The Supremacy of God In Preaching
Author: John Piper
ISBN: 0801065046
Publisher: Baker Books
Review:
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Piper's vision of preaching and it's purpose is truly refreshing. According to Piper, grandeur, gladness, and gravity are all missing from much of modern preaching. Instead, levity has invaded the pulpit. Preaching seems to be more of an attempt to invoke laughter than awe. However, preachers in particular must recover the gladness and gravity of preaching. He writes, "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."
Through his writing Piper conveys three truths about preaching. The Goal of Preaching is the Glory of God, and he quotes Cotton Mather, "The great design...of a Christian preacher [is] to restore the throne and dominion of God in the souls of men." The Ground of Preaching is the Cross Of Christ. He offers the following comment in response to self-esteem preaching:
"It horribly skews the meaning of the cross when contemporary prophets of self-esteem say that the cross is a witness to my infinite worth, since God was willing to pay such a high price to get me. The biblical perspective is 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. What should shock us is that we have brought such contempt upon the worth of God that the very death of his Son is required to vindicate that worth." pg. 32.
Piper writes that the cross "not only provides a foundation for the validity of preaching... [but] also provides a foundation for the humility of preaching." Preaching is only valid because the cross provides the means for our pride to be dealt with and for our glad acceptance of the Glory of God. It also serves to humble the preacher from deriving personal pride from the results of preaching.
Piper goes on to describe the Gift of Preaching. This is the divine empowerment of the preacher through the Word and the Spirit. Piper cries, "Quote the text!". So many preachers use a text as the starting block for the demonstration of their own ideas. Piper calls upon the witness of Jonathan Edwards as a preacher whose sermons were not only saturated with Scripture but also with the Spirit.
Piper uses the last half of the book to discuss the life of Edwards and how we can learn from this tremendous preacher. The Gift of Preaching that Edward's life exhibited was not only the Scripture soaked sermon, but the life of the Spirit within the man. Edward's was a man who walked with God. The Spirit was not a force in his life, it was the force. The Spirit needs to be the hallmark of the preacher. Not just during the few hours on Sunday when he is visible to the congregation, but during all hours of the week. Piper calls ministers not to attempt to be a certain kind of preacher, but a certain kind of person. The kind of person whose preaching is the visible manifestation of his continuous communication with and revelation of the supremacy of God.
ISBN: 0801065046
Publisher: Baker Books
Review:
--------------
Piper's vision of preaching and it's purpose is truly refreshing. According to Piper, grandeur, gladness, and gravity are all missing from much of modern preaching. Instead, levity has invaded the pulpit. Preaching seems to be more of an attempt to invoke laughter than awe. However, preachers in particular must recover the gladness and gravity of preaching. He writes, "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."
Through his writing Piper conveys three truths about preaching. The Goal of Preaching is the Glory of God, and he quotes Cotton Mather, "The great design...of a Christian preacher [is] to restore the throne and dominion of God in the souls of men." The Ground of Preaching is the Cross Of Christ. He offers the following comment in response to self-esteem preaching:
"It horribly skews the meaning of the cross when contemporary prophets of self-esteem say that the cross is a witness to my infinite worth, since God was willing to pay such a high price to get me. The biblical perspective is 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. What should shock us is that we have brought such contempt upon the worth of God that the very death of his Son is required to vindicate that worth." pg. 32.
Piper writes that the cross "not only provides a foundation for the validity of preaching... [but] also provides a foundation for the humility of preaching." Preaching is only valid because the cross provides the means for our pride to be dealt with and for our glad acceptance of the Glory of God. It also serves to humble the preacher from deriving personal pride from the results of preaching.
Piper goes on to describe the Gift of Preaching. This is the divine empowerment of the preacher through the Word and the Spirit. Piper cries, "Quote the text!". So many preachers use a text as the starting block for the demonstration of their own ideas. Piper calls upon the witness of Jonathan Edwards as a preacher whose sermons were not only saturated with Scripture but also with the Spirit.
Piper uses the last half of the book to discuss the life of Edwards and how we can learn from this tremendous preacher. The Gift of Preaching that Edward's life exhibited was not only the Scripture soaked sermon, but the life of the Spirit within the man. Edward's was a man who walked with God. The Spirit was not a force in his life, it was the force. The Spirit needs to be the hallmark of the preacher. Not just during the few hours on Sunday when he is visible to the congregation, but during all hours of the week. Piper calls ministers not to attempt to be a certain kind of preacher, but a certain kind of person. The kind of person whose preaching is the visible manifestation of his continuous communication with and revelation of the supremacy of God.
posted by The Inkling | 9:26 PM
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