One of my favorite quotes is by Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the Law of Gravity. He said, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." Newton saw further than anyone had before, because he learned from those who had gone before him. Just imagine, if all anyone knew was the knowledge he accumulated on his own! There would be no electricity, no light bulb, no telephone, no computers, no cars, no airplanes, no space shuttles, etc. But because men learned from those who had gone before, these inventions and many more were possible.
Sadly, many preachers like to work in a vacuum, gleaning nothing from the God-gifted men who have gone before them. God has especially equipped the Body of Christ with teachers, evangelist, and pastors. I thank God for men like Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Newton, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and a host of others, who are, without a doubt, God’s gifts to the Church! By studying the writings of these gifted men, we are enabled to "stand on their shoulders."
Ephesians 4:11-13 says,
[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
I don’t think that what Paul said in Ephesians 4 applies only to those living in our generation with us today. Nor do I believe that it only applies to those in the same location. The church is much bigger than our local congregation. It extends to those saints past and present, from east to west that have placed their hope in Christ and His sacrificial atonement alone! Therefore, the teachers, evangelists, and pastors from whom we have the privilege of learning stretch across the 2,000 years of church history, chronologically and from pole to pole, geographically!
Since we have been commanded by God to Rightly Divide the Word of Truth (II Timothy 2:15), this is a privilege we can’t afford to ignore! Great preachers of the past and present agree:
The 18th Century’s "Prince of Preachers", Charles Haddon Spurgeon said,
"In order to be able to expound the Scriptures, and as an aid to your pulpit studies, you will need to be familiar with the commentators: a glorious army, let me tell you, whose acquaintance will be your delight and profit. Of course, you are not such wiseacres as to think or say that you can expound Scripture without assistance from the works of divines and learned men who have labored before you in the field of exposition. . . . It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others."
Warren Wiersbe, modern day expositor, has written similarly,
"My books are my tools, and I use them. I cannot afford to be a book collector; neither the budget nor the diminishing shelf space . . . permits such a luxury . . . . I enjoy my library. Each book is a friend that converses with and teaches me. Better to have fewer of the best books than to clutter your shelves with volumes that cannot serve you well. Above all, love your books, use them, and dedicate all you learn to the service of Jesus Christ."
So, let me exhort you (not as one who has seen further, but as one who is still trying to climb higher to view and worship the majesty of our Glorious God), study the Scriptures for they are the final revelation of God. But, don’t neglect reading the commentaries of the God-gifted men from the present and past, for by climbing on their shoulders you may be able to see further than you ever have before!
Books on Preaching
The following list is not, nor is it intended to be exhaustive. These are tools that have aided me in the pursuit of Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth.
Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Preaching and Preachers. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971.
(Great book by the Last of the Puritans.)Piper, John. The Supremacy of God in Preaching. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989.
(Excellent, Highly recommended! Every preacher should read this!)Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to My Students. Grand Rapids. Zondervan Publishing House, 1954.
(When you read this, you won’t be able to believe he’s been dead for over 100 years. A+) Wiersbe, Warren W. Developing A Christian Imagination: An Interpretive Anthology. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1995. (Uses great sermons of the past to teach the effective use of words to paint pictures in your preaching/teaching.)Quotes on Preaching
John Piper, "People are starving for the greatness of God. But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives. The majesty of God is an unknown cure. There are far more popular prescriptions on the market, but the benefit of any other remedy is brief and shallow. Preaching that does not have the aroma of God’s greatness may entertain for a season, but it will not touch the hidden cry of the soul: "Show me thy glory!"
Samuel Rutherford, "I preached as never to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men."
Old Puritan, "Thou art a preacher of the Word; mind thy business!"
C. H. Spurgeon, "Of all I would wish to say this is the sum; my brethren, preach CHRIST, always and evermore. He is the whole gospel. His person, offices, and work must be our one great, all-comprehending theme."
Apostle Paul, "But we preach CHRIST crucified . . ." I Cor. 1:23
James Stalker, "Brethren, study God’s Word diligently for your own edification; and when it has become more to you than your necessary food, sweeter than honey or the honeycomb, it will be impossible for you to speak of it to others, without a glow passing into your words which will betray the delight with which it has inspired your own heart."
