The Gospel Alliterated

Many preachers alliterate the main points of their sermon.  It is the sort of thing that is catchy and often easy to remember.  This method is not actually taught in a seminary preaching class, at least not in mine.  Alliterating sermon points may stem from our desire to appear clever or engaging.  Which can be helpful to hold the attention of our audience.  But this could also lead to an egotistical clown in the pulpit.  We need to guard against relying on our own abilities or drawing attention to ourselves and away from Christ and the gospel.

Here are a few key aspects of the gospel that contain a bit of an alliterated flow.  I understand this is not an exhaustive explanation of the good news.  But it seems to cover at least three vital points.  The alliteration provides a helpful tool when trying to recall these areas.

God is Righteous.  Man is Ruined and needs Repentance.  Jesus Christ is the only suitable Redeemer.

The simple truth is this: I'm not clever enough to actually formulate these thoughts on my own.  Just like I am unable, as a broken and filthy sinner, to come to God on my own.  I am so thankful and amazed at the mercy and grace of God!

Words I Needed

Today is Monday. A pastor friend of mine told me that early in his ministry he often felt discouraged on Mondays. In fact, he said that for a while he thought about quitting, nearly every Monday. I have been there.

For me, there usually seems to be a big build up to Sunday. After that, I sometimes sense a bit of a let down. I realize that much of this is the flesh and the Enemy.

Today I read a few poignant words from Charles Spurgeon that I really needed to hear. He was writing in regards to Numbers 11:23 which states, "Is the LORD'S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not." Here are the comments of our dear friend Mr. Spurgeon:

"The ground of faith is not the sufficiency of the visible means for the performance of the promise, but the all-sufficiency of the invisible God, who will most surely do as he has said."

I needed a reminder. On Sunday or Monday - on every other day, my faith is not in my own strength. It is in the One who raised up my Savior. The One who opened my heart to see His beauty. The One who still awakens dead sinners. The One who will certainly accomplish His will. I will trust in Him, alone!

Quotable

"When the true Gospel of Grace is preached, the believers will be glad, the rebels will get mad, and the pharisees will be confused"

This quotation is attributed to Rolfe Barnard who was a southern evangelist in the 1950s and 60s. He had a powerful ministry throughout the South and eventually "preached" his way to Canada. His style and passion for Christ while he was preaching is a thing of the past. Thankfully, several of his sermons were recorded and are readily available today.

My father had a few copies of Barnard's sermons on cassette and he shared them with me soon after my conversion in 1995. That old-fashion preacher told of God's mercy and grace in a way I had seldom heard. These words of truth stirred my soul, and still do. I count Rolfe Barnard as one of my favorite preachers ever.

If you have time, I encourage you to listen to a classic Barnard sermon: "Sovereign Mercy." It is one of my favorites. At the conclusion of the message he shares the true story of how God, working in great power, moved upon the heart of a lady during a meeting in Canada. A real picture of God's sovereign mercy.

Just Outside of Cleveland

I am posting from just outside of Cleveland. I travelled here with a bunch of ministry friends for the Basics Conference at Parkside Church. What a blessing already and it has just barely gotten started.

Alistair Begg is the pastor at Parkside and a wonderful host. Plus he has that cool accent us Yanks just love. The music is being led by Keith and Kristyn Getty. If you don't know their music you must find it...now. They are so gifted and have provided the church with a wealth of modern, Christ-centered hymns. I thought as we sang tonight, every church in America should be singing these hymns. I know that is painful for those who are clutching the old red hymnbook with white knuckles. Those who haven't been introduced to these hymns are missing a real blessing. (step down from soap box)

Today we heard Jerry Bridges who is a gifted writer and minister. He shared his heart sticking close to the conference theme: Preaching the Gospel to Yourself. This is a phrase that Bridges sort of coined in one of his books several years ago. He admits that he heard the phrase in a sermon years ago.

This evening Voddie Baucham had a great sermon from 2 Timothy. He focused on the two prong message from Paul to Timothy: Preach the gospel and be prepared to suffer for it. Good stuff.

The close of the evening was a wonderful mini-concert by the Gettys as they rolled out a brand new hymn, 'Let The Creation Rejoice' (not exactly sure if that's the title). Really good stuff.

Will post more as time permits. Cleveland Rocks!

Quotable MacArthur

"Two things a pastor should be most concerned about are telling his people who they are in Christ and then urging them to live like it."

Source: John MacArthur, Ephesians Commentary, pg. 100

Quotable Baxter - For Pastors

"In the name of God, brethren, labour to awaken your own hearts, before you go to the pulpit, that you may be fit to awaken the hearts of sinners. Remember they must be awakened or damned, and that a sleepy preacher will hardly awaken drowsy sinners." Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor

Nothing like a little Baxter to challenge you heading into the weekend!

[the picture is not Baxter's pulpit, I just thought it was kind of cool]

Long winded?

Although I have not been "reprimanded" by anyone from our congregation, I have a feeling that lately I have been too long winded in my sermons. Of course I am maybe my harshest critic (except for my lovely wife, and I am grateful for her honesty). While I tend to stay close to the text, my most recent sermons have been nearly 40 minutes in length. (You can hear for yourself here.)

Am I preaching too long? Will today's listener tune in for more than 25 minutes? Should I care about such things? Is it a compromise to limit your remarks so as to cater to the modern church goer? Is this an attack from the enemy as a way to distract me? I think about these issues. Yet, I am not willing to compromise the message or short-change the text in order to make folks feel more at home. I haven't noticed people zoning out or sleeping, no more than you would expect.

If you have thoughts on this issue I would love some feed back. I will make this a matter of prayer also. I do not want to be a hindrance to our worship because I am "long winded." I want to be a good steward of my time, even my time in the pulpit.