Jumia Books The Supremacy Of God In Preaching Book By John Piper Overview

premise that “the vision of a great God is the linchpin in the life of the church, both in pastoral care and missionary outreach” and that, consequently, “our people need to hear God-entranced preaching” (p. 11). Since God is infinitely glorious, the linchpin of all life is that He be seen as infinitely glorious.  Our lives will be out of sync with reality—and thus glory—unless what we see conforms to what is real.  And when we do, God’s great aim in creation and redemption is fulfilled—He is glorified (shown to be glorious) and we are satisfied.

God must, therefore, be central in preaching because it is in preaching that this vision of a great and glorious God is primarily cast before us.  Preaching displays God to us so that we will have something of Him to see and trumpets Him before us so that we will be stirred to see Him as glorious. By this means the linchpin is put in place, and the result is not only the exaltation of God but the exultation of man.  For God is exalted in us when we are exulting in Him.  But we cannot exult in Him unless He is displayed before us as glorious.  And so “our people need to hear God-centered preaching” (11, emphasis added).

But most people don’t know that they have this need.  It is interesting that Piper’s book both begins and ends on this note.  The preface begins: “People are starving for the greatness of God.  But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives” (p. 9).  And in the conclusion we read:  “People are starving for the grandeur of God, and the vast majority do not know it” (p. 107).  The vast majority do not know they can be filled by the grandeur of God because they are infatuated with God-substitutes—such as self-esteem, sex, family, money, work, etc.  They believe that these things which they have erected as idols are more satisfying than the majestic God—and on top of that the primary God appointed means of waking them from this slumber often ends up reinforcing it by preaching pop psychology rather than the superior worth of God. [Note: This is not against practical teaching; the problem is not doing so in a God-centered, gospel-based way.]

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