In Puritan Reformed Seminary’s Practice Preaching class, a student preaches in front of his professors and fellow students, then receives a critique from his listeners. Here’s some advice for students who may be new to the experience of critiquing a sermon. Some of it may be helpful to others like elders, co-pastors, and pastors’ wives who may be called upon at times to offer critiques of a sermon.

1. Pray for the student who will preach. Keep the class timetable in your Bible so that when you come to pray each day, you will be praying for the next preacher. If you have not prayed for the preacher, you forfeit the right to criticize.

2. Listen for your own soul. Do not listen primarily to find fault. Try to hear the sermon as God speaking to you.

3. Look at the big picture. Don’t get sidetracked by minor issues like pronunciation.

4. Don’t repeat what has already been said. Only say something if it is something new. The student does not need to hear the same thing ten times.

5. Say one thing. You do not need to tell him every fault. And remember the student has already received significant critiques from the professors.

6. Try to be constructive and positive, especially if you are going to offer a criticism. It is easier for someone to hear criticism if they know you have goodwill towards them. Can you say something good about the introduction or the conclusion? (Don’t say “the best bit was the end!”) Were important words explained and illustrated? Was the structure based on the text and memorable? Was there good energy and eye-contact? etc.

7. Try to be objective. Ask yourself if what you are saying is just personal opinion and reflects your own preaching preferences and prejudices.

8. Be brief.

9. Do not mock or belittle. Be humble in your criticism. Realize that in most cases the student has poured himself into the sermon and poured himself out in it also.

10. Consider private critique. One of the reasons we have practice preaching class is so that everyone can learn from one another. Though I’ve never preached in this class (thankfully!), I’ve learned so much about preaching in it by listening to the critiques of others. However, if your criticism is very personal and not likely to benefit the whole class, then consider if it might be better offered privately.

11. Have regard for the stage the student is at in their education. Do not expect a first-year student to preach like a fourth-year student. Be very gentle in criticizing those who have just begin to preach.

12. Vary your focus. Some students only mention hand gestures. Others highlight deficiencies in gesture or posture. Still others may have a laser eye for grammar. Try to look at different aspects of preaching each time, and don’t become a broken record (that shows my age).

13. Pray for the student afterward. Often students will be licking their wounds a bit for a few days after practice preaching. Make a special effort to encourage such students in these sensitive days.

9 Myths about Abortion Rights and Roe v. Wade
“In his book Abuse of Discretion: The Inside Story of Roe v. Wade, Clarke Forsythe highlights a number of myths that led to the ruling in Roe—myths that, unfortunately, continue to be believed today.”

How to Ensure You Never Have Another Terrible Meeting
Oh, yes please.

When You Have a Case of the Monday’s on Sunday
“I woke up Sunday morning with zero confidence that I’d be able to preach that day. Actually it wasn’t the preaching that scared me, it was the need for me as a pastor to be “on”. Shaking hands, having conversations, fielding questions, just being social was the last thing I wanted to do. And knowing that I had an ice cream social, deacons meeting, Sunday evening service, and business meeting staring down at me didn’t inspire confidence either.”

Calling a Ministry Time-out
“I just talked to a highly effective, yet exhausted pastor, who was looking for some ministry coaching on keeping a sustainable schedule.”

Preaching the Funeral of an Unbeliever
“Here are a few things to which we might consider committing to if we are given the opportunity to preach the funeral of an unbeliever:”

20 Pieces of Advice for Establishing a Church Bookstall
“The goal of a church bookstall isn’t actually to sell books. It’s a discipleship tool. Your goal is not to include every Christian book you can, or even every good Christian book you can. The goal is to highlight the particular books you really want your congregation to read.”

The Myth of Influence
“For a long time, I have felt that the cause of biblical Christianity has been undermined in our time by sincere people who engage in unbiblical activities for the sake of “being an influence.” The sad and ironic result of those actions has been harm to the cause of Christ and little or no positive influence has actually occurred. The myth of influence seduces Christians into believing that by compromising important theological truths more people can be influenced for Christ.”

The Synagogues Are Burning Again in Germany
“There is shocking news this week from Germany. Three Palestinian Muslims who torched a synagogue in Wuppertal, Germany have been given suspended sentences because their actions allegedly represented a justified criticism of Israel. A regional court has upheld the decision of a lower court, also agreeing that the actions of these Muslim men were not antisemitic. And to think that this happened in Germany, a nation that still bears the shame of the Holocaust.”

Kindle Books

Peacemaking Women: Biblical Hope for Resolving Conflict $2.99.

Stressed Out: A Practical, Biblical Approach to Anxiety $2.99. Helpful for “common everyday anxiety,” not so much for clinical anxiety.

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the place and meaning of the Old Testament sacrifices. So what did they mean? What did they accomplish? Three crystal clear answers are provided in Hebrews 10 verses 1-4.

The OT Sacrifices Shadowed Good Things to Come (v. 1a)
Try to think of your most cherished and precious religious activity. Maybe it’s singing God’s praises, maybe it’s the prayer meeting, or preaching, or fellowship, or the Lord’s Supper. How would you feel if someone came along and told you, “Hey, that’s just a pale shadow of what we have got in our church.” You would probably feel a bit hurt and offended, and it might even make you say, “Well if there’s one church I’m not going to, it’s yours!”

However, that’s what the Apostle was saying to the Hebrews. He told them that the things they treasured and cherished most were only pale shadows of what the Christian Church was now enjoying. He was not saying that the New Covenant Church was practicing a different religion to the Old Covenant Church, but rather a higher, fuller, and brighter form of the same religion. He was saying that Christ’s saving shadow lay over the OT, but that if they came over to the New Covenant Church, they would see the One who cast the shadow.

Or to put it another way, holding on to the Old Testament sacrifices was like stopping at a signpost that said, “Grand Rapids – 100 miles” and calling it home. The Apostle was saying, “The OT sacrifices pointed you in the right direction, but come all the way home! You’ve followed the signposts pointing to good things to come. Great! But as the good “thing” has now come, don’t stop short. You’ve enjoyed the saving shadow; now come and bask in His saving sunlight.”

The OT Sacrifices Never Saved Anyone (vv. 1b-4)
1. They could not perfect anyone (1b):  The same sacrifices were repeated endlessly year after year. But they never (not past, present, future) made worshippers perfect. They provided ceremonial cleansing (qualified them to take part in the Tabernacle and Temple rituals and ceremonies). But they never made anyone “perfect,” which means “to bring to completion.” They had the limited usefulness of allowing Israelites to draw near to God physically – granting access to the camp and it’s Tabernacle – but they could not go further. They could not bring people to “completion,” to the intended end of nearness and fellowship with God.

2. They could not pacify the human conscience (2-3): If the sacrifices had ever cleansed the conscience, the worshipers would no longer have felt guilty for their sin, and they would have stopped offering the sacrifices. The fact that they continued to offer the sacrifices proved that they were still conscious of unforgiven sin that broke communion with God. The annual Day of Atonement, which seems to be especially in view here, produced a specially painful conscience in many Hebrews. When it came round every year, the burden of unforgiven sin felt heavier not lighter. The perpetual repetition of the sacrifices proved the ineffectiveness.

3. They could not put away sin before God (4): The Apostle tells us that however many gallons of animal blood was poured into God’s presence, not one sin was ever washed away by that tsunami of blood. Not one. “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Moral defilement cannot be removed by an animal. (Ps. 51:10, 16f; 1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 50:8ff; Isa 1:11ff; 66:1ff; Jer. 7:21ff; Hos. 6:6; 14:2; Amos 5:21ff; Mic. 6:6ff). There is a great gulf fixed between animal sacrifices and human beings. It’s so disproportionate. As the Apostle reminds us three times: animal sacrifices cannot take away sin (Heb. 10:1, 4, 11). Even if every animal in the world was sacrificed for me, not one of my sins would be washed away.

And that did not just begin to be true when Jesus came. It was true throughout the Old Testament as well. That’s why in chapter 10, as in so many other places, the Apostle turns to the Old Testament (Ps. 40) to prove his point!

The OT Sacrifices Reminded of Sin (3)
In fact, far from removing sin, the sacrifices reminded of sin. Every time they were offered it was like a reminder alarm going off in their consciences. “This is what you deserve. This is the danger you are in.”

On the annual Day of Atonement the High Priest confessed all the sins of the nation. So many thousands of sacrifices were offered then and at the Passover, that channels were actually constructed to carry the gallons of blood from the altar to the Brook Kidron. And at the end of the annual Atonement Day, the High Priest came out from his once-a-year visit to the Most Holy Place and said, “That’s it, you don’t need to come back next year or ever again!”

If only!

No, he came out and all that could be said was “See you again next year.” The sacrifices were a powerful reminder of sin, but, in and of themselves, they were powerless to save. If any Israelite ever asked a godly priest, “How many animals will it take to save my soul?” the answer would have been: “It is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. Look in faith to the coming Messiah that these sacrifices point us toward.”

That’s why the Apostle here turns from animal bodies (Heb. 10:1-4) to the precious and perfect body of Christ (v. 5), and His one perfect offering that perfects us, pacifies our conscience, and puts sin away (vv. 11-14). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

One body. One sacrifice. One priest. One salvation. It is finished!

Blogs

How to Read John Owen
Some of Ryan McGraw’s tips for reading John Owen:

• Do not get bogged down with Owen’s outlines. Keep reading and try to follow the big picture of where his argument. He did not write random collections of devotional thoughts, but books with definite aims. Keep his goals in mind as you read.
• Read the table of contents of a book in order to preview its contents at a glance. Puritan authors’ tables of contents were more detailed than we are used to today. They can help you digest the material better.
• Persevere and keep reading. Reading seventeenth-century theology is like learning another language. While Owen wrote in English, it is not the English that you know and use. This is an obstacle for modern readers whether we are reading Owen or anyone else from his time. Reading Owen is like making a new friend. The more time you spend with him, the more you will know and like him. Patterns of thought will become familiar and easy, though never predictable or mundane.
• Develop your reading skills generally. In his classic work How to Read a Book, Mortimer J. Adler notes that modern education does not carry us beyond a grammar-school reading level. Few people today learn how to read theology or philosophy. Reading Owen provides a good opportunity to become a better reader. Read Adler’s book to help you as well. It is a classic for good reasons.

Christians Must Be Myth Busters
“Christian myth busters don’t just point out what’s wrong in the worldviews of others; they embody what’s true, and good, and beautiful in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So that others want the gospel to be true.”

Why are bookstores struggling?
Two articles by a Christian bookstore operator. Part 1 and Part 2. Anyone interested in books and education should read these articles.

7 Ways to Care for Your Wife
Click through for exposition of each point:

1. Lead Her in Worship.
2. Carry Her Burdens. 
3. Provide for Her.
4. Serve Her in the Home.
5. Praise Her in Public. 
6. Show Her Affection. 
7. Be Transparent With Her.

Kindle Book

Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God $0.99

Blogs

Goals for 2017 | Right With God
My Dad shares his goals for 2017.

Aging Gracefully | Tim Challies
“When I was still young I resolved that I would age with grace. I would not be a dirty old man, an embittered old man, a drunken old man, a purposeless old man. I determined that in old age I would be dignified and godly, I would exemplify character and purposeful living to the end.”

Praying Through the Scriptures: Joshua 23 | Chad Van Dixhoorn, Reformation21 Blog
I‘m really enjoying this series:

Over the years it has been my practice, learned from others, to offer up praises and petitions framed by a passage of Scripture. Some of these passages were read in preparation for preaching, others offered material for meditation in daily devotion; still others were plundered specifically for the purpose of finding fresh material for prayer. As I continue to learn how to pray I have shared a few prayers with my family and friends for their use or adaptation. Here is the fourth prayer–based on Joshua 23–in a series on ‘Praying Through the Scriptures:’

20 Questions to Expose Your Idolatry | Paul Tautges, Counseling One Another
Did you know that there were 20 different kinds of idolatry? All of them produced by idol factory in our own hearts.

This Weekend Only: Stream 7,000+ Christian Videos for Free! | LogosTalk
“From January 20–23, anyone with a Faithlife account can stream every Mobile Ed video and all of FaithlifeTV+, absolutely free! That’s over 7,000 videos, and more than 1,500 hours of content—everything from family-friendly, Bible-focused animated videos for your kids, to biographies, documentaries, lectures from today’s top scholars, and more!”

How the Attacks on Trump Reinforce His Strategy | Roger L. Martin, Harvard Business Review
As everyone’s still scratching their heads, here’s a novel and persuasive take on why Trump won the election.

New Booklet

How Can I Grow in Holiness through Reading the Old Testament? by Michael Barrett

Which believer doesn’t want to be holy? Which believer doesn’t want to understand the Old Testament better?  Well, here’s a short booklet that will do both for you. While Dr. Barrett concedes that parts of the Old Testament are frustrating and difficult to understand, he also outlines simple practical steps that will not only give you greater understanding of the Bible but also produce greater likeness to Christ.

Kindle Deals

30 Events That Shaped the Church: Learning from Scandal, Intrigue, War, and Revival by Alton Gansky ($0.99)

Exploring Grace Together: 40 Devotionals for the Family by Jessica Thompson ($3.99)

Isaac Watts by Graham Beynon ($2.99)

Video

Upon the Death of a Grandson: Nathan’s Testimony
Click the link above for Philip Jensen’s article written upon the death of his grandson. And then watch the video below of his grandson’s testimony before he died.

Friday’s Facebook Live session addressed the question of whether we should use smartphones, iPads, and other digital devices in our personal Bible reading. I argued strongly against it for the following reasons which I explain at greater length in the video.

1. Distraction

Distracted before reading the Bible: it’s very difficult to pick up your phone and not check email/social media first.

Distracted while reading the Bible: Texts and other notifications break the connection with God.

2. Anticipation

Even if you do not get notifications while reading the Bible on a device, the mere possibility of getting a notification, or the possibility of being able to click to something else, changes the way we read and think. It’s been demonstrated that even the presence of a silent phone on a table when a husband/wife are talking changes the level and length of conversation.

3. Association

The brain associates objects, events, smells, tastes, with certain activities. For example, it’s been shown that if we study in the same place every day, when we sit in the chair the brain already begins to go into study mode. The pattern of activity in the brain changes.

Our brain associates our phones with fast-paced reading, surfing, scanning, entertainment, perhaps even worse. That’s no mindset to be in to commune with God.

Studies have found that the brain reacts differently to reading a paper book and a book on a multimedia device.

4. Location

The brain maps a book in a way that it doesn’t with digital books. I can still remember the first Bible I had after I was converted; where verses were on each page; where chapters began and ended. That was a huge help when witnessing or pastoring and I wanted to find a particular chapter or verse.

5. Impression

I have vivid memories of growing up and seeing my Dad sitting with his Bible in his chair every morning. That left a deep impression on me. Similarly with one of my grandmothers. If we use a digital device, our kids have no idea whether we are Facebooking, Tweeting, reading the news, or reading the Bible.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the discussion. I start answering questions about the 16.44 mark.