Category Archives: apocalyptic

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Preaching Through The Book of Daniel (What Was I Thinking?!)

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I began preaching through the book of Daniel on the first Sunday in June, 2015. I was hoping Jesus would return before then, but He didn’t.

For the next several posts, I will be sharing some of the things I learned from preaching through a largely apocalyptic book. The posts may help if you’re planning to teach or preach through Daniel some day. They will also help if your teaching and preaching plan includes preaching any apocalyptic material. Apocalyptic books seem to share characteristics, like this first one:

Pay attention to the way Daniel begins and ends.

The focus and purpose of Daniel is found at the beginning and end of the book. This is important because all of the incredibly difficult-to-understand visions in the final six chapters find their meaning in connection with the focus/purpose found at the edges.

So, in Daniel 1:4 the “youths” are described as “skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning…” Then, in Daniel 12:3 God’s people who will be delivered in the end are described as “those who are wise…”

Daniel is structured to signal all professing Christians to make sure that this description fits them. Those that remain godly in an ungodly world are the wise. These are genuine Believers. They understand what God is doing in the world and what He expects of them. These are the ones that know how to navigate a world where the ungodly are in power (more on that in another post). These are the ones that know what to do with information about the coming age of final salvation and final judgment.

Usually, I would end with a, “Before Sunday…,” assignment, but that will be a little more difficult with these posts. Unless, of course you’re teaching/preaching apocalyptic material. If so, check to see where your theme and purpose for the book comes from. Often the beginning and end will supply this critical information for biblical preaching so that God receives glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Preach a good sermon, will ya?!

Randal

P.S. A Christ-centered interpretation will show how Christ is “made unto us wisdom…”

 

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One of Preaching’s Primary Goals: Preparing Parishioners for the Return of Christ

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NCAA Duke Wisconsin Final Four Basketball

For the record, my wife, Michele, does not approve of this post. She is a Carolina grad which automatically means she strongly dislikes Duke. But that’s not important right now.

What is important is thinking about what we’re accomplishing when we preach. These two coaches have spent the last couple of days preparing their teams for tonight’s championship game. They will have their teams ready. They always do. That’s part of the reason why they are in the position they’re in.

In some ways, that’s what we do every Sunday. We make sure our parishioners are ready for the return of our Lord. In his commentary on Luke’s Gospel, Marshall writes, “We cannot ‘live carelessly until the End…and then reform ourselves at the last minute.'”

Some preaching portions make this a no-brainer. In Luke 21:34 Jesus says, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life…” Regardless of your eschatology, it’s hard to miss the fact that Jesus is preparing us for His return (in an earlier post I mentioned being careful to allow the Bible to inform our theology and not only the other way around, especially in these kinds of Texts).

But, in general, think of every sermon as contributing to this goal. Every preaching portion contributes to the goal of preparing our parishioners for the return of our Lord. Great coaches are known for getting their teams prepared. They have a reputation for making key adjustments at halftime.

Faithful shepherds enter their teaching times with the similar goal of making sure their congregants are prepared. Our goal is to create people who will be able “to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Before Sunday, see if you can identify how the purpose of your preaching portion connects with this purpose of creating a prepared people.

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

Randal

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Isaiah 65:17-25 Theology Through Visions of the Future

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Isaiah 65:17-25 contains a wonderful picture of the new world God will create for His people to inhabit. Your theology will probably lock you into either a millennium or eternal state understanding of the description. But do not let those systematic categories detract from Isaiah’s purpose. Long before Peter urges Christians to holy living in light of God’s return, Isaiah does the same. The description moves back and forth between the new creation and marred creation. God knows that His children will read this description and desperately want to inhabit His new world. Isaiah 65:23 describes the type of person who will live there. Cf. Genesis 17:7 and Isaiah 53:10. This person was described repeatedly as God’s “servants” in Isaiah 65:13-14. Isaiah is ending as he began: urging all professing Believers to give proof of their faith through obedience to the Word of God (the opposite of rebellion). The Gospel is prefigured in Isaiah 65:20. On the cross our Savior was the accursed sinner, dying the death we should have died. His death and resurrection life opens the door into God’s new world for all who genuinely believe.