Apr
18
2009
I’m Done But God’s Not
I’m preaching tomorrow but because I’ve been sick and in bed all day, it took me longer than usual to finish my sermon today. And even though I still feel nasty, it always feels good when my sermon is finished and ready to be preached. But the most important work is not done and, even more uncomfortably, it’s outside of my control.
You see, I’m a die-hard believer in unction. Unction is an old fashioned word which describes an effusion of power from the Holy Spirit as one preaches. It is the one thing preachers need above everything else. It is the accompanying power of the Spirit. This is what Charles Spurgeon dubbed “the sacred annointing.” It is power from on high.
In his book on the preaching of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Sacred Annointing, Tony Sargent describes unction well. He writes:
[Unction] is the preacher gliding on eagles’ wings, soaring high, swooping low, carrying and being carried along by a dynamic other than his own. His consciousness of what is happening is not obliterated. He is not in a trance. He is being worked on but is aware that he is still working. He is being spoken through but he knows he is still speaking. The words are his but the facility with which they come compels him to realise that the source is beyond himself. The man is overwhelmed. He is on fire.
This is what all the people who will gather tomorrow at Coral Ridge need more than anything else. They need me to be empowered from on high because they need to hear from God. It is preachers who are borne along by the Holy Spirit that are used to effect a deep and sobering awareness of God and his truth that transforms.
As I pointed out a couple months ago on this blog, Iain Murray, in his newest book Lloyd-Jones: Messenger of Grace, writes:
Preaching under the annointing of the Holy Spirit is preaching which brings with it a consciousness of God. It produces an impression upon the hearer that is altogether stronger than anything belonging to the circumstances of the occasion. Visible things fall into the background; the surroundings, the fellow worshippers, even the speaker himself, all become secondary to an awareness of God himself. Instead of witnessing a public gathering, the hearer receives the conviction that he is being addressed personally, and with an authority greater than that of a human messenger.
Given the fact that the ultimate factor in the church’s engagement with society is the church’s engagement with God, my earnest prayer is that more preachers would come to know and understand what Andrew Bonar meant when he wrote: “It is one thing to bring truth from the Bible, and another to bring it from God himself through the Bible.”
Please pray, dear friends, that God would annoint my mind and mouth tomorrow as I preach so that God’s people would hear from God. Please pray that God’s Spirit would so inhabit my words that everyone would leave worship tomorrow being able to say, “God was surely in that place.”
I can’t manufacture unction regardless of how well crafted my sermon is and how well prepared I may be. The biggest work must come from God.
So, come thou fount of every blessing and do for your people what I cannot. Amen.
23 Comments
Amen! Same for me, Lord Jesus!
Dear Tullian,
You are in our prayers. May our God’s unction come upon you as you preach to both services and may your health be quickly restored.
Just got back from the blended service and my wife and I really enjoyed it! I have been gone from crpc for over 10 years and now can’t wait till next sunday! Let me know how I can help!
Steven in our Print Shop.
God Bless You All!
Tullian,
Not to worry. There was unction galore flying out of the pulpit this morning!
God be praised!
Jan
I have also been sick so I am blessed that both of us made it today.. I loved hearing the Jonah series last year and I believe this series is exactly what we need to hear in this time now… I believe that you were carried by the spirit today as I enjoyed and was inspired as much today as the first time I heard the lesson.. God bless u Tullian…. we love you.
Well, I think the Lord answered our prayers. The unction was definitely on you today.
Hope you are feeling much better.
BTW, while you look very nice in a suit, I really think it would be OK if you took off the jacket while you preached (in the blended service at least).
The fellowship hall is definitely warmer than the auditorium at Monarch used to be!
Tullian,
God’s grace and power surely came through in your sermon this morning. Your introduction and overview of Jonah was piercing and liberating. Can’t wait for next week! There’s a reason that so many come, wait for seats to be brought in to fill every space possible in the room. Praise God! It’s a beautiful thing! Our hearts are open, and we (young old and everything in between) were fed by the Holy Spirit through your sermon and the service as a whole. Your restored health is in our prayers. May God bless you, as you are a blessing to us all.
Sheryl, I agree, on all counts
Mission Accomplished!
By the way, I just finished the Jonah series last month, and I’m thrilled to get a replay with your new perspective.
Grace and Peace
Tullian,
It is great to hear a Presbyterian speaking about unction!
Well, after almost a year and a half, I am finally getting to read Unfashionable. I have read the first 5 chapters so far and I am loving it. Saturday, I took about 20 minutes to go over your definition of worldliness on pages 25-27 with my wife. Good, useful stuff! You have a gift with your ability to write clear and yet substantial…
Tullian,
Now that Unfashionable is out, maybe you could start a blog thread for discussing it. Would that be an appropriate use of the blog? There’s a lot in that little book to unpack and apply!
Thanks,
Jan
Yes, DJ I also appreciate Tullian speaking about the unction of the Holy Spirit, but the unction of the Holy Spirit is something that Presbyterians have believed in historically. It is not something that is Charismatic or Pentecostal. The Puritans and many of the great Reformed preachers all believed in unction. Without the unction of the Spirit upon a minister’s preaching the sermon becomes a dull lecture. As a Presbyterian minister it is something I pray for as well and long to see the Lord move among His people.
Tullian it is my prayer that the Lord will bless your ministry at CRPC and pour out His Spirit upon you in an amazing way. I long to see what the Lord will do as He establishes the work of your hands. May the Lord bless you and your family and the congregation.
Seriously…you were sick yesterday? Couldn’t tell a bit. You had unction all over you!
Guys, its pronounced JUNCTION – with a “J”. And it doesn’t have anything to do with preaching – it has something to do with “a place where two or more things meet or converge”.
Dear Reverend
God was surely in the place on Sunday Morning. Please take care of yourself – remember to take time for yourself and family. Why if you feel up to it and it’s a good day – go catch a wave or two!!! Keeping you in Prayer!
LBW
Thanks for the deep clarification Aram. We don’t know what we would do without you!
Tullian,
My computer has been sick since Friday so I did not even know you were sick. You could not tell. When you prayed and asked, “Do you know Him?….the power of the Holy Spirit (unction) went through you and many were moved to tears in my section. All I can say is WOW!
Tammy
Fantastic message yesterday! Tullian, wether it’s unction or junction it is always flowing when you are preaching! We are blessed!
We would like to echo your appreciation of Aram’s clarification on things. He’s a hoot! We can just imagine what your house was like when you where growing up! Are there any quiet or shy children in your family?
Be blessed! We hope you are feeling better!
Dennis and Michele
Tullian- In searching for a change, my wife and I happened to fall into a pew on Audition Sunday and have not been the same since. We are not yet members but if accepted, I expect we will be soon. We feel so fortunate to live in the same community as you and the amazing church you are guiding. TY so much for you and your family’s personnel dedication and immense vulnerability to hear all God is telling you, as you share His word with us. God Bless You and TY again… Best, Larry Revier
Stephen – duly noted. However, you don’t often *hear* a Presbyterian talking about unction. What the charismatics and Pentecostals overemphasize, the truly Reformed often under-emphasize. So, i’m glad to hear it
Dear Pastor Tullian:
I am just ‘stupid’ blessed by your leadership! I have been waiting sooooooooooo long to hear what you are saying from the pulpit and I have struggled off and on in the meantime in my quest to prayerfully find the right place to worship. Indeed, it is not about the minister, but Christ…HOWEVER, it is so darn good to hear a solid ‘no nonsense’ message; so good!
This Sunday you said, “In a crowd this big, somebody here is running from God…hellooooooo…of course! Thank you for not being afraid to say that. God pinned me down several years ago, and it was precisely at that point that I felt the most loved and had the most assurance. I wept repeatedly during your message because it was so personal!
Preach it brother…you and your family are lifted up daily in our home and we are overjoyed at what God is doing in this community through the unanimous decision to vote you in. I believe we haven’t seen anything yet and we are all revved up at the Revier residence!
In His AMAZING Grace-
Robin Revier
Hi Tullian,
I’m sure you are already aware of this but I thought some of your readers might be interested. The Gospel Coalition 2009 National Conference “Entrusted With The Gospel” is being webcast live for the next few days. Today’s speakers feature Keller, Piper, Ryken and Driscoll. Not a bad foursome! The webcast link with full schedule can be found at: http://www.christianity.com/gospelcoalition/
Ditto to DJ: It’s really great to hear a Reformed preacher humbly acknowledge his absolute dependence on the filling/empowering/anointing of God’s Spirit in order for the preaching to be effective. We Reformed truly are pretty “naturalistic” in a lot of ways, probably due to our very rational nature and history and also as a reaction (over-reaction?) to wild forays into subjectivity on the part of other professing Christians. But we should not neglect that Christianity must have an experiential, “mystical” aspect to it as surely as it must have objective propositional content. Yes, in our Puritan heritage there was much more attunement to this aspect of Christian life (of course, the Puritans hadn’t been through the First and Second Great Awakenings, the occasional excesses of which pushed us toward our present naturalism). Anyway, this “spiritual” aspect of our Christian life is very much exhibited in preaching, both in preacher and listener. A preaching class can teach you a lot, but if the Spirit doesn’t fill you for the work and open the hearts of your hearers, you have little more than a well-crafted speech. This work of the Spirit during preaching truly is a mystical thing, hard to quantify, describe, or “nail down,” but very tangible in either its presence or its absence!