents (1)
Introduction: During this Advent season, I want to spend some time in a series of messages working through a theology of Christmas presents. Quite a number of you are going to be spending quite ...
The Secret
“The secret of preaching is not mastering certain techniques but being mastered by certain convictions”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 12
Starting in This Sanctuary
“Our greatest need, as the Reformers kept insisting, is the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that the living God is the Lord of history. We should ask him to push back back the forces of unbelief and thank him for what he is doing already around the world.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 11
The Food Is Not Hot Because Nobody Cooked It
“Finally, it is important to remember that preaching and worship cannot be divorced. The fact that they are so often separated today accounts for the low level of much contemporary worship. All worship is an intelligent and loving response to the revelation of God. Our worship is poor because our knowledge of God is poor; our knowledge of God is poor because our preaching is poor. But when the word of God is expounded in all its fullness, and the congregation begins to glimpse the glory of the living God, they bow down in solemn awe. It is preaching that accomplishes this. That is why preaching is unique and irreplaceable.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 9
The Importance of Breathing the Same Air
“God himself supplies the best visual aids. He wants the pastor to be a visual aid to the congregation (Tit. 2:7; 1 Tim. 4:12). He also wants the congregation to be a visual aid to the watching world, indeed to the whole universe (Matt. 5:16; Eph. 3:10-11). Virtual images projected on screens are no substitute for real people and loving communities” ().
John Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 8
That He Who Runs May Read 3 (Habakkuk 3:1-19)
Introduction: God is good and God is sovereign, and in addition we must never forget that He is good all the time, and sovereign all the time. In our passage this morning, we begin with a staggering display of His sovereignty, and the passage ends with Habakkuk able to rest in His goodness. The Text: …
Two Sides of the Same Man
“Authority and humility are not mutually exclusive.”
John Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 4
The Source of All True Authority
“We need to remember that our authority to preach does not come from our appointment as preachers, not from the church that ordained us, but from the word of God.”
John Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 4
Both of Which Should Stand in the Pulpit
“The mind is free only under the authority of truth, and the will under the authority of righteousness.”
John Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 4