I am currently enjoying Iain Murray's
Lloyd-Jones: Messenger of Grace. As I read today, I was reminded again of the fact that true, faithful preaching must be expositional in nature. In other words, preachers must view themselves as messengers of God - on a divine errand, carrying a message that is not their own. Or, as Murray puts it on page 42:
The preacher's first and supreme concern has to be that his words are an expression of the mind of God in Scripture. "If any many speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God" (1 Pet. 4:11). The preacher is nothing unless he is an interpreter and exegete of revelation. Apart from that he has no right to command the attention of his fellow men. To expect the Holy Spirit to give his aid to what are merely our ideas is to desecrate the pulpit (italics mine).
Preachers, read that last sentence again and meditate on it as you prepare for this Sunday!
