This morning we were talking about Psalm 16 in preparation for Sunday’s sermon. One guy thought it reminded him of guys he knows grabbing themselves by the collar and preaching the gospel to themselves when facing temptation. In Psalm 16, David is reminding himself of God and His benefits because he’s in danger of forgetting them in the midst of his troubles. Psalm 16 becomes a great example of what it means to preach the gospel to yourself.
Preaching the gospel to the people
Ivan brought up the movie Luther. Early on, Satan is accusing Martin and he is overcome with despair. His Confessor Staupitz overhears this and enters his cell and preaches the gospel to him, summarized by “I am yours, save me!”. Later, while at the Diet of Worms, Luther is again assailed. This time he preaches it to himself- “I am yours, save me!” He was internalizing the significance of the Christ’s saving work so he’s remember and believe it in the midst of spiritual attack. If you haven’t seen this movie- what are you waiting for????
In the process of talking about preaching the gospel to yourself, I remembered a (short) interview with Jerry Bridges by C.J. Mahaney on the subject. I think Jack Miller coined the phrase, but he is at least the first person I remember using it. Maybe he got it from someone else. But it is a helpful way to spend 20 minutes.
Cavman Considers 
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