The Preacher on Preaching (Wisdom from a Wise Wordsmith)

Be natural; forget yourself; be absorbed in what you are doing and in the realization of the presence of God, and in the glory and the greatness of the Truth that you are preaching . . . that you forget yourself completely. . . . Self is the greatest enemy of the preacher, more so than in the case of any other man in society. And the only way to deal with self is to be so taken up with, and so enraptured by the glory of what you are doing, that you forget yourself altogether. (Preaching and Preachers, 264)

He also says,

A theology which does not take fire, I maintain, is a defective theology; or at least the man’s understanding of it is defective. Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire. A true understanding and experience of the Truth must lead to this. I say again that a man who can speak about these things dispassionately has no right whatsoever to be in a pulpit; and should never be allowed to enter one. (Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, 97)

One of the greatest preachers of the nineteenth century also understood the importance of wedding biblical content to an effective delivery, finding delightful words to convey the truth. The faithful Baptist Charles Spurgeon noted,

When I have thought of the preaching of certain good men, I have wondered, not that the congregation was so small, but that it was so large. The people who listen to them ought to excel in the virtue of patience, for they have grand opportunities of exercising it. Some sermons and prayers lend a colour of support to the theory of Dr. William Hammond, that the brain is not absolutely essential to life. Brethren, . . . you will, none of you, covet earnestly the least gifts, and the dullest mannerisms, for you can obtain them without the exertion of the will. . . . Labour to discharge your ministry, not with the lifeless method of an automaton, but with the freshness and power which will render your ministry largely effectual for its sacred purposes. (All-Around Ministry, 316–17)

Qoheleth, the preacher/teacher, teaches us in verse 10 to communicate that which is upright—“words of truth.” I cannot think of a better description of Holy Scripture: words that are upright, straight, words of integrity because they are words of truth. I came across a marvelous statement concerning the Bible several years ago. Its source is unknown to me, but its affirmation is powerful. It is simply titled,

The Bible

This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter.

Here, heaven is opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the Judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward faithful labor, and condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

’Tis the Book that has for the Ages,

Lifted man from sin and shame;

That great message on its pages,

Will forever be the same.

Never compare the Bible with other books. Comparisons are dangerous. Books speak from earth; the Bible speaks from heaven. Never think or say that the Bible contains the Word of God or that it becomes the Word of God. It is the Word of God.

Supernatural in origin, eternal in duration, inexpressible in value, infinite in scope, divine in authorship, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in interest, personal in application, inspired in totality. Read it through. Write it down. Pray it in. Work it out. Pass it on. It is the Word of God.

J. I. Packer says,

The true idea of preaching is that the preacher should become a mouthpiece for his text, opening it up and applying it as a word from God to his hearers, . . . in order that the text may speak . . . and be heard making each point from his text in such a manner “that [his audience] may discern [the voice of God].” (God Has Spoken, 28)

Ecclesiastes 12:11-12

Solomon says in 12:11-12, “The sayings of the wise are like goads” that prick and “nails” that stick. They prick us and help push us in the right direction. They will move us into action—action that leads us to being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). Koller says,

The supreme test of all preaching is: what happens in the pew? To John the Baptist there was accorded the highest tribute that could ever come to a minister of the gospel; when they had heard John, “they followed Jesus!” (Expository Preaching, 19)

Wise words are like goads. They prod the sluggish and hesitant into action. They have a power to provide a mental and spiritual stimulus, a spiritual shot in the arm.

These collected saying are like well-driven nails. They stabilize on the one hand and on the other give us something to hang things on. H. C. Leupold says, “They furnish a kind of mental anchorage” (Ecclesiastes, 295).

The end of verse 11 is a direct declaration of divine inspiration. The “knowledge” of verse 9 and the “words of truth” of verse 10 are given by one Shepherd, the Lord who is my Shepherd (Ps 23), the good shepherd, Jesus Christ (John 10). The Christological signal is too obvious to ignore or neglect.

J. Stafford Wright warns the preacher, “It is possible to be a miser in accumulating knowledge instead of using it for the benefit of others” (“Ecclesiastes,” 1,196). Solomon the realist knows there is no end to book making. Just imagine if he were alive today! And yet he is not down on books, study, or knowledge in principle. He is down on it as an end in itself. Knowledge is not the same as wisdom. It is possible to be smart but not intelligent. It is possible to know a lot but not be wise. God’s design for our lives is not to make us smart sinners but godly saints!

If we are not careful and wise, we can linger too long at the “Vanity Fair of Knowledge” only to miss out on the wisdom of God and on a life that is really worth living. This is another lesson for those who live life “under the sun.”

Some of us have stayed too long at various Vanity Fairs in life (knowledge, power, sex, popularity, wealth). We have played the fool and given our lives to the wrong things. There is a better way. Let God’s Word guide your priorities. Let God’s Word chart the course of your life. “Fear God and keep His commandments.” That is where Solomon is taking us as he ends his book.

Ecclesiastes 12:11,13-14

John Piper reminds us,

It is not the job of the Christian preacher to give people moral or psychological pep talks about how to get along in the world; someone else can do that . . . most of our people have no one in the world to tell them, week in and week out, about the supreme beauty and majesty of God. (Supremacy of God, 12)

And just where is this “supreme beauty and majesty of God” found? It is found in the glory of Jesus Christ, the “one Shepherd,” who is the very face of God. When I preach, I always ask five questions of each and every text:

You see, Jesus teaches us in Luke 24 that all of Scripture is about Him—all of it. That includes the book of Ecclesiastes, as we have seen in our verse-by-verse study. We dare not treat the Old Testament, for example, the way a Jewish rabbi would. In this regard Jon and I have been greatly blessed by men like Vos, Ferguson, Greidanus, Goldsworthy, and Keller. To gain just a taste of what Christocentric hermeneutics and homiletics can and should do, listen to the insight of Tim Keller as he scans the redemptive storyline of the Old Testament. He shows us well how the whole Bible points to Messiah Jesus.

It’s All About Jesus

Oh, how this needs to be reflected in our preaching! We must always and continually point people to the “one Shepherd.”

The phrase “when all has been heard” (v. 13) could be paraphrased for our day, “When everything is said and done.” In other words, What is the bottom line, the endgame? Solomon says it is twofold: (1) fear God and (2) keep His commands. Trust Him and then obey Him. The order is crucial.

“Fear God” means to put God in His proper place, us in our proper place, and all fears, hopes, dreams, and agendas in their proper place. The clear and consistent teaching and encouragement of the Word of God is essential if this is to take place. “Fear God”: What does the text teach me about God? “Keep His commandments”: What does this teach me about me? “Fear God and keep His commandments”: Obey Him out of love and respect for who He is and what He has done. You see the order, don’t you? I am accepted; therefore, I obey! It is not, I obey so that I can be accepted. He loved me first! I now love and serve Him in grateful response.

“Because this is for all humanity” concludes verse 13. The ESV says, “For this is the whole duty of man.” Augustine (AD 354–430) said it well: “Thou hast made us for thyself, and our heart is restless till it rest in thee.” We will never find rest until we come to rest in Jesus. We will never find rest until we fear Him and obey Him. This is what we were made for.

Verse 14 concludes “the words of the Teacher.” They are pointed and they are spiritually ominous. “God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” Solomon tells us a day of reckoning is coming. It will be comprehensive and detailed in scope. Every thought and every action will be exposed to the searchlight of God’s judgment. Not one thing will escape. Not one person will escape.

On that day your righteousness will be exposed as filthy, dirty rags. Only the one clothed in the righteousness of Christ will be able to stand before holy God in full acceptance and approval. Will that be you?

One of my spiritual heroes and friends in his last years was the great expositor Stephen Olford (1918–2004). On the wall of his private study hangs a plaque containing a quote from one of Dr. Olford’s heroes, Robert Murray M’Cheyne. On that plaque are the words, “Lord, make me as holy as a saved sinner can be!” (Bonar, Memoir and Remains, 159).

This is a good word from a great preacher. This is a good word for any follower of Jesus. This is a good word for any preacher who understands the exhortation of Qoheleth, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (NIV).

Cotton Mather, the American Puritan, accurately assessed the nature of the holy assignment of the preacher when he said,

The office of the Christian ministry, rightly understood, is the honorable and most important, that any man in the whole world can ever sustain; and it will be one of the wonders and employments of eternity to consider the reasons why the wisdom and goodness of God assigned this office to imperfect and guilty man! (Quoted in Stott, Between Two Worlds, 31)

The preacher has given us wise words on preaching. We need to hear his counsel. We need to act on his instruction. Let’s preach and teach beautiful truth in a beautiful way all for the glory of a beautiful Savior whose name is Jesus. Too much is at stake for us to do anything less.