Pointed Preaching

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 3, 1903

Pointed Preaching

There is a great difference between pointed preaching and preaching mere points of doctrine in an argumentative way. Pointed preaching is the clear presentation of a definite message of the gospel of salvation from sin. Pointed preaching is such a presentation of the gospel of salvation from sin as meets the actual need of the people at the time when the message is delivered. Pointed preaching gives clear instruction to the people concerning the actual dangers which threaten them, and the way of deliverance from the very latest of Satan’s deceptions. Pointed preaching deals with present truth. Pointed preaching gives a message warm from the throne. The central theme of the gospel is righteousness by faith,—“the just shall live by faith,”—but this theme can be talked about incessantly, and yet the preaching be very pointless. Pointed preaching presents this theme with a definite application to present circumstances and duty. Noah was “a preacher of righteousness,” but his preaching would have been utterly pointless if he had said nothing about the flood and the ark. It was prophesied of John the Baptist that his mission would be “to give knowledge of salvation unto his people in the remission of their sins,” but his preaching would have been utterly pointless if he had not said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We still have “the everlasting gospel” to preach, this same gospel of righteousness by faith, but our preaching will be tame and pointless if we fail to teach this glorious theme in the very setting which the prophecies have given to it for this time. Such a righteousness by faith is now to be preached as will reveal itself in obedience to all the commandments of God, enforced by the tremendous facts that “the hour of his judgment is come,” that the closing work in behalf of sinners is now being carried forward in the heavenly sanctuary, and that the generation now living upon the earth will witness the coming of the Son of man in glory. Preaching righteousness by faith in this way is preaching the message for this time. Let us have done with pointless preaching. Know the message and preach it. Let us have more pointed preaching.