The Past
Mine was the task of preaching. I thought that the opening meetings had to be sensational, something that would draw the crowds. I did not realize that it is better to grow slowly, but to grow, rather than to decrease rapidly.
I enjoyed presenting the second chapter of the book of Daniel. I painted the city of Babylon with vivid colors, so that the hearers could see clearly the magnificent walls and towers, the huge copper gates, the glorious temples, the hanging gardens, and above all those marvels, the skyscraping Tower of Babel. I spent many precious minutes telling the listeners about the golden empire and its great king. Medo- Persia, Greece, Rome, and the ten kingdoms were presented in the same intellectual but almost un- spiritual way. It was a nice lecture, but a poor sermon; interesting, but not convincing. When the greatness of worldly glory was pointed out there was little time left to picture the enormity of sin.
Most of the other historical prophecies were given the same treatment. They were presented clearly and logically, probably as well as most preachers of my age and experience present them, but not well enough. Somehow I missed the point, the big point, because I missed Christ.
I gave too much at a time. Listeners with scarcely any Biblical background could not di gest it all. Some of the great subjects, such as the 2300 days, should somehow have been di vided into at least two meetings.
I made the Papacy the target of my arrows of burning wrath. Even though my country is strictly Lutheran, none will be saved because I told the truth about the Pope, but because I led them to Christ who is the truth.
I spoke too much to the mind and too little to the heart.
The Future
Mine shall be the task of preaching. I shall need only two things: the message of Christ and the Spirit of Christ. That is all. What I preach and how I preach are the most important points in my future ministry.
I must learn the difference between being a public speaker and being a preacher the difference between a lecture and a sermon. I must also distinguish between teaching and preaching. There is a time for both. The pulpit is not the place for detailed textual arguments but for presentation of the great concepts of prophecy. I must be as a painter using bold strokes. The listeners must carry away a very definite, perhaps even a limited, impression, but not a con fusion of details. The sermon must be limited in quantity, but unlimited in quality. A few points only should be stressed. I must not be concerned primarily about how much I put into a sermon, but how much the hearer can absorb, how much he has left.
I must not let my prophetic preaching grow out of the established doctrines of any denomination, but let the doctrine flow out from intelligent and spiritual prophetic interpretation. Mine is not the task to prove the existence of God or that the Bible is true. I am to bring the people face to face with the Creator of the universe, the God of heaven who lives and reigns. And when I use the Bible it must be as an established authority which needs no approval.
Unnecessary controversy must be avoided. Subjects such as the daily and the king of the north must be dealt with carefully. Emphasis must in both cases be put on the King of heaven and His work today for mankind. The little horn in Daniel and the same power in Revelation must be presented with great care, so that the people concerned are not unduly irritated. Even when one is speaking on the most dry and controversial subjects, righteousness by faith in Jesus must be the theme of the message. I must condemn nothing but sin.
I must be personal and concrete. The prophecies must be given a touch of human interest, and their abstract truths must be translated into concrete terms. Life itself must supply the illustrations in my sermons. I must aim to please, to arrest, to hold; I must be direct and simple. We are living in an age when speaking, painting, music, architecture, and other arts are being simplified. Pretty but unnecessary flowers must be cut away from my language. My words must be to the point, precise, concise. I must talk less and say more. When my sermon is un veiled only the clear-cut, plain truth must appear.
I must not try to tell everything about everything. It will be well to keep quiet on things I do not know too much about, at least until I know first thinking, then speaking.
The historical setting of the prophecies and the personalities of their authors must be studied intensively. I must enter into the past, into the experience of the prophet, take his place, and herald his message.
The great prophetic chapters in the Bible must not be used as merely cheap interest awakeners. My advertising must be arresting but dignified, and I must not promise more than I can fulfill.
I shall have to study the prophecies intensively in order to get a clear, and perhaps new, concept of their Author. The Son of man must become the center of every prophetic sermon. While studying the subject on which I am going to preach, I must repeatedly ask myself, "Where is Jesus in all this?"
I will be wise if I diligently study the great prophetic sermons of Stephen, Peter, and Paul. They will give me leads on how to reveal Jesus in the prophecies. Christ must permeate the sermon. It is not enough to bring Him dutifully in during the closing sentences of a cold, doctrinal, formal, materialistic lecture. He must be there all the time, so that the hearer goes home knowing that he has been face to face with Christ. I must remember that men are saved not by cold historical and statistical facts but by the righteousness of Jesus. The prophecies must be preached so that Christ, the Morning Star, arises in the hearts of the hearers.
When the listeners go away the walls of Zion must be taller and brighter than those of Babylon. The new earth must be more attractive than the old. The people must go from my meetings not drunk with the wine of Babylon but cleansed in the blood of Christ. The Man of salvation, Jesus Christ, must be the dominant personality in the minds of the hearers, not antichrist, the man of sin. The mark of the beast and the image of the beast must be over shadowed by the marks of Calvary and the image of my Lord.
This is my task!
