Our Scripture verse on preaching is 1 Corinthians 1:21 which reads: "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
Our quote on preaching today is from George Whitefield. He said, "Other men may preach the gospel better than I, but no man can preach a better gospel."
In this podcast, we are using as our texts, the following three books: "Lectures to My Students" by Charles H. Spurgeon; "The Preacher and his Preaching" by Alfred P. Gibbs; and "Biblical Preaching" by Haddon W. Robinson.
Our first topic is titled "The Minister's Piety Must be Vigorous, Part 1" from "Lectures to My Students" by Charles H. Spurgeon. He writes:
The minister is not to be content with being equal to the rank and file of Christians, he must be a mature and advanced believer; for the ministry of Christ has been truly called "the choicest of his choice, the elect of his election, a church picked out of the church." If he were called to an ordinary position, and to common work, common grace might perhaps satisfy him, though even then it would be an indolent satisfaction; but being elect to extraordinary labors, and called to a place of unusual peril, he should be anxious to possess that superior strength which alone is adequate to his station. His pulse of vital godliness must beat strongly and regularly; his eye of faith must be bright; his foot of resolution must be firm; his hand of activity must be quick; his whole inner man must be in the highest degree of sanity.
...
Our second topic is titled "The Qualifications of the Preacher, Part 9" from "The Preacher and his Preaching" by Alfred P. Gibbs.
This section is titled: THE PREACHER MUST BE A STUDENT OF THE BIBLE (PART 2)
2. He must be able to quote it from memory.
This necessitates that he commit to memory certain verses and passages of the Bible. This will stand him in good stead as he faces his audience, for the Bible is his authority and final court of appeal. It is God’s ultimatum to humanity. To be able to quote a passage correctly and impressively from the Scriptures will engrave it upon the mind of the hearer, for it will leave the audience in no doubt as to the divine authority of the message.
...
Our third topic is titled "The Definition of Expository Preaching, Part 7" from "Biblical Preaching" by Haddon W. Robinson. He writes:
The Concept Is Applied to the Hearers (Part 2)
Effective application thrusts us into both theology and ethics. Traveling from exegesis to application, we make a hard trip through life-related and sometimes perplexing questions. In addition to grammatical relationships, we also explore personal and psychological relationships. How do the characters in the text relate to one another? How are they related to God? What values lie behind the choices they make? What apparently went on in the minds of those who were involved? These questions are not directed to the “there and then,” as though God dealt with men and women only back in the “once upon a time.” The same questions can be asked in the “here and now.” How do we relate to one another today? How does God confront us about similar issues? In what way does the modern world compare or contrast with the biblical world? Are the questions dealt with in Scripture the questions people ask today? Are they put forth now in the same way or in different forms? These probings become the raw material of ethics and theology.
...