The Mic of our Master

The other day one of the fathers in my congregation told me a story about when his son was younger. If he would come to Church and fail to spot me he would query his father where the “sermon” was. He equated me with the sermon. That is a real dilemma, of course, because we are told that we ought not to preach ourselves. Had I followed his son’s reasoning I would have been speechless.

What prompted this father to recount this story was his little girl’s comment that Sunday morning when she came into the Church building. Looking for me and not seeing me, she asked her father where God was.

You might think the girl is on shakier ground than her brother in describing her pastor. But she might intuitively be grasping, and is unwittingly expressing something significant about the Christian ministry: when a minister preaches the Word of God, God himself is speaking. Remember how the first chapter of the Second Helvetic Confession (Of the Holy Scripture Being the True Word of God) states it:

THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WORD OF GOD. Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still true and good.

The basis for this audacious claim is the Word of God itself. I’m referring to a number of passages sprinkled throughout the New Testament that speak of the Lord Jesus Christ preaching long after his glorious ascent to his Father’s right hand. For example, in Ephesians 2:17 the Apostle Paul speaks of how the Lord Jesus came to the Ephesians and preached peace to them so that Jews and Gentiles might be reconciled to one another and both to God. We know Christ’s body is not ubiquitous so how did he come and preach to those Gentiles? He preached by his Holy Spirit through his apostles.

Paul expressed the point even more explicitly in Romans 10. There he addresses the need for the preaching of the gospel so people might call on the name of the Lord and be saved. The ESV renders Romans 10:14 this way: “But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” The ASV (1901) leaves out the preposition of resulting in this translation: “. . . and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard?” Many commentators favour translating the relative pronoun as denoting the person who is heard rather than the message that is heard (Stott, Hendriksen, Dunn, Murray, Morris). The one people are to believe in is the one preaching to them. Leon Morris, in his commentary on Romans, explains the sentence like this: “The point is that Christ is present in the preachers; to hear them is to hear him (cf. Luke 10:16), and people ought to believe when they hear him.”

The apostles learned this from Christ. In John 10:16 he spoke about the other sheep who must be brought into the sheepfold of his grace. How will these elect sheep come in? By hearing Christ’s voice. How will they hear Christ’s voice? When those he sends preach the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 20:21-22). In fact, Jesus identifies himself so closely with those he sends he can say, “If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld” (John 20:23). Through his appointed and Spirit anointed ambassadors Christ declares God’s name to his brothers (Hebrews 2:12).

Admittedly, Christian ministers today aren’t apostles. Indeed not. But nor has Christ been muzzled for almost 2000 years because of the passing of the apostles. Christ still speaks today. When ministers proclaim the Scriptures they are carrying out an apostolic ministry and Christ preaches through them. When ministers preach the word of God, Christ preaches.

 A Colossal Consideration

This is weighty. It’s weighty for those who listen to the preaching of the Word. They have a holy obligation to receive the word preached, not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

It is also weighty for ministers of the gospel. We speak for the exalted Christ so that people hear him and believe in him. This consideration addresses the content of our preaching. We must preach the Scriptures, inspired by the Spirit of Christ. The pulpit is no place for human opinions or flights of fancy. We must be able to say about our preaching, “This is what Christ is preaching to you today.”

But the thought that we speak for the exalted Christ also bears upon the communication of our content. We shudder to think that we might distract people from hearing Christ. We want them to forget about us. We really want them to see no-one but the Lord Jesus and to be amazed at the gracious words that come from his lips. We who are ministers are Christ’s mouthpiece, the mic of our Master, so that through us his people hear him. We are the microphone. He is the voice. They see us. They hear him.

Had the Lord Jesus not promised us his presence and purchased for us his Spirit who would dare to preach again?

10 Ways To Squeeze The Juice Out Of A Sermon

I do believe in preaching. But I also believe – with equal ferocity – in the importance of hearing God’s Word. Ideally, a sermon should be listened to with rapt attention and deep affection. In its wake, the sermon should evoke both faith and action in the life of the believer.

Yet often we achieve less than this ideal.  Sermons can be ‘water off’ the Christian’s proverbial ‘back.’

So how can we make more of the sermons we hear? Let me offer ten recommendations to help us squeeze the juice out of the sermon.

Accept your relentless need for the Word of God.  What bread is to your body, sermons are to your soul. Essential. In this sense, sermons are unlike desserts. Desserts are tasty but optional; by contrast, sermons are life-giving and life-sustaining. Here’s the truth: we will benefit little from sermons if we do not first believe they are terribly important. Let the believer come to the preaching-moment utterly convinced of their need for God’s Word. May they say to their soul on sermon’s-eve:  “This a means of grace!  A necessity for growth in godliness!”

Read the passage beforehand. Does my pastor preach consecutive sermons? Then the opportunity before me is great! Let me read the text when Sunday is still far off. Let me ponder it in my home, even as the pastor ponders it in his study.  This creates in our soul the same sort of desire that is aroused when reading a menu. Ponder the passage in prospect and you will more eagerly await the meal!* 

Rest well the evening before. I’m probably not the only pastor who often looks out on a tired congregation on Sunday morning. There can be many reasons for this, but some of them are controllable. Could it be that Sunday morning worship is often being ruined by Saturday evening leisure? Television, internet and smartphones are keeping many of us awake till the wee small hours. Does this make for sharp concentration on a Lord’s Day morning? If you cannot keep your eyes open during the sermon, it may be a sign that  your Saturday night routine needs changing.

Sit nearer the front. This might not apply to everyone, but I would say that if:  a) your hearing is not so good, or b) you are easily distracted, you would be well advised to sit near the front of the meeting room. This always baffles me: we want to hear preachers clearly, yet we fill church halls from ‘back to front’. Should it not be the other way around?

Look and listen. Besides your mind, the most important parts of our body during a sermon is your eyes and ears. Listening is a challenging skill. Truly hearing with our ears takes concentration, an undistracted mind, and of course the help of the Holy Spirit. Our eyes can also help our ears. Looking at our bible can help us follow what the preacher is saying. Looking at the preacher can help us grasp his message, which isn’t just conveyed with verbiage, but with facial expression and body posture.

Take some notes.  ​There are different schools of thoughts about this, I know. But many people have found that taking limited notes can aid concentration during the sermon. As well as helping listeners focus, notes also enable the hearer to review the sermon later. I do have one caution though.  Remember that a sermon is not an academic lecture. God is addressing us through His Word! Every once in a while, note-takers should drop their pens in wonder and worship!

Be aware of typical distractions.  Crying babies, fainting fits, coughs and splutters etc! Wherever there are people, there will always be distractions. At one level, this is part and parcel of worshiping in community.  Yet we must be prepared for typical distractions, and re-divert our distracted minds whenever we find them wandering.

Think about the sermon but don’t stop listening to it. Although our primary posture during sermons is one of listening, it is inevitable that we will often find ourselves ‘conversing’ with the sermon. Questions will arise. Something the preacher said (perhaps incidental) will send our thinking down some avenue or other. We may even have a “quibble” or disagree with something the preacher said. All of this is well and good; but perhaps one word of caution. Don’t be so absorbed in your own thoughts, that you stop following the thoughts of the preacher. Listen to the whole sermon.

Talk about the sermon afterwards.​ A great way to maximise sermons is to talk about sermons.  I frequently talk about the sermons I preach with my wife. This is less on a “critiquing level”, more on a personal level. How does the passage affect us? How does it speak into our thinking, our faith, our practice? This is hugely beneficial. Whether with a fellow member, friend, or in the family, some kind of brief discussion will promote application and a prayerful response to God’s Word. Try it!

Review the sermon during the week.​ This is an extension of the last recommendation. Why not download and listen to the sermon again on Monday? Or read over last week’s sermon notes in your morning devotions?  In our church, I am often encouraged to hear members referring to Sunday sermon themes during the Wednesday evening prayer time. However you do it, some further reflection on the sermon will surely be beneficial.

* Even where the minister ‘chooses’ his text week on week, you can usually find out what he is preaching on by asking him.

 

Workman’s Toolbox – 23.4.13

Saving Eutychus

A lot of people I respect are talking highly of the book Saving Eutychus, written by Gary Miller and Phil Campbell. Here, for example, is Don Carson’s glowing recommendation:

I have read books on how to make sure your sermon is interesting, and I have read books on how to make sure your sermon is faithful to the text, but this book wants your sermon to be both. If I could, I would make this little book mandatory reading for seminarians everywhere, and then urge them to read it a couple more times during the course of their ministry. It avoids cutesy and manipulative suggestions, and makes its practical points while urging integrity, faithfulness, and imagination. Many books on preaching are published every year; this one is a “must.” (D.A.Carson)

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Some voices from the past warn us about “over-polishing” our sermons. Plainness, men!

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Mitch Chase shares 14 lessons he has learned from 14 years of preaching (pt 1, pt 2) . I found his reflections helpful. His 14 lessons are:

1. Listen to Great Preaching
2. Be Receptive to Feedback from Trusted People
3. Learn, Read About, and Grow in the Craft
4. Pray for Yourself, Sermon, and Hearers
5. Don’t Fret Over Fancy Outlines
6. Preach Tough Texts
7. Preach Controversial Texts
8. Preach from the Old Testament
9. Don’t Cling to a Certain Genre of Passages
10. Don’t Preach Everything You Learned about the Passage
11. At Least for Yourself, Summarize Your Sermon in a Simple Sentence
12. Rehearse Illustrations Before the Sermon
13. Sit Under Your Own Preaching
14. Get to the Gospel

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A post on a subject not often addressed, yet of great relevance to pastors:  Pastoring the Idle.

Lost in Translation?

I had never preached with a translator before. But during my time in Portugal last month, I had the  experience of preaching four times through a translator. What did I learn from this new experience?

The best translator is a fellow preacher

When choosing a translator, it would be tempting to simply opt for the best linguist one could find. That would be a mistake. Certainly, adeptness with languages is important, but my time in the Iberian peninsula showed me the immense value of having a translator whose ‘day job’ is preaching. Rogerio Ramos didn’t simply translate my words; he preached my sermon!

Sermon preview is vital

A few days before preaching together I gave Rogerio my sermon notes. Rogerio was able to query any words he was unsure of; he was also able to advise me where my ideas wouldn’t “come across” in a Portuguese context. This meant I could make adjustments to my sermon if necessary. It also meant that Rogerio was better prepared for the forthcoming translation.

Use short but complete sentences

This was new to me. I discovered that there are two pitfalls to be avoided in constructing sentences for translation. One danger is lengthy sentences. The problem with this is obvious. When sentences are overly-long, the translator has difficulty remembering all that you have said. But there can also be a difficulty when one’s sentences are short but incomplete. When I preach only half a sentence then pause, I may not be helping the translator. Preaching a complete idea makes it easier for your partner to translate the sentence. The best practice is to preach in complete sentences but keep them short.

Keep the pace up

Translation can become slow and ponderous. It is vital that both preacher and translator keep the pace up. I was ready to come in immediately after Rogerio had completed his translation. Together we managed to establish a certain “rhythm” to our collaborative preaching. Surprisingly, the overall length of the sermon was not much longer than I would normally preach.

Depend more on God than oratory

You realise how truly powerless your own oratory is when you cannot speak a local language. You are entirely dependent on the translator. You are even more dependent on God.  Preaching with translation raised significant and helpful questions for me. Do I overrate the importance of eloquence in preaching? Do I have confidence in the bare Word of God? Do I believe that the Scriptures are sufficient to make a saving and sanctifying impact across linguistic and cultural borders?

The Boston Bombings: What Can We Preach?

Our hearts ache for the victims of the Boston bombings.

No words can describe such an act of barbarous cruelty. No language can express the sympathy we feel for those suffering its consequences. Our mouths are, quite paradoxically, gaping and speechless.

Yet pastors need to find words. Sunday is coming and the pastor will need to have something to say. Some will choose to address the Boston bombings directly.  Others will simply mention the disaster in passing. Whatever path is chosen, pastors will wrestle with the question: what can I preach?

1. We can preach that even when hell breaks out on earth, God reigns in heaven and earth.

“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’  The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. (Psalm 2:1-4. Cf Psalm 96:10, Matthew 28:18)

2. We can preach that God comforts those who mourn.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4. Cf  Psalm 147:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13)

3. We can preach that human beings have a profoundly sinful nature. 

“Surely I was sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5. Cf Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10-18)

4. We can preach that everyone needs to repent, not just terrorists.

“Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:4-5. Cf Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:8-9)

5. We can preach that only God can keep us ultimately safe.

“God is our refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalm 46:1-3. Cf Psalm 146:3, Romans 8:31-39)

6. We can preach that Jesus’ life was violently taken in an act of human barbarism, but it was part of God’s plan.

This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:23-24, Cf Isaiah 53:1-6)

7. We can preach that God will one day renew and remake this fallen, sin-sick world.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1, 4. Cf Isaiah 25:8, 1 Corinthians 15:54)

 

“The Purpose-Driven Wife” (and other sermon titles)

In all my years of ministry, I have never preached on (never had the courage to preach on?) the Epilogue of the Book of Proverbs (Proverbs 31:10-31). But if I ever do, I have the perfect sermon title – “The Purpose-Driven Wife” ! It encapsulates the theme of this section and is certainly more memorable than the NIV’s “The Wife of Noble Character”, bearing more than a passing resemblance to a certain well-known book and course!

Not everyone likes or uses sermon titles. I understand that Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones didn’t, yet it is interesting that the editors of his published sermons usually added a title to each sermon – if for no other reason than to distinguish it from others, rather than just identifying it by the verses or passage on which it was based. I recently reviewed “Born of God”, the latest Banner of Truth publication of his final sermon series at Westminster Chapel. which contains 32 sermons from John 1, ten of them on verse 17, and eighteen of them on verses 12-13.  Most of the titles simply summarise the subject of the sermon – for example, “The Relationship of Law and Grace”, “The Abundant Riches of His Grace”, but a few are somewhat broader – for example, “Facing the Future”,Religion or True Faith?”

The Content Title

The simplest and most common title for a sermon is one that summarises its content: like the section headings in most modern English versions. They usually vary little – especially for narrative passages. For example, the NIV heading at the beginning of John  4 is “Jesus Talks with a Samaritan Woman”,  while the ESV has “Jesus and the Woman of Samaria”. However, while the ESV heading covers verses 1-45, the NIV has two further headings: “The Disciples Rejoin Jesus” (verses 27-38) and “Many Samaritans Believe” (verses 39-42). Even in doctrinal teaching in the epistles,where there might be more scope for variety, there is still a fair degree of uniformity. For example, the NIV introduces Galatians 3 under the heading “Faith or Observance of the Law”,  while the ESV puts it as a question: “By Faith, or by Works of the Law?”  The Good News Bible simply has “Law or Faith”.

This is a fairly random check (which might merit more detailed  research) but the content of a passage is not much of a source (if you will excuse the pun) of contention. And as the title for a sermon, it doesn’t tell the listeners anything more than they can read in the Bibles in front of them. For that we need a different kind of sermon title.

The Creative Title

First and foremost, any title must connect in some way to the main theme, the “big idea”  of the passage in question. Ideally, it should also be something which is memorable or “attractive“. So, for example, I once suggested to a colleague who was preaching on John 4 the title “Thirst things first” (which, perhaps wisely, he didn’t use!) But it does focus on the theme of the conversation between Jesus and the woman – and it is certainly memorable (if difficult to say without practice!)

I have just been in email discussion with John Percival, a former colleague and contributor to “Unashamed Workman”, who has invited me to speak at an evangelistic service at the church where he now ministers. We decided that the incident recorded in Mark 10:17-31 would connect with many of the issues facing people in Hong Kong but for advertising the event, rather than a title like “The Rich Young Man” (NIV & ESV),  a more engaging title would be “The Man who had Everything but lacked Something”.

Titles can be useful in highlighting future sermons and events, especially those such as guest-services. However, the title chosen needs  to be as “inclusive” as possible. I once saw a leaflet for a series in Luke’s Gospel which a new church were distributing in their local community. Inside the attractive cover were the dates with the passage and a title. Luke 8:40-48 was entitled “Woman with haemorrhage”  which, I would suggest, had a limited audience appeal! Something like “Hoping for Healing” or “Getting in Touch with God”  would have attracted a much broader interest.

Some Engaging Examples

One of the best exponents of stimulating titles, especially from the Old Testament, is the American preacher and professor, Dale Ralph Davis. In his book, “The Word Became Fresh – how to preach from Old Testament texts” (Christian Focus Publications, 2006),  he tells how, on the Sunday before one Christmas, he preached on the long lists of genealogies in 1 Chronicles 9 under the title, “A Whole Bunch of Dead Folks for Christmas”!  He comments, “We were, I am confident, the only church in the whole USA that carried 1 Chronicles 9 on its bulletin cover.”

Here are a few of my favourites from his “Looking on the Heart – Expositions of the Book of 1 Samuel”  (Christian Focus publications,1994):

  • 1 Samuel 17 (David &  Goliath): “Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth – Thud!”
  • 1 Samuel 24 (David in the cave with Saul at his mercy): “This is the Day! Or is it?”
  • 1 Samuel 27:1-28:2 (David among the Philistines): “What can a Godless Text teach us?”
  • 1 Samuel 29 (David sent back to Ziklag): “Accepting the Philistines as your Personal Saviour”

Notice in two of the titles the use of questions – questions which are asked of the text and also of the hearer.

Sometimes, a creative title can replace a familiar yet misleading title.  This is especially true of the parables of Jesus. Everyone who has preached on “The Parable of the Sower”  knows that the distinguishing point of the parable is not the sower (or the seed or his sowing method) but the soil, so the title “The Parable of Soils”  is  more accurate. Similarly, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son”  is not about one but two sons, the elder of whom (representing the Pharisees) is the main point of the parable. And the main character in the parable is the father which is why (way back, pre-Keller!) I preached on it under the title “The Parable of the Prodigal Father”  (using the secondary meaning of prodigal – “extravagantly generous“) to catch people’s attention.

Jonathan Gemmell, pastor of Bruntsfield Evangelical Church in Edinburgh, recently preached on Mark 13 (“Signs of the End of the Age“) under the title “Is the Fat Lady Warming up?” and entitled a previous sermon on Lot’s Wife “From Sodom to Sodium Chloride“! These kind of titles are not for everyone but once the hearers (and you!) have heard them, they are unforgettable.

Here are a few of my (much more conservative!) examples:

  • “The strength of meekness” (Matthew 5:5)
  • “Back to the future” (Matthew 6:10)
  • “A surprising prayer in a strange place” (Jonah 2:1-9)
  • “The green-eyed monster” (Genesis 37:1-11)
  • “Just say,’No'” (Genesis 39)
  • “From eternity to here!” (John 1:1-18)
  • “Where there’s death, there’s hope” (John 11:1-44)
  • “Give up your great ambitions”  (Jeremiah 45)
  • “War and Peace” (Psalm 2)
  • “24” (Mark 1:21-34)
  • “Closed minds or open mouths?” (Acts 5:17-42)
  • “Can you sing in prison?” (Acts 16:16-40)
  • “People matter more than pigs” (Mark 5:1-20)
  • “The mathematics of a miracle” (John 6)
  • “Forty days with Jesus” (Acts 1:1-5)
  • “The most alarming verses in the Bible” (Matthew 7:21-23)
  • “A tale of two cities” (Acts 17:1-15)

Titles for Sermon Series

When preaching through a book of the Bible, it is often helpful to highlight a title theme for the whole series. The tradition in Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh where I ministered for 17 years, is that we would preach through a book from the Bible for the year, and choose a title and a key verse for the sermon series.

Here are some examples:

  • “Living in Hope” (Jeremiah – key verse 29:11)
  • “Building on the Rock” (The Sermon on the Mount – key verse  Matthew 7:24)
  • “Good News for Bad People” (Romans – key verse  1:16)
  • “The Lion Roars” (Amos – key verse  3:8)
  • “Treasure in Jars of Clay” (2 Corinthians – key verse 4:7)
  • “Shining like Stars” (Philippians – 2:15-16)

(See my “Firm Foundations”, Christians Focus Publications, 2011, for 15 sermon series and over 200 sermon outlines with titles, and the sermon archive on www.charlottechapel.org for over 800 sermons!)

Planning ahead

Although many churches produce a programme card for each “term” giving sermon topics and titles, I have found that, unless I am very familiar with the passages in question or have preached from them before, it is difficult to choose the right title ahead of time. I have tried to do this but often found, when I have done my intensive study in the week before the sermon that there is a better title (based on a different “big idea“) than the one I chose three months previously. For this reason, I would tend to give the passage but no title ahead of time unless it is for a special event. I also find this is a problem as I now preach around churches and in University Christians unions – that I sometimes have to introduce  my sermon explaining why the title they chose for the passage on which they want me to preach is not the best (or even completely misses the point!).

In conclusion

Not everyone has the imagination to think of creative titles, and I see nothing wrong (providing you give due credit – see the recent article on plagiarism) with borrowing a good title from someone else. You may have noticed that some of my titles from above are borrowed from people ranging from William Shakespeare to Leo Tolstoy, and from Charles Dickens to Stephen Spielberg!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wisdom’s Anticipation of Christ

I am hoping to post on this subject tomorrow, but I wanted to direct you to a helpful interview where Douglas O’Donnell attempts to answer the tricky question of how do we preach Christ from the wisdom genre?

First, he answers in general terms:

Jesus is presented in three ways. First, he is the wisdom sage par excellence. Like the sage of Proverbs 1:26, Jesus taught practical, intellectual, moral, and mysterious wisdom to the young, the simple, and the already wise, using proverbial sayings, parables, beatitudes, and many other figures of speech. Second, Jesus is wisdom acted. That is, in all his relationships, mostly notably his relationship with his heavenly Father, Jesus acted as the obedient son—the perfectly wise child—should. Put differently, our Lord Jesus, in his incarnate nature, perfectly and perpetually feared the LORD. From the cradle to the cross, he walked the way of wisdom. Third, Jesus is wisdom embodied—he is the very “wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24), “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). And he beckons all to come to him for rest and fullness of life.

Collin Hansen then goes on to ask, how would you explain the unique message of each OT wisdom book as it anticipates Jesus? O’Donnell answers:

Proverbs: For our own good and the glory of God, the book of Proverbs invites and instructs God’s covenant people—especially young men—to embrace wisdom. For Christians, such wisdom comes through fearing God’s beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:21), and walking in his wisdom.

Ecclesiastes: Ecclesiastes is about finding the goodness of God while living within the vanity of this world. Such goodness or “wisdom” is found only through a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This relationship involves trusting in Christ and heeding his commands, which brings rest, justice, and joy.

Job: The book of Job prefigures the purposeful sufferings of Christ. That is, the story of God’s servant Job prepares us for the story of Jesus, the suffering servant, who in his passion and death shows how innocent suffering can show forth the justice of God.

Workman’s Toolbox – 11.12.12

With Christmas on the way, I was reminded of this great video:

Max McLean (that brother with the amazing deep voice!) gives us some thoughts on reading Scripture publicly and bible memorization.

An interview with John Piper on what he has learned over 30 plus years of pastoring. Was struck by this paragraph, where he encourages pastors to think:

“Outrun your people and your colleagues in thinking. That is, stay ahead of them in thinking through biblical implications of what is being said or proposed. Make a practice of thinking before a meeting. Think of as many implications of a proposal as you can. Think of as many objections to the proposal as you can. Think of good biblical answers to all those objections. Think of how much it will cost and how it will be paid for. Think of who might implement it. Think of the ways that it will bring joy—or temporary sorrow. Think about its relation to a dozen other things that people like or don’t like. Sit with your pencil in your hand (or your fingers on the keyboard) and doodle until you’ve exhausted the possibilities, or the time you have. Go to the meeting having thought more than any one else, and more deeply than anyone else. This is what good leaders do.”

RC Sproul reminds us about the true power of preaching.