Quotes from Bryan Chapell

As expository preachers, our ultimate goal is not to communicate the value of our opinions, others' philosophies, or speculative meditations but rather to show how God's Word discloses his will for those united to him through his Son. Truths of God proclaimed in such a way that people can see that the concepts derive from Scripture and apply to their lives preoccupy the expository preacher's efforts. Such

Without an ultimate authority for truth, all human striving has no ultimate value, and life itself becomes futile. Modern trends in preaching that deny the authority of the Word6 in the name of intellectual sophistication lead to a despairing subjectivism in which people do what is right in their own eyes—a state whose futility Scripture has clearly articulated (Judg. 21:25). The

The reality of the ordinary progress of Christian understanding should not escape our notice: early believers "know no answers"; immature believers "know all the answers"; and mature believers "know the limits of our answers.

Repentance is not about earning grace but entering it; not about quenching his wrath but quieting the accusations of our hearts; not about unlocking his mercy but releasing our sin-sick sorrow to the Savior, who already rejoices to receive it.

Jesus designed the Lord's prayer to reveal His desire to give us more fully, graciously, and suitably the very things we most want but seek elsewhere. He does not want to deny us our desires but helps remove the false objects of our affections so that we will have the greater blessings he longs to lavish on us.

Somehow proper prayer must put more trust in God's will than in human wants; otherwise failure to get the things we want will force us to doubt either the power of prayer or the ability of God.

We sin not because we do not love Christ at all but because we don't love him above all.

Jesus loves us not because we are good but because he is.

Success in the pulpit can be the force that leads a preacher from prayerful dependence on the Spirit.

The identity I tried to establish by obedience to the Law is dead, the life Jesus lived to fulfill the Law is mine.

Our preaching should reflect the uniqueness of our personalities, but our lives should

We do not proclaim grace so that anyone will make light of sin or of our duty to resist it. We herald God's amazing mercy in order to join with the Spirit in stirring up in his people such a love for God that, when the day of evil comes, they will gladly put on the full armor he provides. Then, despite the hardships and the pain God's people may face in the battle, they will stand strong in the power of his might.

The inevitable consequence of obedience without delight is the erosion of holiness.

I do not stop being a child of God because I am a problem child.

What a difference it makes in my life and yours when we believe that the trials as well as the accomplishments, the difficulties as well as the joys, are not simply the products of brute forces in the universe but actually are all part of God's eternal plan for his glory and our good. Do we have any assurance that such astounding truths do apply to us? Yes.

The glory of preaching is that God accomplishes his will through it, but we are always humbled and occasionally comforted by the knowledge that he works beyond our human limitations.

As a consequence, not only are the main ideas of a passage referenced in the sermon, but the ways those ideas are developed and supported by the biblical author also guide the thought of pastor and people.

When God removes good works as a condition for his acceptance, he does not remove righteousness as a requirement for life.

Public ministry true to God's purposes requires devoted private prayer. We should not expect our words to acquaint others with the power of the Spirit if we have not met with him.

Neglect of prayer signals serious deficiencies in a ministry even if other signs of success have not diminished. We must always remember that popular acclaim is not necessarily the same as spiritual effectiveness. The

Divine blessing flows from God's mercy rather than from our merit.

While we see our sin, God chooses to gaze upon his Son in us.

Because we have the identity of the Son, we have the favor of the Father.

The challenges of raising a child are as much for the sanctification of the parents as they are for the benefit of the child.