Category Archives: exegesis

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Transforming History Into Theology (part 9 of what preachers do to the Bible to create sermons)

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Leadership-and-personal-transformation

This series of posts contains a list of some of the things preachers do to the Bible to create sermons. We perform all kinds of operations on the Bible so that it functions for the Church. One important thing preachers do is  turn history into theology. In our hands, narrative scenes and dialogue from the Old or New Testament go through a metamorphosis. History is transformed into theology, what God is saying to the Church or how God wants the Church to respond to Him.

A couple of weeks ago I reread sections of Buttrick’s, Homiletic, to review his idea of preaching in the mode of immediacy. In the book he says, “What the minister plots, then, is not a story, but a sequence of responses to a story as the story progresses” (p. 362). The sequence of responses to a narrative is another way of thinking through how the story is functioning for the Church. We do not simply retell the plot, but show how the plot conveys theology.

This is one of the most difficult parts of studying the Bible for sermons. Not much has been written to help us move from Text to theology without sacrificing the integrity of the Text. In other words, not all our timeless principles are actually taught in Scripture.

In Luke 14:15-24 Jesus teaches a parable to help us make sure we’ve really accepted God’s gracious invitation to experience LifePlus. This all began with someone exclaiming with dangerous optimism, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” The parable adds a dose of sobering realism to such dangerous optimism. The sermon focuses on the theology in this dialogue: that many who have first heard the gospel will not experience eternal life. It’s possible that many of our congregants said “yes” to God once in the past, but are not following Him now (see all the excuses in vv. 18-20, “I have bought a field….I have bought…oxen….I have married…”).

Before Sunday, if your preaching portion contains a narrative, see if your sermon shows evidence of transforming the caterpillar of history into the butterfly of theology.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation.

Randal

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Highlighting God’s Assumptions (part 7 of what we do to the Bible to create sermons)

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Warning

Despite the conventional wisdom–never assume anything–expository preachers spend time highlighting major information God assumes in a preaching portion.

For instance, in 2 Timothy 2:25 Paul continues instructing Timothy: “correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.” This paragraph provides instructions for one of the toughest parts of pastoral ministry: how we handle parishioners who are purposely or inadvertently causing trouble in church.

A major assumption in the instruction is that the parishioner is wrong and the pastor is right. That is not always the case. We’re not infallible (cf. 1 Timothy 5:19-20 for instruction on what to do when an elder sins). However, in order for this instruction to work, we have to assume that the parishioner in question is wrong and the pastor will be able to correct them. This is important because, if you’ve ever had to tangle with someone like this, you know they know they’re right. But, in this case, they’re wrong and need to be instructed. The instruction assumes this angle and it’s important to highlight the assumption.

You will discover that highlighting the assumption God is making will add tension to the teaching. The assumptions also help clarify and intensify the teaching, as is the case in the example above.

So, before Sunday, take a look at your preaching portion and see if there are any assumptions that need to be highlighted. When you locate the assumption, plan on a minute or so in the sermon to flesh it out. It will add a measure of depth to the theology your communicating.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the church/world.

Randal

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Honoring the Context from which OT Quotes Are Taken

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Context-is-King

If you ever preach on 2 Corinthians 9:1-11 and the subject of giving to the Lord’s work, you’ll encounter a quote from Psalm 112:9 “He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever” (2 Corinthians 9:9). Whenever your preaching portion quotes Scripture, it helps to read the immediate context from which the quote was taken. What can you expect to gain? Usually a bit more than simply, “The NT author quotes from Psalm 112 in order to add credibility to his argument.”

In the case of Psalm 112, verse 1 tells us, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!” Verse 7 says, “…his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.” And verse 10 contrasts him with the “wicked man.” So, when Paul addresses the Corinthian Believers about their giving habits, he’s addressing people who are like the God-fearing man described in the Psalm.

This is important because when Paul says in v. 8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you…”, God is able to and does do so for the kind of person described in Psalm 112. The obedient Christian is like the righteous man in Psalm 112. The 2 Corinthian preaching portion assumes some readers will exhibit the kind of fear/saving faith described in Psalm 112. I find it very helpful to use the immediate context of Psalm 112:9 (e.g., verses 1, 7, and 10) to make a connection between faith in Christ and, in the case of 2 Corinthians 9:1-11, cheerful, bountiful giving.

Does your upcoming preaching portion contain any OT quotes? If so, honor the immediate context in which the quoted Scripture is found and reap the theological benefits.

Preach well for the sake of His reputation.

Randal

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“We wouldn’t expect to see that”: An Example of Unconventional Exegesis

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06june

When I first saw this photo, it took me by surprise. Normally, whenever I see a camel, it’s always in the desert. Every once in a while I encounter a similar phenomenon when studying Scripture for sermons. I find that whenever I point out the unexpected, it helps me understand and communicate what God is saying.

For instance, 2 Corinthians 9:6 contains a proverb about giving: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” That proverb or principle is followed up in verse 7 with instruction on how to give. I would expect God to say something like, “Each one must give bountifully…” But that’s not what He says. Instead, God says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart…” I didn’t expect that. It seems risky. What if we don’t decide correctly?

I find that pointing out the unexpected is an effective way to help the faith-family understand what God is saying. It gains attention and often helps clarify meaning. When you read a proverb, whoever sows sparingly…and whoever sows bountifully…, anyone who values the harvest (what is reaped) will decide to sow bountifully.

Anyway, look for places in your preaching portions for such unconventional exegesis. Along with your usual study of background, definitions of key words and phrases, grammar and syntax, look for opportunities to highlight the unexpected.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

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Make Them Feel The Disappointment

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disappointing-gift

 

In Luke 11:5-13 Jesus ends his teaching on prayer by stating: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (v. 13).

Certainly, one responsibility of an expositor will be to explain what it means for the Father to “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.” That will take a few minutes of sermon time for sure.

However, one effective way to preach this instruction is to make everyone aware of the disappointment most feel when they hear about this gift. Virtually no one listening to you preach would have guessed that the Holy Spirit would be the one gift identified. So, we need to spend some time addressing this slightly “disappointing” gift. It becomes a great time to remind everyone how important the Holy Spirit is for salvation (cf. Acts 2:38) and for service (Acts 6:8-10). The Holy Spirit was so important for Jesus (Luke 3:21f.) and the Church (24:49). Take the Holy Spirit out of our Christian experience and what do we have? Downplay His presence and power–sadly, the tendency in my Bible Church tradition– and what do we have?

So, making everyone feel the slight disappointment will go a long way toward giving the Holy Spirit His rightful place in our faith-families. Look for places in your preaching portion for these kinds of unexpected twists and turns.

Preach well for the sake of His reputation in the Church and in the world.

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Preaching and the Original Languages: Maximum Benefit from Minimal Knowledge

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pointed text

How’s your working knowledge of Hebrew and Greek? I hesitate to ask. I know how difficult it is to gain an elementary working knowledge. I know it’s even more difficult to maintain an elementary working knowledge. Then, there’s the debate about how useful such skills are for preaching.

I am going to assume that the vast majority of folks reading this blog are not able to proficiently read Hebrew and Greek. That means you are not doing much translating of your own. Thanks to great tools you can still boost your communication of theology. Here’s a few ways to maximize the information provided by the experts:

  • Pay attention to the Hebrew and Greek word-order in key sentences. After several years of reading through the Bible in a year (roughly 4 chapters a day), I’ve decided this year to slow down and read the Hebrew OT little by little. Immediately in Genesis 1, I noticed the Hebrew ends each day of the creation account with the words, “…day one….day two….day three”, etc. Not much different from saying “the first day…the second day…the third day…” But just enough to change the way parishioners hear the creation account.
  • Usually, when you think of word-order, you’re thinking of emphasis achieved through the placement of key words–either first or last in a sentence. Sometimes it helps to attack a verse by using the order of the original languages. I’m currently preaching a series on the “one another” instructions of the NT. A week ago Sunday was Romans 12:10. The Greek noun, philadelphia, begins the instruction.
  •  Allow the original language terms to brighten your word studies. Years ago a professor once said that using the languages was like watching color television (compared to English only, black and white). The Hebrew language is especially good at painting pictures. But Greek also does this. The noun referred to above is a good example. Let the experts enhance your word studies. And, despite what some will tell you, it is helpful at times to remind your congregants, ” Our English word, _____, comes from this Greek word.”
  • Allow the original languages to help you explain the different translations being read in the pews. More than likely, more than a few translations are being read in your church. It’s often helpful for you to know why their translations read the way they do.

If you’ve experienced additional benefits, please take a moment and share them with us.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in the world.

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Try Giving Jesus’ Parable A New Name

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Familiarity with a preaching portion can sometimes hinder communication. This is especially true with some of Jesus’ famous parables. Luke 10:25-37 records the parable of the Good Samaritan.

You probably already knew this, but near the end of my workweek I realized that the adjective, good, did not occur in this parable. Jesus does say in verse 33, “…when [the Samaritan] saw him, he had compassion.” The lawyer admits in verse 37 that the Samaritan was the “one who showed…mercy.”

So, at the beginning of the teaching time, I gave the faith-family as assignment. I asked them while we were studying the parable to attempt to rename it. I asked them to help me remember this when we concluded the sermon so we could hear their attempts.

In this case, it’s an important assignment. Jesus ends the parable with: “You go, and do likewise.” Go and be good is a bit broad, a bit vague. When we rename the parable from The Good Samaritan to something like The Compassionate Neighbor, we help everyone move a little closer to specific acts of worshipful obedience.

You can think of other familiar sections of Scripture that could use some renaming. Lord willing, we’ll see another example in the months to come when I tackle Luke 15 and the parable of the Prodigal Son. You’ve heard it said that familiarity breeds contempt, but I say to you that familiarity breeds ambiguity.

Any time I’ve tried this renaming exercise, I’ve always found that it enhanced communication. It’s a simple, yet effective way to add to your exegesis and theological analysis.

Preach for the glory of God!

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Preaching Theology From Jesus’ Hyper-Humiliating Birth

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Photo Credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/57527070@N06/5306893400/”>lennyk410</a> via <a href=”http://compfight.com”>Compfight</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>cc</a>

This past Sunday I reached the zenith of my creativity. Some of you know that’s not too high. But anyway, I outlined Luke 2:1-20 using Christmas hymns:

1. O little town of Bethlehem (vv. 1-7)

2. While shepherds watched their flocks (vv. 8-9)

3. What Child is this? (vv. 10-12)

4. Angels we have heard on high (vv. 13-14)

5. Go, tell it on the mountain (vv. 15-20)

I know some of you creative folks are laughing, but this was a huge accomplishment. But, that’s not important right now…

Luke’s version of the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life–the incarnation–highlights Mary’s statement in 1:52 “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” For instance, in Luke 2:1-2 we read of mighty rulers who will soon lose their thrones. In v. 4 we read again of Nazareth, the town with a nasty reputation according to John’s gospel. In that same verse we read of Bethlehem, which, according to Micah 5:2, was too little to be the birthplace of a ruler. Both Nazareth and Bethlehem are examples of the exaltation of those of humble estate. And, then, of course, we have Jesus being laid “in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (2:7).

In his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, Yancey writes, “it seems that God arranged the most humiliating circumstance possible for His entrance.” Rarely, if ever, does one celebrate humiliation. But we do these weeks! Jesus laid in a feed box, possibly a depression in the cold ground in a cave or stable. You can’t get any more humble estate than that! The highest level of mercy took the highest level of humility.

And, then, there’s the presence of shepherds. I don’t know of any other class of people more despised in Jesus’ day, but more adored in our day during Christmas time. It’s not unusual that they were working the graveyard shift that night; it is highly unusual that God saw fit to send the Angel of the Lord to them. Another example of God doing what Mary said in Luke 1:52, exalting those of humble estate. And besides making sure we all believe the message of the angel of the Lord and the Christmas angels, the shepherds provide an example for Christians to follow. They heard God’s message, believed it, and shared it. Who else could God have told who would have responded like the shepherds? Imagine God sending His messenger to royalty, announcing that a Savior, a Lord was born? Imagine august Augustus’ response. No, it’s best for us to take our place with “those of humble estate.”

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Preaching the Theology of Gabriel’s, Annunciation, and Mary’s, Magnificat

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Magnificat-203x300

One of the things that makes preaching at Christmas time difficult for me is that the early sections of Luke’s Gospel contain a mixture of narrative and poetry. Whenever genres converge, hermeneutics gets a bit messy. In this case, while the narrative highlights the birth of our Lord, Gabriel’s speech and Mary’s song contain the theology. So much of our salvation is unpacked in these narratives: all the magnificent titles (“Son of the Most High” in Luke 1:32) and all the descriptions of what Jesus came to do (“he will reign…” Luke 1:33). Mary’s Magnificat contains eight “he has” sayings which tell what God has done in bringing Jesus to Mary and our world (Luke 1:46-55).

One of the key applications is to follow Mary’s faith. She says in Luke 1:38 “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And in the Magnificat? Believers say the same things that Mary said. Of course, in order to say the same things Mary said, we have to experience the same thing Mary experienced. Not the giving birth to Jesus part, of course. But the dying with Jesus part (“I am crucified with Christ…”). Certainly “the humble estate” part (cf. Luke 1:48, 52) and “those who fear him” part (cf. Luke 1:50). Like Mary, Christians magnify the Lord. We praise Him because of His greatness and for all the reasons given in her famous song. So, instead of asking professing Believers, Do you have a Magnificat?, it might be more accurate to ask them if they are experiencing the grace and mercy of God that causes one to sing such a song.

Luke’s careful research into the life of Jesus is designed to help us be sure our faith is well-placed and well-executed. Anyone that has placed genuine trust in Jesus has experienced what Mary said. Their well-executed faith includes the consistent desire and capacity to “magnify the Lord” (cf. Luke 1:46).

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Why Our Study Skills Are Inadequate and How to Buttress Them

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word-and-spirit

Last month, Michele and I made our trek to the Evangelical Homiletics Society annual conference. This year it was hosted by Talbot Seminary on the campus of Biola University near Los Angeles. The conference theme was, Spirit-led Preaching, and our plenary speaker was Jack Hayford. If you’re not familiar with Jack’s ministry, he is probably the most well-known and well-respected Pentecostal pastor in the U.S. The plenary sessions contained heavy doses of anecdotes, sprinkled with insightful one-liners. Hayford, for instance, described praying over your preaching portion as “interfacing with the One who breathed the Book.” In preparing to study he would pray, “Let me breathe in what you breathed on.”

Hayford gave me a passion for the Spirit’s active presence in my study. He helped me realize that my grammatical-historical-literary-rhetorical-theological method is inadequate. Hayford firmly believes that a passion for the Spirit’s active presence in my study contributes what good study habits can’t (the concept is his; I added and emphasized the word, active). He made me a believer, too. I’m sure you know that it is the Holy Spirit, for instance, that brings the Word alive. Think about what difference, if any, exists between the interpretation of an unregenerate scholar and a Spirit-led scholar. Then, think about the difference between a sermon preached by an unregenerate preacher compared with a sermon preached by a Spirit-led preacher.

Except for the grace of God, it’s possible that I could be working in my study just like a non-Christian theologian/pastor. I have been trained fairly well and possess adequate study skills. But, in the end, those study skills are inadequate. I want to buttress them with a passion for the Spirit’s active presence in my study and during the sermon. So, I’m trying to remember to pray for the:

  • Spirit’s help before I begin studying
  • Spirit’s help during my study
  • Spirit to change me during my study
  • Spirit to show me Christ and how faith in His work sanctifies (cf. John 16:14 “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”)
  • Spirit’s help right before I preach so that my learning and growing occurs in the moment.

Share your ideas about Spirit-led preaching.