From Chapter Nine, Why "Applying It to Your Life" Is Boring: Or, How the Gospel Is Beautiful.
So here is another thing that the preachers who want to be "practical" don't get. They are apt to conclude the sermon with an application that goes like this: "We need to ask ourselves: Am I really following Christ, focusing on him, loving God with my whole heart, caring about my neighbor," etc. The most truthful answer to such questions is surely, "Of course not! I'm not like that!" But then I want to ask the preacher, "Now do you have any good news for sinners like me?" Unfortunately, there's usually no good news coming, because that's the end of the sermon. The whole point is to throw the ball in our court and see what we can do with it. It's a "practical" sermon, so it leaves us trapped, left to our own resources and cut off from Christ.
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