Preaching should confront men and women with God and eternity.

In order to do this it has to be biblical. It has to tell people what God is saying in his Word.

From the preacher’s point of view this does two things. It helps to give him an authority that is far more than his own ability and gifts of oratory. People need to know that God is speaking through his servant. Secondly, it gives the preacher an endless source of material to preach. He is not dependent upon current events for his sermon topics, but has a huge reservoir of biblical teaching to draw upon.

The men we are looking at in this book were Bible-men. They varied in nationality, temperament and sometimes in doctrine but they all sought to bring God to the people. This is why they made a difference. They set out not merely to inform people but to transform them. The most drastic and radical transformation that a man can know is that from spiritual death to spiritual life. These men preached for this. They knew that the sinner’s greatest need is for regeneration so they preached to reach his heart and soul. This governed how they communicated and created in them a great desire to preach Christ, the cross and his redeeming blood.