Preparation for Preaching
It is Saturday again. It will be Sunday again tomorrow, and this means many will make their familiar way, to a familiar church building, to hear a familiar preacher preach the familiar Word of God. This is a good thing, a great thing even. However, we must be certain it does not become a too familiar thing so that we become “bored with good preaching“. Here is an article from Pastor Paul Martin on the subject. Let us head the warning and use it to help in preparation.
A family came to GFC a few months ago and could not stop talking about how glad they were to “hear the Word again.” I warned them, as I warn others in their situation, that they must guard their hearts from an over-zealous enthusiasm. Although it is great that they are being fed, even bland food feels like a feast to a malnutritioned man. What will they do when they have regained spiritual sustenance and find that the preaching is Biblical, yet quite average? If they train their senses to feel something is “good” only when they receive some kind of spiritual high, they could very well end up running from place to place looking for that high, not the Word.
There are still others that are so used to being well fed that when summer comes, or relatives visit or some other fancy strikes, they feel quite free to skip church to play.
Both these folks would do good to heed the careful wisdom of John Newton:
A Famine of the Word
Gladness was spread through Israel’s host
When first they Manna viewed;
They labored who should gather most,
And thought it pleasant food.
But when they had it long enjoyed
From day to day, the same;
Their hearts were by the plenty cloyed,
Although from heav’n it came.Thus gospel bread at first is prized,
And makes a people glad;
But afterwards too much despised,
When easy to be had.
But should the Lord, displeased, withhold
The bread his mercy sends;
To have our houses filled with gold
Would make but poor amends.How tedious would the week appear,
How dull the Sabbath prove?
Could we no longer meet to bear
The precious truths we love!
How would believing parents bear
To leave their heedless youth,
Exposed to every fatal snare,
Without the light of truth?The gospel, and a praying few
Our bulwark long have proved;
But Olney sure the day will rue
When these shall be removed.
Then sin, in this once favored town,
Will triumph unrestrained;
And wrath and vengeance hasten down,
No more by prayer detained.Preserve us from this judgment, Lord
For JESUS’ sake we plead;
A famine of the gospel word
Would be a stroke indeed!Hymn 49 in Olney Hymns
John Newton
June 30th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Great post Andy. It is convicting for me to think about all the times in the (not so distant) past when, even though I assembled with the saints to “worship” God on Sunday morning, my mind would tend to wander to the upcoming Colts, Hoosiers, Pacers, etc., etc. game that afternoon. I would comfort my conscience by being there and fulfilling my duty to set one day aside for my creator. Once that duty was fulfilled I was free to resume my life the way I wanted to live it, and of course that way did not include much in the way of bible study, sermon reflection, fellowship (unless my fellow game viewers happened to be professing believers), or christian service. I am thankful that I have been reminded about the importance of this day and that my mind is being renewed to view this time in a different way. I am reading a book by Walter Chantry titled Call The Sabbath a Delight and it has been a blessing to me to be reminded of the truths of scripture concerning the fourth commandment. I am beginning, maybe for the first time in my life, to see this day as a delight. I thank God for this.
Now the challenge is going to be how to spend my downtime at the fire station when I’m on duty on Sunday’s. My hope is that I will see it as a delight then too, when the worldly distractions are more intense and more accessible, and the accountability is not so much so.
Rob