The Preacher's Reality

Stumbled across these two quotations this morning.

Resonate deeply with both.

After all these years, after all these sermons, these prove true in deepening measure:

“There is no good preacher who is not moved almost to the point of tears at the end of every sermon at how poor was the message he just delivered.” Spurgeon




"...any man who has had some glimpse of what it is to preach will inevitably feel that he has never preached.” Martin Lloyd-Jones



I have outlines etc for hundreds of sermons in my files. There are some messages I preach often; if you've ever camped with me more than two weeks you know that to be true.

But I work hard and plan hard to have new messages birthed out of my regular study and intake of the Word.

Another Spurgeon favorite: "He who has ceased to learn, has ceased to teach. He who no longer sows in the study will no more reap in the pulpit."

Teens and younger men often ask me if I'm still scared before I speak.

"Yeah," I say - often surprising them -, "If I'm not scared it means I'm relying on me instead of the Spirit of God...I treat seriously the Biblical warning - 'Let not many of us become teachers, for as such we shall incur the stricter judgment.'"