The Trinitarian view of preaching presented in The Supremacy of God in Preaching (John Piper) gives a clear God-ward focus to this part of ministry. The goal is God’s glory; the foundation is Jesus’ cross-work; the power is the Holy Spirit. Also, the pairing of gladness and gravity as the two essential things to communicate is a useful guard against both externalism and flippancy. Throughout the book, exhortations to an earnest preaching ministry abound, filling out the practical counsel with solid motivation.
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Why God Should Be Supreme in Preaching
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The Goal of Preaching: The Glory of God Rom 10.14-15 : Isa 52.7 :: Good news : “Your God reigns” “The only submission to the Lordship of Christ that fully magnifies his worth and reflects his beauty is the humble gladness of the human soul in the glory of God in the face of his son” (28-29).
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The Ground of Preaching: The Cross of Christ
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The Cross as the Ground of the Validity of Preaching “God designed a way to vindicate the worth of his glory and at the same time give hope to sinners who have scorned that glory – and what he designed was the death of his Son” (35).
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The Cross as the Ground of the Humility of Preaching “The cross is the power of God to crucify the pride of both preacher and congregation” (36).
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The Gift of Preaching: The Power of the Holy Spirit
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Relying on the Gift of the Spirit’s Word – the Bible Quote words of Scripture; don’t just summarize passages. “The work of the Holy Spirit in the process of interpretation is not to add information, but to give us the discipline to study well, and the humility to accept the truth we find without twisting it, and often a desperately needed discovery or insight in his providential guidance of our work” (46).
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Relying on the Gift of the Spirit’s Power in Preaching
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Admit to the Lord that I can do nothing without him.
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Pray for help.
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Trust a specific promise where I can bank my hope for that hour.
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Act in the confidence that God will fulfill his Word.
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Thank God at the end of message.
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The Gravity and Gladness of Preaching “Gladness and gravity should be woven together in the life and preaching of a pastor in such a way as to sober the careless soul and sweeten the burdens of the saints” (55). “If you don’t give gladness, you don’t give the gospel; you give legalism” (57).
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Strive for practical, earnest, glad-hearted holiness in every area of your life.
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Make your life – especially the life of your study – a life of constant communion with God in prayer.
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Read books that were written by men or women who bleed Bible when you prick them and who are blood-earnest about the truths they discuss.
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Direct your mind often to the contemplation of death.
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Consider the biblical teaching that as a preacher you will be judged with greater strictness.
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Consider the example of Jesus.
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Strive with all the strength you have to know God and to humble yourself under his mighty hand.
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How to Make God Supreme in Preaching (Guidance from the Ministry of Jonathan Edwards) “Choose one great theologian and apply [yourself] throughout life to understanding and mastering his thought” (67).
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Keep God Central: The Life of Jonathan Edwards
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Submit to Sweet Sovereignty: The Theology of Edwards “The goal of all that God does is to preserve and display his glory” (79). “The duty of man is to delight in God’s glory” (79). “Preaching is a means of grace to assist the saints to persevere. Perseverance is necessary for final salvation. Therefore, every sermon is a ‘salvation sermon’” (81).
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Make God Supreme: The Preaching of Edwards
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Stir Up Holy Affections
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Enlighten the Mind
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Saturate with Scripture
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Employ Analogies and Images
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Use Threat and Warning
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Plead for a Response Edwards: “Sinners … should be earnestly invited to come and accept of a Savior, and yield their hearts unto him, with all the winning, encouraging arguments for them … that the Gospel affords” (94, from Concerning the Revival, 391).
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Probe the Workings of the Heart
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Yield to the Holy Spirit in Prayer Edwards: “I spent most of my time in thinking of divine things, year after year; often walking alone in the woods and solitary places, for meditation, soliloquy, and prayer” (99, from “Personal Narrative,” Selections, 61).
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Be Broken and Tenderhearted
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Be Intense “Good preaching gives the impression that something very great is at stake” (103).
Qualification: Piper says that “the cross is a witness to the infinite worth of God’s glory and a witness to the immensity of the sin of my pride” (35), against the idea that the cross is a witness to my worth. However, we should be careful not minimize the genuine sacrificial love that the cross displayed.
Disagreement: Piper defines “righteousness of God” as “his unwavering zeal for the exaltation of his own glory” (32). I suppose he could defend this definition by explaining that the ultimate “standard to which God conforms” is his glory-zeal, but that doesn’t make his definition accurate. Justice and moral uprightness are key components of righteousness that should not be omitted as though subservient to glory.
Disagreement: Piper identifies God’s righteousness as an obstacle to his purpose of reflecting his glory in our submission (32). However, I’d contend the righteousness is not the obstacle; our sin is. Preaching does not need to “overcome” the righteousness of God; it needs to overcome our inability to handle that righteousness.
Discussion: Piper suggests finding a theologian and delving deeply into his life and theology. That sounds like a useful idea to me. Do you agree and, if so, do you have any recommendations on whom that theologian should be?
I recommend purchasing The Supremacy of God in paperback or Kindle format.