The Message of the Apostles

The apostles understood that the end of the ages was upon them and that the judgement was just around the corner (Acts 17:30-31). And so they didn't rise up on Sunday morning to explain that there were interesting perspectives in this word that you might choose to adopt if they happened to fit in with your faith journey. They didn't canvas the various options and perspectives that might shed light on what this word actually meant. And they didn't provide a verbal commentary, detailing some of the idiosyncrasies of biblical Hebrew. They preached that God's king had come and that today was the day to repent.

-- Phillip Jensen, The Archer and the Arrow, p.31

The Priority of Preaching Christ

Martin Luther: "I preach as though Christ was crucified yesterday, rose from the dead today, and is coming back tomorrow."

Richard Baxter: "If we can but teach Christ to our people, we teach them all."

Charles Spurgeon: "A sermon without Christ as its beginning, middle, and end is a mistake in conception and a crime in execution.... When we preach Jesus Christ, then we are not putting out the plates, and the knives, and the forks, for the feast, but we are handing out the bread itself.... [Let us] preach Christ to sinners if we cannot preach sinners to Christ.... I wish that our ministry--and mine especially--might be tied and tethered to the cross."

-- Quoted by Joel Beeke in "God-Centered Theology in the Ministry of the Word," The Puritan Reformed Journal. Mentioned by Pure Church on 08/20/2009

Connecting the Old with the New

Christian preachers cannot preach an Old Testament text in isolation, but must always understand the text in the context of the whole Bible and redemptive history. Simply to preach the message of an Old Testament text in isolation is to preach an Old Testament sermon, for the histories of revelation and redemption have moved on. Therefore a Christian sermon on an Old Testament text will necessarily move on to the New Testament.

-- Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, p.230

Don't Draw Lines!

A preacher's task is not just to draw lines to Christ but to preach Christ in such a way that people will be attracted to him and put their faith, trust, and hope in him.

-- Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, p.98