he beholds
Puritan Board Doctor
I listened to the latest sermon by Joel Beeke yesterday, where he quoted Calvin and brought out this view of Calvin's on preaching:
Beeke then goes on to say that the Puritans were like-minded:
This is from a PDF transcript of the sermonTeaching Children to Listen, which was from SermonAudio. It was preached on Jan 4, 2009 at Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation.
<http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=14092057330>
...Calvin's emphasis here was flowing out of his high view of preaching because he believed that in preaching God comes and speaks to people. In fact, Calvin had such a high view of preaching--it is scary actually--but what he actually taught was that as long as the minister doesn't contradict the Word--when he contradicts the Word it is just the minister talking--but when he doesn't contradict the Word, it is God himself speaking to the congregation as if he were speaking the very Bible, the very Word of God.
So that Calvin said to his people, "When you come to church, as long as I am speaking the Word of God and I am a duly ordained minister and this is God's duly appointed to gather in the assembly of the congregation, God himself is speaking to you.
How in the world can that be when I am a mere man?
"Well," Calvin said, "There are really two ministers speaking at every sermon. There is the external minister who is the mere man, who is speaking the words. And there is the internal minister who is the Holy Spirit who is taking the words and addressing them to the minds and souls of people."
And so preaching, Calvin says, is the organ, the instrument and the authority that the Spirit uses in his saving work of illuminating, converting and sealing sinners. Therefore wherever the gospel is preached to us, it is as if God himself has come in the midst of us. There was an inward efficacy of the Holy Spirit when he sheds forth power upon hearers that he may embrace a sermon by faith...
Beeke then goes on to say that the Puritans were like-minded:
...One of them [the Puritans] calls the 66 books of the Bible, "The library of the Holy Spirit." And he says, "Preaching is God speaking to us through that library as a father reads a book or speaks to his children."
You see, God gives us his Word as a Word of truth and as a Word of power. So it is very critical that our children know when they come to church God is speaking to them through his library and that therefore it has the authority of God himself and is absolutely critical that we listen to what he has to say.
This is from a PDF transcript of the sermonTeaching Children to Listen, which was from SermonAudio. It was preached on Jan 4, 2009 at Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation.
<http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=14092057330>