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

Senior Pastor, Professor

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Preaching So Visions of the Future Fuel Faithfulness in the Present (part 11 of preaching through Daniel’s Gospel)

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Even if you are not currently preaching through the book of Daniel or not even thinking about it (can’t blame you!), you may encounter apocalyptic literature in the Gospels, Revelation, and other OT prophets. If and when you do, I hope that these limited insights will help you.

Remember that all visions and prophecies of the future are designed to urge the Church to faithful living now. They are not designed to give God’s people insights into what the future will look like in order to satisfy their curiosity. They do give comfort because, as in the case of Daniel 8 below, God’s people get a glimpse of how great, political superpowers are overpowered by our omnipotent Creator in the end. They do spur us on to faithful living by showing how Daniel’s faith allowed him to work hard for an ungodly regime and still remain faithful to God.

So, in Daniel 8 we worship through Daniel’s vision of the supernaturally powered (cf. v. 24 “not by his own power”) kingdoms of the world (the ram, goat, and little horn) raising havoc throughout history. The fearful destruction that’s coming is described in vv. 1-12 and 15-25.

If you are preaching in the U.S. and want to create a stir, let your folks know that the U.S. government somehow fits into this scheme if it’s still around in the end. Or, ask your conservative congregation if they think the anti-Christ will be democrat or republican.

You will be tempted to spend significant time rehearsing the historical details of each kingdom. It’s probably better to summarize the destruction that will occur “at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end” (v. 19) and maybe the methods (especially of the “little horn” in vv. 10-12, 23-25).

Then, you can generate hope by watching powerful earthly kingdoms come and go as history moves toward God’s ultimate judgment. Finally, God’s people will be home! The Kingdom of God will rule in a new heaven and earth.

In the meantime we must be prepared to be faithful in the midst of intense pressure to assimilate to the culture and face persecution if we don’t. Which brings us to Daniel’s reaction to the vision in v. 27 “…Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.” Daniel went back to work for a king ruling an ungodly kingdom. That was God’s will for him.

We do that because we know our Savior “disarmed the rulers and authorities” (Col. 2:13-15) when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. That final kingdom listed in v. 25 “will be broken without human agency.” There is hope for us who by faith remain godly in an ungodly world.

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

Randal

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Church Has Left A Bad Taste In Their Mouth (part 5 of What Are Our Listeners Thinking?!)

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In this series I’m highlighting some of the insights gained from reading, Belief Without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious (by Linda Mercadante). I wanted to get a better understanding of what many of our congregants bring to the equation each time we preach. This kind of information affects sermon content and delivery.

For instance, many of our listeners have had previous relationships with other churches (it would be interesting to know what percentage of our parishioners have no history with a prior congregation). And many of those relationships were not good. This was one of the experiences shared by all five types of spiritual but not religious (SBNR’s) interviewees.

That means they already have a bad taste in their mouth when they sit down at your table and eat your spiritual food. One person reported:

“my mother and father would get mad at the church and pull us all out and I was too young to have a voice in the matter…” (p. 44).

Mercadante summarizes a common refrain: “[they] would find a tenet with which they disagreed, or they became disappointed with the all-too-human qualities of the average congregation, spiritual group, leader, or participant. Either they found the beliefs ultimately unbelievable, or felt that members were not living up to them.” (p. 52)

Here’s what I’m trying to do to help them reconnect with our church while I preach:

  • before Sunday morning, pray for their healing
  • showcase the relationship I have with the connected congregants through friendly sermon dialogue (it has a way of showing the hesitant that this is a safe place for their souls; they tend to get caught up in the relationship)
  • let them know you know they might disagree with a statement and address their concern as you prove your point (quasi-apologetics)
  • talk frankly about what one of my colleagues calls being a “messy church” (admit that we don’t always live up to what we believe; be honest about who we are)
  • mix in genuine smiles with all the serious sermon stuff (I’m still amazed at how strangers react to smiles in and out of church)

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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How Daniel’s Visions Fuel Faith And Faithfulness (part 10 of preaching through Daniel’s Gospel)

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When you preach through Daniel, prepare to fuel your parishioners’ faith and faithfulness. The strange visions in Daniel do that. Especially the visions in chapter 7, one of the most important chapters in all the Bible.

I communicated the chapter along the following path (sometimes it helps me to see how someone else outlines a passage for preaching):

  • a terrifying look at the kingdoms of this world (vv. 1-8, 15-17, 19-21, 23-25)
  • a glorious look at God’s kingdom (vv. 9-14, 26)
  • a hope-filled look at our future kingdom (vv. 18, 22, 27)

Don’t worry about the details in the visions you can’t explain (like, for instance, what does a beast look like that is “like a leopard, with four wings…” (v. 6). Be prepared to highlight these powerful, monstrous kingdoms of the world, how they treat each other and especially how they treat God’s people (vv. 21, 25).

In the middle of that succession of fearful monsters our faith is bolstered by seeing “the Ancient of Days” take His seat on the throne (v. 9), judge the beasts (vv. 11-12), and present “one like a son of man” with “dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away…” (vv. 13-14).

Finally, our faith and faithfulness are fueled when we learn a little-known doctrine: “saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever, and ever” (v. 18, 22, 27). We are going to rule with Christ forever! We live in a “present evil age” (Gal. 1:4) now, but one day…!

And all because, on the cross, our Savior died at the hands of one of those beastly superpowers, disarming the powers (Col. 2:14-15) so all who believe could enter the Kingdom of God. No wonder Jesus kept telling His disciples not to be afraid! I remember saying to our folks: “The last thing we need to worry about in this current political climate is losing our tax exempt status.”

Preach well for the sake of God’s glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Note how this chapter functions for the Church by juxtaposing visions of the beasts with visions of the rule of God.

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How Daniel’s Mission Becomes Our Mission in the World (part 9 of preaching through Daniel)

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One of the most neglected, yet important, facets of the theology of Daniel is how his personal mission in Babylon informs the Church’s mission in the world. One value of preaching through Daniel is that your congregants who work for a living gain insights into their mission.

In Daniel 6:2 we learn Daniel’s job description: “…so that the king might suffer no loss.” That was Daniel’s job as one of the king’s “three high officials.” Verse 3 records that Daniel surpassed them all.

Imagine Daniel reasoning this way: “The king is ungodly, therefore I cannot put my heart into making sure he suffers no loss.” Lots of Christian people feel this kind of tension. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a Christian who said, “My mission for God in this world is to make sure my boss succeeds.” I’ve met tons who said, “My mission for God in this world is the share the gospel.”

Caveat: I am all for evangelism. God, however, was interested in us seeing another kind of evangelism. Let’s call it, evangelism by excellence.

In his commentary, Duguid writes, “[Daniel] had now served the empire faithfully for almost 70 years….Daniel’s life was…completely free from corruption and negligence.” What a great testimony! Imagine helping your parishioners catch a vision for surviving their exile as strangers and aliens by serving the earthly empire in which they find themselves. It’s quite a mission. When the king stated Daniel’s mission, he put it like this: “O Daniel, servant of the living God…whom you serve continually…” I thought Daniel was serving the king?

Of course, Paul wrote, “…all that will live godly…suffer persecution.” In Daniel’s case, he the whole lion’s den scenario didn’t occur because he verbally defended truth. He was about to suffer because he lived a godly life. The whole narrative is about persecution: the persecution we should expect (vv. 1-9, 14-18), the reaction we should exhibit (vv. 10-13) and the power God has to deliver us (vv. 19-28).

While we can’t promise our folks that God will always deliver us from death, we know He will ultimately deliver us through death because His Son, our Savior, didn’t fare so well as Daniel. At least not at first. The lion devoured our Savior, but God raised Him from the den! Those who trust Him embrace their mission.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

 

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Preaching What’s Definitely Wrong in the Narrative (part 8 of preaching Daniel)

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Daniel 5:1-31 presents a challenge due to its size. But it only takes the first four verses to see that something’s definitely wrong. The something that’s wrong the ultimate act of idolatry. Verse 4 concludes the party scene with: “They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.” It’s a slap to God’s face.

The writer of Daniel let’s us know that this is wrong by recording Daniel’s speech to the idolatrous king in verse 23: “but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven….And you have praised the gods of silver and gold….but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.”

So, in verse 23 God provides us with the problem and solution. Our sermon is a time to urge all the faith-family to “go and do otherwise.” Genuine Christians do not follow the king’s example. We keep ourselves from idolatry of all kinds, especially the American idols. We praise “the God in whose hand is [our] breath.” We honor Him and Him alone.

The famous scene of the divine handwriting on the wall and Daniel’s interpretation of that pen-on-plaster describe God’s reaction to the king’s arrogant idolatry. It also advances our application and links us to the Gospel.

First, each one of us at the judgment will be weighed in the balances. Apart from the righteousness Christ, all of us will be “found wanting” (v. 27). But the cross shows us a Savior, the only human ever to live a perfect life, found wanting because of our sins. Because God found Him wanting due to our sins, we have the assurance of facing the judgment without fear. Genuine Christians live a life that reflects the fact that we praise and honor God alone.

For anyone who wonders whether this decision is the right one, give them a good look at how Daniel fares in this chapter.

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

Randal

 

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Top Four Questions The Spiritual-But-Not-Religious Are Asking: Part 4 of What Are Our Listeners Thinking?!)

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One of the things I learned from Mercadante’s book, Belief Without Borders, is that the spiritual but not religious (SBNR) routinely ask the following questions:

1. Is there anything larger than myself, any sacred or transcendent dimension, any Higher Power?

2. What does it mean to be human?

3. Is spiritual growth primarily a solitary process or is it done with others?

4. What will happen to me, if anything, after death? (p. 15)

These four themes kept coming up in Mercadante’s interviews and it reminded me of the need to keep them in mind during sermon preparation and delivery.

You may have seen similar lists. The concept of creating a sermon series from such questions has been around for a while. Number 4, for instance, is certainly not new.

However, while the sermon series idea has merit, I find it more effective to include these questions and answers in any sermon where they apply. Over the long haul of pastoral preaching week in and week out, congregants will benefit more from hearing answers to these questions embedded in sermons that are not particularly aimed at these questions.

Although the SBNR are not represented solely by one age bracket, I find the younger crowd asking these questions. Young professionals and artists voice their concerns more readily than my parent’s generation. If you have younger people in your church they will appreciate any time you address their questions.

You won’t have any trouble identifying questions #1 and #2 in most preaching portions. Virtually every Sunday affords opportunity to spend a minute or two on them.

Question #3 caught my eye. As the years go by, more and more people are believing less and less in the local church. The days of Mrs. Jones teaching Sunday School for thirty years seems to be gone. Question #3 will continue to be an issue pastors will have to address for years to come. In churches over 200 attendees, a smaller percentage of parishioners are involved in small groups. A greater percentage only attend Sunday morning worship and have little, if any, contact with others throughout the week.

Before Sunday, see if any of these four big questions can be addressed so that God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

 

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Bookend Theology: The Key to Handling Daniel 4:1-37 (part 7)

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I’ll get right to the point: the bookends of Daniel 4:1-3 and 34-35 lead the way to showing how a large chapter functions for the church. Those bookends anchor meaning.

Daniel 4 begins and ends with the king’s confession of the sovereignty of God. The king’s dream (vv. 4-18), Daniel’s interpretation of the dream (vv. 19-27), and God’s fulfillment of the dream (vv. 28-33) all contribute to explaining how the king got to the point of repentance and confession of the sovereignty of God.

Such a large chapter requires this kind of analysis. Unless you want to spend three or four sermons on this chapter, knowing how the parts fit together is critical.

And the bookends? Well, they show the king displaying the kind of attitude towards “the Most High” (cf. vv. 2, 34) that every true Christian displays.

In the middle is our nemesis: arrogance that thinks we’re god and God is not and all the sins that accompany such pride.

I title this message: Embracing the Humble Faith “that heaven rules”: Remaining Godly in an Ungodly World.

In his book, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis has a chapter called, “The Great Sin.” On page 114 he wrote, “The first step [to becoming humble] is to realize that one is proud.” The king in Daniel 4 shows us how proud we are. Actually the king’s pride expresses human pride: our naive thinking that we can ascend God’s heaven and overtake His rule (cf. v. 11 “The tree grew large and became strong, and its height reached to the sky, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth”).

God graciously forced the king to recognize his pride. The bookends of the chapter show a humbled king and his stance is shared by every genuine Christian. That’s because our Savior humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Cf. Philippians 2:1ff.).

I hope this helps you see how such a long apocalyptic chapter can function for the church for His glory (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Preaching to the “Fuzzy Faithful” (part 3 of: What Are Our Listeners Thinking?!)

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Reading, Belief Without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious, reminded me that I have to do a better job preaching to various kinds of Believers. It’s not enough to think in terms of saved and unsaved. Within the category of the “saved” are professing Christians experiencing less-than-desired reactions to the Word of God.

The author writes:

“it has always been obvious to religious leaders that there are many ‘fuzzy’ faithful sitting in their pews; people who are neither completely clear, completely in agreement, nor completely faithful to the tents of their religion” (p. 11).

Maybe it’s always been obvious, but that doesn’t mean pastors preach with these kinds of people in mind.

To the slightly confused I could say: “Let me try to make that clearer. In other words…”

To the slightly disagreeable I could say: “Let me try to prove this because you might not be buying it yet…”

To the slightly unfaithful (is that like saying someone is slightly pregnant?!) I could say: “Some of you know God has not been able to rely on you lately in this area…”

Most, if not all, of these kinds of listeners would claim to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Effective preachers like Jonathan Edwards or D. M. Lloyd-Jones made it a habit to challenge that claim. They pointedly spoke to various categories of listeners. They acknowledged the presence of those overhearing worship; they spoke directly to various categories within the camp called Christian.

God help us do the same for the sake of His reputation in the Church and in the world (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

 

 

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Saints Under Pressure: Preaching Through Daniel (part 6)

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One of the main themes in the book of Daniel is our allegiance to Christ being put to the test. It’s part of the overall theme of Christians remaining godly in an ungodly world.

Daniel 3:1-30 is a long narrative that preaches theology as Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, face intense pressure to commit idolatry. I outlined it this way:

1. The pressure to join in on idol worship (vv. 1-7)

2. The threat if we don’t (vv. 8-15)

3. The faith to say “No!” (vv. 16-18)

4. The deliverance our God provides (vv. 19-30)

This famous escape story is a picture of how every Christian is tested in this world. One of the key observations is in vv. 2-3 when seven kinds of professionals, plus “all the officials of the provinces” attend the official dedication of an idol. Fewell wrote, “conformity is normative, disobedience is unthinkable.”

Christians follow the trio’s example. It’s a “go and do likewise” sermon. They remain loyal to God despite the enormous threat that could cost them their lives.

That means spending some time in the sermon defining idolatry. You might also want to show how sin, at its root, is connected to idolatry. It helps to recite or show a list of typical American idols (see Keller’s, Counterfeit Gods).

And then, for those of you who want to practice a consistent Christo-centric interpretation, you’ll be quick to highlight the fourth Person in the fiery furnace that looked like “a son of the gods” (v. 25). On the cross, Jesus stayed in the fire for us so we could pass through the fire having God with us. We can’t always promise we won’t die due to persecution, but God promises to save those who worship Him alone.

(an aside) Before Sunday, check your outline to see if it contains the unity of your preaching portion. If you’re preaching a narrative this weekend, see if your main idea reflects the plot. The plot drives the theology.

Preach a good sermon for the sake of God’s reputation in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Expository Lecturer or Expository Preacher? Which one are you?

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You may have seen this picture. There’s two ways of looking at it. You can see the left side of a young woman’s face looking away from the camera or you can see an old hag looking sideways at you. If you can’t see both, don’t panic. The post may still be helpful.

Years ago I learned from Haddon Robinson that there were two ways to look at preaching. I paraphrase it this way:

Preachers don’t talk to parishioners about the Bible. They talk to parishioners about them from the Bible.

Last Thursday afternoon I enjoyed the privilege of meeting with other preachers and teachers of Scripture to talk about a strategy of keeping our sermons aimed at the listeners. In other words, how can we function as preachers, not lecturers when we’re trying so hard to be biblical.

  • Review your style and see how many sermon minutes are spent talking to our listeners about the Bible. You’ll be surprised how many.
  • In the introduction, tell your listeners how your preaching portion is intended to facilitate worship (what will this Scripture do to them). Don’t wait for the “application” section.
  • Throughout the sermon, repeat and restate that intention. Usually we think about repeating and restating major points or major themes. Don’t let them forget that God is speaking to them.
  • Include background material sparingly. David Buttrick wrote, “The gospel is not biblical background” (Homiletic, p. 347). Some of us need to be reminded of that. My rule is: only give background information that is absolutely necessary for understanding the meaning of your preaching portion. If you use that rule, you will discover you can save precious preaching minutes.

Before Sunday, while you’re working on your sermon manuscript, check your stance. Is it mostly “about the Bible” or “about them from the Bible”? Expository preachers never let congregants forget that God’s Word is aimed at them for the sake of His reputation in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Preach a good sermon, will ya?

Randal