THE SUPREMACY OF GOD IN PREACHING
Chapter 1: Just So Good — The Goal of Preaching
Book: The Supremacy of God in Preaching
Author: John Piper
I have to say..Chapter 1 is just so good.
Piper begins by bringing us straight to the heart of preaching: the glory of God. He gives us three memorable truths:
The Goal of Preaching: The Glory of God.
The Ground of Preaching: The Cross of Christ.
The Gift of Preaching: The Power of the Holy Spirit.
But before getting into the chapter, I was struck by something in the Preface: “My people pray for me.”
That simple statement carries so much weight. Behind the preacher standing in the pulpit every Sunday are the prayers of God’s people. Those prayers provide grace and strength to preach faithfully, passionately, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Piper reminds us that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are the beginning, middle, and end of the ministry of preaching. The preacher’s task is not ultimately to draw attention to himself, but to proclaim the supremacy of God—His grace, His glory, His infinite being, and His holiness.
One line especially stood out to me:
“We shall never have great preachers…till we have great divines.”
God-centred preaching ultimately carries the same keynote as the prophets:
“Your God reigns.”
And that changes how we understand obedience. The goal of preaching is not simply to produce people who obey God outwardly. It is to lead people toward glad submission—where God and His kingdom become their greatest treasure.
As Piper puts it:
“When the kingdom is a treasure, submission is a pleasure.”
That, for me, captures the beauty of God-centred preaching. We are not merely calling people to do more, try harder, or behave better. We are helping them see God, treasure God, and gladly surrender to His reign.
Ultimately, Piper brings the goal of preaching into one powerful statement:
“The goal of preaching is the glory of God reflected in the glad submission of the human heart.”
And perhaps that is the heart of it all:
The one who satisfies gets the glory.
The one who gives the pleasure is the treasure.
That is why preaching is so much more than delivering a sermon.
It is about making much of God.
