Black History Month Monday - Dr. Robert Smith Jr.
Good morning Immanuel. On this final Black History Month pastor spotlight, let's consider a contemporary voice: Dr. Robert Smith Jr.
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).
For my last Black History Month pastor spotlight, I want to introduce you to Dr. Robert Smith Jr., professor of Christian preaching at Beeson Divinity School.
Dr. Robert Smith Jr. is my favorite preacher. I first heard him preach at a college graduation ceremony in Birmingham, AL. It was magnificent! He preaches in that wonderful sonorous style that keeps you on the edge of your seat, more like song than sermon. And yet there’s a wonderfully studious quality about it. On the spot, he calls up treasures from the “basement of preparation,” quoting at length from Luther or Melanchthon—or both when I heard him! And yet the best thing about Dr. Smith’s preaching is not in the form but the substance. It’s Christ-filled preaching—weighty, biblical, and sincere.
The great Westminster theologian John Murray once described preaching as “personal, passionate, pleading.” Dr. Smith’s preaching is just that. His aim is clear, to draw us into reality with God. His subject is unmissable, the gospel of Jesus Christ. And his passion is contagious. He writes in his book Doctrine that Dances that, “Preaching must be enjoyed and not simply endured. There must be delight in preaching.” And it’s clear that Dr. Smith takes his own medicine. He reminds me of that great quote in “Chariots of Fire” from Eric Lidell: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” It’s obvious that Dr. Smith feels the pleasure of God when he preaches.
But there is also a depth in Dr. Smith’s preaching that only comes through suffering. When I first began to scour the internet for Robert Smith Jr. sermons, I was going through a season of life marked by near constant anxiety and depression. But something in Dr. Smith’s preaching connected in comforting ways with my experience. It was only later that I learned how much Dr. Smith had suffered, which he writes about in his book The Oasis of God. He is a living example of how suffering tenderizes gospel preachers, readying us for special service among the Lord’s bruised reeds. If I had to put my finger on the reason that I keep coming back to Dr. Smith’s sermons, it would probably be this quality. He comforts me with Christ. Or rather, Christ comforts me through His preaching.
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