"Preaching the good news demands that we also preach the bad news. We must expose the wickedness of rebellion against God's appointed King. We must speak plainly of the rule of Satan, the power of sin, the destructiveness of evil, the depravity of human nature, the hardness of fallen hearts, and the utter lostness of all people outside of Christ. But these truths are never the bottom line. The bottom line is that Christ has triumphed.
"If you go to a jewelry shop and buy a ring, the jeweler may spread out on the counter a black satin cloth on which to display each ring. Against the black, the ring sparkles. But it would be a depressing spectacle if the jeweler laid out black cloth after black cloth without ever producing a ring for you to admire. Sadly, some preaching is like that. It is so intent on making sure the bad news is clear that the good news is scarcely heard. People leave having seen a lot of black but not many sparkling diamonds. Good preaching should not be like that. The black cloth will be laid out, but the main focus will be on the beauty of the gospel ring."
—Murray Capill, The Heart Is the Target: Preaching Practical Application Form Every Text (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2014), 38.
"If you go to a jewelry shop and buy a ring, the jeweler may spread out on the counter a black satin cloth on which to display each ring. Against the black, the ring sparkles. But it would be a depressing spectacle if the jeweler laid out black cloth after black cloth without ever producing a ring for you to admire. Sadly, some preaching is like that. It is so intent on making sure the bad news is clear that the good news is scarcely heard. People leave having seen a lot of black but not many sparkling diamonds. Good preaching should not be like that. The black cloth will be laid out, but the main focus will be on the beauty of the gospel ring."
—Murray Capill, The Heart Is the Target: Preaching Practical Application Form Every Text (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2014), 38.
