Category Archives: exegesis

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Adding Theological Depth to Preaching by Answering the “Why” Question: Another Example

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Explore another level of exegesis with me.

This is the third post aimed at helping us think about adding theological depth to our preaching. The reason why it is important is because most of our exegetical methods do not include this aspect of sermon development.

At this stage of my thinking I am still considering answering the “Why?” question part of theological exegesis (TE). But I usually think of TE as exegeting a text in its broader immediate and canonical context so it functions for the church, part of theological interpretation (TI).

I am toying with terms like, Implicational Exegesis (IE), or Philosophical Exegesis (PE). I’ll take any suggestions.

Another example of this level of exegesis is in Matthew 1:23 “…they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”

Since Matthew already does the heavy lifting in the word study aspect of exegesis, it’s up to us to ask why the arrival of “God with us” is significant.

Well, I can tell you that the answer to that question is not easy to find in major commentaries. It will take much theological thinking, thus justifying the label of theological exegesis. We’re asking the question, “Where in the Bible do we learn the significance of having
God with us?” and “When we locate such doctrine, what do we learn about what His presence means for His people?”

If we don’t reach that exegetical depth in our sermon, it will be impossible for listeners to connect emotionally with this stated fact. [I am using “connect emotionally” to convey the times when our parishioners feel praise welling up in them because of the reality.]

So, whatever we end up calling it, I find this to be an important, time consuming element of our exegetical practice.

And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as a result of our efforts to dig a bit deeper into His glorious revelation.

Randal

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Adding Theological Depth To Your Preaching: Asking The “Why” Question Continued

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Learn to get below the surface of theological concepts like “sin.”

A couple of weeks ago I posted on how answering the “why” question can add theological depth to our preaching.

First, when I advocate adding theological depth, I am not talking about the common notion that “deep” preaching is difficult to understand. I am talking about fleshing out the implications of key doctrines in a preaching portion. One way to do that is to look for unanswered “why” questions.

For instance, this coming Sunday, Lord willing I will be preaching Matthew 1:18-25. Verse 21 reads,

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

One question and answer that adds theological depth to preaching this section is,

“Why is being saved from our sins so important?”

The text does not tell us. We add theological depth by answering that question for our listeners.

Probably our theologically astute listeners will respond with something like: “Having Jesus save us from our sins is important because we are under the condemnation of God.”

Very true, of course.

But what about the sanctifying effect of being saved from our sins? Most of our listeners will not think about the devastating effects of sin in our daily lives.

Consider this standard definition of sin:

any lack of conformity to the character of God, whether by act, disposition, or state (a definition that I still remember from my first year of ministry training back in 1980!).

Notice what is missing in this definition. It’s not that it’s not accurate; it’s just not accurate enough. What’s missing is the soul-destroying, joy-destroying effect of sin. And so in a sermon we could say something like:

“Having Jesus save us from our sins is important because not only are we under the condemnation of God, we are also slaves to soul-destroying, joy-destroying sins.”

My point is that many preaching portions demand us to answer this kind of “why” question. And when we do, our Lord will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Learning to Extend Your Exegesis by Asking “Why?”

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One Key To Explanatory Exegesis

I am calling one key element of deep exegesis, explanatory exegesis. I welcome other possible ways to identify it because I’m still not sure “explanatory exegesis” is the most accurate.

Here’s what I am talking about. This past Sunday I had the privilege of preaching Paul’s extraordinary prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. The request for spiritual strength for his readers culminates in v. 19 with the ability,

“…to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”

Standard exegetical practices will certainly uncover the paradox of knowing such a thing that can’t be fully known.

Explanatory exegesis goes a step further than lexical meanings and grammatical/syntactical relationships between the key terms in the clause. It explains why knowing the love of Christ is so important.

Why is that “why?” so important? Because God knows that knowing the unknowable love of Christ is the most important thing for His child to know.

But why?

Because God is the most important Being in the universe. Infinitely more valuable to the human psyche than social validation is being validated by God. Knowing Christ loves us is a most stabilizing reality.

Okay. That was my attempt to answer the question. The point is that it needs to be asked and answered in order for the prayer to have its intended impact. Paul assumes that his readers will recognize the importance of knowing Christ’s love and, therefore, gladly receive spiritual strength from the Lord.

I have found this kind of explanatory exegesis to be most fruitful in showing the relevance of Scripture.

If you haven’t done so yet, identify any place in your preaching/teaching portion for Sunday where the “Why?” question needs to be asked and answered. And as a result of your explanatory exegesis, may the Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Me and God in the Study

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Thinking about what I actually bring to the equation for a given Sunday Sermon

This weekend I am thinking about what I actually bring to the equation with respect to sermon development. I had the privilege to preach Luke 14:25-35 this morning where Jesus explains the high cost of following Him.

Sometimes I feel that I contribute very little except for the ability to read the best material that other scholars have provided. It is an important part of preaching, but I thought we might give this some thought.

First, is this feeling true? To what degree do I add original material to my sermons? Second, if it were true, is that okay?

So, first, it is not true. Each week I select my preaching portion, trace the argument of that Scripture, and begin my analysis without consulting any of the best exegetes and theologians I can access. Being able to read Hebrew and Greek help me use excellent lexicons to get to critical definitions-in-context. Oh, and God’s Spirit operates in answer to my prayers for insight: “Lord, grant to me keenness of mind, capacity to remember, skill in learning, subtlety to interpret…”

But, more than that, each Monday provides an opportunity to also identify the big idea and intention of that passage. I now know what God intends to do to those in our faith-family that have ears to hear. And I know enough of the flock to know this is going to be a very important act of watching over souls.

Second, if it were true that I brought very little to the sermon equation, it would not be okay. God has called me and is equipping me to help shepherd a little flock. Not someone else. So, while I might benefit from Marshall’s fine treatment of Luke 14, it can’t be Marshall’s sermon.

As we head back to work tomorrow morning and begin preparing for our next sermon, let’s enjoy our time with God and His Word so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Defining Sermon Application

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Think of Application in Terms of Being a Subject in God’s Kingdom.

As you develop your sermon or lesson this week, here are a couple of ways to think about application.

N. T. Wright provides a very broad understanding of biblical application. He believes that we are inviting our listeners into a different world.

That’s a good start. Our preaching and teaching invites them to move from their world to God’s world.

I like to be a bit more specific with respect to the nature of sermon application. I define application as:

“The process by which expository preachers and teachers urge their listeners to inhabit an area of the Kingdom of God.”

One way to assess the meaning of your preaching portion for this Sunday is to ask what particular area of the Kingdom of God is being highlighted.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as you put your exegetical skills to good use with the goal of inviting your listeners to inhabit God’s Kingdom.

Randal

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Sometimes You Need Less Exegesis and More Biblical and Systematic Theology

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Psalm 58 requires less exegesis, which equals more communication.

I just completed my extensive review for tomorrow morning’s sermon on Psalm 58 and encountered something rare.

Because of the nature of what are called Imprecatory Psalms, the Psalms where songs are worded as curses on the wicked.

If you preach through the Psalms you and your congregants will already be aware of conception sin or birth sin (v. 3). Earlier Psalms are filled with descriptions of the wicked.

But as soon as you get to v. 6 your listeners may have a problem asking,

“O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!”

Normal exegetical practices won’t do either. What’s needed in rare cases like this is a way to argue from Scripture that prayers like this are still pray-able for Christians today.

Check out a book by Kit Barker, Imprecations As Divine Discourse (2016). You can skip to chapter 5, if I remember correctly, and read the way he presents a theology of imprecation to say, “Yes, they should be prayed.” You’ll resonate with reasons such as Jesus, Paul, and Revelation announcing the same kinds of curses on God’s enemies.

Finally–you’ve probably thought about this–asking God to judge the wicked is not incompatible with you and I loving our enemies and praying for them.

Anyway, the “fierceness” of men who care about justice demands this kind of prayer to God. If He doesn’t hear our prayer, there is no hope for the righteous. But we know from Psalm 58 that He does and there is hope!

Preach judgment texts like Psalm 58 and our Lord will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. If you’re interested in a Christ-centered reading of Psalm 58 just remember that Christ didn’t pray this kind of prayer as He suffered and died for our sins and because He didn’t we can pray this prayer and experience the celebration of vv. 10-11.

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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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Developing Your Rhetorical Strategy or Extra-Exegetical Material: What I’m Learning from Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Earliest Sermons

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Photo by Vlad Sargu on Unsplash
How do you determine your next move?

One of the values of reading sermons is that you are able to learn something you can’t from a good commentary: how a pastor/theologian creates their rhetorical strategy.

Along with obvious exegetical/theological developments, sermons contain evidence of rhetorical strategy. Preachers show you how they logically move from minute to minute, major/minor point to point, or move to move.

For instance, in Edwards’s third recorded sermon in Kimnach’s volume 10 (The Works of Jonathan Edwards), Wicked Men’s Slavery To Sin (based on John 8:34), Edwards states the obvious doctrine: “Wicked men are servants and slaves to sin.” The verse says that much. But his opening move is labled:

“[Query] I. How does it appear that wicked men are servants and slaves to sin? Perhaps you may think with yourself, ‘I don’t see but that wicked men are happy, and live as free as the best men in the world.’ Or it may be you may object in your mind that you are very wicked yourself…” (p. 340)

As you can see, Edwards anticipates the response of his listeners, something Buttrick called, a contrapuntal. He expects pushback from his listeners right from the start. So before he does anything, he wants to make sure everyone knows that this verse/doctrine is reality.

You may have also noted that Edwards is acutely aware he is addressing some wicked people and this means anticipating their response.

I am more geared to filling message minutes with exegetical data, but Edwards aims at proving God’s Word to be true. He develops three proofs for this first Query, the last of which is:

“Thus, if sin requires them to steal, swear, defraud, or commit fornication, it is done; if sin command them to do that which tends to their own ruin and destruction, it is done” (p. 342)

In order to preach like this, Edwards must know what God says elsewhere in His Word about this subject matter (i.e., the ability to cross-reference in a way that develops his argument). Even before that, he has been trained to think in the direction of what I’m calling for now, extra-exegetical insights.

Before Sunday, you might explore places in your sermon where your listeners may not all be on board yet and need some coaxing.

And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) through your efforts.

Randal

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Add “powerful arguments” to Your Exegesis: What I’m learning from reading Jonathan Edwards’s Earliest Sermons

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The Part We Play in Persuading our Listeners to Worship Each Sunday

Some of you may recall that my first observation about Edwards’s preaching was that his sermons lacked the kind of exegesis I was used to. I was trained and practice exegesis that is heavy on word studies. To my surprise, Edwards’s early sermons so far show little lexical work.

The second recorded sermon in Kimnach’s book is, The Value of Salvation, based on Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

When Edwards arrived at his Exhortation, he states an obvious implication/application: “Let us take utmost care that we don’t lose our souls” (p. 329). He then restates Matthew 16:26 and writes,

“We have now heard the most powerful arguments in the world to persuade us [to] take care of our souls [emphasis added]” (p. 329).

Edwards was right: everyone in the house had heard the most powerful arguments in the world to persuade them to take care of their souls. How did he do it?

Glancing back into the sermon I picked up on two things.

  • Edwards had a comprehensive knowledge of Scripture so he could pull together key texts that spoke to his subject matter. In this case, Edwards relied on verses that spoke of the end of all earthly things.
  • Edwards was a careful observer of life with all its realities. For instance, Edwards reminded his audience that “Worldly good things are very uncertain” (p. 314). Speaking of our best earthly loves, “How uncertain are friends and relatives; their being dear to us won’t keep them from being take from us” (p. 316). So true. The same with, “And what rich man has there ever been whom riches have made happy?” (p. 318).

Page after page exhibits this foray into the minds of his listeners. And all for the purpose of getting them to this place:

“…let us take no thought for this present any otherwise than as the means of the good of our souls…” (p. 330).

There’s still a place in sermons for dictionary definitions of key terms. But I am learning from Edwards that lots of sermon space is needed for logical, theological, philosophical arguments that urge our listeners to their proper worship response to God’s revelation. It’s almost as if Edwards were saying, “Only a fool would not value the salvation of their soul!”

May we also be so forthright with our faith-families so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Your Search for the Interrelationship Between Ideas in your Preaching Portion

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It’s not too late for you to check your sermon notes and see how you have done connecting the dots in your preaching portion. I am learning that this might be the most significant exegetical skill for an expositor. It’s the ability to trace the argument of your text. Or, you might see it as showing how each major thought block in your text interrelates. This means we are looking for meaning beyond the sentence level.

I have been up to my neck in this aspect of discourse analysis for several weeks and months. Most recently, I had the privilege of teaching a Doctor of Ministry cohort (From the Study to Pulpit) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Here’s a look at that fine group:

A couple of weeks before that it was my privilege to talk about connecting the dots in apocalyptic literature with another D.Min. cohort at GCTS (Preaching the Literary Forms of the Bible):

And then, months ago, I was blessed to spend time talking about the importance of tracing the author’s argument with a group of Master’s level students at Lancaster Bible College/Capital Seminary & Graduate School (Advanced Homiletics).

In every case, we were amazed to see how meaning is formed in the Bible through the interrelationship between ideas in a selected preaching portion. Nothing makes us better expositors than starting by tracing the argument of a text. That is possible with the following steps:

  1. identify the major thought blocks in your text
  2. summarize each identified block in one sentence
  3. write out the logical transition that causes the writer to move out of block one into block two, etc.

In Luke 15 this might look like:

#1 Religious leaders grumbled because Jesus was eating with sinners (vv. 1-2)

Transition: So Jesus told them a parable to correct their grumbling about Him eating with sinners

#2 Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep to correct their grumbling (vv. 3-7)

#3 [you can finish it…]

And, because you understood the interrelationship between the opening narrative and the three-fold parable, you know you would end your sermon focused, not on the prodigal, but on the older brother! And that would drive your primary application away from calling prodigals home.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3;21) as we identify and communicate the interrelationship between ideas that exist in our preaching portions each Sunday.

Randal