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Randal Pelton, Ph.D., D.Min., Th.M.

Senior Pastor, Professor

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Exegetically Lite, Theologically Heavy: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Sermons

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I’m learning from Jonathan Edwards’s sermons that I should be able to display the coaster above all over my church or home study. I saw another t-shirt sign, however, that reflects most preaching practice: “Will exegete for food.”

I said in a previous post that most of us think more about exegesis than we do theology. It shows in our sermons. A typical sermon in my theological camp is often exegetically heavy and theologically light. This usually involves in-depth word studies and grammatical insights, plus some cross-referencing for added support.

 

Edwards’s sermons appear to be exegetically lite and theologically heavy (I might argue that the same goes for Timothy Keller’s sermons too). That doesn’t mean there is no exegesis. It means that the sermon is constructed with minimal exegesis and maximum theological insights.

And I’m not really sure if “theological” is the right word for what I’m seeing. Maybe better to describe Edwards’s sermons as theological-philosophical.

So, in his sermon, Christian Happiness, Isaiah 3:10 is the foundational text: “Say unto the righteous, it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”

Edwards’s opening sentence displays his theological/philosophical method:

“Reasonable beings, while they act as such, naturally choose those things which they are convinced are best for them…” (p. 296, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 10).

Edwards is quick to point out that God deals with us as reasonable beings. And we are persuaded by this desire for our own good.

Before Edwards gets to any of what I would call pure exegesis of Isaiah 3:10, he highlights how God’s motivation is designed to work. Isaiah doesn’t tell us how, but Edwards goes on to tell us how. That’s one of thousands of examples of Edwards’s exegetically lite and theologically heavy preaching.

Before Sunday, see if there are places in your preaching portion that could benefit from this type of analysis for God’s glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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More Theology, Less Exegesis: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Sermons

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A few weeks ago I began this series of posts on my rhetorical analysis of Jonathan Edwards’s early sermon. I want to continue this series with a look at two general foci that directed Edwards’s research and writing: theology and expression (the latter meaning expressing theology through language).

In his, Note to the Reader, Kimnach writes, “After theology, Edwards thought most about expression” (p. xiii).

This is insightful for most of us who preach and teach Scripture.

First, I am assuming that most everyone reading this blog has been trained in exegetical practices (such as the well-known historical, grammatical, literary method). That means that most of us think more about exegesis than we do theology.

I am well aware of the interrelationship between the two, between exegesis and theology. After almost thirty years of teaching preaching to all levels of students, I am also well aware of an overemphasis on exegetical analysis in expository sermons. The results are sermons that are exegetically heavy and theologically light.

Lord willing, next time I will flesh this out a bit more with examples from Edwards. For now, let me ask you to think about whether or not you think about theology this week as you prepare to preach and teach God’s Word. Are you moving beyond exegesis to theology? Asking that question forces us to become clearer in our understanding of what theology is.

Second, It is clear from reading Edwards’s early sermons that he spent much time thinking about how to express the theology contained in his selected passages of Scripture. He was a master of the English language of his day. He mastered language in order to get a response from his hearers.

Of course that meant for Edwards and means for us that we save sermon preparation time for crafting the message. This means being “done with” exegesis (see, I couldn’t help myself!)–I mean, theology–and devoting hours to thinking about the best way to use language to be used by the Holy Spirit to move people into an act of worship.

Before Sunday, devote sermon prep time to thinking about the theology of your passage and the best way to communicate it.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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What I Learned From Preaching Through Chronicles

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For my final post on preaching through First and Second Chronicles, I thought I would share what I learned from this process. I hope it helps you consider taking your faith-family through some OT books.

First, I preached 13 sermons in 1 Chronicles and 18 sermons in 2 Chronicles for a total of 31 sermons. If you know the length of these two books, then you realize that many of my preaching portions (pericopes) were large. I believe this is best if you are going to preach theology without getting bogged down in minutia (I use that term reverently when dealing with Scripture!). This also reflects my position on being careful as to how much repetition I imitate in OT narratives.

Second, I encourage you to break such series up into smaller chunks. In this case you might consider at least taking a break from the series between preaching First and Second Chronicles. It also helps if Christmas or Easter, for instance, falls somewhere in the lengthy series. These holy days provide opportunities to break away from the normal series for some weeks.

Third, I don’t know of anything like preaching through such books of the OT that will test your abilities as a theologian/pastor for your faith-family. Great sermons require great texts and not all pastors and parishioners consider every text a great text–especially in some places in Chronicles! The process of preaching through OT books will test your hermeneutic/homiletic like nothing else.

Fourth, preaching through Chronicles will give you new appreciation for the inspiration of Scripture. There are some exquisite texts in those two books, found nowhere else in the Bible. Your congregants will benefit greatly from your efforts and come away with a new appreciation for the canon of Scripture.

Fifth, preaching through books will force you to think about their theme and purpose or intention. Over the years of preaching through both Old and New Testament books, I have had to wrestle with selecting themes for the book (including an image like the Google Maps one above). For Chronicles I chose the wording of David’s prayer: Direct Our Hearts Toward You, Lord (with each pericope adding a different subtitle).

Sixth and finally, preaching through Chronicles will help you develop your Christo-centric instincts and method as you move from each pericope to the Gospel in order to show how Chronicles functions for the Church.

I hope you’ll consider preaching through books of the Bible so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Preaching the Hope-filled Conclusion to 2 Chronicles: Preaching Through Chronicles

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I took this photo shortly after arriving in Mount Joy, PA in 2003. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Here was a corn-stalk growing on (or, in?) a cement bridge! It’s a fitting image of God’s people receiving a major dose of hope at the end of 2 Chronicles 36.

You might make sense of the narrative like this:

First, redemption is reversed in vv. 1-14 and 16-21. All four kings in this section share the same fate: “trouble and exile” says Pratt. Because “All the officers of the priests and the people…were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations” (v. 14) and because their rebellion got worse even after God sent them prophets (v. 16a), “the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until their was no remedy” (v. 16b).

Second, thankfully compassion is extended in v. 15. I found it interesting that the Lord’s compassion matched the persistence of His people’s rebellion. Verse 15 reads, “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them…because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.” There’s tons of theology in both of those phrases.

Finally, we arrive at our hope and mission in vv. 22-23. Verse 22 states, “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” and Cyrus issues an hope-filled invitation for any of God’s people: “Let him go up” and build God’s house in Jerusalem. The odds of that happening are about as good as the odds of a cornstalk growing on a cement bridge.

It can happen. It did happen. It does happen every time God’s people respond to Him in loving obedience.

And, if you’re interested in making a Christological connection, the wish of the last verse in 2 Chronicles, “may the Lord his God be with him,” is very soon, according to one Jewish order of Scripture to be experienced in our Emmanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23).

Preach these OT books so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

N.B. One exegetical, contextual gem in this section is the mention of “the Chaldeans” in 2 Chronicles 36:17. The last time we read about these people was all the way back to Genesis 11:28. At the beginning of the narrative of God’s people, God calls Abram out of this land; at the end of the OT narrative of God’s people, God “brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans….He gave them all into his hand” (2 Chronicles 36:17). The story has come full circle, especially if you follow one Jewish rendering of the order of OT books (Chronicles coming last). Thankfully, the Story didn’t and doesn’t end there!

 

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Hezekiah’s Example of Facing an Intimidating Enemy: Preaching Through Chronicles

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I hope that you are seeing how these narratives in Chronicles help us teach aspects of living the Christian life well. Hezekiah, for instance, in 2 Chronicles 31-32 provides an example of what it takes to succeed in our faith journey. I selected 31:20–32:23 for a preaching portion and worked through it this way:

First, the basis or foundation for Hezekiah’s success is described in six ways in 31:20-21. These six things he did are summarized in 32:1 as, “After these acts of faithfulness.” Like so many other key characters in these narratives, Hezekiah functions as a model for us to follow. He’s the model believer and paves the way to spiritual success in the will of God as we face an intimidating enemy.

Second, 32:1b-8 provide a look at the physical, emotional, and mental fight needed to succeed. It’s an amazing look at the mixture of effort and faith. Remember, as Dallas Willard wrote, God is not opposed to effort, but to earning. Key descriptions and prescriptions are: “And he took courage…” (v. 5) and “Be strong and courageous” (v. 7; sounds familiar, right?). A key confession is, “With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us…” (v. 8).

Third, is intense intimidation from our enemy in vv. 9-19. It’s no wonder we run scared some times in our spiritual life.

Finally, the victory God gives is described in vv. 20-23. It’s a supernatural victory. If there was any doubt about who was responsible for the win, v. 22 summarizes, “So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem…”

And, if you are inclined to move from Hezekiah’s victory to ours, you might remind your listeners that our Lord Jesus Christ faced the same intense mocking as he was crucified for our sins (cf. Matt. 27:27-44). His defeat led to a victory that we enjoy as we place our trust in Him.

May you enjoy preaching these wonderful narratives in Chronicles so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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The Difficulties of Disciple-Making: Preaching Through Chronicles

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If you’ve preached through a set of books like Chronicles, you already know it’s not easy. But this angle has to do with what the Chronicler teaches us about disciple-making: doing right in God’s eyes is not easy.

In the lengthy section from 2 Chronicles 27:1–31:21 I identified five ways to describe our disciple-making goal (27:2a; 29:2; 30:6a, 8b-9a, 19a). The five are:

  • “did what was right”
  • “return”
  • “yield”
  • “serve”
  • “sets his heart…” (very important in this series!)

This is the time to ask everyone to what extent these five actions describe our lives. These are the makings of every genuine Christian experience.

It’s in the second part of the sermon that we learn how difficult this life is (27:2b; 28:22; 30:7-8a, 19b). These verses provide four examples of spiritual corruption, increased disloyalty to God, and pig-headedness that refuses to obey.

Finally, you can end the sermon by explaining what we can expect from our God (30:6b, 9b, 18-19). For instance, 30:9 reads, “For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

And if you’re interested in how Chronicles functions for the Church, simply explain how the cross of Christ is the definitive extension of God’s grace and compassion. Christ’s sacrifice makes it possible for faith and repentance to result in redemption. That faith sets in motion the desire and capacity to put those five aspects of disciple-making into practice.

I hope you’ll attempt to preach through Chronicles so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Limit My Word-Studies: What I’m Learning About Preaching From Jonathan Edwards’s Early Sermons

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The first thing I noticed is that Edwards spent hardly any sermon time on word studies.

Let me back up. Several months ago I decided to pretend I was in Jonathan Edwards’s 18th century parish. I began reading his sermons in chronological order (The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 10, Sermons and Discourses 1720-1723, edited by Wilson H. Kimnach). It’s been a great addition to my Bible readings and also an excellent homiletical exercise (doing rhetorical analysis on Edwards’s early sermons).

The first thing that struck me was how little Edwards defined key terms. It seemed odd because doing word studies was such an important part of my exegetical training. So, I had to ask myself, “What did Edwards spend all his sermon time doing if he wasn’t doing lots of word studies?”

Edwards’s first sermon was, Christian Happiness, based on Isaiah 3:10 “Say unto the righteous, it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”

My hermeneutical/homiletical instincts would have me begin by explaining who are “the righteous.” Not Edwards.

He began by reasoning with his hearers in the same way Isaiah reasoned with his hearers: “Reasonable beings, while they act as such, naturally choose those things which they are convinced are best for them…” (p. 296). Reading Edwards’s first sermon made me realize how much God reasons with us.

Edwards preached, “…God always deals with men as reasonable creatures, and every [word] in the Scriptures speaks to us as such” (p. 296).

One thing to be gained by letting Edwards preach to you is that you will come away with a greater ability to reason with your congregants. Edwards has taught me so far that although God must act by His Spirit to convert sinners, God also believes that some will be persuaded by reasonable arguments. And, man, does Edwards spend time “arguing” with his congregants.

And, so far, he hasn’t defined one term.

Help your parishioners be reasonable people so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

P.S. If you are interested in homiletics as a discipline, you will benefit from Kimnach’s excellent insights concerning the preaching of Edwards’s day and his own method.

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One of the Easiest Sermons to Preach (Preaching Through Chronicles)

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Pretend that guy is proud Uzziah. 2 Chronicles 26:1, 2 tell us he was sixteen years old when he was made king of Judah and he ruled for 52 years. Verse 5 says, “as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” Verse 16 says, “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction.”

That’s why this chapter might be the easiest one to preach in this series. And it’s also one of the most important for disciple-making.

You may recall that I selected the following title for the series: “Direct our hearts toward you, Lord.” I’ve reworded David’s prayer recorded in 1 Chronicles 29:18 “O Lord…direct their hearts toward you.”

Then, each sermon title was created to add to that title. In this case, I added, “So we don’t become proud of ‘our’ success.”

The story functions for the church like this. The king experienced both blessing and curses from the Lord. According to McConville, Uzziah is “the last of those kings who are judged to have been partly faithful and partly unfaithful.” We urge worship by pleading with our folks to make an all out grace-driven effort to avoid this mixed spiritual experience.

I understand the chapter’s theology this way:

  1. The source of success (vv. 4-5, 7, 15b). This contains one of the most important concepts in Chronicles: “He set himself to seek God…and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper” (v. 5). Verse 15b adds, “…for he was marvelously helped…”
  2. The evidence of success (vv. 6-15a). These verse contain an impressive list of civil and military accomplishments. Verses 14-15 (the creation of “engines, invented by skillful men”) show the fine balance between human effort and God’s help.
  3. The danger of success (vv. 15c-23). Too bad it came to this! In v. 16 we read, “…he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense.” Yikes! For other looks at the result of pride, see Prov. 11:2; 16:18; 29:23. Leprosy was his judgment!

What a contrast to our Faithful High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Preach Uzziah as a mixed exemplar–a little, “Go and do likewise” and a little, “Go and do otherwise”–for God’s glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Handling Huge Amounts Of Biblical Real Estate (Preaching Through Chronicles)

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The elephant is 2 Chronicles 21:1–25:28. I decided to eat it in about 45 minutes, one piece at a time. It’s not the only way to preach the section. It could be broken into a few sermons, but I don’t recommend it. There is too much repetition of theology and intended purpose.

When you enter chapter 21 God changes the way He teaches us. A series of kings provide both positive and negative examples. There are kingdoms to join and kingdoms to avoid. We worship by avoiding those kingdoms. I divided the elephant like this:

  1. Our need to separate (vv. 21:6a; 22:3). In this case, Jehoram “walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done…” You know how bad Ahab was.
  2. Our need to consecrate (vv. 21:6b, 10b; 22:4; 23:16-19). Seven times in this section we read, “He did what was evil.” Five times we read, “…did what was right.” Anyone with ears to hear knows which path to take. 23:16-19 deserve attention due to the spiritual reform that takes place.
  3. What God does to His people who don’t! (vv. 21:7, 14-16, 18; 22:7; 25:20b). 22:7 and 25:20b contain strong statements: “But it was ordained by God…” and “for it was of God, in order that…” Whether in the OT or in the NT, God has always taught that He will judge sin and move His plan forward.
  4. Ways we might respond (vv. 22:9-12; 25:2, 15-16, 20a; 27:2). One interesting contrast is between 22:9 “he…sought the Lord with all his heart” and 25:2 “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.” This describes two kinds of disciples.

And, if you are prone to read Chronicles Christo-centrically, these excerpts provide an opportunity to express our gratitude to God for providing a King who did worship and serve God with His whole heart, all the way to the cross. All so we who believe could enjoy God’s kingdom.

Preach well so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Let Your Folks Know Whose Fight It Is: Preaching Through Chronicles

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One of the joys of preaching through Chronicles is “finally” getting to one of my favorite verses in all Scripture. 2 Chronicles 2o:12b made the cut to be on my church study wall: “…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

I know firsthand that week in, week out through Chronicles can be grueling, but that will preach!

Once again we urge our parishioners to follow this king’s example of faith. His confession is our confession. When we are powerless, we are not hopeless.

Here’s the approach I took for the entire chapter:

  1. The direction of faith (vv. 1-4 where the king “set his face to seek the Lord…”)
  2. The prayer of faith (vv. 5-12 where vv. 6 and 12 are loaded with faith in God’s ability and our lack of ability)
  3. The messages of faith (vv. 13-21 where a Levite preaches to the people and reminds them, “…the battle is not yours but God’s” in v. 15)
  4. The confirmation of faith (vv. 22-30 where the Lord performs a miracle: “the Lord set an ambush…so that they were routed (22)….So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around (30))
  5. The nagging possibility of unbelief (vv. 31-37 where, after all that success, the king joins forces with a wicked king!)

I found it very easy to put ourselves into this narrative.

And I’m hoping that seeing this kind of approach will help you have confidence that these OT stories continue to function for the Church.

And, if you’re wondering how the cross makes it possible for us to experience the same kind of victory. Remember that it is on the cross where God fought for us and won the victory that allows us to trust Him for every spiritual fight, every day.

Preach this chapter so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal