When the preacher begins his sermon in one of the five following ways, you can know that you are in for a long day:
One would think that one could never find a sermon subject on the back of a cereal box, but…
Usually, I try to not let my sermons go over an hour, but…
Let me introduce our lesson with another story about my pet rabbit.
In today’s lesson, I would like to examine the significance of the aorist imperative, passive tense in the Greek text.
When I told my wife this joke last night, she didn’t laugh, but let me try it again with you.
God sees power in preaching. From Moses, Jeremiah, Elijah, Malachi to even a country boy named Amos, God has used the method of preaching to communicate to His people. Preachers of the New Testament include John the Baptizer, Peter, Paul and especially Jesus. Over the past centuries, all great revivals have begun with powerful preaching that calls men back to their God. We dare not neglect the pulpit today if we are to revive ourselves to accomplish what God demands of us.
Some see preaching as outdated, useless and boring. They prefer share groups, movies, games or anything but a sermon! As you might have noticed, preaching the Gospel is a passion of many preachers. It is an opportunity for Christians and non-Christians to gather together to study God’s Word. It is a time for all to be challenged in their Christian walk and for lives to be changed by God’s power. When a preacher preaches from God’s Word, in a very real sense, it is God speaking to man.
While not every sermon of any preacher is even close to perfect and all men stumble, let us remember the power that is contained in the spoken word. Gather together with God’s people as God’s truths are proclaimed. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but to us which are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
[Editor’s Note: Old Testament and New Testament preachers might not recognize some of what passes for preaching these days. Stories, jokes, vague generalities and the exclusion of sensitive topics bear little resemblance to biblical preaching. Furthermore, Scripture and edification pertaining thereto often is minimized. Certainly, that kind of preaching shares some responsibility for many Christians believing a little bit of everything and not much of anything. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
