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Preaching with Authority
John Owen (1616-1683)
And I will give you pastors according to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.—Jeremiah 3:15
What I shall do is show you, in some instances, what is required unto this work of teaching or of feeding the congregation with knowledge and understanding in this duty of preaching the Word:
1. There is spiritual wisdom in understanding the mysteries of the gospel that we may be able to declare the whole counsel of God and the riches and treasures of the grace of Christ unto the souls of men. (Act 20:27; 1Co 2:1-4; Eph 3:7-9). Many in the church of God were, in those days of light, growing and thriving. They had a great insight into spiritual things and into the mysteries of the gospel. The apostle prays that they might all have it, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1:17-18).
Really it is no easy thing for ministers to instruct to such kind of duties. If there be not some degree of eminency in themselves, how shall we lead on such persons as these to perfection? We must labor ourselves to have a thorough knowledge of these mysteries or we shall be useless to a great part of the church. There is spiritual wisdom and understanding in the mysteries of the gospel required hereunto.
2. Authority is required. What is authority in a preaching ministry? It is a consequent of unction and not of office. The scribes had an outward call to teach in the church, but they had no unction, no anointing that could evidence they had the Holy Ghost in His gifts and graces. Christ had no outward call, but He had an unction—He had a full unction of the Holy Ghost in His gifts and graces for the preaching of the gospel. Hereon there was a controversy about His authority. The scribes say unto Him, “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?” (Mar 11:28). The Holy Ghost determines the matter: “He preached as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mat 7:29). They had the authority of office, but not of unction; Christ only had that. And preaching in the demonstration of the Spirit, which men quarrel so much about, is nothing less than the evidence in preaching of unction, in the communication of gifts and grace unto them for the discharge of their office. For it is a vain thing for men to assume and impersonate authority. So much evidence as they have of unction from God in gifts and grace, so much authority they have and no more in preaching. Let everyone, then, keep within his bounds.
3. Another thing required hereunto is experience of the power of the things we preach to others. I think, truly, that no man preaches that sermon well to others that doth not first preach it to his own heart. He who doth not feed on, digest, and thrive by what he prepares for his people may give them poison, as far as he knows; for unless he finds the power of it in his own heart, he cannot have any ground of confidence that it will have power in the hearts of others. It is an easier thing to bring our heads to preach than our hearts to preach. To bring our heads to preach is but to fill our minds and memories with some notions of truth, of our own or other men, and speak them out to give satisfaction to ourselves and others; this is very easy. But to bring our hearts to preach is to be transformed into the power of these truths; or to find the power of them, both before, in fashioning our minds and hearts, and in delivering of them that we may have benefit. [It is]to be acted with zeal for God and compassion to the souls of men. A man may preach every day in the week and not have his heart engaged once. This hath lost us powerful preaching in the world and set up instead of it quaint orations; for such men never seek after experience in their own hearts. So, it is come to pass that some men’s preaching and some men’s not preaching have lost us the power of what we call the ministry; that though there be twenty or thirty thousand in orders, yet the nation perishes for lack of knowledge, is overwhelmed in all manner of sins, and [is] not delivered from them unto this day.
4. Skill to divide the Word aright. This skill to divide the Word aright is practical wisdom in considering the Word of God, to take out not only that which is substantial food for the souls of men, but what is meet food for them to whom we preach. And that,
5. Requires knowledge and consideration of the state of our flocks. He who hath not the state of his flock continually in his eye and in his mind in his work of preaching fights uncertainly, as a man beating the air. If he doth not consider what is the state of his flock with reference to temptations, in reference to their light or to their darkness, to their growth or to their decays, to their flourishing or to their withering, to the measure of their knowledge and attainments—he who doth not duly consider these things never preaches aright unto them.
6. There is required, too, that we be acted by zeal for the glory of God and compassion to the souls of men. Having spoken these few plain words, I may say, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2Co 2:16). There is required that spiritual wisdom that is necessary to understand the mysteries of the gospel, able to instruct and lead on to perfection the most grown in our congregations; that authority which proceeds from unction and is an evidence of an anointing with the graces and gifts of the Spirit, which alone gives authority in preaching; that experience which conforms our whole souls into every sermon we preach, so as to feel the truth in the power of it; that skill whereby to divide the Word aright, etc. Hence, we see we have great need to pray for ourselves and that you should pray for us. Pray for your ministers.
From The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, Vol. 9 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, n.d.), 454-456; in the public domain.
John Owen (1616-1683): English Congregational pastor, author, and theologian; born in Stadhampton, Oxfordshire, UK.
There are far too many preachers today who act as though they are begging their hearers to do Christ and His cause a favor, who are so apologetic, fawning, and effeminate, they have forfeited the respect of real men. “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee” (Ti 2:15). “The most effectual way for ministers to secure themselves from contempt is to keep close to the doctrine of Christ and imitate Him” (Matthew Henry), and He taught “as One having authority” (Mat 7:29).—Arthur W. Pink
It is a promise relating to the New Testament that God would give unto His church “pastors according to his own heart, which should feed them with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15). This is by teaching or preaching the Word, and no otherwise. This feeding is of the essence of the office of a pastor, as unto the exercise of it; so that he who doth not, or cannot, or will not feed the flock is no pastor, whatever outward call or work he may have in the church.—John Owen
Paul, the most famous of the apostles, desires in all his epistles “to be prayed for, that his mouth might be opened” (Eph 6:19), whereby he does signify that to deliver wholesome doctrine in spiritual manner for the glory of God and the good of His people is a great matter, and cannot by natural gifts be attained unto. And indeed this is that teaching which saves the soul and affects the heart of him that belongs to God, which is the thing that every minister of God’s Word ought to labor for.—William Perkins
John Owen (1616-1683)
And I will give you pastors according to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.—Jeremiah 3:15
What I shall do is show you, in some instances, what is required unto this work of teaching or of feeding the congregation with knowledge and understanding in this duty of preaching the Word:
1. There is spiritual wisdom in understanding the mysteries of the gospel that we may be able to declare the whole counsel of God and the riches and treasures of the grace of Christ unto the souls of men. (Act 20:27; 1Co 2:1-4; Eph 3:7-9). Many in the church of God were, in those days of light, growing and thriving. They had a great insight into spiritual things and into the mysteries of the gospel. The apostle prays that they might all have it, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1:17-18).
Really it is no easy thing for ministers to instruct to such kind of duties. If there be not some degree of eminency in themselves, how shall we lead on such persons as these to perfection? We must labor ourselves to have a thorough knowledge of these mysteries or we shall be useless to a great part of the church. There is spiritual wisdom and understanding in the mysteries of the gospel required hereunto.
2. Authority is required. What is authority in a preaching ministry? It is a consequent of unction and not of office. The scribes had an outward call to teach in the church, but they had no unction, no anointing that could evidence they had the Holy Ghost in His gifts and graces. Christ had no outward call, but He had an unction—He had a full unction of the Holy Ghost in His gifts and graces for the preaching of the gospel. Hereon there was a controversy about His authority. The scribes say unto Him, “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?” (Mar 11:28). The Holy Ghost determines the matter: “He preached as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mat 7:29). They had the authority of office, but not of unction; Christ only had that. And preaching in the demonstration of the Spirit, which men quarrel so much about, is nothing less than the evidence in preaching of unction, in the communication of gifts and grace unto them for the discharge of their office. For it is a vain thing for men to assume and impersonate authority. So much evidence as they have of unction from God in gifts and grace, so much authority they have and no more in preaching. Let everyone, then, keep within his bounds.
3. Another thing required hereunto is experience of the power of the things we preach to others. I think, truly, that no man preaches that sermon well to others that doth not first preach it to his own heart. He who doth not feed on, digest, and thrive by what he prepares for his people may give them poison, as far as he knows; for unless he finds the power of it in his own heart, he cannot have any ground of confidence that it will have power in the hearts of others. It is an easier thing to bring our heads to preach than our hearts to preach. To bring our heads to preach is but to fill our minds and memories with some notions of truth, of our own or other men, and speak them out to give satisfaction to ourselves and others; this is very easy. But to bring our hearts to preach is to be transformed into the power of these truths; or to find the power of them, both before, in fashioning our minds and hearts, and in delivering of them that we may have benefit. [It is]to be acted with zeal for God and compassion to the souls of men. A man may preach every day in the week and not have his heart engaged once. This hath lost us powerful preaching in the world and set up instead of it quaint orations; for such men never seek after experience in their own hearts. So, it is come to pass that some men’s preaching and some men’s not preaching have lost us the power of what we call the ministry; that though there be twenty or thirty thousand in orders, yet the nation perishes for lack of knowledge, is overwhelmed in all manner of sins, and [is] not delivered from them unto this day.
4. Skill to divide the Word aright. This skill to divide the Word aright is practical wisdom in considering the Word of God, to take out not only that which is substantial food for the souls of men, but what is meet food for them to whom we preach. And that,
5. Requires knowledge and consideration of the state of our flocks. He who hath not the state of his flock continually in his eye and in his mind in his work of preaching fights uncertainly, as a man beating the air. If he doth not consider what is the state of his flock with reference to temptations, in reference to their light or to their darkness, to their growth or to their decays, to their flourishing or to their withering, to the measure of their knowledge and attainments—he who doth not duly consider these things never preaches aright unto them.
6. There is required, too, that we be acted by zeal for the glory of God and compassion to the souls of men. Having spoken these few plain words, I may say, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2Co 2:16). There is required that spiritual wisdom that is necessary to understand the mysteries of the gospel, able to instruct and lead on to perfection the most grown in our congregations; that authority which proceeds from unction and is an evidence of an anointing with the graces and gifts of the Spirit, which alone gives authority in preaching; that experience which conforms our whole souls into every sermon we preach, so as to feel the truth in the power of it; that skill whereby to divide the Word aright, etc. Hence, we see we have great need to pray for ourselves and that you should pray for us. Pray for your ministers.
From The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, Vol. 9 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, n.d.), 454-456; in the public domain.
John Owen (1616-1683): English Congregational pastor, author, and theologian; born in Stadhampton, Oxfordshire, UK.
There are far too many preachers today who act as though they are begging their hearers to do Christ and His cause a favor, who are so apologetic, fawning, and effeminate, they have forfeited the respect of real men. “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee” (Ti 2:15). “The most effectual way for ministers to secure themselves from contempt is to keep close to the doctrine of Christ and imitate Him” (Matthew Henry), and He taught “as One having authority” (Mat 7:29).—Arthur W. Pink
It is a promise relating to the New Testament that God would give unto His church “pastors according to his own heart, which should feed them with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15). This is by teaching or preaching the Word, and no otherwise. This feeding is of the essence of the office of a pastor, as unto the exercise of it; so that he who doth not, or cannot, or will not feed the flock is no pastor, whatever outward call or work he may have in the church.—John Owen
Paul, the most famous of the apostles, desires in all his epistles “to be prayed for, that his mouth might be opened” (Eph 6:19), whereby he does signify that to deliver wholesome doctrine in spiritual manner for the glory of God and the good of His people is a great matter, and cannot by natural gifts be attained unto. And indeed this is that teaching which saves the soul and affects the heart of him that belongs to God, which is the thing that every minister of God’s Word ought to labor for.—William Perkins
