Improving Preaching Archives - Page 3 of 5

Seven Marks of a Good Sermon is my reaction from reading this article from Lutheran Seminary of the same name. It is written by Homiletics Professor Michael Rogness and Assistant Professor David Lose. I greatly dislike the reference to the preacher as a “she” since 1 Timothy 3:2 requires a bishop or pastor to be a man.

Spiritual Preparation for Preaching your Sermon

January 17, 2023December 30, 2022 by David Cox

Spiritual Preparation for Preaching your Sermon is an article on how to spiritually prepare for a sermon.

BiblicalViewpoint Tools for Bible Exposition

January 17, 2023July 15, 2022 by David Cox

BiblicalViewpoint Tools for Bible Exposition is a short 2 page work on tools (books) on Hermenuetics. Biblical Viewpoint is a magazine for seminary students and pastors from the Bible faculty at Bob Jones University. This excerpt is presented as a fair use of a small part of the magazine for April 1971.

Easter

bs53 The Hope of the Christian explains hope in the spiritual life of the Christian, how it relates to salvation.
Topics: What does “hope” mean? | Faith and Hope | How does Hope function in our Lives? | What do we do while we are hoping? | The Relationship between Hoping and the Word of God | The Person of God is our Hope | What is the effect of hoping? | Those without Hope.
From the Tracts: Hope is a state of mind that arises when what is desired is presented as attainable. Hope is the expectation of soon receiving something one wants... But between believing and having salvation actually fulfilled, there exists time, and in this time, we have to hope for the time when God will fulfill it, when He wants to close history... We can say that faith, believing, began with hope within us that we wanted this good thing that God promises to us.
Read the Tracts: bs53 The Hope of the Christian.

Various Informational Ads

Are we a country of Laws? Are we a country of Laws? Is an examination of the question of we are a country of laws, and nobody is above the law, and what is really happening in our country. This is an opinion piece written in light of the news of the day. Topics: The Greatness of the United States of America | "Nobody is above the Law" | Comparisons | Defund the Police | No one is above the law | What one would ask for...

Excerpts from the article...
I say "for a person to have a right walk before God" meaning that what you personally do is acceptable in a level of being fair and just both what you do to others, and in the context of what others do to you. You only have a claim of somebody doing something "wrong" in a moral context, and this moral context has to begin with God's existence and God's laws over us before you get to what happens in a court of law in a country, state, county, or city.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This verse fully backs up this concept. To "please God" who is the Judge... The concept of "rewarder" is somebody that looks at actions and gives a reward or a punishment. This is ultimately God's task, and earthly judges must also answer to God, as those in their courts have to answer to that earthly judge. We posit God "must believe that he is" means they must accept the authority and controls (of blessing or curse, of reward or punishment) from the Judge. He exists. He has a forceful interaction with our lives.

The system that is built on this is a system where one person doesn't get anything different from another. Are there abuses? Yea, but life is full of injustices. But taking something from one person to give to another person is not the answer here especially when the person you are taking away things from really hasn't done anything wrong. Black people (Asians, etc.) need to enter shoulder to shoulder with every other person on an equal ground, and they need to compete. That is life. If they of their own merit and effort get ahead, so be it. But nobody owes them a living. Reparations are the opposite of this.
Read the article: Are we a country of Laws?

Tract Group 1

pc05 Resisting Porn is a tract explaining why and how we resist seeing bad images, and the problems related to this. Topics: Seeing a Woman to covet her | We must be happy | This is why God sets the rules regarding sex very clear. | We must not covet your Neighbor's Wife | The Problem with Divorced People.
From the Tract: Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
The problems of pornography fall into three main ones: (1) It is to sin against the Lord - One is coveting what is not his, and for God, coveting a woman is just as having sex outside of marriage (adultery or fornication). (2) It is to sin against your partner - One is disloyal, not faithful, to your partner. If one is not married, he is acting in impurity, youth passions ("Flee from youth passions" 2 Timothy 2:22) which is a sin. (3) It is to sin against oneself, against oneself.
View the Tract: pc05 Resisting Porn

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