In the ninth chapter Lloyd-Jones advances his argument to discuss the preparation of the sermon. He rightly notes that the first thing which must be prepared is the preacher himself. Before working on preparing a message the pastor needs to have his own soul aflame with God’s Word.
The Doctor gives a list of ways in which we ought to prepare ourselves for preaching. This extends far beyond just praying before the sermon or while you are writing out the sermon. This is the preacher preparing his entire self in all aspects of life. First and foremost the preacher must be a man of self-discipline. He must live a holy life.
Secondly, Lloyd-Jones notes that “prayer is vital to the life of the preacher.” (181) This includes “warming oneself up” to preach, but it also being man who responds to every impulse to pray. We must pray for our people as we are preaching to them.
The preacher must also be a voracious reader. He must be a student of the Bible and not just for sermon preparation. Not only should he read his Bible systematically but also he should be reading to nourish his soul. But it is not just the soul which needs nourished it is also the mind. All in all the preacher should have a balanced diet of reading—moving from apologetics to devotional. Again this is not just for sermon preparation this is to nourish the pastor and make him a well-rounded man.
Lloyd-Jones closes out the chapter with a brief comment on the benefit of music. But what is needed more than anything in all of this is that the preacher know himself and be diligent in preparing himself before preparing sermons.
Tweet Note:
Before the preacher prepares his sermon he must first prepare himself.
Quotables:
You have to learn how to kindle a flame in your spirit, to warm yourself up, to give yourself a start. (182)
Above all—and this I regard as most important of all—always respond to every impulse to pray…So never resist, never postpone it, never push it aside because you are busy. (182-83)
One of the most fatal habits a preacher can ever fall into is to read his Bible simply in order to find texts for sermons. (184)
Much harm is often done by advising people to read the wrong type of book. (188)
Preachers who have to go to books to get sermons are generally caught out! (191)
It is tragic when men become mere gramophone records, or tape-recording machines with the same thing being churned out repeated endlessly. Such a man will soon become barren; he will soon be in difficulties; and his people will have recognized it long before he does. (192)
You will find that there will be periods, perhaps even days, even weeks, when for some amazing reason your mind is working at its very best, and you are in a fecund condition finding ideas for sermons everywhere…when that happens, hold out both hands, take it all in; write down on paper as much as you can, so that when the dry and barren and arid periods come you will have something to fall back upon. (194)
Questions:
- Lloyd-Jones encourages preachers to “safeguard your mornings!”. How do you do this? Do you agree that the morning is the time which needs to be safeguarded?
- What does MLJ mean that nothing is more important than that a man get to know himself? Do you agree?
- Side note: I find it interesting that MLJ said, “I abominate ‘devotional’ commentaries” and yet his “commentaries” on Romans and Ephesians are just that.
- What does he mean when he says, “the preacher should never be moody; but he will have varying moods”?
- Do you have a balanced reading diet? What can you do to improve this?
- Can a man be called to preaching if he doesn’t like to read? What if he is a poor or a very slow reader? (Question from page 195)
