God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)
If the disciples thought children too small or unimportant for the serious work of the kingdom, they were wrong. Jesus welcomes children, takes them in His arms and declares that of such is the kingdom of heaven. The force of His words is clear. He does not say merely that the kingdom of heaven is for the childlike. He says that the kingdom belongs to them; it is made up of children and of those who come as children.
Preaching is more than the regurgitation of your favorite exegetical commentary, or a rather transparent recast of the sermons of your favorite preachers, or a reshaping of notes from one of your favorite seminary classes. It is bringing the transforming truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ from a passage that has been properly understood, cogently and practically applied, and delivered with the engaging tenderness and passion of a person who has been broken and restored by the very truths he stands up to communicate. You simply cannot do that without proper preparation, meditation, confession, and worship.
