Green Pastures #2

We learned that God uses means to bring the salvation wrought by himself, to the souls of his people.

New Def?

We learn that the primary means is the Word.

Baptism

Lord Supper

Prayer

The Word - The Word alone is powerful to accomplish great things. It can convert an entire nation. It can convert the hardest sinner. It can bring revival to the weak and backslidden.

Luther’s famous quote in giving all to God. I sat and drank witenberg beer, the Word did it all. All it needed was to be let loose. The Word was changed up, literally. In Luthers first monestary the Bible was changed to a lectern. The lion stuck in the cage is harmless, but once let out……

The Word a means of conversion and sanctification

The voice of Christ

You are not here to hear me. When you pray for my sermon preparation, pray that through me, you might hear the voice of Christ.

The goal for the Christian going away from worship, is that he or she would say, I heard the voice of Christ today. My savior came and preached peace to my soul. Any other expectation from the congregation is unacceptable, and any other goal from the preacher is unacceptable. The pulpit is for Christ to be preached, further, it is the place where Christ preaches. It is not a place for good doctrine to be communicated( that is for SS hour and weekly study), though that inevitably will happen. Its not even the place for good exposition and exegesis, that ought to take place predominantly in the study. The pulpit is for Christs powerful voice to both slay and comfort, to disrupt and restore, to preach both law and gospel to the hearts of his people.

P 23 summary sentence. So good!

Following paragraph. So far from being a means of moving to pride and Lording it over others it is humbling. But on the other hand, to be a limp-wrist preacher who has no sense of the reality and heaviness of what takes place in the pulpit can be equally detrimental.