1. Preaching is the faithful proclamation of the gospel and truth of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Like teaching, preaching is an essential duty of Christ’s Church (Acts 10:42).
2. Faithful preaching is agreeable to the supreme standard of faith and practice: Holy Scripture — preach the Word (Acts 15:35; 2 Timothy 4:2).
3. Preaching that does not conform to the gospel preached by Christ, the prophets, and apostles of Scripture is not another gospel—it is no gospel (good news) at all, but is rather a cursed message no matter how great the following a person may have (Galatians 1:8-9).
4. By means of preaching, the Lord Jesus speaks through His Word and His Spirit unto the hearers so that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:27).
5. Faithful preaching is not speaking with the mere words and wisdom of men, but is speaking with the wisdom and in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:4). Preaching is not giving voice to a man and His ideas, but is giving voice to God and His truth (2 Corinthians 4:5).
6. Preaching explains and expounds in the language of the people the biblical text to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ (Nehemiah 8:8), but it also exhorts, admonishes, encourages, comforts, warns, and moves the hearer to faith, repentance, love, and obedience by the power of God’s Spirit within the mind and heart (Isaiah 61:1-3; Colossians 1:28; 2 Timothy 4:2).
7. Because preaching is not only an exercise of the mind, but a spiritual work of God’s Spirit in the heart, it is necessary that God’s people spiritually prepare their minds and their hearts before the Lord in order to receive the full benefit of the preached Word (Hebrews 4:2).