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An Example of Christ-Centered Preaching from Jonathan Edwards’s Letter to Lady Mary Pepperell, 1751

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Jonathan Edwards Practiced Cross-Eyed Preaching

In Marsden’s, An Infinite Fountain of Light: Jonathan Edwards for the 21st Century, he records a lengthy paragraph Edwards wrote to Lady Mary Pepperell in 1751. The excerpt provides an example of how Edwards preached Christ. Marsden writes that Pepperell had recently lost her only son and Edwards wrote to console her:

“[Christ suffered, that we might be delivered. His soul was exceedingly sorrowful even unto death, to take away the sting of sorrow and that we might have everlasting consolation. He was oppressed and afflicted, that we might be supported. He was overwhelmed in the darkness of death and hell, that we might have the light of life. He was cast into the furnace of God’s wrath, that we might swim in the rivers of pleasure. His heart was overwhelmed in a flood of sorrow and anguish, that our hearts might be filled and overwhelmed with a flood of eternal joy.” (p. 55)

This pattern, “He was…that we might…,” might help you form your own Christ-centered seconds near the end of your sermons as you move from the wording of the Text to the cross, urge faith, and then urge love and obedience from the Text.

If you’ve read some of my earlier posts on Christ-centered preaching, you can see how easy it is to move from statements like Edwards’s above to asking our listeners…

“Do you believe this good news about the Lord Jesus Christ?”

My goal on Sunday is to move from the biblical text/preaching portion to the Gospel from the specific wording of the preaching portion. [Edwards’s excerpt is missing any biblical text.] Then, the announcement of the Gospel leads to a faith-first application. I want to give everyone an opportunity to affirm their faith in the Gospel. Then, after urging faith–at this point non-Christians in attendance overhearing worship could believe–I can move to the primary application in the preaching portion.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we continue to preach Christ each Sunday.

Randal

P.S. Blessed Christmas and New Year!

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The Attitudes that Affect the Way We Respond to God’s Word

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Things that get in the way of applying life to the Bible

In my last post I began summarizing some of the things I’m learning from Marsden’s, An Infinite Fountain of Light. In the book he highlights a number of ways in which Jonathan Edwards is relevant for our day. Much of Edwards’s enduring value stems from the similarities between our listeners and those in the eighteenth century.

Here are some excerpts that help us know what is in the air we breathe:

“the autonomous individual is the fundamental unity of society” (p. 33). Which explains why it is very difficult to get a local church to think about community or to even think that the church is important enough to commit to.

“the God within” (p. 33). Virtually everyone in our society has been trained to think that listening to their own voice or following their own heart is the way to success. Each weekend you and I give them another word, a Word from God that is outside of themselves.

“the privatization of meaning” (p. 33). This is a spinoff from the one above. People in our day are ditching parents or a close knit group of neighbors or spiritual community and opting to discover their own meaning. Again, on Sundays we confront them with God’s Word and His meaning, but it’s not easy because deep down they believe they are the final authority on meaning.

That’s only three of them, but they are big ones that we face. What’s fascinating is to read how all this started with someone like Benjamin Franklin (remember, he and Edwards are contemporaries). Marsden points out one huge difference between their society and ours: they believed that there was some kind of transcendent basis for their values; our society does not.

This kind of analysis reminds me that when I am preaching, listeners are hearing God’s Word in the context of their cultural values. These attitudes always affect the way people interact with God’s revelation. As you head into this Christmas week and prepare to teach and preach on Christmas Eve, keep this in mind. See if your Scripture speaks directly to these attitudes and may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Learning 21st Century Characteristics From 18th Century, Jonathan Edwards?!? Who Knew?!?

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A Look at What’s in the Heart of all of Us

Over my recent vacation I was able to order a few new books and finished George Marsden’s, An Infinite Fountain of Light: Jonathan Edwards for the Twenty-First Century. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know how much I love reading Edwards. Marsden’s book offers something unique: a look at the abiding influence of Edwards because of how similar today’s mindset is to Edwards’s. I didn’t expect that. I certainly didn’t expect that the similarity is due to the influence of Ben Franklin’s thinking.

I read this kind of material to continue learning about the kinds of listeners I preach to (and the kind of man I am). When we preach God’s Word, what kinds of influences affect the way we fight for faith and righteousness?

How about this list?

  • ever-increasing technology
  • aggressive market capitalism
  • celebration of self
  • trying to balance liberty and equality
  • materialism
  • permissive sensuality
  • nationalism

Sound familiar?

If you enjoy history, you’ll appreciate Marsden’s work on Edwards and Franklin. If you enjoy thinking about preaching to your listeners, you’ll benefit from keeping these cultural characteristics in mind. They influence all of us; they’re in the air we breathe. And Marsden suggests that all of this 18th century “semi-Christian or cultural Protestant” outlook continues today.

If he’s correct, this means that many of our listeners each Sunday believe in God but are most concerned with their own personal flourishing.

And if you have teenagers in your church, here’s their “most typical religious outlook…even those who had been reared in traditionalist Christian churches… ‘moralistic therapeutic deism.’ They tended to believe that there was a benevolent , mostly distant God who wanted people to be good and who might be called on in times of sickness or crisis for help and comfort. At the same time they believed in developing one’s now self-identity.” (p. 26, Marsden quoting Christian Smith’s, Soul Searching: The Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers)

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as you and I continue to exegete our listeners while expositing sacred Scripture.

Randal

For all the care you put into artistry, visual polish frequently doesn’t matter if you are getting the story right.

Ed Catmull, former President of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration (NYC: Random House, 2014), 37
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Why We Preach With Confidence

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We preach in an environment where God is already at work!

If you’re ever discouraged in your preaching and teaching of God’s Word, John Webster provides a strong dose of encouragement. In his book, The Domain of the Word: Scripture and Theological Reason, Webster writes,

“But in acting as the ambassador of the Word, the preacher enters a situation which already lies within the economy of reconciliation, in which the Word is antecedently present and active….The preacher…faces a situation in which the Word has already addressed and continues to address the church, and does not need somehow by homiletic exertions to generate and present the Word’s meaningfulness. the preacher speaks on Christ’s behalf; the question of whether Christ is himself present and effectual is one which–in the realm of the resurrection and exaltation of the Son–has already been settled and which the preacher can safely leave behind.” (p. 26)

I purchased this book in order to continue to explore the theological interpretation of Scripture, but was pleasantly surprised to see sections like this on the relationship between God, preaching, and the church.

Be encouraged in your ministry because you preach and teach in an environment where God is already at work. We do have work to do in preparing clear words from God from His Word, but the hardest work of God bringing creatures back in fellowship with Himself is something He’s already doing when the sermon/lesson begins.

And that’s why our Lord receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus each Sunday (Ephesians 3:21)!

Randal

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Learning About How Meaning Is Made For Biblical Preaching

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Discover how meaning is made before asking what the meaning is.

Last week I had the privilege of teaching the Ph.D. course BIB909, Old Testament Hermeneutics and Theology, for LBC|Capital Seminary & Graduate School. One of the concepts we discussed during residency days in Greenbelt, MD was how meaning is made in a pericope.

It is not a familiar topic, especially when worded that way. It comes from the world of literary studies.

In my own practice I always discover how meaning is made in my selected preaching portion before attempting to discover what the meaning is. This allows me to allow the biblical author to show me what he means to say.

In many cases this means beginning with the passage’s structure. In a narrative, for instance, trace the storyline of the text (setting, rising action, climax, and conclusion). This is how theology is communicated. This is how meaning is made. This shows the interrelationship between the many ideas in a narrative. This helps you know what idea is prominent and which are subordinate.

In other cases, such as didactic texts, you are tracing the flow of thought or argument of a paragraph. This provides the logical relationship between sentences and paragraphs. This is how theology is communicated. This is how meaning is made. Again, this shows the interrelationship between the many ideas in the argument. This helps you know what idea is prominent and which are subordinate.

In both case above, you will have to investigate further. You will have to ask how various elements in your preaching portion mean something to your readers. Here’s an example from Matthew 10:1-15, my text for this coming Sunday, Lord willing.

In a text like this, Jesus’s instructions to the Twelve somehow instruct us in how to make disciples.

That’s it.

You’ll have to decide how much of the details transfer to our day, but as far as how meaning is made, you’ve got it. There’s authority, specific instructions on what to do, including how to handle rejection and what that means for those who do that.

It’s your turn. If you’re preaching Sunday and if you didn’t do this already, take a moment and analyze how meaning is made in your preaching portion. And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through your Spirit-guided efforts! (Ephesians 3:21)

Randal

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Preaching For Life-Change: A Guest Post From Dr. Roger Raymer

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Our First Reunion Since The Late 80’s!

I am writing this from Puebla, Mexico. Michele and I have the privilege of visiting with veteran missionaries, Bryan and Lori Smith. Bryan invited us to come and speak to their annual Intermission Conference. What a surprise to hear that a guy named, Roger Raymer, was also here! Roger was part of the Pastoral Ministries department at Dallas Theological Seminary while I was attending in the mid to late 80’s. We had a great reunion together. He graciously agreed to write a guest post for me.

First, a little about Roger. He he earned a ThM degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and a DMin from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. For more than 30 years Roger served as a senior pastor and as an adjunct faculty member at Dallas Theological Seminary. Currently, Roger and his wife Judy serve with Avant Ministries providing pastoral care for missionaries in Mexico and at Rio Grande Bible College in south Texas. Roger also continues to teach in the Doctor of Ministry degree program at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Now, Roger’s guest post:

Preaching is daunting. We stand before our congregations preaching the Word of God by the power of the Spirit to change lives. I know that I cannot do that through imparting biblical facts alone. It is helpful to remind myself of the principles of persuasive rhetoric. Aristotle’s “pathos, logos and ethos” are truly “old school” but essential to communicate persuasively. The more modern terms are emotional, intellectual and ethical proof.

We use intellectual proof to convince our listeners of the accuracy of our interpretation through exegetical evidence and the logical argument of the text. Our congregations buy what we are saying intellectually.

Pastors have a high degree of credibility or ethical proof. Our personal integrity, education, and pastoral care cause our congregations to trust us and believe us.  

Where we often fall short is in the crucial area of emotional proof. Pastors in the non-charismatic, evangelical tradition have tended to avoid almost any form of emotion in worship and preaching.  However, emotion is not foreign to the biblical text. The Old Testament prophets voiced powerful emotions to touch hearts. We should touch the hearts of our congregations as well.

Emotional proof is more than tears and laughter. “Pathos” appeals to one’s hopes and aspirations through vivid word pictures of the positive consequences of obeying God’s Word. We touch hearts when we relive real emotion as we share a personal experience or illustration that affects us emotionally. If we tell a story with real emotion in our voice our listeners will be moved emotionally as well.

Why is this important? Usually, individuals will not base a life changing decision on information or logical facts alone. Intellectual understanding will move someone toward a decision but it often takes emotional proof for life change to take place.

Clearly, spiritual growth is the work of the Spirit. Our responsibility is to provide the rhetorical elements that the Spirit can use to change lives. After all, that is our goal – to change lives.

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Does Your Exegetical Method Help You Do These Two Things?

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Make Sure Your Exegesis Allows You To Do Two Things

As I was preparing to preach this past Sunday, I reminded myself again that my job was fairly straightforward. Not necessarily easy, but uncomplicated. If I remember correctly, I even mentioned these two things to our faith-family at the start of the message.

Two things seemed most important if the sermon was going to be a vital part of the worship service. If I could accomplish those two things, then I would have been faithful to my calling as a soul-watcher.

[I realize there’s much more to preaching than these two things, but not less!]

First, it is important for our exegetical method to trace the flow of thought or argument of a preaching portion, regardless of genre (type of literature). Since God decided to write down His revelation to us, He determined to convey theology through literary structure. Tamper with the structure and we may run the risk of tampering with the theology. That’s how His communication works. So, you might consider analyzing the flow of thought or logical structure of a text to be exegesis’s first task. It is always the first thing I do every Monday morning.

Some of my students will recall this being the “A” in ABIT.

Second, it is important for our exegetical method to discover the worship response God is aiming at in His Word. Tracing the flow of thought will reveal how the ideas fit together to form meaning. You and I will have to infer, however, how God intends that meaning to move His listeners to some worship response. You might be more familiar with thinking about the application and that’s fine. I prefer to think of how God intends for the Believer to respond to His revelation as an act of worship. Our exegetical method should allow us to arrive in the pulpit each Sunday ready to announce what God intends for His Word to do to the church.

Again, students may remember this as the “I” in ABIT.

Is this really that important? Sermons on Luke 15 that primarily call all prodigals to come home have missed the flow of thought arising out of vv. 1-2. Missing the argument automatically skews the intention. Tracing the argument leads to a sermon that primarily calls all Pharisee-like listeners to come home.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as you use your exegetical method each weekend.

Randal

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Why It’s Important to Preach the Implications of Your Text (part 2)

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I am attempting to put some finishing touches on this Sunday’s message on Hebrews 10:19-27. The summer series is, Hard-Working Faith.

Hebrews 10:23 reads,

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

The first implication in this verse can be asked this way (I teach students to formulate these implications in the form of a question to help their listeners come along with them during the sermon):

What is it about “the confession of our hope” that is worth holding onto?

Don’t assume that every congregant is aware of the inestimable worth of the Gospel and faith in Christ. Better to take a moment and remind them of what this confession means and why it is linked to biblical hope (desire and expectancy).

The same goes for the second implication in v. 23 which is connected to the first one. The only reason why any of this matter is because God promises something you and I really care about. And we’re going to help them care about it.

This illustration may help. If my wife, Michele, said to me, “I promise we’ll have lots of vegetables for lunch today,” I wouldn’t be too excited. I am not a huge fan of vegetables, except for corn, but being diabetic squashes that appetite! But, if she said, “I promise we’ll have lots of ice cream for lunch (notice I didn’t say, “with lunch”) today.” Then, because I love ice cream and because I know Michele keeps her word, I am going to believe her and be at the table at lunchtime [Yes, i realize I am being very inconsistent about being diabetic!].

So, whenever you can, search for meaning at the level of implications from the text. Usually those implications will make your sermon more robust theologically as you show how the text penetrates the heart of a listener.

And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through your careful exposition of Sacred Scripture (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Our Dual Role as Exegetes and Theologians

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Preachers function in the dual role as exegetes and theologians.

Recently, I gained the privilege of teaching a Ph.D. class this fall for Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School. The course is BIB 909 Old Testament Hermeneutics and Theology.

One of the many stages of preparing to teach includes selecting major textbooks. One of my choices is Bruce Waltke’s, An Old Testament Theology: an exegetical, canonical, and thematic approach.

[If you plan on preaching from the OT, then this is an excellent resource to have on your shelf. I can’t say enough about the quality of Waltke’s scholarship. Despite being only 100 pages into the book, I am glad I purchased it!]

Near the end of chapter 3, The Method of Biblical Theology (Part 1), section 3 is, “Abstract Themes, Ideas, and Messages.” The last paragraph reads,

“After the exegete has interpreted the text and mined its message, the theologian through critical reflection interprets that message from its old horizon to the new horizons of the canon and then of both to the contemporary church. In other words, the theologian builds his or her interpretation that unites the ancient message with the contemporary world after the exegete has done his or her interpretive work….In this way godly theologians inform the conscience of the church.” (p. 92)

Notice, pastors have a dual role as exegete and theologian for the faith-families they serve.

It is true, then, that interpretation doesn’t end with our exegesis. It extends to our ability to locate the message that functions for the church.

You’ve stopped short of that dual role if you cannot articulate what God intends for your preaching portion to do to the church, to your listeners (“the contemporary world”).

Remember, the meaning of your text for this coming Sunday should combine content (exegesis) + intent (theological interpretation). When meaning combines content and intent, you are functioning in your dual role as exegete and theologian.

And our Lord will continue to receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Waltke basis this understanding of our roles on the nature of the Bible. He writes, “The Bible is more than concepts about God….It is God’s address to his people and his encounter with them. His ‘ideas’ and ‘principles’ are true and call for a personal response to obey and participate in the truth, the divine reality.” (p. 91).