Lawson - The Kind of Preaching God Blesses

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Cover by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

THE KIND OF PREACHING GOD BLESSES

Copyright 2013 by Steven J. Lawson

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-5355-9 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5356-6 (eBook)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Contents

When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak Gods wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.

1 C ORINTHIANS 2:1-9

The Kind of Preaching God Blesses

John MacArthur

F or the faithful preacher, 2 Timothy 4:2 majestically stands out as sacred ground. It is precious territory for every pastor who, following in the footsteps of Paul, desires to faithfully proclaim the Word of God. In this single verse, the apostle defined the primary mandate for God-honoring church ministry, not only for Timothy, but for all who would come after him. The minister of the gospel is called to preach the word.

The faithful expositor understands that Scripture is no ordinary book. The power of the pulpit is in the Word preached, as the Spirit uses His sword to pierce human hearts (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). This sacred book is inspired by God, or more literally, God-breathed. It is not only powerful to save, but also to sanctify. Consequently, the pastors task is to faithfully feed the flock with the pure milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:1-3), trusting God for the resulting growth.

With such a comprehensive work of both salvation and sanctification available through the power of the Scriptures, why would anyone be tempted to preach anything else? The pastor who cares about the spiritual growth of his people must make God and His Word the centerpiece of his ministry. In order to do that, he must preach the Word.

God is still delivering His divine mandate to faithful men to preach the Word, and this sacred charge certainly compels Steven Lawson, who powerfully and passionately demonstrates his obedience to this divine commission. A proven example to this and future generations of preachers, he offers in this book a clarion call to the kind of preaching God blesses.

Lawson is passionate about biblical preaching. He understands that careful biblical exposition from the pulpit is the great need of the church today. His own preaching ministry is exemplary. As a faithful preacher for many years, he has been widely appreciated for the boldness, clarity, and care with which he handles Scripture.

In this present hour, Lawson says that a dearth of biblical preaching has left the evangelical movement weak, starving for spiritual truth, and susceptible to the ravages of the enemy. I am convinced he is right.

With great precision, like that of a skilled surgeon, Lawson cuts directly to the heart issue of preaching in this generation. With pinpoint accuracy, he gives the correct diagnosis to the pulpit ailment that plagues so many churches in this day. Lawson rightly concludes that there is certainly no shortage of preaching. Rather, the problem lies in the anemic substance and lack of power in the evangelical pulpit.

Far too often, todays messages contain everything except the main thing. They are devoid of the preaching of Christ in all His glory. Therefore, pulpits are powerless to save.

Tragically, this kind of empty preaching has gone viral, reaching pandemic levels throughout churches across this globe. The evidence seems overwhelming. Preaching itself is on the decline in a major way. Numerous churchesincluding some of the largest and best-known oneshave relegated the pulpit ministry to second-class status.

To this end, Lawson states the much-needed cure. If there is to be a reformation of the pulpit, and a revival again in the church, it will only come about through God-glorifying, Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered preaching. This and this alone is the kind of preaching God blesses biblical preaching.

Here is a wonderful antidote for preachers confused by all the modern emphasis on style over substance. Lawson takes us back to the Scriptures, specifically 1 Corinthians 2:1-9, to show how biblical preaching is mandated by God and exemplified by the apostle Paul. It is both challenging and encouraging.

I am very thankful to see this book in print, and I pray that it will have a widespread impact on pastors, church leaders, young preachers-to-be, and the famished members of our flocks.

May this work be a sword in the Holy Spirits arsenal to equip and embolden many steadfast men to such noble faithfulness and promised blessing.

John MacArthur

Pastor/Teacher

Grace Community Church

Sun Valley, California

N ot all sermons are the same. Some messages rise above others in the impact and influence they exert. Such a word brings the right emphasis, for the right group, at the right time. It is a timely word that uniquely addresses a pressing need for an appointed hour. This kind of divinely appointed message arises out of the deep conviction of the preacher and connects with the heart of the hearer.