I believe in preaching because I believe as in Romans 1 that the gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes. Romans 10 says:
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they haven’t believed? And how are they going to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they going to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”
Preaching is “good-newsing.” Preachers are good news people. The ones with beautiful feet blessed with the task of bringing the message of God’s triumphant victory. And it isn’t just being good news people to the unconverted, preaching is also good news to the Christian. In Philippians 1 Paul says:
my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith
So our question for this weekend is “how do we bring God’s word to Christian and non-Christian so that they call n the name of the Lord and so that they make progress and have joy in the faith?”
I borrowed the tonight’s message Preaching as Worship from John Piper. I have in mind two questions:
* what is preaching? What is going on when we handle God’s word and proclaim it?
* when we have an answer to that question, what does that tell us about how we should do it?
What is preaching?
Preaching is:
taking God’s word and proclaiming it in such as way as his all-supremacy is seen and rejoiced in. Or…
* presenting the light of God, that is his truth, in order that, through the Holy Spirit, people might get taken up with the person of God. Ps119 talks about the word being a lamp and a light. Jesus says “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” 2 Cor 4 says that our gospel that we proclaim shines in people’s hearts to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Proclamation of the eternal light in order that people encounter him. Or…
* speaking the words of God in order to extend the reign of God in people’s hearts, affections and wills. So that they yearn with David “as the dear pants for streams of water so my heart longs for you.” Or…
* proclaiming good news of peace with God in order to achieve the submission of rebels to God and their subsequent enjoyment of him forever. 1 Peter says that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, called out of darkness in order to proclaim his excellencies. Or…
* presenting the surpassing treasure of God so that our hearers will love him more than life. Jesus told a story of a man who found treasure in a field… Or…
* Leading in the ways of God for the edification, training and direction of his people. So that he is seen and known among us. So that we might be the church, well taught, corrected, reproved and trained in righteousness, equipped for every good work
* If I were to plump for one easy to remember definition of what we are doing, I would pick Cotton Mather’s definition “restoring the throne and dominion of God in the hearts of men.” That is magnificent!
When Paul says “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” he is picking up Isaiah 52.
Read Is 52:7-10.
God will end the exile of his people. He will triumph over his enemies. He will vindicate his holy name. He will bring happiness, joy, redemption, salvation, worship. The waste places will break out in singing. The ends of the earth will see it. Paul says – that’s Jesus. That is what God has done in Christ. That is the salvation we are proclaiming, full, vast, free. Therefore proclaim “God reigns” in order that his throne may be established in people’s hearts.
Read moreA New Way of Thinking #2
Knowledge, for Christians, is not an academic category, it's a moral category. We know we have understood not when we have mentally comprehended the Bible, but when we do what it says. Non-Christians can get the meaning of a lot of the Bible, but they haven't understood it because they don't obey. Its just an exercise in epistemology. If Christians leave biblical understanding at the level of knowing in the abstract then there are reasons to doubt whether we have understood anything.
Read moreA New Way of Thinking
Maybe I find myself responding to a non-existent issue (except in me!). But with all my heart I don't want to see Bible studies that are a technical exercise in comprehension, but a spiritual exercise in obedience, worship and discipleship. I don't want people leaving after a sermon saying "that was good because I understood" but "we met God." I don't want people saying "I realise that holiness is important" but "I am yearning and aching to live a beautifully holy life."
Read moreCome With Us
Using Moses words, Jonathan Edwards emplored those (in his circumstances, arminian) believers with whom he disagreed, to "come with us that we might do thee good."
What a great principle for handling difference. Not to give up on his core commitments, not to start from a position of demanding compliance. But to start with a deep, godly and prayerful desire to do his opponents (and they were opponents) good.
I had an opportunity on one occasion to find out how this works in practice. A member of another ministry with whom we weren't in the best of fellowship indicated how great a struggle they were having. My colleagues and I sat down to plan how we might actively bless her and her colleagues, just for her sake and for the sake of doing so. It shouldn't have been any surprise that seeking to bless others simply for the sake of doing them good acted as a significant part of healing of wider relationships, but somehow it was.
Lets get into the habit of actively seeking the good of believers and ministries with whom we don't share everything in common. Because if we do them good, who knows, maybe we might reach a more common mind. And if we reach a more common mind, who knows, maybe they will come with us!
Evangelical Unity #1
The great challenge to unity is the breakdown of consensus about what constitutes the core of evangelical commitments. Where the politics of confrontation, withdrawal or distance prevail there will be no forum for saying what must be adhered to and in what areas there may be legitimate difference and plurality between brothers and sisters. Instead there will be increasing definsiveness from all sides, a circling of the wagons, a sniping at each other from positions of invulnerability.
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