While I’m in our series on Romans 12-16, I have time to share some insights from my readings. I have thoroughly enjoyed, Preaching & Preachers. A few days ago I read Lloyd-Jones’ take on how long sermons should be. He helped me when he said besides considering your preaching style (“Ten minutes from some men seems like an age, while an hour from another passes like a few minutes” pp. 252-253), “The length of the sermon should also vary, I think, with the matter. Some things can be said in a short time, in a brief compass, and we should always handle them accordingly, and not feel that we have to spin it out so as to last for a given length of time” (p. 253). This helped because I tend to create sermons that are 40-45 minutes long, no matter the size or subject matter of the selected preaching portion. Being in Romans 12 right now provides opportunities for shorter sermons due to the, sometimes, brief commands. While it’s true that some churches limited time for preaching (many now around 15 minutes) may indicate a devaluing of Scripture, it doesn’t have to be that way for all preaching portions. Shorter sermons don’t always indicate that we’ve short-changed Scripture.
Randal Pelton, Ph.D., D.Min., Th.M.
Senior Pastor, Professor
Meaning Through Contrast
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Romans 12:12 reads, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” I have found it helpful to explain the meaning of commands by exploring the opposites of these attitudes and actions. If you decide, for instance, to preach verse 12, each command becomes one major thought block. Each thought block might contain a brief segment on how the un-renewed mind thinks and acts (cf. the context of Romans 12:2 where the renewing of your mind is the way the transformation of a Christian occurs). So, instead of being patient in tribulation, the un-renewed mind is focused on the irritation the troubling circumstances are causing and wants out. The contrast helps everyone understand the meaning of being patient in tribulation.
The Chief Thing According to LLoyd-Jones
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My current preaching series in church on Romans 12-16 does not present as many hermeneutical issues as the previous series in Isaiah or Joshua. This gives me some time to talk about other important matters that pertain to those of us who preach. I’m currently enjoying the 40th anniversary edition of Preaching & Preachers which began as a series of lectures LLoyd-Jones gave at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in the late 60’s. In pages 130-131 he makes us homileticians squirm, but helps us all refocus when he writes, “The chief thing is the love of God, the love or souls, a knowledge of the Truth, and the Holy Spirit within you. These are the things that make the preacher….That is the big thing.” (p. 131).
Preaching Little Ideas
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Find Meaning in the Transitions
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Recently, I completed a series through Isaiah 1-40 and have begun the latter part of Romans (chapters 12-16). It’s been a while since I was in an epistle and I had forgotten how important the transitions are. The logical connections within and between verses often create meaning. That means, for instance, that when you’re preaching on 12:3 and the subject of humility, the character traits means something in relation to understanding the will of God (v. 2). Having an accurate or proper assessment of yourself serves the larger thought of living out God’s will. Of course, in a relatively short section like the first few verses of chapter 12, you can keep allowing the connections and transitions to flesh out meaning. Work your way back up through the paragraph so that you see every connection. Then decide how far back to you have to take your congregants in order to allow v. 3 and humility to mean what God intended through all those connections and transitions. This is easier at the beginning of a section like chapter 12, but gets more difficult to remember and implement the further you get into a lengthy section of epistolary instructions.
Preaching Practical Christian Instruction
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The Link Between Theme And Application
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A Final Look at Our Need to Wholly Trust Our Lord
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Isaiah 39:1–40:5 brings me to the end of my sermon series on Isaiah. I began the series in September and determined to preach the first major part of the book for now. Lord willing, I’ll be able to return to complete the book at a later date. The narrative is strategically placed to show at the end of the first major section that Hezekiah, the king of previous faith, is not the promised Messiah. He displays a lack of faith in God’s ability to deliver and we read of the consequences of unbelief. The story is designed to make us say, “I don’t want that to happen to me!” The first paragraph of chapter 40 provides good news of the possibility of redemption and cleansing. Relevance can be shown through the temptation (39:1-2), the consequences of succumbing to temptation (39:3-8), and our only hope (40:1-5). Christ is portrayed in the arrival of God. The promise that God would arrive unhindered is fulfilled in Christ’s coming. This is why John the baptizer quoted Isaiah in Matthew 3:1-3. The narrative is both functioning as an exemplar (“go and do otherwise”) and also point to Christ who is the object of our faith and the source of our spiritual life.
Hezekiah is a good example to a point
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In Isaiah 37-38 Hezekiah is being portrayed as a good example to follow. He is the king of faith and his faith is displayed through his prayers in these two chapters. No doubt, Hezekiah’s prayers are recorded to urge us to believe like he did. His impending death in 38:1 becomes an opportunity to trust the Lord for healing. It is important to note that Hezekiah’s lifestyle (v. 3) seems like leverage before God. Hezekiah can say to God what the rest of the nation couldn’t. Hezekiah’s faith is used by God to save God’s city (cf. v. 6). Unlike Ahaz, Hezekiah does believe and his faith affects the will of God. Then, beginning at v. 9 Hezekiah, like King David, writes a psalm of thanksgiving. His journal has been called “a meditation on mortality” and it teaches us how to live. All of us should live such a life of faith that we are able to experience a similar view on death and life (cf. especially the promise or vow in v. 20). Hezekiah is portrayed in these two chapters as being mortal. That fact forces us to look to our King who is never sick or to “the point of death.” As we trust Christ, we are changed by the Spirit to follow Hezekiah’s example.
“In whom do you now trust…?: Measuring our Faith 30 Chapters Later
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Isaiah 36:1–37:13 contain a narrative that brings us back to the same issue confronting God’s people back in chapter 7. Back then, King Ahaz was in a situation in which his faith in God was tested. He failed miserably. Now, 30 chapters later King Hezekiah, another king of Judah, is faced with a similar test. He succeeds. What makes this section so helpful is the data concerning how the enemy attacks faith (36:1-15, 18-20; 37:8-13). A human king comes face to face with a Davidic King and the question is which king rules. The enemy does everything to erode our confidence in God’s ability to deliver. The enemy also makes incredible promises which are hard to pass up (36:16-17). It’s interesting that every time a Believer worries, for instance, in that moment they have accepted the enemy’s sweet deal instead of God’s promise. Yet, we’re given an example of faith as Hezekiah sends his officials to Isaiah to tell him what is happening and to ask for prayer. Isaiah’s message to Hezekiah (37:5-7) are designed to bolster faith in God’s faithfulness to deliver His own who trust Him.