“But unless the weight of the burden is felt the gospel can mean nothing to the man; and until he sees a vision of God high and lifted up, there will be no woe and burden. Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them” (A. W. Tozer).
2 Corinthians 4:4 “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 4:6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” These verses are quite clear regarding the issue that we are discussing. One, the gospel is the gospel of the glory of Christ. Two, the Gospel of the glory of Christ is light. Three, Christ is the image of God. Four, the light that God commanded then and commands now is the light of the Gospel. Five, the light He shines is Himself because the text speaks of “the One who has shone in our hearts.’ Six, when He shines in our hearts that gives the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God. Seven, the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God is in the face of Christ.
We must always remember that to preach the Gospel of the glory of Christ is to preach the Gospel in such a way that the glory of God is seen in the face of Christ. Perhaps the most important thing for a preacher to do is to enter the pulpit with a humble heart seeking to see the glory of God shining through His text. The goal is to set out the glory of God more than anything or anyone else. We speak glowingly of food, entertainments, cars, sporting events, and so many worldly things. But we think that we have to speak in a monotone when we talk of God. That is sheer and utter nonsense. While it is not necessary to speak with elevated tones and wild gestures, it is necessary to speak of God as if one believes He is better than all of the things of the world. In his early ministry Jonathan Edwards was said to stand in the pulpit and hold a candle in one hand and the manuscript in the other hand as he read his sermon. But, one witness said, there was an intensity and conviction about him that made him an eloquent speaker. True speaking of the glory of God comes from the inner man.
It is a necessary and self-evident truth that a person must really believe that God is better than the whole world if he is going to be genuine in speaking like that. So in one sense the real work is done in the study by prayer and meditation. God will only be exalted when the heart that speaks of Him exalts in Him. God will not be exalted by a person who has techniques to speak of Him and simply high words to speak of Him. No, it takes a heart that loves and breathes forth the truth and beauty of God. It takes a man who loves the glory of God more than his own glory as a preacher to preach the Gospel of the glory of God.
The Gospel of the glory of God will only come from the man who has within him high and exalted views of God. This will be a man who studies God as infinite rather than an object of study to be learned from a book. In other words, for the Gospel of the glory of God to be preached and taught it will take men who will spend time with God in prayer, study, and meditation over the character of God as displayed in the Bible. A mere outline of a text will not do and the mere speaking of a text in an expositional manner will not do either. Good doctrine is important but it must also be done with servitude to the Gospel of the glory of God in Christ.
Men must strive to interpret Scripture and all events with the character of God foremost in mind. They must learn to set out the character of God from the text they are preaching. After all, first and foremost the Bible is the revelation of God. It is in God that we live, move and have our being. It is God that gives us our every breath. It is God whose glory is shining all around us each moment of the day and night. It is God who created the world to display His glory. It is God who created man in His image in order that man would live for His glory. It is God who sent His Son and gives the Gospel in order to display His glory. There should always be the glory of God in preaching and teaching because we should always be about the glory of God that shines everywhere.
We must never forget that the mere reciting of information is not enough. We must strive to show the beauty of God in everything. We must strive to have our hearts full of His beauty and desirability in order that our preaching and teaching will always be salted with His glory. If we don’t do this, we will not be preaching the glory of the Gospel of God. If we don’t do this, what do we love most in preaching? Ourselves? Our honor? Having a big church? Being acceptable to others? Low views of God by preachers destroy the Gospel of the glory of God.
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