I have a message from God in my heart

    concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:

There is no fear of God

    before their eyes.

If preaching is to move the heart it must come from the heart. It is out of the ‘overflow’ of the heart that the mouth speaks. If the preacher is not stirred by the message, how can he (or she) expect anyone else to be? In a very real sense, his heart must be in his mouth.

Authentic preaching requires:

  • A messenger;
  • A “message from God”;
  • A “heart” prepared to speak “from God” (2 Peter 1:21);
  • Bravery to pass the message on – especially when you have something tough to say that people may not want to hear (indeed, something which might get you ‘stoned’ in one way or another).

Preaching is not just stringing a few thoughts, jokes and anecdotes together and sharing them on a Sunday. It is the overflowing of a bubbling, boiling pot that has sat on the stove long enough to get very hot. It has had a lot of heat under it in the form of prayerful study.Although this message may pass through a human heart (and lips), hearers know it came “from God”.

‘The word of God can be in the mind without being in the heart, but it cannot be in the heart without first being in the mind.’ R.C.Sproul.

Let us pray today for clarity and courage (and passion!) for all who are called to preach God’s Word.