“The preacher’s first, and the most important task is to prepare himself, not his sermon” (Lloyd-Jones, Preachers and Preaching, p. 166).
And the Name of the Disease is Sin
“The symptoms may vary tremendously from case to case, but the business of the preacher is not to medicate symptoms, it is to to treat the disease” (Lloyd-Jones, Preachers and Preaching, p. 134).
Tell Us What You Really Think, Martyn
“Lastly, and only lastly, Homiletics. This to me is almost an abomination. There are books bearing such titles as The Craft of Sermon Construction, and The Craft of Sermon Illustration. That is, to me, prostitution. Homiletics just comes in, but no more. What about preaching as such, the act of preaching of which I have …
Logic on Fire
“What is preaching? Logic on fire! Eloquent reason! Are these contradictions? Of course they are not. Reason concerning this Truth ought to be mightily eloquent, as you see it in the the case of the Apostle Paul and others. It is theology on fire. And a theology which does not take fire, I maintain, is …
Look Lively There
“I refer to the element of ‘liveliness’. This underlines the fact that seriousness does not mean solemnity, does not mean sadness, does not mean morbidity. These are all very important distinctions. The preacher must be lively; and you can be lively and serious at the same time” (Lloyd-Jones, Preachers and Preaching, p. 87).
Can’t Give Away What You Don’t Have
“When I say zeal I mean that a preacher must always convey the impression that he himself has been gripped by what he is saying. If he has not been gripped nobody else will be” (Lloyd-Jones, Preachers and Preaching, p. 87).
Not Your Own Man
“The second element I would emphasise is a sense of authority and contol over the congregation and the proceedings. The preacher should never be apologetic, he should never give the impression that he is speaking by their leave as it were; he should not be tentatively putting forward certain suggestions and ideas. That is not …
Preaching Headlong
“The first is that the whole personality of the preacher must be involved. That is the point, of course, that was brought out in the well-known definition of preaching by Phillips Brookes, that it is ‘truth mediated through personality’. I believe that is right, that in preaching all one’s faculties should be engaged, the whole …
The Preacher and His Notes
“Our Lord God wishes himself to be the preacher, for preachers often go astray in their notes so that they can’t go on with what they have begun. It has often happened to me that my best outline came undone. On the other hand, when I was least prepared my words flowed during the sermon” …
The Rule of What You Can’t See
“It is remarkable that God has committed to us preachers the ministry of the Word for the ruling of men’s hearts, which we can’t look into. But this is the office of God, who says to us, ‘Preach! I shall give the increase. I know the hearts of men.’ This should be our comfort, even …