The Man Who Preaches

The point: Prayerfully read Spurgeon's, Bridges', Clowney's, and Newton's works on the call to ministry if you have uncertainty about your own call, face difficulties, or struggle to plead God's promises for sufficiency.

A man unsure of his appointment as an envoy cannot speak with confidence for his king, illustrating why a preacher needs a settled conviction of his divine call.

in Galatians 1, 15, and 16, when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace to reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the heathen. Notice again that personal element of a settled conviction of his own individual call to the office of a preacher. This is so essential for a man unsure of his appointment as an envoy or an ambassador cannot speak with confidence on behalf of his king. The Apostle could say as he did in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God himself did beseech you by us. We beseech you in Chri...

2:56 - 4:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Prayerfully read Spurgeon's, Bridges', Clowney's, and Newton's works on the call to ministry if you have uncertainty about your own call, face difficulties, or struggle to plead God's promises for sufficiency.

A soldier duly inducted trusts his country for equipment, while one unsure of his call is crippled, showing how a preacher's doubt hinders trusting God for necessary equipage.

he barriers to true success. Every time he faces a barrier, he begins to wonder, well, am I in this business by divine appointment anyway? And the man who is unsettled as to his call will be continually looking back over his shoulder at the path behind him whenever he faces roadblocks in the path before him. And also, a man unsure of his call will find it difficult to trust God for the necessary equipage.

4:01 - 4:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first essential ingredient is an expanding, varied, and original life with God, which ensures that preaching flows from present experience, not just past memories. This is…

Comparing love poems written during courtship, after five years, and after twenty years of marriage illustrates how a relationship deepens and expands, and how preaching should reflect an expanding, present relationship with God, not just sentimental flashbacks.

And our Lord goes on to say, a good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, bringeth forth good things. So if a man would have good things upon his lips, he must seek to have a good treasure in his heart. And I would like to describe that treasure as an expanding, varied, and original life with God. For that principle, that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh, is not negated simply because a man stands behind a desk, called the pulpit. Now, he must have an expanding life with God. That is a relationship to God, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which takes on new dime...

23:38 - 24:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage in general reading that stretches your mind and pierces your heart, beyond direct sermon preparation, to avoid ministerial failure and staleness.

James W. Alexander's illustration of lawyers who advance through general reading, not just case-specific study, is used to commend the discipline of general reading for preachers to enrich their minds.

with God and then thirdly there must be the discipline of general reading the discipline of general reading Alexander not the Alexander of thoughts on religious experience but an American preacher James W Alexander late pastor of the Presbyterian Church New York there's a collection of some of his letters to young men on the subject of preaching he has some most perceptive thoughts on this very matter of the discipline of general reading and in the interest of time I won't read much of it but he says and this is the one of the most vital points should he confine himself entirely to the reading...

35:06 - 36:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: What is pulpit elegance if men are not touched? What are flights of rhetoric if men are not moved? What is a lofty vocabulary if men do not see the truth? It's men with large hearts who will be used of God to move men in…

A mother's love for her child trapped in a burning house drives her to tap all resources for rescue, illustrating how love for people should drive a preacher to exert every effort in preaching.

When a mother sees her child trapped in a burning house, it's love for her own flesh and blood. It's love for the darling of her heart that will bring all of her faculties of mind and body to tap all of their resources to rescue the object of her love.

54:04 - 54:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fourth ingredient is a hearty acceptance of one's own identity as a man and as a preacher, allowing for self-forgetfulness and genuine expression of God-given gifts. Martin…

The diversity of batting styles among top cricket and baseball players (like Hank Aaron hitting off his front foot) illustrates that there is no single 'ideal' style for preaching; effectiveness comes from being oneself within the framework of excellence.

I've often thought of this with regard to athletics. What's the right way to hold a cricket? In fact, in the States, our comparable game, of course, is baseball. I watched a little cricket last year.

59:59 - 60:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fourth ingredient is a hearty acceptance of one's own identity as a man and as a preacher, allowing for self-forgetfulness and genuine expression of God-given gifts. Martin…

Observing the diverse, natural gestures and expressions of men in animated parlor conversation, when they are caught up in something bigger than themselves, illustrates how a preacher's natural self should carry over into the pulpit, rather than artificial gestures.

But you make some observations this week, will you? When there is animated, involved parlor conversation around, you watch the diversity expressed in these men. Some men in animated parlor conversation where a subject has really gotten hold of them and it's bigger than themselves and they've totally forgotten themselves, you watch them. They're leaning on the edge of the seat.

62:57 - 63:17 Read in full sermon