Preaching & The Praise of Christ's Kingship
Only two people have truly influenced the style of my preaching–my grandfather, an Assemblies of God pastor for almost 60 years who is now with the Lord in glory, and John Calvin, the 16th century reformer, preacher, and pastor. My grandfather's passionate and fiery style always appealed to me. He loved the Lord and wanted his parishioners to do the same. Those two things informed his preaching and reflected his delivery, as they do mine.
Calvin's influence on the style of my preaching is less personal to me than that of my grandfather's, but runs deeper when it comes to my preaching's philosophy, form, and intent. Calvin's employed straightforward words and simple sentences in his preaching. He wasted no words. Every sentence mattered. This might characterize my form the best.
But Calvin also preached "with riveting powers of concentration, convictions, and sacred passion." He once declared that "Doctrine without zeal is either like a sword in the hand of a madman." I love that. Calvin's deep convictions drew people to the truths he preached and proclaimed. And that made Calvin a great exhorter. "Loving rebuke was a part of Calvin's application of the biblical text."
He issued loving admonitions from his pulpit. He believed that sin must always be confronted. "He openly confronted vice, calling his listeners to pursue paths of holiness." Fearlessly, he called his parishioners to repent, and urged them to search their hearts and see how they measured up to the passage before them.
It is those very things about Calvin's preaching that influences mine on a weekly basis: straightforwardness, simple sentences, concentration, conviction, sacred passion, exhortation, and love for the people entrusted to his pastoral care. I've written all this as a sort of preface for what comes next.
Since, like Calvin and perhaps because of him, I waste no words and every sentence matters when I preach, this makes it a nightmare for the notetakers in my congregation to capture some important things they'd like to return to later (I've acknowledged this to many of them, even as recently as this past Sunday).
That being the case, I wanted to include an excerpt from my introduction of this past Sunday's sermon that exalted Christ's kingship. If expository preaching should do anything, it should, above all else, exalt Christ. I hope what you read below raises your affections for Christ the King and Conqueror of Nations:
Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is King and Conqueror of nations. There was a time when “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” But now he is robed in majesty and his beauty is indescribable. There was a time when “he was despised and rejected by men,” but now the nations cower before him in fear of his great wrath.
There was a time when “he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;“ a time when “we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted;” a time when “he was cut off out of the land of the living;” a time when “they made his grave with the wicked;” a time when “it was the will of the Lord to crush him and put him to grief;” a time when “he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; “ a time when “he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.”
But not anymore. Christ accomplished his mission, completed the work of redemption, and rose from the grave in triumph because the grave could not hold him down. Death had no power over him. Death was dealt a deadly blow in the death of Christ—it lost its sting and the grave was robbed of its power. Now he stands atop Mount Zion victorious. Now he rules and reigns from his glorious throne. The nations that once rejected him, will now bow before him and confess his name. He was once robed in shame and mocked, but now he is robed in righteousness and righteous power. He was once subject to wicked rulers, now he rules all rulers.
He once wore a crown of thorns, but now he wears innumerable diadems. He went to his death silent, now his voice shakes the very foundations of heaven and earth, and is heard by people from every tribe, nation, and language. Once he had a small group of disciples, now he has a multitude of them that cannot be numbered. At one time when men hid their faces from him, now every eye will see him. Once it was asked if anything good could come out of Nazareth? Indeed, something, or should we say, someone has. His name is Jesus Christ, the one whose name is above all names, the one who is King of kings, Lord of lords, and Conqueror of nations.
This King, Lord, and Conqueror is majestic in holiness, perfect in beauty, and matchless in power. He is the fountainhead of all grace, the epitome of goodness, the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Faithful and True, the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, and the Word of God. He is Messiah, Alpha and Omega, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
Psalm 2 declared that the nations raged and took counsel together against the Lord and his anointed, but now he rules the nations with a rod of iron—they have become his heritage and the earth his possession. He announced, in Matthew 28, that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him, which means he reigns over every sphere, over all creation and creatures, and over every principality and power. He wears innumerable crowns, which means his kingship must be acknowledged because his domain is universal.
Christ is King!
Calvin's influence on the style of my preaching is less personal to me than that of my grandfather's, but runs deeper when it comes to my preaching's philosophy, form, and intent. Calvin's employed straightforward words and simple sentences in his preaching. He wasted no words. Every sentence mattered. This might characterize my form the best.
But Calvin also preached "with riveting powers of concentration, convictions, and sacred passion." He once declared that "Doctrine without zeal is either like a sword in the hand of a madman." I love that. Calvin's deep convictions drew people to the truths he preached and proclaimed. And that made Calvin a great exhorter. "Loving rebuke was a part of Calvin's application of the biblical text."
He issued loving admonitions from his pulpit. He believed that sin must always be confronted. "He openly confronted vice, calling his listeners to pursue paths of holiness." Fearlessly, he called his parishioners to repent, and urged them to search their hearts and see how they measured up to the passage before them.
It is those very things about Calvin's preaching that influences mine on a weekly basis: straightforwardness, simple sentences, concentration, conviction, sacred passion, exhortation, and love for the people entrusted to his pastoral care. I've written all this as a sort of preface for what comes next.
Since, like Calvin and perhaps because of him, I waste no words and every sentence matters when I preach, this makes it a nightmare for the notetakers in my congregation to capture some important things they'd like to return to later (I've acknowledged this to many of them, even as recently as this past Sunday).
That being the case, I wanted to include an excerpt from my introduction of this past Sunday's sermon that exalted Christ's kingship. If expository preaching should do anything, it should, above all else, exalt Christ. I hope what you read below raises your affections for Christ the King and Conqueror of Nations:
Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is King and Conqueror of nations. There was a time when “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” But now he is robed in majesty and his beauty is indescribable. There was a time when “he was despised and rejected by men,” but now the nations cower before him in fear of his great wrath.
There was a time when “he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;“ a time when “we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted;” a time when “he was cut off out of the land of the living;” a time when “they made his grave with the wicked;” a time when “it was the will of the Lord to crush him and put him to grief;” a time when “he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; “ a time when “he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.”
But not anymore. Christ accomplished his mission, completed the work of redemption, and rose from the grave in triumph because the grave could not hold him down. Death had no power over him. Death was dealt a deadly blow in the death of Christ—it lost its sting and the grave was robbed of its power. Now he stands atop Mount Zion victorious. Now he rules and reigns from his glorious throne. The nations that once rejected him, will now bow before him and confess his name. He was once robed in shame and mocked, but now he is robed in righteousness and righteous power. He was once subject to wicked rulers, now he rules all rulers.
He once wore a crown of thorns, but now he wears innumerable diadems. He went to his death silent, now his voice shakes the very foundations of heaven and earth, and is heard by people from every tribe, nation, and language. Once he had a small group of disciples, now he has a multitude of them that cannot be numbered. At one time when men hid their faces from him, now every eye will see him. Once it was asked if anything good could come out of Nazareth? Indeed, something, or should we say, someone has. His name is Jesus Christ, the one whose name is above all names, the one who is King of kings, Lord of lords, and Conqueror of nations.
This King, Lord, and Conqueror is majestic in holiness, perfect in beauty, and matchless in power. He is the fountainhead of all grace, the epitome of goodness, the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Faithful and True, the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, and the Word of God. He is Messiah, Alpha and Omega, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
Psalm 2 declared that the nations raged and took counsel together against the Lord and his anointed, but now he rules the nations with a rod of iron—they have become his heritage and the earth his possession. He announced, in Matthew 28, that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him, which means he reigns over every sphere, over all creation and creatures, and over every principality and power. He wears innumerable crowns, which means his kingship must be acknowledged because his domain is universal.
Christ is King!
Rev. Mike Hernandez serves as the senior pastor of Crossroads Presbyterian Church. He is a graduate of Trinity International University (B.A.), Knox Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) at Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando.
Share this post:
2 Comments
I actually put my pen down and just listened. I love how you said "He went to his death silent, now his voice shakes the very foundations of heaven and earth, and is heard by people from every tribe, nation, and language." So powerful.
Thanks, Kristy!