Category Archives: exemplar preaching

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You’ll Probably Want to Slow Down When You Get to Numbers 14: Preaching Through Numbers

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How Many of our Parishioners Would Head in That Direction?!

I suggest you slow down when you get to Numbers 14 because so much of God’s people’s reaction to the report of the spies coming back from Canaan mirrors our own faith-journey in vv. 11-19.

First, notice that the grumbling is labeled despising God. In v. 11 the Lord says, “How long will this people despise me?” I wonder how many of us equate complaining about our circumstances as despising God? Right. Probably none. That reaction is labeled unbelief in v. 11 (“how long will they not believe in me?”).

What’s frightening is the Lord’s gut reaction in v. 12: He’s had it with His people and ready to start over. Almost as frightening is the thought of trying to preach this. Have fun trying to explain how our God can be like this. It’s a great time to flex your exegetical/theological muscles and help your listeners see why God is portrayed like this in this narrative.

Thank the Lord Moses doesn’t like His idea. Moses’s reasoning is credited with moving the Lord to pardon His people (vv. 19-20 “Please pardon…I have pardoned according to your word.”). It’s a great time for everyone to hear that the Lord’s reputation is at stake in His world with respect to how His people fare (vv. 13-16).

As Moses pleads with the Lord our listeners are reminded about the promises the Lord made to them. Verse 18 may be one of the most important verses in Scripture about the character of God,

“The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

This is why the Lord does not give up on His people. According to v. 17 this is the Lord letting his power “be great as [He] promised.”

Anyone interested in a Christ-centered reading of the narrative can focus on God’s ability and method of pardoning sin (vv. 18, 19, 20).

And remember, our task is not to preach to them about the Bible, but to preach to them about them from the Bible. Or, if your prefer God-centered wording, we’re preaching to them about God and their relationship with Him from the Bible. This is not ancient history but a Word from God to us.

Anyway, I think you can see how God will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) from such a preaching event.

Randal

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When Fear Displaces Faith: Preaching Through the Book of Numbers

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Numbers 14 shows how difficult it is to believe in God’s ability to deliver us.

Some of the best preaching in Numbers comes in chapters 13 and 14. That’s because they focus on faith and how fear can eclipse it if not kept in check.

Do you remember what happened to God’s people after the spies gave a report of the Promised Land? They wished they had died in Egypt or in the wilderness and wanted to go back (14:2-4).

If that wasn’t bad enough, verse 10a records that the people wanted to stone their leaders! So, verses 1-4, 10a describe the terrible effects of fear gone unchecked.

What do we do when God’s people entrusted to our care express their unbelief? Verses 5-9 describe how godly leadership responds to such unbelief. It’s certainly a “go and do likewise” section for us. They feel the agony of the situation (“tore their clothes” in v. 6), speak the truth (“If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land…” in v. 8; this verse became my unifying theme for the study through Numbers), and urge obedience to the Lord (“Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people…” in v. 9).

And if anyone listening wondered if the people’s reaction was such a big deal, verses 10b-12 show how the Lord feels about such fear and unbelief. God’s glory appears and He expresses His own exasperation.

Those opening 12 verses in Numbers 14 provide a great opportunity for us to build up the faith of our congregants.

And just suppose a listener asked, “How can I be sure that the Lord delights in me?” (cf. v. 8) How would you answer? We know the Lord delights in us because the great exchange has taken place. Isaiah 42:1 teaches that our God delights in His Servant, our Savior. And by faith He now delights in us. That means we can be assured that God will bring us safely through this wilderness to the new creation. Providing that all who believe will heed the instruction in v. 9. It’s a wonderful example of a living faith that works.

I hope you’ll consider Numbers 13-14 as prime preaching material. If so I know our Lord will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Think Twice Before Challenging God-Ordained Leadership: Preaching Through Numbers

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If you’ve been reading some of these posts about preaching through the book of Numbers, you may be surprised at how much “preachable” material is there. When you arrive at chapter 12 you’ve hit the jackpot. The chapter describes what happened to Miriam when she and Aaron “spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman who he had married, for he married a Cushite woman” (the second clause must’ve been added to make sure we didn’t miss it!?!) (12:1).

Here was my take on Numbers 12:1-16…

“He will bring us into this land”:

And We Will Follow God-Ordained Leadership

The narrative flows like this: there is a challenge to godly leadership (vv. 1-2), the problem centers on the leader’s authority (v. 3), the Lord, however, quickly shows His support of His chosen leader (vv. 4-8), and finally the terrible consequences of challenging the Lord’s leader appear (vv. 9-16, especially v. 10 “Miriam was leprous”).

From my title above you can see that I chose to state the idea positively instead of negatively. The narrative certainly is one of those “go and do otherwise” exemplars based upon Miriam and Aaron’s action of speaking against Moses (v. 1). What’s great about this portion of Scripture is how you can develop your listeners’s understanding of a theology of church leadership and also the exclusivity of God speaking through Christ.

There’s much more, such as Mose’s remarkable attitude toward Miriam (cf. v. 13 where “Moses cried to the Lord, ‘O God, please heal her–please.'”), or the interesting fact that “the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again” (after being quarantined, a very timely issue in light of the recent COVID-19!).

Anyway, I hope that these brief posts through Numbers will encourage you to preach through this fascinating book. I know our Lord will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) if you do.

Randal

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Just How Straightforward Is Numbers 11? Preaching Through Numbers

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Numbers 11 Is Pretty Straightforward, Don’t You Think?

In my previous post I made the comment that Numbers 11 was pretty straightforward. A few days later it occurred to me that I should test that theory. Thirty years of teaching preaching to undergrads, masters, and doctoral students has taught me that preaching OT narratives is not easy for most of us.

So, how straightforward is Numbers 11? Could you find your way to its theology?

First, did you notice that the first major point about “a strong craving” comes directly from the narrator’s assessment of “the rabble” in 11:4 “Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving.” That’s pretty straightforward. Everything in vv. 4-10a deals with their strong craving, including the description of the manna.

Second, the narrator also lets us know what they were crying about: “…for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord saying… ‘For it was better for us in Egypt.’” (v. 18). It’s hard to imagine strong cravings for food being so strong as to cause God’s people to want to go back into slavery in Egypt.

Finally, the Lord’s reaction is clear in this narrative. He’s angry in v. 10b and in His anger it hails quail and they suffer a terrible plague while chewing.

So, can you see what God means by this narrative? It’s pretty straightforward, one of those “go and do otherwise” narratives: By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, yield to the Holy Spirit, not to our strong cravings. Or, something like that.

And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we teach and preach through Numbers.

Randal

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Hezekiah’s Example of Facing an Intimidating Enemy: Preaching Through Chronicles

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I hope that you are seeing how these narratives in Chronicles help us teach aspects of living the Christian life well. Hezekiah, for instance, in 2 Chronicles 31-32 provides an example of what it takes to succeed in our faith journey. I selected 31:20–32:23 for a preaching portion and worked through it this way:

First, the basis or foundation for Hezekiah’s success is described in six ways in 31:20-21. These six things he did are summarized in 32:1 as, “After these acts of faithfulness.” Like so many other key characters in these narratives, Hezekiah functions as a model for us to follow. He’s the model believer and paves the way to spiritual success in the will of God as we face an intimidating enemy.

Second, 32:1b-8 provide a look at the physical, emotional, and mental fight needed to succeed. It’s an amazing look at the mixture of effort and faith. Remember, as Dallas Willard wrote, God is not opposed to effort, but to earning. Key descriptions and prescriptions are: “And he took courage…” (v. 5) and “Be strong and courageous” (v. 7; sounds familiar, right?). A key confession is, “With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us…” (v. 8).

Third, is intense intimidation from our enemy in vv. 9-19. It’s no wonder we run scared some times in our spiritual life.

Finally, the victory God gives is described in vv. 20-23. It’s a supernatural victory. If there was any doubt about who was responsible for the win, v. 22 summarizes, “So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem…”

And, if you are inclined to move from Hezekiah’s victory to ours, you might remind your listeners that our Lord Jesus Christ faced the same intense mocking as he was crucified for our sins (cf. Matt. 27:27-44). His defeat led to a victory that we enjoy as we place our trust in Him.

May you enjoy preaching these wonderful narratives in Chronicles so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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One of the Easiest Sermons to Preach (Preaching Through Chronicles)

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Pretend that guy is proud Uzziah. 2 Chronicles 26:1, 2 tell us he was sixteen years old when he was made king of Judah and he ruled for 52 years. Verse 5 says, “as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” Verse 16 says, “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction.”

That’s why this chapter might be the easiest one to preach in this series. And it’s also one of the most important for disciple-making.

You may recall that I selected the following title for the series: “Direct our hearts toward you, Lord.” I’ve reworded David’s prayer recorded in 1 Chronicles 29:18 “O Lord…direct their hearts toward you.”

Then, each sermon title was created to add to that title. In this case, I added, “So we don’t become proud of ‘our’ success.”

The story functions for the church like this. The king experienced both blessing and curses from the Lord. According to McConville, Uzziah is “the last of those kings who are judged to have been partly faithful and partly unfaithful.” We urge worship by pleading with our folks to make an all out grace-driven effort to avoid this mixed spiritual experience.

I understand the chapter’s theology this way:

  1. The source of success (vv. 4-5, 7, 15b). This contains one of the most important concepts in Chronicles: “He set himself to seek God…and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper” (v. 5). Verse 15b adds, “…for he was marvelously helped…”
  2. The evidence of success (vv. 6-15a). These verse contain an impressive list of civil and military accomplishments. Verses 14-15 (the creation of “engines, invented by skillful men”) show the fine balance between human effort and God’s help.
  3. The danger of success (vv. 15c-23). Too bad it came to this! In v. 16 we read, “…he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense.” Yikes! For other looks at the result of pride, see Prov. 11:2; 16:18; 29:23. Leprosy was his judgment!

What a contrast to our Faithful High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Preach Uzziah as a mixed exemplar–a little, “Go and do likewise” and a little, “Go and do otherwise”–for God’s glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Handling Huge Amounts Of Biblical Real Estate (Preaching Through Chronicles)

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The elephant is 2 Chronicles 21:1–25:28. I decided to eat it in about 45 minutes, one piece at a time. It’s not the only way to preach the section. It could be broken into a few sermons, but I don’t recommend it. There is too much repetition of theology and intended purpose.

When you enter chapter 21 God changes the way He teaches us. A series of kings provide both positive and negative examples. There are kingdoms to join and kingdoms to avoid. We worship by avoiding those kingdoms. I divided the elephant like this:

  1. Our need to separate (vv. 21:6a; 22:3). In this case, Jehoram “walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done…” You know how bad Ahab was.
  2. Our need to consecrate (vv. 21:6b, 10b; 22:4; 23:16-19). Seven times in this section we read, “He did what was evil.” Five times we read, “…did what was right.” Anyone with ears to hear knows which path to take. 23:16-19 deserve attention due to the spiritual reform that takes place.
  3. What God does to His people who don’t! (vv. 21:7, 14-16, 18; 22:7; 25:20b). 22:7 and 25:20b contain strong statements: “But it was ordained by God…” and “for it was of God, in order that…” Whether in the OT or in the NT, God has always taught that He will judge sin and move His plan forward.
  4. Ways we might respond (vv. 22:9-12; 25:2, 15-16, 20a; 27:2). One interesting contrast is between 22:9 “he…sought the Lord with all his heart” and 25:2 “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.” This describes two kinds of disciples.

And, if you are prone to read Chronicles Christo-centrically, these excerpts provide an opportunity to express our gratitude to God for providing a King who did worship and serve God with His whole heart, all the way to the cross. All so we who believe could enjoy God’s kingdom.

Preach well so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Preaching the Bad Examples in 2 Chronicles: Preaching Through Chronicles

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There are many times in preaching through Kings and Chronicles where God teaches us through bad examples. In Second Chronicles 18 and 19 Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, functions as a very good bad example. We know that because of what Hanani, the Seer, asks in 19:2, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” Well, the answer is, “No, we shouldn’t do that!”

Contrary to the theme for the series–“Direct our hearts toward you, Lord”–this king does not consult the Lord and ends up in a very dangerous situation. He joins forces with wicked king Ahab.

I explained the theology of these two chapters this way:

  1. There’s no need of helping the wicked (v. 18:1a). The chapter begins with a description of how God blessed him (also cf. 17:3 “The Lord was with him…”).
  2. The danger of helping the wicked (vv. 18:1b-27). One of the scariest parts of the OT is seeing Jehoshaphat become associated with something that was destined to fail. 18:22 reads, “the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you.”
  3. Finally, the faith to avoid this (vv. 18:28–19:3). This is a remarkable story of God’s protection of Jehoshaphat. He could have easily–should have–been killed due to his agreeing to Ahab’s plan to save himself at his expense. But God was merciful. And His mercy should drive us to put into practice biblical separation (a doctrine that doesn’t get much press these days!).

And, if you’re looking for some connection to the cross, look no further than 18:23 where the prophet, Micaiah, was “struck…on the cheek.” Of course, our Lord suffered that same attack as recorded in Matt. 26:67; 27:30.

It is the love of God displayed on Calvary’s cross that gives us the desire and capacity to not love the world (1 John 2:15) or entertain a deadly “friendship with the world” that “is enmity with God” (James 4:4).

Preach these very good bad examples so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Can You Get To Application In Chronicles?: Preaching Through Chronicles

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I can tell you there are times while preaching through First and Second Chronicles that finding your way to application is extremely difficult. The sign above pretty much describes the feeling.

So, one of my goals in these posts is showing you applicational angles. When you arrive at 2 Chronicles 17:1-19 you find your way to application by reminding your listeners:

“We’re Christians. We are citizens of this king’s kingdom. Which means we participate in this king’s spiritual reformation efforts.”

The king is Jehoshaphat and the unique reform is in vv. 7-9,

“…he sent his officials…to teach…and with them the Levites…and with these Levites, the priest….And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.”

McConville states the he “organized his whole kingdom for the purpose of propagating the law.”

So did Jesus. King Jesus arrived and instituted similar spiritual reform. He taught everywhere he went. And before he left he taught us to keep teaching people to do the things he said to do.

So that’s what we do. Your church, like ours, has teaching venues, gifted, trained teachers, and ears-to-hear learners. And you, like me, have an approach, a teaching method and style.

So, our churches continue Jehoshaphat’s approach. This chapter shows us

  • the one thing we need for spiritual success (vv. 1-3a)
  • the way to secure it (vv. 3b-9)
  • the resulting blessing (vv. 10-19)

Even if you never preach through Chronicles, you may feel the need some Sunday to remind your congregants about the importance of “the Book of the Law of the Lord.” And, of course, you will remind them that “the scriptures…bear witness about [Jesus]” (cf. John 5:39-40).

Preach “the Book” so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Preaching OT Examples of Sanctifying Faith: Preaching Through Chronicles

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Someone completed the sentence above with: “lawyer.” I wonder what the reaction would be to that persuasion. Would lawyers take it personal?

Last week I asked our folks, “Which sounds worse to God, ‘I worry sometimes,’ or ‘I don’t trust You.’?”

When you arrive at 2 Chronicles 16:1-9 you encounter an important OT narrative that teaches us about sanctifying faith. The paragraph also contains one of my favorite verses in the OT. Verse 9 reads,

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him…” (stop there if you’re including this reference in your correspondence to parishioners; the last part of the verse is a downer: “You have done foolishly in this, for from now on your will have wars.” Yikes!)

I often word a benediction with the KJV of the middle of v. 9: “May our Lord show Himself strong in your life…”

Verse 1-9 divide very well like this:

  1. The moment of trust (v. 1)
  2. The wrong kind of trust (vv. 2-6, 9b, 10, 12)
  3. The right kind of trust (vv. 7-9a)

My title was: “Direct our hearts toward you, Lord”: So We Receive Your Strong Support.

The words of the prophet in vv. 7ff. hit us hard whenever we are tempted not to trust our Lord’s ability to provide provision, protection, or direction in life. Verse 8 reminds us of those times when we did trust our Lord and He did deliver, despite the odds being against us.

And then, there’s that wonderful description of our Lord’s vision, His eyes darting in every direction waiting to “give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.”

The last line provides a wonderful opportunity to describe the Christian life at its finest. It’s why I love preaching the OT. Here is the place to define and describe sanctifying faith.

And, of course, there was only one time in history when God’s eyes turned away from His Son and because He did we can be assured that His eyes will not turn away from us whenever we seek Him by faith.

I hope you’ll preach this some day for the sake of His glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal