“It is the word of God that keeps the church alive, directs and sanctifies it, reforms it and renews it. Christ rules and feeds his church through the word of God.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 21
Ain’t What She Used to Be
“The sofa was of the old gray mare swayback school of design, and from somewhere within the cushions, de profundis, cam a groan from Robert P.”
As Opposed to Expecting Nothing and Getting It
“It can thus be said that ‘a true sermon is a real deed.’ We enter the pulpit with a word in our hands, heart and mouth, and this word has power. We should expect results.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 21
A Different Angle
“Even creeps have hopes, dreams, aspirations. Even creeps have a story and perhaps a brief moment in their toddler years when they were cute.”
A Word That Does
“The Bible presents many pictures of the power of God’s word. It describes it as sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating our mind and our conscience (Heb. 4:12). Like a hammer, it can break stony hearts; like fire it can burn up rubbish (Jer. 23:29). It lights our path, shining like a lamp on a dark night (Ps. 119:105). Like a mirror it shows us bother what we are and what we should be (James 1:22-25). It is compared to a seed leading to birth (James 1:18), to milk causing growth (1 Pet. 2:2), to grain that nourishes whereas straw does not (Jer. 23:28), to honest which sweetens and to gold which enriches its possessor (Ps. 19:10).”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 20
The Overshare Challenge
“Shannon thought her mother was shouting the word impotence and looked up at her second use of it to see that Chad the waiter was right there, right on time, to take their order. He stood there, looking as solemn as a judge, for which the girls were thoroughly grateful. He attended a small charismatic church in the area, and for him, dealing with overshare was a way of life, an art form.”
His Word Does
“When God speaks, he acts. His word does more than explain his action; it is active in itself. God achieves his purposes by his word (Is. 55:11).”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 19
So to Speak
“Michelle’s grandmother, a grand dame of the old school in Mississippi, would have said that Michelle was about to go stepping in high cotton.”
Permanent Word
“Grasping the truth that God still speaks through what he has spoken protects us from two opposite errors. The first is the belief that God’s voice is silent today. The second is the belief that what God is saying today has little or nothing to do with Scripture. The truth is that God speaks through what he spoke”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 19
And Probably Ponderosa Bark
“They were within walking distance of a number of upscale eateries and had no trouble picking out a little bistro with espresso and ferns, the kind of place that served exotic little art sandwiches with bark still in the bread”