Best Sermon Advice I've Ever Received

When I was first ordained in the Metro New York Presbytery, I preached a brief sermon on Revelation 2:1-7 to the pastors present. I made it clear in that message that we need Jesus and cannot rely on even our best works.

In that presbytery, they have the pastors fill out a brief form to offer feedback on the sermon. I received pretty encouraging feedback overall, yet one person gave a beautifully nuanced piece of advice that day. I don't know who it was, but he wrote, "You made it very clear that we need Jesus Christ, but you did not show us the beauty of Jesus to compel us to come to him."

That was the best piece of advice I've ever received. And to follow that advice requires the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit to keep me delighted in the Beautiful Savior.

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4