Apology accepted. But only because you stammered.

True or False?

"Apologies are like monsters: They're only real if you believe in them."

~Justin Feinstein"

To him, all good things, trout as well as eternal salvation, came by grace and grace comes by art, and art does not come easy.

As I cited in Sunday's sermon, a solid and succinct quote from Johnny Mac regarding the "grace of Christ" (e.g., Gal 1:6):

“The grace of Christ is God’s free and sovereign act of love and mercy in granting salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus, apart from anything men are or can do, and of His sustaining that salvation to glorification.”

Hey, Lou, don't you think we should have a prayer? We're all not savages like Cerrano.

One of the drawbacks of having any online activity is the propensity to run into random humans who want to engage you in conversations that can really beat you down.

A professing Christian took offense to a quote I shared regarding prayer. I share this because (1) it's a good quote for our National Day of Prayer and (2) so you can feel may pain of how strange people come across in cyberspace.

GUNNY ...

"Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence." -- W. S. Bowd

OTHER EARTHLING ...

Gunny! Prayer is not weakness, have you ever tried it? God said to "prayer about everything" through prayer, we ask God to help and bless people in their situations and ourselves, and God works with those prayers for the people we pray for and for us too. Payer strengthens our faith in God, how can He help us if we don't ask in prayer?

GUNNY ...

I have tried it. What a peculiar question to ask, sir, and seemingly a rather unkind accusation.

The essence of prayer is a recognition of our weakness and God's strength. (cf. 1 Peter 5:5, 6-7).

We do not pray because we are strong, but because God is strong.

Truth be told, I really don't disagree with what you said in praise of prayer. Prayer strengthens our faith in God, but not our faith in ourselves. Proud people don't pray.

May we boast gladly in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

Soli Deo Gloria,
Gunny

As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.

The following are some of my notes from Sunday's sermon at Providence Church,"Fasting and Feasting."

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18, ESV)

Click to listen:

Principle & Application:

• Principle - Do your righteous deeds to please God, not to impress others (Matthew 6:1)
• Application - Giving (6:2-4); Prayer (6:5-15); and Fasting (6:16-18)

Definition: Fasting - “a Christian’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.” (Don Whitney, Spiritual Disciples for the Christian Life)

10 major categories of purpose in fasting:

1. To Strengthen Prayer
2. To Seek God’s Guidance
3. To Express Grief
4. To Seek Deliverance or Protection
5. To Express Repentance and Return to God
6. To Humble Oneself Before God
7. To Express Concern for the Work of God
8. To Minister to the Needs of Others – Giving away the money you’d have spent on food.
9. To Overcome Temptation and Dedicate Yourself to God
10. To Express Love and Worship to God

(Don Whitney, Spiritual Disciples for the Christian Life)

“In Scripture we see several purposes for fasting. It’s part of the discipline of self-control; it’s a way of sharing that we depend on God alone and draw all our strength and resources from him; it’s a way of focusing totally on him when seeking his guidance and help, and of showing that you really are in earnest in your quest; it’s also, at times, an expression of sorrow and deep repentance, something that a person or community will do in order to acknowledge failure before God and seek his mercy.” (J.I. Packer)

“It is sobering to realize that the very first statement Jesus made about fasting dealt with the question of motive. To use good things to our own ends is always the sign of false religion...Fasting must forever center on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained...Fasting reminds us that we are sustained by ‘every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ (Matt. 4:4)...Therefore, in experiences of fasting we are not so much abstaining from food as we are feasting on the word of God. Fasting is feasting!” (Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline)

How NOT to fast (Matt 6:16) - Looking somber, complaining about hunger, telling people who don’t need to know. (Cf. Luke 18:9-14)

Per the prophets, without right conduct fasting was/is in vain (e.g., Isaiah 58:1-12; Jer 14:11-12)

Hot to fast (Matt 6:17-18) - Fast for God’s eyes, not to impress others.

Fasting is feasting, but on a different kind of food. (Matt. 4:4; Deut 8:3)

Fasting is a good reminder of our frailty and dependence on God and that nothing else in life really satisfies but the Lord Himself.

“Now, remember, you will never know the fullness of Christ until you know the emptiness of everything else but Christ." (Charles Spurgeon)

At least your name isn't Michael Bolton.

Quotes from 3 of today's birthday boys ...

"It's good to know who hates you and to be hated by the right people."
- Johnny Cash (1932)

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."
- Victor Hugo (1802)

"I have to be happy in the here and now because every time you start focusing on your legacy you're really setting yourself up for disappointment."
- Michael Bolton (1953)

No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.

The following are some thoughts and quotes with regard to Expository Preaching, some of which I typically share with preaching students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Here's a video clip from John Piper on the Power of Scripture and Doctrine to start us off. (HT Benji)





A couple of quick definitions/descriptions:

York (SBTS prof) & Decker, Preaching with Bold Assurance
"Expository preaching is defined not by a style nor by a particular methodology, but by the end result of explaining and applying the meaning of the text. Expository preaching is any kind of preaching that shows people the meaning of a biblical text and leads them to apply it to their lives."


Robinson, Biblical Preaching
"Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the preacher, applies to his hearers."


Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching
"Biblical preaching moves from doctrinal exposition to life instruction."

"A grammar lesson is not a sermon. A sermon is not a textual summary, a systematics discourse, or a history lecture. Mere lectures are pre-sermons because they dispense information without relevant application that focuses listeners on their obligations to Christ and his ministry to them." (which he credits to Jay Adams in Preaching with Purpose)

"present the Word; explain what it says; and exhort based on what it means. This is expository preaching."


J. I . Packer, "Why Preach?"
“The purpose of preaching is not to stir people to action while bypassing their minds, so that they never see what reason God gives them for doing what the preacher requires of them (that is manipulation); nor is the purpose to stock people’s minds with truth, no matter how vital and clear, which then lies fallow and does not become the seedbed and source of changed lives (that is academicism).”


Al Mohler, (See "Expository Preaching and the Recovery of Christian Worship," Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3)
"Expository preaching is that mode of Christian preaching that takes as its central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible. All other issues and concerns are subordinated to the central task of presenting the biblical text. As the word of God, the text of Scripture has the right to establish both the substance and the structure of the sermon. Genuine exposition takes place when the preacher sets forth the meaning and message of the biblical text and makes clear how the word of God establishes the identity and worldview of the church as the people of God."

"Expository preaching begins with the preacher's determination to present and explain the text of the Bible to his congregation. This simple starting point is a major issue of division in contemporary homiletics for many preachers assume that they must begin with a human problem or question and then work backward to the biblical text. On the contrary, expository preaching begins with the text and works from the text to apply its truth to the lives of believers. If this determination and commitment are not clear at the outset, something other than expository preaching will result."

"Authentic expository preaching is marked by three distinct marks or characteristics: authority, reverence, and centrality. Expository preaching is authoritative because it stands upon the very authority of the Bible as the word of God. Such preaching requires and reinforces a sense of reverent expectation on the part of God's people. Finally, expository preaching demands the central place in Christian worship and is respected as the event through which the living God speaks to his people."


John Stott, Between Two Worlds
"We should be praying that God will raise up a new generation of Christian communicators who are determined to bridge the chasm; who struggle to relate God’s unchanging Word to our ever-changing world; who refuse to sacrifice truth to relevance or relevance to truth; but who resolve instead in equal measure to be faithful to Scripture and pertinent to today."

"What did the original author intend his words to mean? That was the question. Moreover it is a question which can with patience be answered, and answered confidently…the biblical authors were honest men, not deceivers and their writings intended to be understood.”


Gunny's Sine qua non of Expository Preaching
"Expository preaching presents the intended meaning of the biblical author/Author in a manner that is relevant to the contemporary listener."


If our goal in all preaching (& teaching) is life change to the glory of God (and I can't see how it's not), then our listeners should leave knowing what the text meant in the original context, what the text means for the contemporary audience, and how the text should be applied in their little world. They should be motivated to that end through our exhortation and should be expected to do it (reliant on the Spirit, of course).