“The word ‘text’ is from the Latin textum, meaning woven. This suggests that as the sermon ‘text’ is woven into the whole fabric of the Scriptures, it must not be torn out of its connections and relations with the rest of Scripture. It also suggests that the ‘text’ must be woven into the whole fabric …
No Kidding
“A preacher must have a systematic plan of regularly reading through the whole Bible, with a portion from both the Old and New Testaments being read each day” (Murray, How Sermons Work, p. 17).
Sent for Edification
“God does not send messengers who confuse and bamboozle his people with displays of their learning — or their lack of it” (Murrary, How Sermons Work, p. 13).
And You Don’t Call Yourself
“A man can be gifted without being called and sent, but a man cannot be called and sent without being gifted. God supplies both the calling and the gifts to fulfil that calling” (Murray, How Sermons Work, p. 13).
What God Doesn’t Do Isn’t Done
“Supernatural work must be done by a supernatural power . . . This unction gives to the preacher liberty and enlargement of thought and soul — a freedom, fullness and direction of utterance that can be secured by no other process” (Olyott, Preaching That Gets Through, pp. 22-23)
A Scalpel, Not a Club
“Powerful preaching is like surgery. Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, it locates, lances, and removes the infection of sin” (Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p. 95).
Keeping Euclidian Dust Bunnies Out of the Sermon
“Edwards . . . believed in the importance of theory, but he also knew that abstractions kindled few affections, and new affections were the goal of preaching” (Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p. 88).
The Text As Platform, Not Diving Board
“Preaching that proclaims God’s supremacy does not begin with Scripture as a basis and then wander off to other things. It oozes Scripture” (Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p. 86).
And Not the Other Way Around
“A preacher must burn and shine. There must be heat in the heart and light in the mind” (Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p. 84)
A Straight Line to the Pulpit
“You can’t be something in the pulpit that you aren’t during the week — at least not for long” (Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p. 60).