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Preaching
Preaching
Samuel Chadwick
the noted
Methodist Preacher
said: ‘I would rather preach than do anything else in the
world. I would rather preach than eat my dinner or have a holiday. I would
rather pay to preach than be paid not to preach. It has its price in agony and
sweat and tears
and no calling has such joys and heartbreaks
but it is a
calling an archangel might covet. It there any joy like that of saving a soul?
Any thrill like that of opening blind eyes? Any reward like the love of children
to the second and third generation? Any treasure like the grateful love of
hearts healed and comforted?’ (Mark 16:16; 2 Tim. 4:2)
Preaching for a Verdict
In the early years of this
twentieth century Donald McIntosh
a blind evangelist
made his mark in
Scotland as a gifted preacher. Whatever his text
whatever his theme might be
he never failed in his preaching to impress upon his hearers the claims of
Christ. Mr. Asquith
at that time Chancellor of the Exchequer
heard Mr.
McIntosh preach repeatedly and remarked with true discernment
‘That man is
always preaching for a verdict.’ (
Parables
The story is
told of an ancient stoic philosopher
Epictetus (C.A.D. 50~120)
who wanted to
teach his students that truth understood is of no value; it is truth acted upon
which changes things. This is
of course
a great truth. Sometimes we try
putting it in a little saying like “Practice what you preach.” The problem is
that we tend to remember only the words in these little sayings and ignore the truth
they are intended to communicate.
Epictetus once gathered
his students around and said
“Have you ever noticed that a sheep does not
vomit up the grass it ate at the feet of the shepherd in order to impress him?
The sheep digests it to produce wool and milk.” What a vivid illustration of
the idea that it is truth acted on that changes things. Certainly it is a word
picture that you are unlikely to forget!
This is exactly what a
parable is. It is truth put into a form that is so succinct
compelling
and
accurate that you will not forget it.
Preaching
Upon
accepting his first church
a young pastor asked an elderly board member if he
had any wise advice. The elderly man responded
“Son
a sermon is like a good
meal; you should end it just before we have had enough.”
Preaching
Preaching has
been described this way: “A mild-mannered man standing up before mild-mannered
people and exhorting them to be more mild mannered.”
The true function of
preaching is to disturb the comfortable and to comfort the disturbed.
Preaching
The story is
told of a patient in a mental ward who attended chapel services with the other
patients in the ward. The chaplain who spoke was so confusing that one of the
patients going out was heard to say
“There
but for the grace of God
go I.”
Preaching
I preached as
never to preach again; as a dying man to dying men.—Robert Murray McCheyne
Preaching
Helena
Modjeska (1844~1909) was one of the most popular actresses of her time because
of her emotional style and superb ability. Once
to demonstrate the raw power
of her ability
she gave a dramatic reading in her native tongue
Polish. No
one at the sedate dinner party understood Polish
but all were in tears by the
end of her performance. Such was the power of her presentation. Only later was
it revealed that the piece that had moved the sophisticated audience to tears
was the Polish alphabet.
Content of Preaching
A preacher
once confided to his head deacon that he was troubled by how few of the church
members showed up for any given service. The deacon
a faithful farmhand who
never missed a service
reflected on the years he had listened to his
preacher’s long-winded sermons and then replied: “Well
Preacher
if you pour
only water into the feeding trough
the hogs don’t come around to feed too
often.”
Content of Preaching
If I profess
with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the word of God
except precisely that little point which the world and the Devil are at that
point attacking
I am not confessing Christ
however boldly I may be professing
Christ. Where the battle rages
there the loyalty of the soldier is tested. To
be steady in all the battlefields besides is mere flight and disgrace
if the
soldier flinches at that one point.—Martin Luther
Expository Preaching
Many people
do not know what expository preaching is. Dr. Donald Campbell
president of
Dallas Theological Seminary
recalled some early advice he received while a
youth minister in a small
Preaching Style
In a sermon
Greek and Hebrew are like underwear: they add a lot of support
but you don’t
want to let them show.
Preaching Style
The story has
been told of a young pastor who with great concern and sincerity ended his
sermon like this: “And now
my friends
if you do not believe these truths
there may be for you grave eschatological consequences.”
Afterward a layman went to
him and asked
“Did you mean that they would be in danger of hell!”
“Why
yes
” the preacher
said.
“Then why in the world
didn’t you say so?” the layman asked.
Preparation of Sermons
Someone once
asked Woodrow Wilson how long he took to prepare a ten-minute speech. “Two
weeks
” was the answer.
“How long for a one-hour
speech?”
“One week
” replied the
President.
“A two-hour speech?”
“I am ready now!”
Teaching
There is a
story about a man who wanted to train his mule. The first thing he did was to
pick up a big stick and hit the mule a resounding wallop between the ears. As
the mule staggered bout
someone said to him
“What is the matter? Why did you
do that?” The man said
“To teach a mule
you must first get his attention.”
That observation my or may
not be true of mules
but there is a good deal of truth in it when applied to
humans. Interest must be awakened before learning can occur.
Fritz Kreisler
(1875-1962)
the world-famous violinist
earned a fortune with his concerts and
compositions
but he generously gave most of it away. So
when he discovered an
exquisite violin on one of his trips
he wasn't able to buy it. Later
having
raised enough money to meet the asking price
he returned to the seller
hoping
to purchase the beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to
a collector. Kreisler made his way to the new owner's home and offered to buy
the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would
not sell it. Keenly disappointed
Kreisler was about to leave when he had an
idea. "Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to
silence?" he asked. Permission was granted
and the great virtuoso filled
the room with such heart-moving music that the collector's emotions were deeply
stirred. "I have no right to keep that to myself
" he exclaimed.
"It's yours
Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world
and let people hear
it."
Our Daily BreadFebruary 4
1994
Bob Woods tells the
story of a couple who took their son
11
and daughter
7
to Carlsbad Caverns.
As always
when the tour reached the deepest point in the cavern
the guide
turned off all the lights to dramatize how completely dark and silent it is
below the earth's surface. The little girl
suddenly enveloped in utter
darkness
was frightened and began to cry. Immediately was heard the voice of
her brother: "Don't cry. Somebody here knows how to turn on the
lights." In a real sense
that is the message of the gospel: light is
available
even when darkness seems overwhelming.
Bob Woods
Pulpit Digest
The strongest argument for
the Gospel of Christ is the personal testimony of someone whose life has been
changed by it. Charles Bradlaugh
an avowed infidel
once challenged the Rev.
H.P. Hughes to a debate. The preacher
who was head of a rescue mission in
London
England
accepted the challenge with the condition that he could bring
with him 100 men and women who would tell what had happened in their lives
since trusting Christ as their Savior. They would be people who once lived in
deep sin
some having come from poverty-stricken homes caused by the vices of
their parents. Hughes said they would not only tell of their conversion
but
would submit to cross-examination by any who doubted their stories.
Furthermore
the minister invited his opponent to bring a group of
non-believers who could tell how they were helped by their lack of faith. When
the appointed day arrived
the preacher came
accompanied by 100 transformed
persons. But Bradlaugh never showed up. The result? The meeting turned into a
testimony time and many sinners who had gathered to hear the scheduled debate
were converted.
Unknown
A.B. Simpson is reported
to have said that the gospel "Tells rebellious men that God is reconciled
that justice is satisfied
that sin has been atoned for
that the judgment of
the guilty may be revoked
the condemnation of the sinner cancelled
the curse
of the Law blotted out
the gates of hell closed
the portals of heaven opened
wide
the power of sin subdued
the guilty conscience healed
the broken heart
comforted
the sorrow and misery of the Fall undone.
M. Cocoris
Evangelism
A Biblical Approach
Moody
1984
p. 29.