Supremacy of God in Preaching, The | John, Piper | An excellent read for pastors and pastors-to-be

Supremacy of God in Preaching, The | John, Piper | If you will preach to anyone, first read this book

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	Supremacy of God in Preaching, The John, Piper Baker Books, 2004 - 128 pages average customer review:based on 18 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

According to Warren Wiersbe, The Supremacy of God in Preaching "calls us back to a biblical standard for preaching, a standard exemplified by many of the pulpit giants of the past, especially Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon." This newly revised edition is an essential guide for preachers who want to stir the embers of revival. Piper focuses his study on the example of Jonathan Edwards as an illustration of a leader who submitted to God.

An excellent read for pastors and pastors-to-be

This is an excellent book that unabashedly attacks some of the problems with preaching today. The author argues effectively for a return to a focus on God in preaching instead of all the trends and gimmicks used in so many churches today. As an example of a God-focused preacher, Piper spotlights Jonathan Edwards' life and ministry.
Very educational and readable.

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If you will preach to anyone, first read this book

I have just finished John Piper's The Supremacy of God in Preaching. I purchased the book shortly after a conversation with a good friend of mine on the topic. I'm still somewhat of a novice in the world of Reformed literature and I don't really know all the `reliable' authors. Maybe that's a bad way to put it. Regardless, when I went in search of a book on the topic of preaching, it was something like going into a restaurant for a blind date and not being too sure who you're there to meet. I had seen Piper preach a few times and I love his affection for the Lord in all the things he says. So, when I saw that he'd written a book on my topic of interest, I was relieved and excited.

I received the book late last week and immediately began reading. The book is short, a brief 109 pages, broken up into two parts, seven chapters and a conclusion. I was concerned at the beginning of the book, during the first two chapters (`the goal of preaching,' and `the ground of preaching'). It seemed that he was staying in somewhat shallow water, recapping old truths about God (although, who can ever get tired of those, really?). It really did prove to simply be laying some groundwork for the rest of the book though. By the third chapter in which he began to discuss the power with which we ought to preach, and the fourth chapter where he unpacks the gravity of preaching, he had gotten my attention.

A major theme throughout the book is clear, that the point of preaching is not to make converts, but to glorify God. All is for the glory of God and when truth is obscured or withheld for the sake of conversion, God is cheated and will not be glorified by those actions.

Into the second part, Piper sets up the rest of his teaching using the great preacher Jonathan Edwards. Piper does an excellent job of using Edwards as a clear case study on the subject of preaching. Going through, explaining the disposition and heart condition of a true preacher of the Word of God. He highlights clearly the preacher's need to be personally affectionate and in love with God, to pursue God, to hate the things that God hates, and to pray, pray, pray! Just as Edwards did, hours and hours before dawn.

I think the most important word that Piper continually drove home was that preaching must be not just be `based' on scripture, but be `oozing' with it. Piper writes:

"I say that good preaching is `saturated with Scripture' and not `based on Scripture' because Scripture is more (not less) than the basis for good preaching. Good preaching does not sit on Scripture like a basis and say other things. It oozes with Scripture."

I consider this view of teaching, literature, whatever totally quintessential (although I'm not always very good at it myself). That is exactly the way this book was written. It's scarce to find a page without bible references strewn throughout. It is clear that Piper's priority and love is for the Word of God.

I would recommend this book to anyone in the position to preach; I believe you will be encouraged, inspired and convicted. Perhaps by God's grace, power and affection for his own glory, he would give us another Jonathan Edwards through Piper's words of teaching and exhortation. To that end, I will pray.

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The Supremacy of This Book for Preaching & the Preacher!!!

Dr. John Piper's goal for The Supremacy of God in Preaching is "to advance a movement of God-centered worship and life" by encouraging pastors to "show the truth of Christ and savor the glory of Christ" in their preaching.

In order to achieve the "exposition of the Word of God and exultation in the God of the Word" (11), the entire book reminds pastors of preaching's goals by way of the Trinity's role in preaching and Jonathan Edward's expositional philosophy.

Piper argues for preaching as uniquely designed by God with the dual goals of informing the mind (seeing God) and igniting the emotions (savoring God). He wants to make sure pastors do not sacrifice one for the other, but see to it that our preaching reaches both aspects of the human soul (15, 23, 84-88).

The preaching he has in mind gives people an enlarged vision of their great God (15, 41) which restores the His throne in their souls (25, 27). However, this will not happen unless the preacher's words come from a heart that is enraptured by God (15, 25) and the gravity of His message (103-5).

On a personal note, I found myself constantly writing "Me?" in the margins. These markings are to be checks on my life the next time I pick the book up. When I read it again I will ask, "Does this describe you or not?"

Some of these include: Do I have an "intense, all-absorbing desire for the work?" (22) Do I see everything in relation to God? (25) Do I glory in my abilities, "sufficiency" and rhetorical techniques? (41-2, 53) Do I still want to be a man of one book and does my life and ministry show it? (46, 89) Is my demeanor one of true earnestness and reality, or am I "playing pastor?" (55, 61, 100) Do I truly care for the souls under my charge? (62) Am I spending the time needed in meditation to become a good heart surgeon? (98) Am I in true agony over my sinfulness? (102) Have I seen and savored God, so I can encourage others to do the same? (11, 108)

In the end, I really enjoyed reading this little book because I think it recaptures the center of what biblical preaching should be and do.

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Gospel Minister: The Most Important and The Most Noble Job in the World

What Pastor John writes about here; the first part being "Why God should be Supreme in Preaching", and the second being the practical counsels on how a genuine sincere preacher should look like, taken from Jonathan Edward's life, theology and preaching; comes down to a single question that every minister or one who thinks he is called to preach the gospel should examine himself with; that is, "What is my motive to be a preacher?" There can not be a more important question than this for two reasons.

The first reason is because the answer to this question determines whether the call to preach is indeed from God, or it is simply a selfish impulse for material gain by being a minister in an affluent neighborhood, or for worldly fame, to be a brilliant preacher holding on to solid theological doctrines, either out of personal ambitions or an envious desire because of the success of others; or for any other reasons than "... to speak the oracles of God, by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified, through Jesus Christ, by the restoration of the throne and dominion of God in the soul of men, with an unwavering passion for the honor of the name of God and his glory" (pp.17, 26-27).

The second reason is the answer to the question of motive will determine the ultimate outcome of the ministry; whether it be the glory of God or the glory of men and (or) the glory of anything else other than God including but not limited to, the minister himself, family, country and church. The success or failure is not measured by the size of the congregation or the church building, or how many books the preacher publishes, or how many conferences he is invited to speak at, or how well people think of him, but his faithfulness, the holiness of the congregation and their preservation and perseverance in the faith; all of which the minister is responsible for and has to give an account to the Chief Shepherd, the Chief Priest, and the Chief Minister Jesus Christ.

One obvious benefit from reading this text is to help reveal the true intention of a minister's or minister wannabe's heart of why he is a preacher of the gospel, by what the Bible teaches in regard to the multi-dimensional views of preaching; the goal, the ground, the power, and the measure of preaching; the gravity and the gladness. Assuming one is qualified to be a preacher, what he needs to get right to begin with is the first two; the goal is the glory of God and the ground is the cross of Christ. Only then will he be able to preach right by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God with gravity and gladness; where in regard to the former, Piper also uses the word, "blood-earnestness". He points out gladness without gravity may be fun and entertaining, yet superficial and could be dangerous and deadly, while gravity without gladness is legalistic, hypocritical, cold and compassionless and in the end, useless in converting souls, and strengthening the saints. The gladness and gravity can only come together when a preacher is what Jonathan Edwards calls "a burning and shining light", preached in an ordination sermon in 1744; where Piper elaborates in great details that shining light in the mind and burning light in the heart of a preacher produces enlightening of the mind of the congregation with the ultimate target of the arousing and kindling holy affections in their heart. In other words, by learning from the theology of Jonathan Edward, the core of which is the sweet sovereign grace of God that he embraced so dearly; the goal of solid "shining" theology in the mind is to produce white-hot "burning" doxology in the heart, that in turns leads to and bears fruits accordingly through the holy exercise of the will (pp.77-88).

One only needs to read the life and work of Jonathan Edwards to understand it is not easy or convenient or trivial to be a minister of the gospel. It requires, in addition to piety, an extraordinary ability for serious study and understanding of Scripture, as well as compassion to love and care for people because the truth and eternity are at stake. Preachers hold the most important job in the world because they have the greatest responsibility that no one else has.

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