John Piper, the Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990), 86

Monday Musings

“I know the vanity of your heart, and that you will feel mortified that your congregation is very small, in comparison with those of your brethren around you; but assure yourself on the word of an old man, that when you come to give an account of them to the Lord Christ, at His judgment-seat, you will think you have had enough.”

–John Brown, in a letter of paternal counsel written to one of his pupils newly ordained over a small congregation, cited by Alexander Grossart in The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes, Vol. 1, Ed. Alexander Grossart (1862-1864; reprint, Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1979), 294.

Monday Musings

“I say that good preaching is ’saturated with Scripture’ and not ‘based on Scripture’ because Scripture is more (not less) than the basis for good preaching. Preaching that proclaims God’s supremacy does not begin with Scripture as a basis and then wander off to other things. It oozes Scripture.

-John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990), 86.

Monday Musings

“If a minister has light without heat and entertains his [hearers] with learned discourses, without a savour of the power of godliness, or any appearance of fervency of spirit, and zeal for God and the good of souls, he may gratify itching ears, and fill the heads of his people with empty notions; but it will not be very likely to teach their hearts, or save their souls.”

-Jonathan Edwards; cited in John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990), 48.

Monday Musings

“The cross is also the ground of humility of preaching because the cross is the power of God to crucify the pride of both preacher and congregation. In the New Testament the cross is not only a past place of objective substitution; it is also a present place of subjective execution - the execution of my self-reliance and my love affair with the praise of man.”

Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

-John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990), 33. Monday Musings

“Therefore, the goal of preaching is the glory of God reflected in the glad submission of the human heart. And the supremacy of God in preaching is secured by this fact: The one who satisfies gets the glory; the one who gives the pleasure is the treasure.”

-John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990), 26.

Monday Musings

“The great design and intention of the office of a Christian preacher [is] to restore the throne and dominion of God in the souls of men.”

-Cotton Mather; cited in John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990), 22.

Monday Musings

“Watch your natural gifts and tendencies and idiosyncrasies. Watch them. What I mean is that they will tend to run away with you. It can all be summed up in a phrase — watch your strength. Not so much your weaknesses: it is your strength you have to watch, the things at which you excel, your natural gifts and aptitudes. They are the ones that are most likely to trip you because they are the ones that will tempt you to make a display and to pander to self”

-D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preachers and Preaching, p. 255

Monday Musing

The kind of sermon which is likely to break the hearer’s heart is that which first has broken the preacher’s heart, and the sermon which is likely to reach the heart of the hearer is the one which has come straight from the heart of the preacher. -Charles Spurgeon

Monday Musing: Cowardly Preachers

“I know of no surer way of a people’s perishing than by being led by one who does not speak out straight and honestly denounce evil. If the minister halts between two opinions, do you wonder that the congregation is undecided? If the preacher trims and twists to please all parties, can you expect his people to be honest? If I wink at your inconsistencies will you not soon be hardened in them? Like priest, like people. A cowardly preacher suits hardened sinners. Those who are afraid to rebuke sin, or to probe the conscience, will have much to answer for. May God save you from being led into the ditch by a blind guide.” - Charles Spurgeon, Unknown Monday Musing

To preach the word . . . and not to follow it with constant and fervent prayer for its success, is to disbelieve its use, neglect its end, and to cast away the seed of the gospel at random.

John Owen, The True Nature of a Gospel Church and Its Government, Works, Vol 16.

| The foregoing “Monday Musing” were all copied and are supplementary to Lesson #12