Reformed Preaching: Proclaiming God's Word from the Heart of the Preacher to the Heart of His People
512
Reformed Preaching: Proclaiming God's Word from the Heart of the Preacher to the Heart of His People
512Hardcover
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781433559273 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Crossway |
| Publication date: | 10/31/2018 |
| Pages: | 512 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.80(d) |
About the Author
Sinclair B. Ferguson (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and the former senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. He is the author of several books, including By Grace Alone and Lessons from the Upper Room. Sinclair and his wife, Dorothy, have four grown children.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
What Is Reformed Experiential Preaching?
Perhaps you have heard preaching that fills the head but not the heart. You come away better informed and educated, but little moved by God's glory to do God's will. In the worst case, such preaching puffs people up with knowledge. At its best, it is light without heat. You may also have heard preaching that touches the heart but not the head. Hearing it can be an emotionally moving experience. People leave the service excited, fired up, and feeling good. But they have zeal without knowledge. Like cotton candy, such preaching has lots of flavor but no nutritional value. It might bring people back for more (until they get sick), but it will not nurture life or develop maturity.
The greatest tragedy about these two abuses of preaching is that they sever the vital connection between truth and love in Christ: "But speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Eph. 4:15). It's not just that we need both truth and love. Gospel truth has not reached its goal until it produces love. Love has no living roots without gospel truth. Therefore, the truth of Christ must be brought home to the heart by the Holy Spirit in order to produce love. That's the kind of preaching we need. That's what this book is about.
Reformed experiential preaching is not merely aesthetic, causing people to walk away thinking, "What a beautiful idea!" It is not merely informative, imparting knowledge about the Bible and theology. It is not merely emotional, warming hearts and producing strong feelings. It is not merely moralistic, instructing and exhorting in what is right and wrong. All of these elements are present in good preaching, but none of them is the heart of the matter.
Reformed experiential preaching uses the truth of Scripture to shine the glory of God into the depths of the soul to call people to live solely and wholly for God. It breaks us and remakes us. It is both exhilarating and humbling. Such preaching brings us face to face with the most glorious and delightful Being in the universe, and also face to face with our own profound wickedness. By such preaching, the holy God binds himself to sinful men heart to heart with a word of blood-bought grace.
What is Reformed experiential preaching? Let's look at it from a number of angles, then conclude by putting together a working definition.
Experiential (or Experimental) Preaching Idealistic, Realistic, and Optimistic
The Reformers, such as John Calvin (1509–1564), talked about "experimental" Christianity. Calvin paraphrases Psalm 27:9 this way: "Make me truly to experience that thou hast been near to me, and let me clearly behold thy power in saving me." He then comments, "We must observe the distinction between the theoretical knowledge derived from the Word of God and what is called the experimental knowledge of his grace." The latter is when "God shows himself present in operation," yet "he must first be sought in his Word." Thus, Calvin believed that the truth of Scripture is foundational to Christianity, yet truth must be experienced in the form of "experimental knowledge." The Puritans used this same language. For example, William Perkins (1558–1602) said that the spiritual knowledge of God consists in an "experimental knowledge" of Christ's death and resurrection, "an effectual and lively knowledge, working in us new affections and inclinations."
The word experimental comes from a Latin root meaning "to try, prove, or test." Calvin did not wonder whether Christianity would crash like an experimental airplane. The "experiment" envisaged is not testing the Bible, but testing us by the Bible. The root for experimental also shows up in the word experiential. Experimental preaching stresses the need to know the great truths of the Word of God by personal experience. It also tests our personal experience by the doctrines of the Bible. It brings truth to the heart to illuminate who we are, where we stand with God, how we need to be healed, and where we need to be headed.
On the day I left my six months of active duty with the Army Reserves to begin the follow-up years of weekend meetings and summer camps, a sergeant, knowing I might be called up one day, laid his large hand on my shoulder and said, "Son, if you ever have to fight in war, remember three things: first, how the battle ought to go ideally with the tactics you have been taught; second, how the battle really is going (which is often quite different from the ideal, as wars are bloody and seldom go the way that is expected); and third, the ultimate goal, victory for the American people."
This translates well into experiential (or experimental) preaching. Reformed experiential preaching explains how things ought to go in the Christian life (the ideal of Romans 8), how they actually go in Christian struggles (the reality of Romans 7), and the ultimate goal in the kingdom of glory (the optimism of Revelation 21–22). This kind of preaching reaches people where they are in the trenches and gives them tactics and hope for the battle.
Paul Helm writes of the need for experiential preaching:
The situation [today] calls for preaching that will cover the full range of Christian experience, and a developed, experimental theology. The preaching must give guidance and instruction to Christians in terms of their actual experience. It must not deal in unrealities or treat congregations as if they lived in a different century or in wholly different circumstances. This involves taking the full measure of our modern situation ... and entering with full sympathy into the actual experiences, the hopes and the fears, of Christian people.
Discriminatory
Experimental preaching must be discriminatory. I am not referring to discrimination on the basis of skin color or ethnicity. Neither am I speaking of any form of bigotry and hatred. Discriminatory preaching aims to distinguish the Christian from the non-Christian so that people can diagnose their own spiritual conditions and needs. The preacher applies biblical truth to help his hearers test whether they belong to Christ and have his Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 2 Cor. 13:5).
Ministers use the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.16:19), entrusted to us by Christ, to open or shut the door of the kingdom by the preaching of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins (John 20:23). How does the preacher do that? TheHeidelberg Catechism (Q. 84) says:
Thus: when according to the command of Christ it is declared and publicly testified to all and every believer, that, whenever they receive promise of the gospel by a true faith, all their sins are really forgiven them of God for the sake of Christ's merits; and on the contrary, when it is declared and testified to all unbelievers, and such as do not sincerely repent, that they stand exposed to the wrath of God and eternal condemnation, so long as they are unconverted; according to which testimony of the gospel, God will judge them both in this and in the life to come.
In a manner of speaking, through discriminatory preaching, the Holy Spirit brings judgment day near to the consciences of men, either to their vindication and joy or to their guilt and terror.
Preaching must also target the spiritual maturity and condition of the preacher's audience. This is no easy task, because many kinds of hearers are present. Archibald Alexander (1772–1851) writes: "The word of God should be so handled, that it may be adapted to Christians in different states and stages of the divine life; for while some Christians are like 'strong men,' others are but 'babes in Christ, who must be fed with milk, and not with strong meat.'" Alexander goes on to explain how the Reformed preacher also should rightly divide the Word by making specific applications to the backsliding, the worldly minded, the afflicted, and the dying believer.
Charles Bridges (1794–1869) presents three aspects of discriminatory preaching. First, preachers must distinctly "trace the line of demarcation between the Church and the world," he says. Ministers must bear in mind that there are fundamentally two kinds of hearers before them — the saved and the unsaved. Bridges stresses the biblical support for this division:
They are described by their state before God, as righteous or wicked (Prov. 14:32; Mal. 3:18) — by their knowledge or ignorance of the Gospel, as spiritual or natural men (1 Cor.2:14–15) — by their special regard to Christ, as believers or unbelievers (Mark 16:16; John 3:18, 36) — by their interest in the Spirit of God, "being in the Spirit, or having not the Spirit of Christ" (Rom. 8:9) — by their habits of life, "walking after and minding, the things of the Spirit, or the things of the flesh" (Rom. 5:1, 5) — by their respective rules of conduct, the word of God, or "the course of this world" (Ps. 119:105; Matt. 25:46) — by the Masters whom they respectively obey, the servants of God, or the servants of Satan (Rom. 6:16) — by the road in which they travel, the narrow way or the broad road (Matt. 7:13–14) — by the ends to which their roads are carrying them, life or death — heaven or hell (Rom. 8:13; Matt. 25:46).
Second, preachers must identify the line that separates the false professor (the hypocrite) from the true believer. Jesus himself draws that line sharply when he speaks of those who claim to belong to his professing church and who cry, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? ... and in thy name done many wonderful works?" only to hear his response: "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt.7:22–23).
Of this second line of discrimination, Bridges writes: "Every part of the Christian character has its counterfeit. How easily are the delusions of fancy or feeling mistaken for the impressions of grace. The genuineness of the work of God must be estimated, not by the extent, but by the influence, of Scriptural knowledge — not by a fluency of gifts, but by their exercise in connexion with holiness and love." David Brainerd (1718–1747) puts it this way: "Labor to distinguish clearly upon experiences and affections in religion, that you may make a difference between the 'gold' and the shining 'dross' (Prov. 25:4); I say, labor here, as ever you would be an useful minister of Christ."
Ministers need to help their hearers rightly examine themselves. Second Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves." Pastors must not assume or presume that all churchgoers, including children, are saved. They also are to avoid presumed church "unregeneration," as if only a few who have professed faith in Christ are truly saved. Rather, preachers are to present repeatedly before their people the biblical marks of those who have been born again and have come to Christ by way of saving faith and genuine repentance.
Third, Bridges says, preachers "must also regard the different individualities of profession within the Church." Like Jesus, preachers must distinguish between the blade, the ear, and the full corn in the ear (Mark 4:28). Like Paul, they must differentiate between babes and adults in grace (1 Cor.3:1). Like John, they must preach to various believers as little children, young men, and fathers in grace (1 John 2:12–14).
Alexander makes the case for discriminatory preaching. He writes: "The promises and threatenings contained in the Scriptures [must] be applied to the characters to which they properly belong. How often do we hear a preacher expatiating on the rich consolations of the exceeding great and precious promises of God, when no mortal can tell, from anything which he says, to whom they are applicable. In much of preaching, there is a vague and indiscriminate application of the special promises of the covenant of grace, as though all who heard them were true Christians, and had a claim to the comfort which they offer." After concluding that, in true preaching, "the saint and the sinner are clearly distinguished by decisive scripture marks, so that every one may have a fair opportunity of ascertaining to which class he belongs, and what prospects lie before him," Alexander goes on to lament:
It is much to be regretted that this accurate discrimination in preaching has gone so much out of use in our times. It is but seldom that we hear a discourse from the pulpit which is calculated to afford much aid to Christians in ascertaining their own true character; of which will serve to detect the hypocrite and formalist, and drive them from all their false refuges. In the best days of the reformed churches, such discriminating delineation of character, by the light of Scripture, formed an important part of almost every sermon. But we are now more attentive to the rules of rhetoric than to the marks of true religion. How do Owen, Flavel, Boston, and Erskine abound in marks of distinction between the true and false professor? And the most distinguished preachers of our own country, — the Mathers, Shepards, Stoddards, Edwardses, as also the Blairs, Tennents, Davies, and Dickinsons, were wise in so dividing the word of truth, that all might receive their portion in due season.
In short, discriminatory preaching must remain faithful to God's Word. Grace is to be offered indiscriminately to all (Matt. 13:24–30); however, the divine acts, marks, and fruits of grace that God works in his people must be explained to encourage the elect to know themselves aright and to uncover the false hopes of the hypocrites. As Bishop Joseph Hall (1574–1656) says of the minister, "His wisdom must discern betwixt his sheep and wolves; in his sheep, betwixt the wholesome and unsound; in the unsound, betwixt the weak and the tainted; in the tainted, betwixt the natures, qualities, degrees of the disease, and infection; and to all these he must know to administer a word in season. He hath antidotes for all temptations, counsels for all doubts, evictions for all errors; for all languishings, encouragements."
Robert Hall (1764–1831) says that it is difficult to decide "which we should most anxiously guard against, the infusion of a false peace, or the inflaming of the wounds which we ought to heal." Little wonder, then, that Richard Baxter (1615–1691) warns preachers that when, as spiritual physicians, they apply the wrong spiritual medication to their parishioners, they can become murderers of souls, which has grave ramifications for eternity. Preachers must be honest with every soul and strive to bring them and the touchstone of Holy Scripture together.
Such preaching teaches us that unless our religion is genuinely experienced, we will perish. Experience itself does not save us, but the Christ who saves us must be experienced personally as the foundation of our eternal hope (Matt. 7:22–27).
Applicatory
Experiential preaching is applicatory. It applies the text to every aspect of the listener's life, promoting religion that is not just a "form of godliness" but also the "power" of God (2 Tim.3:5). Robert Burns (1789–1869) says that experiential religion is "Christianity brought home to 'men's business and bosoms.'" He writes, "Christianity should not only be known, and understood, and believed, but also felt, and enjoyed, and practically applied."
Paul was never content merely to declare the truth, so he could write to the Thessalonians that his "gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance" (1 Thess. 1:5). To use Baxter's language, Paul wanted to screw the truth into the hearts and minds of men and women. Baxter writes, "It would grieve one to the heart to hear what excellent doctrine some ministers have in hand, while yet they let it die in their hands for want of close [searching] and lively [living] application." If only it could be said of more ministers' preaching today what one might say of the preaching of Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758): all his doctrine was application and all his application was doctrine.
Application is the major emphasis of experiential preaching. The Reformers and Puritans spent many times more effort in application than in discrimination. Many preachers today fall far short in this area. They have been trained to be good expositors, but they have not been trained in the classroom or by the Holy Spirit to bring the truth home to the heart. That is why, when you hear certain preachers, you say to yourself: "Oh, he can really handle the Word of God well, but he stopped just when I thought he was starting. He didn't bring it home to me. I seem to have escaped the preacher's notice altogether. What should I do with the sermon now?"
Some preachers say, "Application is the Holy Spirit's job, not mine." But that is not the way the Bible handles truth. People need to be spoon-fed when you bring them the Word of God, not only in your exposition but also in your application. They need help to know what the truth implies for what they must do and how they must do it. If you read Calvin's sermons, you stand amazed at his constant attention to application. Take his book of sermons on Deuteronomy. It would not surprise me if ten to twenty times per sermon he says, "Now this is to teach us that," "This is how we are to handle that," or, "This is the way we are to live out that."
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Reformed Preaching"
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Copyright © 2018 Joel R. Beeke.
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Table of Contents
Foreword Sinclair B. Ferguson 11
Preface and Acknowledgments 17
Part 1 Reformed Experiential Preaching Defined and Described
1 What Is Reformed Experiential Preaching? 23
2 Preaching from Head to Heart 43
3 Major Elements of Reformed Experiential Preaching 57
4 The Experiential Preacher 77
Part 2 Reformed Experiential Preaching Illustrated
5 Reformation Preachers: Zwingli, Bullinger, and Oecolampadius 97
6 Reformation Preachers: Calvin 112
7 Reformation Preachers: Beza 132
8 Introduction to Puritan Preaching 142
9 Puritan Preachers: Perkins 158
10 Puritan Preachers: Rogers, Sibbes, and Preston 174
11 The Westminster Directory and Preaching 190
12 Puritan Preachers: Goodwin and Shepard 205
13 Puritan Preachers: Bunyan 223
14 Introduction to the Dutch Further Reformation 247
15 Dutch Preachers: Teellinck, van Lodenstein, and à Brakel 265
16 Dutch Reformed Preaching in America: Frelinghuysen 282
17 Eighteenth-Century Preachers: Halyburton, Edwards, and Davies 297
18 Nineteenth-Century Preachers: Alexander, M'Cheyne, and Ryle 315
19 Twentieth-Century Preachers: Wisse and Lloyd-Jones 332
Part 3 Preaching Experientially Today
20 Preaching with Balance 351
21 Application Starts with the Preacher 369
22 Effective Preaching about God and Man 385
23 Preaching the Gospel to the Heart 401
24 Preaching for Holiness 421
Bibliography 441
General Index 477
Scripture Index 493
What People are Saying About This
“Heart to heart: this is the preaching that ‘cuts us to the quick’ and applies the balm of Gilead. And it is marvelously modeled in this book. Having appreciated every sermon I’ve heard from Joel Beeke, I am sure that you will discern a refreshing connection between doctrine, experience, and life in his writing.”—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California
“Reformed Preaching is unique for its emphasis on learning to preach experientially from the Reformers and their theological successors through the centuries. Joel Beeke convincingly shows that Reformed preaching is doctrinally sound, profoundly personal, and effectively practical. Far from being a contemporary model, this work presents the preaching of the Reformation, which encompasses head, heart, and hands, as the enduring way to proclaim Scripture. This is a very foundational understanding of the Reformation impact on the history of the church.”—John MacArthur, Pastor, Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California; Chancellor, The Master’s University and Seminary
“Faithful preaching is intimately bound up with the heartbeat of faithful Christian living. The proof of this is seen throughout the history of the church. Wills, affections, lives, churches, and entire communities have been transformed when the proclamation of God’s Word has reached beyond the mind to the heart. This was true during the Protestant Reformation, was repeated under the influence of the Puritans, and has been witnessed during times of revival. Joel Beeke mines the theology and practice of the great preacher-pastor-theologians of the past in a way that is guaranteed to bless and equip those who carry the baton for the generation they serve in the present and beyond.”—Mark G. Johnston, Minister, Bethel Presbyterian Church, Cardiff, United Kingdom
“The ethos of this soul-satisfying book on preaching is not ‘fast forward to the new and fanciful’ but ‘turn your affections back to the solid theological foundations of the past.’ Too much modern-day preaching aims to attract the undiscerning hearer with exciting and flossy novelties. But godly church members hunger and thirst not for shallow novelty, but for real, solid, biblical preaching and genuine food for the soul. The author’s message is to open out the excellencies of the model preachers of the past—from Luther and Calvin to the great Puritans and right down to the beloved Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who died in 1981. Here is a book ideally suited to the reader who longs for solid preaching in the pulpit for his soul. For this reason, this is also an ideal book to place in the hands of the serious student for the ministry.”—Maurice Roberts, Former Editor, The Banner of Truth magazine; author, The Thought of God and The Mysteries of God
“A preacher who does not practice what he preaches is a hypocrite; a preacher who does not preach what he himself has practiced is a mere theorist. A good preacher gives to others the overflow of what he himself has taken in from God’s Word. Effective preaching is from heart to heart, as suggested by the subtitle of Joel Beeke’s Reformed Preaching. Preaching is more than simply a verbal book report; it is a God-ordained means of bringing God’s truth to bear on the hearts and in the experience of the hearers. Beeke effectively underscores this powerful function of preaching both with models from past preachers and clear instructions for modern preachers. Beeke’s passion for experiential preaching is obvious, exposing his heart to ours.”—Michael P. V. Barrett, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; author, Complete in Him and Love Divine and Unfailing
“Reformed preaching is simply ordinary preaching. Sermons that are faithful in their exposition and application to the hearers, rich in gospel content, Christ-centered in focus, and earnestly evangelistic in their calls to sinners to repent and entrust themselves to Jesus Christ—this is Reformed preaching. It is not long sermons and heavy preaching. It is the pulpit’s pastoral and reviving ministry to the body of Christ, most frequently on the Lord’s Day, generally to the assembly of the faithful, but mighty in addressing the world. It is delivering compassionate and heart-warming sermons, sometimes profoundly solemn sermons. It is, most of all, interesting, gripping preaching and life-changing pulpit fare; and once it has been heard, nothing else will ever satisfy an awakened soul that hungers for the living God. It is the believer’s weekly feast. How does one preach like that? Read this book for starters. You will be enlightened and motivated, and you will especially become prayerful, longing for the spread of this kind of ministry throughout the whole world.”—Geoffrey Thomas, Former Pastor, Alfred Place Baptist Church, Aberystwyth, Wales
“Reformed Preaching is grand, sweeping, and engaging. It is at once substantive theology, a church-historical survey, and a book of practical divinity on experiential, Reformed preaching. No one has written anything quite like it. Subtitled Proclaiming God’s Word from the Heart of the Preacher to the Heart of His People, Beeke’s book breathes the air of its theme. This book is excellent in every way; it is all doctrine and all application. Reformed Preaching challenges the church with the indispensable necessity of preaching that is biblical, doctrinal, and experiential, preaching that leads God’s people to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). While Beeke addresses ministers and hearers of the preached Word alike, as a gospel preacher, I found myself worshiping the triune God on every page and humbled in the dust with gratitude for the privilege of proclaiming God’s truth. This is a book to be read over and over again. I pray that this volume will be widely and extensively read. I pray as well that Reformed Preaching may be a spark to revive the old Reformed commitment to experiential preaching in a new day.”—David B. McWilliams, Senior Minister, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Lakeland, Florida
“It is said that ‘a sermon is as good as a sermon does.’ Joel Beeke’s book will greatly help God’s servants minister the Word to this end: to the head, heart, and life. Here he scripturally defines Reformed and experimental preaching, surveys its foremost exponents from church history, and searchingly persuades us of the need for this kind of preaching today. Reading this, no preacher can fail to be challenged—but also encouraged and helped—to preach this way more than ever before. With the Lord’s blessing, this book will do untold good for ministers and churches everywhere. This is a much-needed and unique volume. I wholeheartedly commend it to ministerial students as required reading, and to all of us who proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ.”—John Thackway, Pastor, Holywell Evangelical Church, North Wales; Editor, Bible League Quarterly
“As an able teacher and exemplary model of the best in pulpit ministry, Joel Beeke has much to say about the subject of preaching. In this book, we sit at his feet and learn what real biblical exposition is from this gifted expositor. If there was ever a season when the church needed to read this book, the time is now.”—Steven J. Lawson, President, OnePassion Ministries; Professor of Preaching, The Master’s Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries
“True Christian experience is always the experience that God and his Word are true. That truth is preeminently proclaimed through Spirit-anointed preaching. Reformed Preaching shows why preaching is a key of God’s kingdom. This helpful survey of the history of a few dozen of the Reformed church’s great preachers, from Ulrich Zwingli to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, illustrates how experiential preaching is used by the Holy Spirit to cause needy sinners to experience the vital truth of the gospel.”—Henk van den Belt, Special Chair in Reformed Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
“It has been one of the great privileges of my life to teach homiletics alongside Joel Beeke at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary for the past ten years. I’ve not only witnessed his expertise and passion for the subject, but I’ve also seen and felt the ministry-transforming effects of this upon my own preaching, as well as upon hundreds of students from all over the world. It’s a joyful answer to prayer to see his lectures now in print for the benefit of thousands more preachers of the gospel.”—David Murray, author, Reset and Exploring the Bible; coauthor, A Christian’s Guide to Mental Illness
“I have yet to come across a preaching resource so helpful, poignant, biblical, and even devotional as Joel Beeke’s Reformed Preaching. The breadth and depth of historical weight and confessional integrity make this book a superb volume for any pastor, teacher, or layperson. I will certainly be using this in both my preaching classes and pulpit preparation!”—Brian Cosby, Senior Pastor, Wayside Presbyterian Church, Signal Mountain, Tennessee; Adjunct Professor of Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta
“I am very pleased to endorse this book by Joel Beeke because it is an invaluable contribution to Reformed preaching. While some in the Reformed community tend to associate experiential preaching with pietism and mysticism, Beeke shows that generations of Spirit-anointed Reformed preachers have employed the biblical experiential method. Beeke’s book represents the culmination of what has been on the author’s mind for many years, namely, to come to a clear biblical understanding on what the gospel is and by whom, to whom, and especially how it is to be preached. This latest homiletical contribution by Beeke deserves to be read by all seminary professors, theological students, pastors, and all who are hungry for the true Bread of Life. ‘The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever’ (Ps. 22:26).”—Cornelis (Neil) Pronk, Emeritus Minister, Free Reformed Church, Brantford, Ontario
“If ‘Reformed experiential preaching’ sounds dull or dry, or just difficult, then you ought to read this book. As a true instructor, writing with real warmth and insight, Joel Beeke opens up enduring principles, spans the centuries to survey practitioners and identify patterns, and then earnestly urges us to the lively practice of such preaching. He carries us from the lecture room to the training ground and then sends us out into the field, humbled and yet hopeful, to preach from our hearts to the hearts of others.”—Jeremy Walker, Pastor, Maidenbower Baptist Church, Crawley, UK; author, Life in Christ; Anchored in Grace; and A Face Like a Flint
“Having known Joel Beeke for nearly fifty years, both as a personal friend and as a fellow minister of the gospel, I can unhesitatingly affirm that Reformed preaching has been, and continues to be, the passion of his ministry. Frequently I have had the privilege of hearing him preach from his heart to the hearts of his audience, preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ to poor, needy, and guilty sinners in need of precisely such a Savior. I am therefore delighted that in Reformed Preaching he is passing on to the next generation of preachers what it means to preach Christ scripturally, doctrinally, and experientially, and how to effectively aim such preaching at the hearts of those who hear them—doing so in complete dependence upon the Spirit of Christ for explication and application. May many younger (and older!) ministers of the gospel benefit richly from the ripe fruit of Beeke’s lifelong commitment to experiential preaching.”—Bartel Elshout, Pastor, Heritage Reformed Congregation, Hull, Iowa; translator, The Christian’s Reasonable Service and The Christian’s Only Comfort in Life and Death
“In this latest book, Joel Beeke warmly welcomes us into his pulpit, his study, and even the place of his private prayers. To accept his invitation is to discover what it means for a sermon to offer both light and heat, and to learn how to preach the gospel as food for the hungry rather than as dessert for the deserving. In Reformed Preaching, Beeke introduces favorite figures from church history to form a composite picture of the experiential expositor. Even experienced expositors will find much to learn in this book from both the author and his friends.”—Chad Van Dixhoorn, Professor of Church History and Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte