Faithful Preaching: Chapter Three
I'm really enjoying Tony Merida's helpful book, Faithful Preaching. I'm blogging through it in preparation for our next Karis Church preaching seminar. This is an event that's used to help our preachers prepare to preach in our Leader Lab Sundays. Today, I'll briefly share a summary and some quotes from chapter three.
Chapter Three: Preaching Christ from the Inspired Scriptures
This third chapter has two different objectives. First, it defends from Scripture why it is that we preach Scripture. God's word is inspired, authoritative, and sufficient. It is also God's gracious self-revelation to us. If we believe all these things about God's word, why wouldn't we preach it faithfully? Writes Merida,
Of course, there are many who claim to have a high view of biblical inspiration in theory but do not demonstrate this belief in practice. Many wave the Bible in the air as the "inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God" but never actually preach Word-driven sermons.
Second, chapter three argues that we should preach Christ from the Scriptures. Merida gives four helpful reasons:
- Jesus clearly saw Himself as the fulfillment of the Old Testament writings.
- The apostles knew that the Bible focused upon Jesus.
- The work of the Spirit is to glorify Christ.
- The Scriptures are thematic and climactic, pointing us to Jesus.
Here is the author's chapter summary:
In this chapter, I have sought to identify four convictions about Scripture that should drive one to expository preaching: inspiration, authority, revelation, and sufficiency. I have also noted the message of Scripture: God's work in redemptive history that culminates in Jesus. The implication of this understanding is that faithful preachers should proclaim the biblical text first in its original setting and then in view of its redemptive historical setting-exalting the person, work, and teaching of Jesus. Ultimately, the purpose of Christ-exalting exposition is to see Christ formed in his people for the glory of God (p. 45).