A Good Word 10.27.21
Grace for the Obstinate - Isaiah 30:1-18
Stan McMahan is the Pastor of Greater Hope PCA in Mulberry, Florida. Originally preached on September 5, 2021.
You have never heard of Mulberry. I am from Florida, and I couldn’t point to Mulberry on a map. It is one of the most rural areas in the center of the state and this sermon from Isaiah came to the church on Labor Day weekend.
Right from the beginning, Stan led one of the most sincere scripture readings I have heard. It was clear, paced, and fit the words of the text. You could tell that he had internalized these verses before delivering them to his people. That thoughtfulness continued through the whole sermon. There was a pace and a cadence to this sermon that was unique. The pauses, the adjustments in the speed of his delivery, and the carefully chosen repeated phrases added up to a sermon that was engaging and informative.
I loved the way that Stan would set up a point, illustrate it, then answer the objections to that idea. He did this using the phrase, “But wait a minute”. This allowed Stan to further sharpen the point and expose how our hearts want to shuffle out of conviction. He used a similar rhetoric device to drive a point about the way we treat human relationships into our relationship with God, saying, “Take that deeper into your relationship with God”. He also did something unique in speaking directly to the children of the congregation, tailoring an illustration just for them.
If you have ever felt obstinate or just be reminded of what great preaching from Isaiah can sound like, this sermon is well worth your time!
Justin Woodall
A Good Word is a weekly feature of Semper Ref. We believe what we all need more than good articles is the word of God preached to our hearts. Those of us in ministry particularly need to be regularly hear the word preached by people other than ourselves. Beyond sharing good, Christ-centered messages that embody the ethos of Semper Ref a particular goal of this feature is to give exposure to the ministry of ordinary pastors pursuing faithful Ministry of the Word. For that reason, while we will occasionally share sermons from more well-known individuals, most of the messages in this series will be a good word from a pastor you’ve likely never heard of.