Katherine Hankey Sermon Class

We sang the famous hymn Tell me the old old story recently by the Clapham sect poetess and one time missionary nurse in South Africa, Arabella Katherine Hankey (1836-1911) and it struck me that what she says there ought to be in the mind of every faithful preacher as he preaches.

1. Stick to the main thing
Tell me the old, old story of unseen things above
Of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love

We want it to be fresh and relevant but not new and not earthbound - just the good old gospel and how to get to heaven. Tell them about Jesus - that's what they need to hear.

2. Keep it simple, stupid
Tell me the story simply, as to a little child,
For I am weak and weary and helpless and defiled.

Don't try to be clever or expect too much. You're dealing with the weak and weary and with wanderers who need help.

3. Easy does it
Tell me the story slowly, that I may take it in,
That wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin.

Don't be in a rush and don't assume things. Patiently explain it all - the whole plan of redemption and how sinners are saved.

4. Let's go through that again
Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon;
The early dew of morning has passed away at noon.

Be subtle but don't be afraid of repetition. You'd be surprised how quickly people forget things. And don't be afraid of repetition. It's amazing how quickly people forget things!

5. This is serious
Tell me the story softly, with earnest tones and grave;
Remember I’m the sinner whom Jesus came to save.

Don't be flippant or uncaring. There is seldom need to shout. Seek to be filled with compassion. Be earnest. Love them. Take it seriously. Remember this is the gospel you are preaching.

6. What they really need
Tell me the story always, if you would really be,
In any time of trouble, a comforter to me.

Never forget that what they need more than anything else is not your pop psychology or the latest cliches but the gospel. Whatever their particular trouble, the answer is found ultimately in the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.

7. The ministry of warning
Tell me the old story when you have cause to fear That this world’s empty glory is costing me too dear.

A warning note needs to be sounded for some. A gospel call implies a call to leave the world and its supposed charms. Don't be afraid to be negative where necessary.

8. With an eye on the goal ahead
Yes, and when that world’s glory is dawning on my soul,
Tell me the old, old story: “Christ Jesus makes thee whole.”

Death is fearful thing even for the Christian and the people you are speaking to will all have to face it one day, some sooner than others. In death, as much as in life, what they really need to face the final enemy is the same gospel that they needed in life. Preach conscious of that fact.

Getting to grips with Proverbs

Let a child choose between 500 pennies and a £5 note and he will choose the coins, while you, knowing the value of portable cash, probably prefer the banknote. Proverbs contain portable wisdom. They are brief and to the point. 

Proverbs is one of the Bible's more unusual books. It begins fairly conventionally but after Chapter 9, proverbs dominate. Proverbs appear elsewhere in Scripture but not in such profusion. How do we get to grips with them and with the book? To remember the following points will be a great help.

1. Seek Christ. To get the most from any Bible book you need to work hard, concentrating on seeing Christ there. In Proverbs wisdom is presented as a desirable, omni-competent woman who the father wants his son to marry. In light of the New Testament we see that such wisdom is found ultimately in Christ alone. He is the one to marry! 

2. These proverbs form a collection. Each one needs to be matched with others and compared with other parts of Scripture. As everywhere in Scripture there is repetition. Some proverbs are repeated exactly or with slight variations. An examination of context usually reveals their particular aim. Even where verses apparently jump from subject to subject, appreciating the context is important. Also take care not to let their intensely practical concern with material things and this world lead to an imbalance. Worldly success does not equal righteousness, as we surely know. 

3. Proverbs are proverbial! Do not read them as laws or in a literalistic way. We do not do it with English proverbs. We recognise the truth both of ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ and ‘many hands make light work’. However, with biblical proverbs, conscious it is Scripture, we tend to absolutise in a wrong way. Proverbs are designed to be memorable rather than theoretically accurate. No proverb is a complete statement of truth. It will not automatically apply in every situation. We must use common sense. If blessings or rewards are promised, it is important to remember they are likely to follow. There is no legal guarantee of success.

10:22 says The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. In the Old Testament God’s blessing was often of a more obviously material sort. To argue from this verse that ‘every believer is a wealthy believer’ is to ignore the rest of Scripture, which makes clear that wealth can be a curse or a blessing. It teaches rather that God's blessings are not superficial but worth having. Truly it can be said of those in Christ, All things are yours (1 Corinthians 3:21). 

14:23 says All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Sometimes hard work brings no profit. Every gain is wiped out in one fell swoop. However, there is a proverbial truth here that we must accept. 

See also 15:25 The LORD tears down the proud man’s house but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact, 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

4. Many proverbs need “transculturalisation”. Some proverbs are expressed in terms rooted in Old Testament practices and institutions. Forgetting that leads to trouble.

25:24 reads Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. The verse may conjure up a man sitting on the corner of a house with a sloping roof, his feet in the guttering. That is not the picture intended. A transculturalised version may be ‘Better to be in the spare room than share the house with a quarrelsome wife’.

What about 30:17? The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures It sounds pretty gruesome until you recall that this comes out of a culture living on the edge of a desert. The boy is warned not to wander off but will not listen. Maybe he gets away with it once or twice but a day comes when he wanders off and is lost. Days later they find his ravaged remains.

5. Proverbs follow a number of common patterns. Hebrew psalms employ various sorts of parallelism and Hebrew proverbs have certain characteristics too.

• Chapters 10-15 contain mostly antithetical or contrasting proverbs, the ‘on one hand … but on the other …’ sort. 10:1 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother. Some contrasts are simple, others more complex: 10:8 The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
• Chapters 16-22 contain mostly synonymous and synthetic proverbs. In synonymous proverbs the first line is repeated in different words: 11:25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed See also 16:11.
• In synthetic ones, the first line is added to with a subsequent one: 10:22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. See also 16:3.
• Simile. Straight similes predominate in Chapters 25-27 and one or two appear earlier: 10:26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.

Some proverbs defy neat categorisation. Even within categories, there can be variation. Two more distinctive types worth noting are:

• Ten better than proverbs, including 12:9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
• Six how much more proverbs, including 11:31 If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Awareness of such things can help us better appreciate the book.

Proverbs is not always easy to get to grips with but it is very worthwhile doing. Its own introduction promises to help you attain wisdom and discipline, understand words of insight and live a disciplined, prudent, godly life. It can make the simple prudent, give knowledge and discretion to young people and extend the learning of the wise and guide them. What a book!

Spurgeon once warned that though Solomon made a book of proverbs, a book of proverbs never made a Solomon. Getting to grips with Proverbs cannot guarantee anything by itself but it is a God-given book that can help you to be wise and holy. Do all you can to take full advantage of it.

This article first appeared I believe in the Protestant Truth Society Magazine