The Joy of PreachingMore !an a lecture, but Spi"tual Vibrancy

Preaching: A Love StoryBy De"ck R. Dickens

Some have made less of preaching

"People won't sit for more than 20 minutes"!

"We should make our preaching 'seeker sensitive'"!

"Preaching is antiquated"

Yet, !ey ju# don't under#and

The beginning of my journey

At 15 I became a Christian

At 15 I became a Christian

I $dn't even know John 3:16

At 15 I became a Christian

I $dn't even know John 3:16

I truly was a baby in Christ, a child needing milk

At 15 I became a Christian

I $dn't even know John 3:16

I truly was a baby in Christ, a child needing milk

A soul needing nourishment

At 15 I became a Christian

I $dn't even know John 3:16

I truly was a baby in Christ, a child needing milk

A soul needing nourishment

And I was hungry

But I found a desert

There were fun and games

But I needed more

I was growing hungry and thirsty

I was growing hungry and thirsty

and nothing met my need

I needed the nourishment that came from God's Word

"But it was difficult to understand."!

"How did it fit together?"!

"How could I ever grasp it?"

I needed help

But I wasn't %&ing any help

But I wasn't %&ing any help

Was Ch"#ianity !' (allow? Were we !at t"te?

How was I chan%d forever?

I discovered solid Biblical Preaching

The Sermons

Were verse by verse from the Bible!

Taught me Scripture!

Demonstrated careful study of God's Word

The more the pastor taught...

The more the pastor taught...

*e more I grew

The more the pastor taught...

*e more I grewThe more he taught...

The more the pastor taught...

*e more I grewThe more he taught...

*e more I sat in awe and wonder of God

The more the pastor taught...

*e more I grewThe more he taught...

*e more I sat in awe and wonder of God

The more he taught...

The more the pastor taught...

*e more I grewThe more he taught...

*e more I sat in awe and wonder of God

The more he taught...*e more I loved + Bible and God

Forever, O LORD, y,r word ' firmly fixed in + heavens

- Psalms 119:89 (ESV)

Y,r Word ' a lamp to my feet and a light to my pa!

- Psalms 119:105 (ESV)

I began to see...

God as much more magnificent !

The Bible clearer!

My complete need of Jesus

And I Worshipped God

I experienced...

I experienced...

Joy in my Salvation

I experienced...

Joy in my Salvation

An Awe of Jehovah

I experienced...

Joy in my Salvation

An Awe of Jehovah

Tears over my sin

I experienced...

Joy in my Salvation

An Awe of Jehovah

Tears over my sin

Brokenness

I experienced...

Joy in my Salvation

An Awe of Jehovah

Tears over my sin

Brokenness

An overwhelming sense of God's grace

And I grew in spiritual vibrance!my love for God!

my dedication to Jesus!and my knowledge of my great God

I fell in love with preaching

“What is the chief end of preaching? I like to think it is this: It is to give men and women a sense of God and His presence.” ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“The preaching of Christ is the whip that flogs the devil. The preaching of Christ is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes all hell shake.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

”The preacher is not a chef; he's a waiter. God doesn't want you to make the meal; He just wants you to deliver it to the table without messing it up. That's all.” ~ John MacArthur

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2, ESV)