Ps.96:13 - Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
There is much talk of discernment these days and in fact there should be. It is impossible to keep pace with the avalanche of new and exciting and utterly false teachings that are now being embraced within Christian circles. Think about these teachings:
- There is no hell
- Everyone will be saved
- Jesus was not unique
- The cross was not primarily an atonement
- The Scriptures are not authoritative
- Homosexuality is not a sin
- Truth is not really necessary, who can know truth
The average church goer would not even have a working grasp of what discernment is and its place in a believer’s life. This is so very sad when we consider the Lord has so graciously given us His written Word along with great men and women of God to unfold its treasures under the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit. The doctrines that are being tampered with are not fringe issues, many of the fringe issues are already gone. These teachings are altering basic and foundational doctrines that evangelical denominations from a wide spectrum would consider established truth. And yet the average professor of religion drives to "his" church, sends his children to their well organized places of care, and wanders into the sanctuary without a thought, much less a prayer, about the Biblical authenticity of what he will hear. Most of the time the sermon title is all he should require.
- Consistently declares the wonderful acts of God, supremely the redeeming work of His eternal Son.
- It labors to convince us about our place in relation to those wonderful acts.
- We are participants in them, not spectators of them.
- Good preching directs us to the word of God, the Scriptures: there to find our life in the drama of redemption.
- It draws us into the text to be confronted with:
- the revelation of the awesomeness of God
- the certainties of His justice
- the comforts of His mercy
- the means by which He gathers His elect
Good preaching is God-centered, not man-centered. The content of the message is more about God, Jesus Christ than himself. Sometimes autobiographical are more important. Preaching is not first of all about what may have happened to me or to you, but what has most assuredly happen to Jesus Christ.
Good preaching is:
Scripture-centered, not headline centered; event-centered, not idea-centered; church centered, not culture-centered, nor even behavior-centered.
I believe preaching/teaching should be focused on the content of the text. You don't force your point of view in to the text.
This doesn't mean you do not address issues, but if the Scripture address an issue you address the issue.
PREACHING is the PREACHER: But the preaching will reveal the PREACHER.
THE BEST WAY TO KNOW IF THE PREACHING IS GOOD, KNOW THE TEXT.
