Trust God’s Heart

In a sermon right after 9/11, R. Albert Mohler wrestled with the problem of evil as reflected in those tragic events: "How could a good God allow this to happen? How can a God of love allow killers to kill, terrorists to terrorize and the wicked to escape without a trace?"

God Can Be Trusted

Billy Graham spoke at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance service held on Sept. 14, 2001, at the National Cathedral in Washington. Near the beginning of his message, he reminded the nation: "No matter how hard we try, words simply cannot express the horror, shock and revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. Sept. 11 will go down in our history as a day to remember."

Preacher to Preacher: Why Do We Do It?

If you have been to seminary, you've most likely gone through a three-year, graduate-level course of studies with at least two unfamiliar languages, history, philosophy, hermeneutics, homiletics, counseling and much more. Have you ever thought you could have given the same period of time and almost certainly multiplied your earnings, had more control over your personal life, taken less abuse and probably had more professional respect as a lawyer, physical therapist, dentist or as another type of professional?

The Slingshot Effect: How Disappointments Double as Divine Appointments

Around the turn of the 20th century, a pioneering psychologist named Alfred Adler proposed the counterintuitive theory of compensation. Adler believed that perceived disadvantages often prove to be disguised advantages because they force us to develop attitudes and abilities that would have otherwise gone undiscovered. It's only as we compensate for those disadvantages that our greatest gifts are revealed.

Past Masters: Mordecai Ham: The Southern Revivalist

There had been a persistent rumor around town about a particular house located across the road from one of the local high schools and how it had become a den of iniquity. A preacher had been making a big deal about it and the fact that sexual immorality was rampant in the area, particularly among young people. One version of the tale had it that some of the high school students were planning some kind of demonstration out at the makeshift tabernacle, where the old preacher was railing against the sins of the city. The whole thing finally convinced one previously reluctant young man to go out to one of the revival meetings to check out things for himself.

The Reasons We Preach: Press the Applicational Force of the Text

Why do we preach? Twenty centuries of Christianity have been so branded by preaching that we rarely question its place or purpose. Yet, if we consistently engage in an endeavor that requires such a costly investment from churches and pastors, we ought to articulate clear reasons for doing it. Everett Wilson claims: "Preaching is the most undemocratic of routines. Week in, week out, people come and listen for a half-hour at a time to someone [similar to] themselves. They do not interrupt; they do not walk out. They can't switch channels. Sometimes the speaker scolds them, and they sit still for it.

Preaching Points: Retelling the Old, Old Story

Most sermons built around a biblical, narrative passage could profit from a fresh suit of clothes. I do not say this because I believe the Bible account should be ignored when we are building a story, but because generally speaking we are so used to the story as it appears in the biblical text that merely to repeat the tale as we know it does not often intrigue the listener as much as we might wish.

The Essential Me-First of Biblical Preaching

First-person application for the preacher can be an unnerving task. How can this generally overworked individual possibly find the time or the occasion to apply what he has studied before the delivery of the sermon?

Sermon Application: How Does It Work?

Engaging exposition that is faithful to Scripture not only will explain the text; it also of biblical and theological necessity will apply the text. Unfortunately, this area displays some homiletical confusion so the church has suffered. On one hand, topical and felt-needs preaching gives significant attention to application, but it fails to expound the text and provide the necessary biblical and theological grounding for the application. On the other hand, some expositors of the Bible provide a running commentary on the text, but neglect to show the relevance of the text for the eagerly listening audience that is desperate for a word from God that will educate the mind, motivate the heart and activate the will.