Here's a little more from Lloyd-Jones on finding and keeping the main message (we would say, theme) of a passage:

The thing I am concerned about is that you make certain that you really are getting the main message, the main thrust and import of this particular text or statement. It is quite astonishing to note how good men can avoid doing this…nothing is more important than we should be sure that we have got at the main thrust of the text amd let that come out….let it lead you, let it teach you. Listen to is and then question it as to its meaning, and let that be the burden of your sermon. 

For various reasons which are too complex to explain I've been flicking through Lloyd-Jones Preaching and preachers again (now, sadly, out of print). There are some real nuggets here and perhaps I will blog on one or two. Some are surprising too. My great mentor used to listen to classical music at the beginning of his sermon work which I always found slightly puzzling until I read this:

Music does not help everyone, but it greatly helps some people.

He then cites the example of Karl Barth who used to listen to Mozart every morning.

I can tell you why Karl Barth went to Mozart. He did not go to him for thoughts or ideas, he went to Mozart because Mozart did something to him in a general sense. Mozart put him into a good mood, and made him feel happy in his spirit. He released him, and set him free to do his own thinking, A general stimulus in that way is often more helpful than a particular intellectual one….anything that does you good, puts you into a good mood or condition, anything that pleases you or releases tensions and relaxes you is of inestimable value. Music does that to some in a wonderful way. So put on your gramaphone record, or whatever it is – anything you know that will help you.

I guess there are lots of pieces of advice one could download from the 'doctor.' This is probably one of the more obscure…!  (For the very young reader, this picture is 'His master's voice' – what we would now call a logo. It was a music label sold to EMI. However the name lives on….in the abbreviation HMV).

If the Old Testament is part of the unfolding story of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor 8.9), then it must follow that every Old Testament book can be couched in those terms. Dane Ortlund (Bible publishing director at Crossway and, I assume, related to the other Ortlunds?) posted an interesting list of titles (or we would call them theme sentences) for each Old Testament book. Seeing as I'm writing about Numbers, I looked up that one first. 

Numbers shows God’s grace in patiently sustaining his grumbling people in the wilderness and bringing them to the border of the promised land not because of them but in spite of them.

I like it. Couching everything in terms of one word which reflects one particular (although major) component of the gospel is always going to be limited of course. It will not refect the individual nuances of different books. But the exercise is useful in that it makes the reader (or in our case, preacher) think how the book relates to the gospel of Jesus. 

This is an old post, but was tagged by Justin Taylor so it's back on my radar screen. Interesting. You can read the whole list here. 

Just every now and then there is one, you know (a good letter, that is). It was last Thursday, but it's taken me until now to post it. 

Sir, Delighted as I was to hear of Professor Turner’s warning on biblical exposition (Canon Stagg, letter Jan 10, responding to Edward Solomon, letter, Jan 7), we candidates for the Congregationalist ministry at the former New College, Hampstead, London, were even more solemnly warned by Principal John Huxtable during our 1960s sermon classes: “Gentlemen, I wish you would read the Bible more: it sheds such light on the Commentaries.”

The Rev Dr Peter C. Jupp 
Department of Divinity, University of Edinburgh

I heartily concur. Commentaries are friends and helps. But please, not first, not second even. Read, read, read and use a little brain first, second and even third. And, in fact, the second letter of this correspondence will sound familiar to any well trained preacher:

Sir, The way Edward Solomons quoted Deuteronomy xxx, 19 (letter, Jan 7) in connection with issues relating to terminal illness reminded me of the warning Professor H. E. W. Turner used to give to Durham theological students in the 1950s and early 1960s: “a text out of context is a pretext”.

Canon Michael Stagg, Norwich

One of the best new things on the internet is Credo magazine, OK, as a baptist, I may be biased, but this serious publication is not in-your-face baptistic. In fact, in this particular issue, you might not even know. The main topic for the issue is inclusivism, which itself is a varied thing. At its least extreme, it is that people will be saved without responding to the gospel which many, many evangelicals believe (for example, in the universal salvation of infants – although I am a dissenter when it comes to this doctrine). More overtly, inclusivism means being saved without hearing about Christ or even, in extremis, being saved outside of Christ. There are some thought provoking articles, not least that by UK all round hero Mike Reeves! He's live at this year's EMA by the way! Download the full and free edition here. 

Had a brief chat the other day with John Sparks who is a trustee of Parish Nursing. This is an interesting organisation which encourages the provision of nurses to churches (not just Anglican ones, despite the name). It's not going to fit into every church situation, obviously, nor is it going to be a ministry around which a church is structured or driven. Nevertheless, there may be some merit in thinking through the concept and getting in contact with them if you want to find out more. I guess the exact nature of how it works would depend on your circumstances and the particular individual you had; we'd want to make sure that gospel was central, for example. 

We've got a great tape archive that we are gradually getting around to putting online. Here's one we've been meaning to do for ages. It's Phil Jensen on "How to be a younger minister" – one talk from way back when that has some really helpful, realistic and clear guidance and advice about starting out in ministry. 15 years old but still fresh and relevant. 

And don't forget the Spring younger ministers conference (8-11 May 2012), this year with David Cook and John Dickson – it promises to be a great time. There's still space available but it's going fast so book soon to reserve a place. We had an amazingly refreshing time last year and this year should be a good time of fellowship too. If you have a younger minister in your church (first six years of ministry) why not encourage them to come along? You can book online here. 

For those in or within reach of London, we've got three weekday evenings planned with the excellent David Cook. These evening lectures are an introduction to the book of Acts, especially for those who might preach or teach a book, but for everyone who wants to read the Bible better. David is an excellent communicator and is recently retired as the Principal of Sydney MIssionary Bible College. The three evenings are Mondays 16/23/30 April 2012. More details and booking here. This is the kind of evening you might want to encourage, for example, your preaching team to come along to together – or perhaps a group of younger men you are encouraging to think about being preachers or teachers in the church? Either way, it will be a great help to them. 

My favourite piece in last week's newspapers was a story about Indian airport security. There is already a list of categories of people who do not have to go through security (army chiefs, state ministers etc). Now the list of 22 has been extended by one to include some holy men.

[A] holy man has successfully contended that he should not be frisked because no human hand must touch him, after Ajay Maken, the Sports Minister, wrote to the Ministry of Civil Aviation last month.

My favourite part, though, was the story of the holy man from Ramachadrapura Mutt. a Bangalore institution. Their leader carries a box of deities with him and has had to ask special permission for it not to be opened. A spokesman said,

His Holiness has to open the small box by taking a bath and this may create embarrassment.

The Bible pours scorn on idols and invites us to do the same.  However, it seems to me that sometimes they need no help whatsoever. 

'Of making many [marriage] books there is is no end' (Ecclesiastes 12.12). Everyone seems to have to have a marriage book. The latest is Mark & Grace Driscoll's Real Marriage, the truth about sex, friendship and life together. It was launched at the beginning of this year and comes (yay!) with a tour! I've just finished reading it. I'm not sure I've got a lot to add to Tim Challies three reviews here, here and here. The latter two are a helpful deconstruction of the grid that the Driscoll's use to analyse various sexual practices based on 1 Cor 6.12. 

Challies is pretty downbeat about the book and, on the whole, I feel he's right, though perhaps I need to give it a second more careful read. I don't need to repeat all his critique, though sometimes I think he goes too far. For me, I found the book pretty cringeworthy because (a) it is written in that US folksy style which grates with British readers and seems (I say, seems) to make light of things which require greater weight and sobriety and (b) it is perhaps too honest: I agree that some discussion of dealing with past hurts is necessary but I'm not sure I wanted all the graphic details that Mark and Grace give about their previous sins, nor all the details about whether anal sex is OK or not. 

I would hesitate to use it then, though there is some good material here. I'm not a prude when it comes to talking about sex; indeed, as part of couple counselling we have sometimes done irreparable damage by not doing so. But this is too much. Too jokey. Too honest (!).

For my money, Piper's book of sermons This momentary marriage is a whole heap better. I've yet to read Keller so I can't comment on that, but Christopher's two volumes are also excellent. The simpler one is great for all. The 'dull' one (Christopher's words not mine) is important for pastors as it contains a lot of the background, research and theology. I prefer it, actually.