Category Archives: preaching through books of the Bible

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The Difficulties of Disciple-Making: Preaching Through Chronicles

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If you’ve preached through a set of books like Chronicles, you already know it’s not easy. But this angle has to do with what the Chronicler teaches us about disciple-making: doing right in God’s eyes is not easy.

In the lengthy section from 2 Chronicles 27:1–31:21 I identified five ways to describe our disciple-making goal (27:2a; 29:2; 30:6a, 8b-9a, 19a). The five are:

  • “did what was right”
  • “return”
  • “yield”
  • “serve”
  • “sets his heart…” (very important in this series!)

This is the time to ask everyone to what extent these five actions describe our lives. These are the makings of every genuine Christian experience.

It’s in the second part of the sermon that we learn how difficult this life is (27:2b; 28:22; 30:7-8a, 19b). These verses provide four examples of spiritual corruption, increased disloyalty to God, and pig-headedness that refuses to obey.

Finally, you can end the sermon by explaining what we can expect from our God (30:6b, 9b, 18-19). For instance, 30:9 reads, “For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

And if you’re interested in how Chronicles functions for the Church, simply explain how the cross of Christ is the definitive extension of God’s grace and compassion. Christ’s sacrifice makes it possible for faith and repentance to result in redemption. That faith sets in motion the desire and capacity to put those five aspects of disciple-making into practice.

I hope you’ll attempt to preach through 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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Let Your Folks Know Whose Fight It Is: Preaching Through Chronicles

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One of the joys of preaching through Chronicles is “finally” getting to one of my favorite verses in all Scripture. 2 Chronicles 2o:12b made the cut to be on my church study wall: “…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

I know firsthand that week in, week out through Chronicles can be grueling, but that will preach!

Once again we urge our parishioners to follow this king’s example of faith. His confession is our confession. When we are powerless, we are not hopeless.

Here’s the approach I took for the entire chapter:

  1. The direction of faith (vv. 1-4 where the king “set his face to seek the Lord…”)
  2. The prayer of faith (vv. 5-12 where vv. 6 and 12 are loaded with faith in God’s ability and our lack of ability)
  3. The messages of faith (vv. 13-21 where a Levite preaches to the people and reminds them, “…the battle is not yours but God’s” in v. 15)
  4. The confirmation of faith (vv. 22-30 where the Lord performs a miracle: “the Lord set an ambush…so that they were routed (22)….So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around (30))
  5. The nagging possibility of unbelief (vv. 31-37 where, after all that success, the king joins forces with a wicked king!)

I found it very easy to put ourselves into this narrative.

And I’m hoping that seeing this kind of approach will help you have confidence that these OT stories continue to function for the Church.

And, if you’re wondering how the cross makes it possible for us to experience the same kind of victory. Remember that it is on the cross where God fought for us and won the victory that allows us to trust Him for every spiritual fight, every day.

Preach this chapter so God 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

 

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Preaching the OT Conditions that Drive Disciple-Making: Preaching Through Chronicles

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I was fascinated by this therapist’s ad because our goals–change–are identical. What you may not have thought of was using “if-then” statements to affect change. I didn’t until I preached through 1 & 2 Chronicles.

When–not if–you arrive at 2 Chronicles 15 you encounter one of the most fascinating conditions or “if clauses” found in Scripture. Verse 2 reads, “If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.”

Depending on your theology, that statement spoken by a Spirit-filled Azariah to King Asa can cause some problems. If you feel the need to run to the NT (as I did, if I remember correctly) have everyone look at 2 Timothy 2:12-13 which reads:

“if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”

I didn’t say turning there would solve all the problems.

But 2 Chronicles 15 provides a wonderful opportunity for a faith-family to consider the condition for experiencing salvation-rest promised in Scripture.

Verses 1-2 describe the condition. The key to success in the Christian life is having the Lord with you in an OT sense. When the Lord was with His people He fought hard for them and they always came out on top. The opposite was also true.

The condition is God’s people being “with him” or seeking Him. Both describe a person that looks to Him alone for provision, protection, and direction in life. It’s an important part of being a Christ-follower.

Verses 3-7 describe life without God’s active, powerful presence. It’s not a pretty sight. Verse 6 says, “They were broken in pieces.”

Finally, verses 8-19 describe drastic measures taken to ensure God’s powerful presence remains. Those that didn’t seek the Lord were put to death! (v. 13) and “Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa  removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah” (v. 16). Wow! That’s serious spiritual reform.

And when you preach on this OT condition your listeners will catch how important it is to become part of Asa’s kingdom where  God fights hard for His own. I hope you’ll do this so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

 

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Allowing King Asa to Lead the Way to Relying on God: Preaching Through Chronicles

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After a few weeks off from blogging, I want to continue suggesting ways to preach through Second Chronicles.

Over the past few weeks I’ve enjoyed taking Ph.D. classes which included discussions about how biblical history is written. The Chronicler certainly is designed for a purpose and that purpose helps us understand how to preach the record of king Asa in a way that functions for the church. The post-exilic community needed assurance that they were still the people of God and that they could still enjoy God’s blessing. King Asa leads the way.

Also, during that span of time I was privileged to present a preaching workshop as part of the Company of Pastors conference held at Lancaster Bible College/Capital Seminary & Graduate School. My topic was, “Go and do likewise”: Redeeming the Moralistic Sermon. Our congregations worship in 2 Chronicles 14:1-15 by following Asa’s example. Again, king Asa leads the way.

First, notice that in vv. 1, 5b-6, and 7b our salvation is described in terms of rest and peace. I defined this kind of shalom as:

  • things are good between me and God
  • things are good between me and you
  • things are good between me and me (I know that’s poor English!)
  • I do not play God in my world and
  • I trust Him to heal the brokenness and patiently wait for Him to do so.

How we receive that rest is found in vv. 2-5a and 7a. These verses explain all that Asa did. This is where we make sure each of us are citizens within such a kingdom. Especially important is the concept in vv. 4 and 7 of seeking the Lord. It is the Chronicler’s way of talking about the Christian’s active trust. This describes a person who trusts God for provision, protection, and direction in this life and the next.

Finally, vv. 8-15 provide an example of God granting rest to Asa and his citizens. It’s one of my favorite sections in Chronicles. In v. 11 Asa “cried to the Lord his God, ‘O Lord, there is none like you to help….Help us…for we rely on you…” I love Jonathan Edwards take on this: “Though they [aren’t] safe from those things that are in themselves evil, yet they are safe from the evil of those things” (from his sermon on the Christian’s Safety).

And if you’re interested in a Christological angle, Jesus promised to give rest in Matt. 11:28. And if you think your folks might think this to be optional, you can warn them with 2 Chronicles. 15:12-13; 1 Cor. 6:9-11, and Rev. 21:7-8.

Anyway I hope you have the opportunity to preach this wonderful chapter in God’s Word so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

 

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Preaching An OT Worship Service (Preaching Through Chronicles)

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One of my favorite places in 2 Chronicles is from 2:1–6:2 and 7:1-3. This lengthy Scripture records the building of God’s house. In the middle of all the details about materials and furnishing you will find a description of an OT worship service.

Consider structuring your sermon around the following (providing you have already taught a theology of the temple in previous sermons as I had):

  1. The character of our God (vv. 5:13b; 7:3b). It should go without saying that our worship centers on our God. In this section we find repeated, “For he is good…” Think about how we use this word in daily life–“that was a good meal, movie, book, or day”–and you quickly realize we’ve got some work to do explaining the goodness of our God. The other character trait of our God is his loyal love (the important Hebrew word, hesed). Nothing sets off a worship celebration like focusing on the goodness of our God.
  2. The glory of our God (vv. 5:13c-6:1; 7:1-2). In this section “the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” 6:1 describes “thick darkness.” There’s a mysteriousness about our God’s presence. Even in Exodus 24:9-11, for instance, when we read, “they beheld God,” we learn that, “There was under his feet…” So, we don’t really see God, but only what He was “standing on.” It’s good for us to remember that our glorious God who matters most, is present with His people. We’re never alone in this world. God is with us.
  3. Finally, our response to His goodness and glory is seen in 7:3. We read, “they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord…” Our worship always includes this same humble attitude, if not the same humble posture.

And if you’re wanting to read Chronicles Christologically, you certainly can remind your faith-family from John 1:14 that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory…” That vision of our glorious Christ continues to drive our worship services.

May we preach about worship in our worship services so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal