Session 8 - Robert Smith

Dr. Robert Smith is the professor of preaching at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama (my hometown). He is without a doubt the most outstanding preacher of God's Word that I have ever heard. May his tribe increase. He preached out of Isaiah 37:14-20, 36-38 - "The God Who Reads."

Notes from this session:

- We must not perpetuate a proclamation of isolation and compromise. We must need go through Samaria.

- We must perpetuate a proclamation of prophetic transformation.

- It's possible to get a good lesson from a bad example

- "He is God all by Himself and He don't need nobody else!"

- We are not bargainers - we are ambassadors - it is His way or no way - He is the only way and we don't back down from that at all

- We are not after cash and crowns - how big the church, the building, or the budget - the question is - Is Christ Lord? Or is it just a Sunday club?

- Joshua and the captain of the host - he asked him "are you with us or against us?" The captain replied "Neither - I'm here to take over"

- God reigns - malek - He succeeds Himself because there is no one to succeed Him

- Hezekiah went to the prophet - "is there any word from the Lord?"

- Our ultimate allegiance is not to Capitol Hill, but to a hill far away - not to a flag, but to the cross

- I am the I am - a noun with no adjectives or modifiers - a good noun needs no adjectives

- God never reacts to anything - He proacts to everything - He is never in panic mode - He knows the benediction before the invocation

- 37:14 - He brings it to the temple for God to read it

I'm still processing a lot from this one - the takeaways will come, but later.

More to follow...