Scriptural Truth in Preaching, Part 1

The point: Make a clear distinction between sermon preparation and sermon delivery in your approach to homiletics, recognizing their fundamental differences.

The preparation of a sermon (content and form) is likened to the conception and gestation of a baby, while the preaching and delivery are likened to the live or still birth of that message, emphasizing the distinct stages.

The pulpit. The pulpit. The preparation of the message and its content and form constitutes the conception and the gestation of the message. Gestation is spelled with a G, but pronounced like a J.

2:26 - 2:37 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The pulpit has accomplished its calling when it has fully, clearly, and with a right spirit exhibited the claims of truth.

Martin quotes extensively from Gardner Spring's book, using his eloquent statements on truth as God's instrumentality and the pulpit's role to substantiate the axiom that scriptural truth is central to preaching.

The function of scriptural truth or special revelation in the saving purposes of God. The function of scriptural truth or special revelation, perhaps we should put special in scripturated revelation, in the saving purposes of God. Now, in drawing your mind to this subject, let me draw your attention to what I regard as one of the most powerful statements of this principle found anywhere in uninspired writing. And it's found in the recently reprinted and now available in the bookstore, I checked yesterday, of Gardner Spring's Power of the Pulpit.

5:52 - 6:34 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Spiritual life can neither germinate nor be developed in the dark and cold bosom of ignorance.

Martin quotes from Gardner Spring's 'The Glory of Christ' to reinforce the idea that spiritual life cannot germinate or develop in ignorance, further supporting the necessity of God's truth in preaching.

you shall be a good minister of Christ Jesus and here's the particular emphasis that I want to highlight nourished you'll be a good minister of Jesus Christ yourself nourished in the words of the faith and of the good or healthy doctrine which you have followed until now and here we see the nourishment of the servant of Christ and by inference and implication all of the people of God that nourishment being given by the words of the faith and of the good doctrine so in the beginning of divine life and in the nurturing of that life we see that the function of scriptural truth or special and scri...

23:33 - 25:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Meditate on Old Testament prophetic calls, like Amos and Jeremiah, to understand the imperative of speaking God's word.

The experiences of Amos and Jeremiah, who felt compelled to speak God's word despite opposition or personal weariness, are used as examples of the prophetic imperative to deliver God's message faithfully.

prophetic calls and the experience of all of the prophets and my wife and I have been struck with this as we've been reading together in our own devotions recently the minor prophets and Amos who when the priest comes and says look Amos go do your thing in the southern kingdom we're weary of of your crying in our ears and he said look I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet I was following my plow and then he likened the call of God to the roaring of a lion and he said the lion is roared and I must speak his word it'll take more than you Mr. Priest to shut my mouth and you find that e...

32:24 - 33:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Meditate on Old Testament prophetic calls, like Amos and Jeremiah, to understand the imperative of speaking God's word.

Amos likening God's call to the roaring of a lion is used to illustrate the irresistible compulsion to speak God's word once it has been given.

prophetic calls and the experience of all of the prophets and my wife and I have been struck with this as we've been reading together in our own devotions recently the minor prophets and Amos who when the priest comes and says look Amos go do your thing in the southern kingdom we're weary of of your crying in our ears and he said look I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet I was following my plow and then he likened the call of God to the roaring of a lion and he said the lion is roared and I must speak his word it'll take more than you Mr. Priest to shut my mouth and you find that e...

32:24 - 33:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Handle the word properly, avoiding crooked or winding interpretations that distort its meaning.

A story about a doctor on cable television misinterpreting Genesis 6:3 to claim God wants everyone to live 120 years is used as a gross example of 'cutting a crooked course' in the word of truth, highlighting the danger of improper handling of Scripture.

For to do so is to relinquish saving. Religion in the hearts of men. Cutting a straight course in the word of truth and in the handling of that truth. Not just handling it, but cutting a straight course in it. And there's all kinds of debate as to what the imagery of that verb cutting the straight course is, but this much is clear. It means handling the word properly. Not doing like that sharp young doctor that I saw on the cable television while we were on our vacation, saying, do you know that God wants all of his children who live in obedience to him and take good health laws and the rest t...

43:05 - 43:52 Read in full sermon