This past weekend I preached on Revelation 5. This is a passage that is just overflowing with Christ-centered praise. I spent the entire week marinating in the text. I was learning and enjoying the richness of the victorious Lamb. On Saturday night and even Sunday morning, I felt ready to go. I had a big bucket and I was laboring hard to get as much living water as I could from the ocean of God’s greatness.
However, as I stood and sang with the congregation I was overcome by the extra room in my bucket. I wondered to myself and to the Lord in prayer how it is that I was only able to get ‘this much’ out of such a glorious text. Quickly I prayed for God to spread this supply over his people, that he might drench them with the refreshment of knowing Christ. I felt like one of the early disciples wondering how the contents of a lunchbox could feed 5,000.
I suppose this is the mindset that preachers should take with them as they stroll up the stairs to the pulpit. We should be overcome with joy and passion from our study in the Word. We should be amazed with the infinite depths of the character and work of God. We should be humbled with our feeble homilitical canteen that we are bringing back from such an ocean of Revelation. And we should pray that God would multiply such bread and feed his people, demonstrating his soul-satisfying sovereign power.
I’m guessing there are some preachers/teachers out there who have had similar experiences. Feel free to pile on and encourage.
Here is the Scripture passage from Revelation 5 and below is the sermon itself if you are interested.