Category Archives: application

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Original Exegesis Required: What I’m Learning From Co-Authoring A Commentary on the Book of Genesis

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Nothing Beats The Results Of Your Own Exegesis

Thanks to Dr. John Soden’s kind offer, for the past year or so we’ve been working together on Kregel Publishing’s soon to be released, Kerux Commentary series, designed especially for preachers. Kerux features a tag-team approach to writing that links an Old or New Testament biblical scholar with a homiletician (preaching scholar/practitioner).

John is a fine Old Testament professor at Lancaster Bible College|Capital Seminary & Graduate School. He has the lion’s share of the work: presenting his exegesis and theological findings for each section. I contribute the Homiletical Author section that helps preachers navigate the journey from text to sermon.

A couple of months ago while writing my HA section it hit me:

I am struggling to move from John’s excellent analysis to the homiletical material because he’s done the spade-work, not me.

I realized that this was the first time in my life I was using someone’s else’s material to prepare a sermon.

To his credit, John is one of those rare exegetes that consistently moves from exegetical findings to theological expressions that are preacher-friendly. That means that he has made my job very easy.

Except for one thing…

In my shepherding ministry in the local church, the Lord has given me the responsibility of doing original study in the text and presenting my findings to my listeners. It’s not that I don’t use commentaries and other sources; it’s just that those supplement my own exegesis and theological and homiletical thinking.

God has gifted me and you to do this.

God intends to guide our exegetical/theological/homiletical process.

God holds us accountable for preaching and teaching truth.

And maybe most important…

God wants to speak to you and me directly during the whole process so we respond in the study before we ask others to do so in the sermon.

May you be encouraged tomorrow (or Tuesday?) as you begin your own original sermon preparation. Lord willing, in the foreseeable future I will write about my Monday morning routine. In the meantime, may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as work your own method.

Randal

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What Is True Vs. What Is Real: What I’m Learning By Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Earliest Sermons

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Replacing an emphasis on what is true with what is real.

In Kimnach’s introduction to Edwards’s sermon, The Nakedness Of Job, he explains one of Edwards’s most pressing preaching issues. Kimnach puts it this way:

“the problem for men is not one of coming to terms with truth, but rather with reality” (p. 400).

Edwards put it like this:

“All the world knows the truth of this doctrine perfectly well, but though they know, yet it don’t seem at all real to them…” (pp. 400, 406)

Kimnach keenly summarizes Edwards’s goal:

“Calling attention to the reality with accepted truths, or discovering a rhetoric that would make truth real to his audience, was to become the central mission for Edwards as a preacher” (p. 400).

Edwards knew that knowing something is true is not necessarily the same as knowing something is real.

This is something for me to keep thinking about as I study each week:

(1) What is the reality that accompanies the accepted truth?

(2) How can I preach and teach in such a way that can help my listeners sense the reality in the truth they know?

It’s an interesting look at what causes a person to implement Scripture as an act of worship. If it’s real to them, it moves them. Emotions alone can do it too, but Edwards, the author of Religious Affections, would have none of that.

I hope this angle helps you in your mission so God continues to receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Practical Theology Indeed! What I’m Learning from Jonathan Edwards’s Earliest Sermons

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“…we are not made for an earthly happiness” (J. Edwards)
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

I am reading Jonathan Edwards’s earliest sermons so I can hear someone else preach to me. He is also the consummate pastor-theologian so he’s a great role model for me in that area. He has the God-given ability to analyze Scripture to death while still remaining intensely practical for his 18th century New England congregants.

There. That should be enough rationale for why I choose to read Edwards.

The quote underneath the picture is from Edwards’s sermon, Nakedness of Job. His application falls under the heading, Improvement. I. Use of Infor….Second.

“Hence we learn that we are not made for an earthly happiness. God certainly never made man for that sort of happiness which he cannot hold; he was never made for that happiness which, almost as soon as enjoyed, flies from us and leaves us disappointed.”

And I would add, “…or grieving.”

Think about your preaching and teaching and look at how often such insight comes into play. Think about all the times when we are urging our listeners to love God supremely on the one hand, or warning them about certain temptations on the other hand. In either case the reminder that God did not make us for earthly happiness alone, apart from being happy in Him, can be extremely helpful.

As we move through Scripture, we and our listeners need constant reminders that the things that make us happy on earth are not ultimate things. Exceptions might be serving and worshiping God including all kinds of disciple-making.

This is great incentive for me not to hold too tightly to the things that bring me great joy on earth.

As you share this kind of practical theology with your listeners, may God receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Adding an Angle on Application

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If your spouse said this to you, what would they “mean”?

I am in the privileged position to be about 100 pages into my Ph.D. dissertation, writing on a topic that I am extremely interested in:

exploring whether or not an aspect of speech act theory, illocutionary action, provides a welcomed link between meaning and application.

If you’ve been preaching or teaching Scripture for any length of time, you are probably aware of how difficult it is at times–apart from the practical sections of most NT epistles–to move from meaning to application. We were taught detailed methods for doing exegesis; we were not given much help, if any, for doing theological exegesis that highlights Scripture’s function for the church.

Enter pragmatics, speech act theory, and, especially, this thing called illocution.

Using the image above, illocution, analyzes what the person means when they say to someone else, “The dog needs to go out.”

If Michele said that to me and I responded with, “That’s a nice fact, Dear,” she would quickly say, “What I meant was, please take the dog out.”

This morning I had the privilege of preaching Matthew 5:1-12, commonly known as the Beatitudes.

There are two prominent illocutionary acts in these verses. The easiest one to locate is in v. 12. The verse contains the command: “Rejoice and be glad…” The command itself equals the illocutionary intent of Matthew.

The tougher illocutionary act/intent is not so easy, but you will encounter it over and over again in both Testaments. All of vv. 3-11 begin with, “Blessed are…”

Jesus teaches His listeners a statement of reality: these kinds of people are blessed. In order for anyone to put v. 12 into practice, they must first believe that Jesus’s stated reality is true of their situation. The stated reality is intended to elicit an act of faith.

Watch for various statements of reality in either Testament God will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as you encourage your listeners to respond in the way God intended.

Randal

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Learning the Goodness of God in Joining Happiness to our Duty: What I’m Learning from Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Earliest Sermons

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What obeying God’s commands feels like unless we consider…

It still surprises me that Edwards’s first recorded sermon might be, Christian Happiness. That’s the last thing I expected out of such a serious Puritan!

What I now do expect from Edwards is rigorous theological thinking that urges me to love God supremely for all the right reasons.

Since God says in Isaiah 3:10 that it shall be well with the righteous person Edwards reasons, “They certainly are the wisest men that do those things that make most for their happiness.”

Makes perfect sense. When temptation strikes and I feel the pull toward unrighteousness, I am headed for unhappiness. Obedience to God–righteousness–seems very difficult. Edwards’s fourth inference is:

“Hence learn the great goodness of God in joining so great happiness to our duty” (p. 303, emphasis added).

It’s one thing to be motivated to right living by eternal happiness or it’s opposite, eternal torment. But Edwards says God has motivated us in a number of ways pertaining to this life now including…

“…but the thing required of us shall not only be easy but a pleasure and delight, even in the very doing of it. How much the goodness of God shines forth even in his commands!” (p. 304)

And, finally…

“All that he desires of us is that we would not be miserable, that we would [not] follow those courses which of themselves would end in misery, and that we would be happy” (p. 304).

Edwards has helped me see the importance of following God’s example of motivating obedience from the angle of our own happiness. And may our Lord use our efforts so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Fighting the Temptation to Copy Cat the Temptation of Jesus in Luke 4

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tumblr_me2akxOmXA1rt9g3io1_500

The picture above from tumblr.com is a fitting reminder of the temptation we face to copy the actions of Jesus in the Gospels. Luke 4:1-13 records the devil tempting Jesus to sin. First, notice the link between Luke 3:38 (“the son of God”) and Luke 4:3, 9. Luke is showing us how the Son of God handled temptation, not primarily how we should handle it. Luke shows us a Savior who defeated Satan in Luke 4 and would ultimately defeat him at the end of the Story on the cross. It is because we have such a Savior that we have any hope of defeating temptation, too. We don’t defeat temptation because we can quote appropriate verses from Deuteronomy (just think how helpless a brand new Christian is until they build up enough Scripture memory to tackle a variety of temptations!). No, first, we defeat temptation when we trust our Savior to do what we cannot do. Then, we can copy Jesus by living out the Scripture we know to be truer than temptations’ lies.

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The Two-Sided Benefits of Finding God: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Earliest Sermons

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Learning to Preach Both Sides…

In Kimnach’s volume 10 (The Works of Jonathan Edwards), he includes a Fragment: On Seeking.

Even though we can’t read the usual doctrinal section, we have this fragment of a sermon application that shows Edwards preaching the two-sided benefits of seeking and finding God.

The two sides are: “…if you find God….

  1. You will find a Savior, and an everlasting sure defense from all evil…which when obtained, will effectually deliver one, and when delivered will eternally preserve and defend one, from all manner of evil.” (p. 382)

Edwards does his best to prove to his listeners that they would certainly seek after something that would do that in the physical realm (such as seeking after a medicine that would protect from a disease–think COVID-19!)

But it’s the second answer that helped me the most in my preaching.

2. “But second, if you find God, beside that you will find all good; you will not only be freed from all evil, but be brought to the possession of all good.” (p. 383)

And this is exactly what every one of our listeners is listening and looking for. And, of course, this is what temptation promises to give: ultimate happiness.

Edwards is a master at convincing his listeners that it is in their best interest to love God supremely. So, he defines God as “an infinite, self-sufficient, all-sufficient, essential, overflowing good: he is the source of all good.” (p. 383)

Thanks to Edwards I’m learning to preach both sides, protection from evil and possession of good.

May our Lord help us preach both sides of the same coin so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Preaching the Christian Life as a Race and a Warfare: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Earliest Sermons

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Grace is not opposed to effort, but to earning (Dallas Willard, I think?)
Photo by Sarah Cervantes on Unsplash

In the second recorded sermon of Jonathan Edwards in Kimnach’s volume, Value of Salvation, Edwards urges his listeners:

“We must in these things strive with all our might….The Christian life, for that reason, because of the diligence and labor that is required in it, is called a race and a warfare, because in running and fighting generally the utmost of the powers are laid out. [emphasis added]” (p. 332)

One thing I’ve gained from Edwards’s earliest sermons is his homiletical habit of preaching both grace and effort.

My experience in 29 years of being in a Bible Church environment has taught me that that combination makes some uncomfortable. Many hear effort as “works” or earning salvation, which of course according to Paul, cancels grace.

What that means, then, is that those listeners have the tendency to dilute the strength of the effort required in certain texts.

Typical Edwards, he reasons with his listeners from what they all know to be true in the world: “nothing that is great and excellent is attained unto without difficulty…” (p. 332).

But be prepared: to the degree your listeners hold tightly to the doctrine of eternal security, they will be able to hear such language such as, “Kill sin or it will kill you!” [Hear I’m thinking of someone like Owens who wrote, Of the Mortification of Sin] Usually, the firmer the belief in eternal security, the softer they will believe in effort.

So, for me in my setting Edwards reminds me to make sure I announce God’s gracious invitation and grueling exhortation all at the same time.

Every time I do it’s worth it and I hope seeing Edwards’s emphasis at the end of this sermon helps solidify your resolve so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Do You Tend Toward “You” Or “We” Applications?: What I’m Learning from Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Early Sermons

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For years I’ve practiced listening to or reading sermons, beginning with the concluding applications/exhortations and then going back to the beginning of the sermon. That’s because there is an organic connection between sermon application and meaning. Actually, during the application segment of a sermon you are finally telling your listeners what a pericope means as a whole.

Edwards’s earliest recorded sermons have a final section called, Use. The Use includes numbered Inferences and Exhortations.

When Edwards gets to his first exhortation he begins to lead them off with “You…” No listener could miss that Edwards was preaching directly to them. One of the helpful elements of Edwards’s preaching is how he clearly addresses various kinds of listeners in his church.

So, it made me wonder whether you consider yourself to be a “you” or a “we” kind of preacher/teacher.

I prefer to balance the “you’s” with the “we’s” for pastoral reasons that Edwards did not take into consideration: I want my faith-family to know that I am with them in their worship-response to God’s Word.

(Maybe that’s our biggest problem with “preaching at people”: we sound like we’re placing ourselves above the Word and, therefore, above them with respect to our need to submit to God’s Word too.)

However, like Edwards, I also want them to know God has called me to shepherd them. That’s where the “you’s” come in. Both the ungodly and the godly knew exactly what God was saying to them by the time Edwards was done! For instance, Edwards aims at the ungodly: “you have taken up, contented hitherto, with such a sort of pleasure as the beast enjoy as well as you.” (p. 305) Yikes!

And, even if you prefer the “you” version of applications, your non-verbal communication can continue to let everyone in the house know that you are with them in their response to God’s Word.

May our applications contribute to God’s glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Edwards’s Unique Angle On Application: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Early Sermons

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I’ve learned that Edwards referred to the application of a sermon as “improvement or use” (Kimnach, p. 38). The improvement section of the sermon was usually the longest of the three that we explored in previous posts (text, doctrine, application).

Listen to how Edwards transitions to the application section of Genesis 19:14 defines application:

“The Improvement we shall make of this doctrine shall be to offer some considerations to make future punishment seem real to you” (p. 39).

What we normally think of as application–putting Scripture into practice or applying life to the Bible–includes helping our listeners experience the reality of a Scripture. In the case of Genesis 19:14 the Lord was about to bring judgment down on the city, but Lot’s son-in-laws didn’t take the warning seriously. Edwards feared some of his listeners would not be able to experience the reality of God’s judgment.

So, Edwards will create hypothetical situations that help his listeners imagine what it’s like to enter God’s story. He calls this the

“willing suspension of disbelief” (p. 39).

Edwards reminds us that, deep down, we struggle believing God’s reality as described/prescribed in Scripture. So the improvement of a biblical text involves helping our listeners suspend their disbelief so they will believe and obey God’s Word.

[Remember, every act of disobedience is first and foremost an act of unbelief. So we attack disobedience by attacking unbelief.]

Edwards shined at creating these hypothetical situations through analogy. In his first sermon, Christian Happiness, he helps us experience not being “afraid of any temporal afflictions whatsoever” (p. 301) with this analogy:

“the pain of the prick of a pin” (p. 302).

Edwards reasons that the prick lasts a minute but yields seventy years of prosperity. The prick of a pin is nothing to fear in this case. The same goes for seventy years of trouble in this world compared to “an eternity of the highest happiness” (p. 302).

Trust me. That section will have you feeling differently about temporal troubles!

So, before Sunday, look at your sermon application and see if you are helping your listeners suspend their unbelief for a moment so they embrace God’s world as their own. And He will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal