Listening Precedes Preaching

We Speak Because We've Listened
M. Justin Wainscott, 2011

Much more is learned by listening
than by talking;
from open ears
rather than an open mouth.
In fact, it ought to be a rule -
and a rule which we should follow -
that speaking be preceded
by attentive listening.
Anything significant
that ever has been said
(or that ever will be said)
is the fruit of much listening.
And preaching is no different.

Good preaching is the product
of good listening - to God and His Word.
We preachers sit before
an open Bible - listening;
listening for God to speak
what He has already spoken.
Then, and only then,
do we stand before His people
and open our mouths.
We speak because
we first have listened.
And our listening
qualifies us to speak.

A Prayer for the New Year

From The Valley of Vision:

O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me
except the days are passed in Thy presence,
in Thy service, to Thy glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides,
sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth Thy praise;
testify Thy love,
advance Thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with Thee, O Father, as my harbor,
Thee, O Son, at my helm,
Thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to Thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer,
Thy wisdom to teach,
Thy right hand to guide,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.

May Thy fear be my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy.

A Long December

An excerpt from the song "A Long December" by Counting Crows (Recovering the Satellites album, 1996):

It's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last.
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass.

And this may be my favorite line from the song:

The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters but no pearls.

Russell Moore on "Christlessness Is Peace"

Russell Moore provides a very thoughtful reflection on the true peace that Christ brings (and the means by which he brings it). Here's an excerpt:

The sound of Christmas, in the biblical text, isn’t the sound of sleigh-bells jingling, but the clanging swords and strangled babies and demon screams. It’s awful.

But in the midst of all that horror, there’s peace. This peace isn’t tranquility and stillness, but the dynamism of the shalom of God’s new creation. It is not merely the perfunctory “good will to men” but peace between the ruler of the universe and those “with whom he is pleased” (Lk. 2:14).

In the gospel, that peaces comes only through war. This isn’t violence, the way we think of it, flesh and blood against flesh and blood. It is the Spirit of Jesus marching as to war against the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). It is the blood of Christ silencing the accusations of the ancient dragon (Rev. 12:10-11). This is why the Apostle Paul can say, without contradiction, that the “God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20).

Read the whole reflection here.

Rise, the Woman's Conquering Seed!

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Charles Wesley, 1707-1788; alt. George Whitefield, 1714-1770

Hark, the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic host proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Christ, by highest heavn adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord:
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail th'incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Hail, the heav'n born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in his wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home!
Rise, the Woman's conqu'ring Seed,
Bruise in us the Serpent's head!
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Adam's likeness, Lord, efface;
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love!
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the Heavenly Man:
Oh, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Gospel Math

"Jesus plus nothing is everything. Everything minus Jesus is nothing.''

--Randy Alcorn, "Dethroning Money to Treasure Christ Above All" in For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper

Put another way:

Jesus + nothing = everything

Everything - Jesus = nothing

Dethroning All Secondary Treasures

"[Jesus] calls all of us to a life of dethroning all secondary treasures in order to elevate him as our primary treasure. If we value anything or anyone more than we value Jesus, we are not his disciples."

--Randy Alcorn, "Dethroning Money to Treasure Christ Above All" in For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper

Yet Another Reason for Humility

"For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly..." (Psalm 138:6)

The Bottom of Every Sin

"The desire to be God rather than to serve God lies at the bottom of every sin that anyone has ever committed. Sin isn't first rooted in a philosophical debate of the appropriateness or healthiness of a certain ethic. No, sin is rooted in my unwillingness to find joy in living my life under the authority of, and for the glory of, Another. Sin is rooted in my desire to live for me. It's driven by my propensity to indulge my every feeling, satisfy my every desire, and meet my every need."

--Paul David Tripp, Whiter than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy

This Year's Advent Hymn

All People of the Coming King
© 2010, M. Justin Wainscott

All people of the coming King,
All servants of the Lord,
Come, lift your voices, let us sing
With hearts in one accord:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

In Bethlehem the angels praised
The birth of Christ our King;
So let us now with voices raised
Rejoice with them and sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Oh, marvel in the mystery
Of Jesus' virgin birth;
To God all praise and glory be,
And peace o'er all the earth.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

His first advent salvation wrought
By dying on the tree;
Yet He, through resurrection, bought
For us eternity.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

To Him who came and conquered sin,
Triumphant and supreme;
To Him who'll one day come again,
We sound this joyous theme:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

And when He comes, our King, to reign,
And earth and heav'n be new;
Then may the sound of this refrain
Our longing hearts renew:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

The Great Spoil to be Found in Scripture

"I rejoice at your word
like one who finds great spoil."
(Psalm 119:162)

I wonder if our all too often joyless reading of the Scriptures is due to the fact that we don't approach them with the wide-eyed wonder and excitement of discovering a great treasure. There is spoil to be found and joy to be had for those who will hunt it!

Unfolding the Word of God

"The unfolding of your words gives light..." (Psalm 119:130).

This is not just a promise for preachers and teachers (though it certainly has profound implications for us). But it is also a promise for everyone who will open the Bible, ask the Spirit to unfold the truth of what is there, and then bask in the warm glow of the light of the gospel.

Christ, Our Wounded Comforter

"Someday in a lonely moment man-
kind will shake an unfamiliar hand
and find it wounded."

--Calvin Miller, The Singer: A Classic Retelling of Cosmic Conflict

Spread Gospel Tidings All Around

Immortal God in Mortal Flesh
Advent 2008, M. Justin Wainscott

Immortal God in mortal flesh,
Our Lord has come to earth.
Incarnate God, He came to bring
The gift of second birth.

Spread gospel tidings all around;
Let sinners celebrate!
For Christ was born to save us all
From sin's condemning fate.

In mercy, God has sent His Son
To bear the curse of sin;
To hang condemned on Calv'ry's cross,
And pardon sinful men.

This precious Babe of Bethlehem
Will be forever blessed;
He ransomed us from hell's domain
To enter heaven's rest.

So to our great Immanuel,
Glad songs of praise we'll sing.
From now and through eternity,
He'll reign, our saving King.

The Cradle and the Cross

"The crucial significance of the cradle at Bethlehem lies in its place in the sequence of steps that led the Son of God to the cross of Calvary, and we do not understand it till we see it in this context."

--J.I. Packer, Knowing God

HT: Of First Importance