Category Archives: prophecy

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Moving From Stated Reality to Application: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Early Sermons

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Edwards never let his listeners forget the goal of the sermon!

One of the things I’ve benefited from by reading Edwards’s early sermons is his emphasis on application. If you read his sermons you’ll see a balanced presentation of deep theology and practical exhortation.

In his sermon, The Way of Holiness, on Isaiah 35:8 (“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it.”), Edwards concludes with an application section containing three elements. Here are the first two:

  1. By inference, Edwards reasons, “how many poor creatures are there that think they are in the way to heaven who are not?” (p. 476). I will never forget hearing veteran pastor, Chuck Swindoll, announce that the longer he pastored his church, the more he felt that less of his parishioners were saved.
  2. If this verse is true, then it is critical that his listeners “examine [them]selves by this doctrine to see whereabouts [they] are, and see whether or no [they] are in the way to heaven…” (p. 477). Under this point, Edwards exhorted: “Meditate on the holiness of God, and see if you cannot see a conformity, a likeness in your mind….It is not supposed that ever any copy comes near to this original, nor ever will; but yet they may perceive whether the same spirit, the same temper and disposition, in a lesser degree be in them, that was manifested by the life and conversation of Jesus Christ.” (p. 477)

Notice that Isaiah only presents stated reality. Edwards teaches by example that our job is to move from stated reality to the application inferred by that reality.

If you read this before tomorrow (Sunday), or early next week, see if your Scripture contains a stated reality that requires the same hermeneutical/homiletical move as Edwards.

And our Lord will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Challenging False Professions Of Faith: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Sermons

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Your “Text” is one warns the saints of their need for holiness.

This post comes from my reading Edwards’s sermon, The Way of Holiness. He will make sure that those who profess faith in Christ display a faith that results in holiness.

Edwards’s text was Isaiah 35:8 “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it.”

We might be tempted to stay in the future with this prophetic Text, but Edwards cannot do that. In the Doctrine section of the sermon he immediately highlights the common misconception that holiness isn’t necessary for entrance into heaven. He writes (and read!):

“Everyone hopes for heaven, but if everyone that hoped for heaven ever got there, heaven by this time would have been full of murderers, adulterers, common swearers, drunkards, thieves, robbers, and licentious debauchers. It would have been full of all manner of wickedness and wicked men, such as the earth abounds with at this day.” (pp. 470-471, Kimnach).

All the stats tell me that more and more people claim faith in Christ but their lifestyle shows no transformation. It’s a good time to speak for God whenever He makes holiness a prerequisite for being a child of God.

This is especially important if you shepherd a church that holds tightly to the doctrine of eternal security. Our listeners will tend to water down any of those warnings, any of those conditions (e.g., Colossians 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard). Many of our listeners believe that their profession of faith expressed when they were young makes them secure, without any evidence.

Edwards’s would reply: “What a wretched place would the highest heavens have been by this time if it were so….the royal palace of the Most High…would be turned into a mere hell. There would be no happiness there for those that are holy.” (p. 471)

In interpreting Isaiah, Edwards is practicing what I call ecclesiological exegesis. Isaiah is functioning for the church by showing a future that mirrors the status of every genuine Christian: holy and clean.

Does your preaching portion for this Sunday include a Word from God that challenges the professions of your listeners? Mine does: Psalm 80:18.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus as we faithfully challenge our listeners to display genuine faith (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Just Trust the Narrative: Preaching Through Numbers

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Do you trust the book of Numbers to speak to God’s people?

After writing last week’s post, I thought it might be good to show how I arrived at the theology. So, here goes:

First, trust the storyline of the narrative. Every part of the chapter hinges on God’s final assignment to Moses: “Avenge the people of Israel…” That’s why I titled the sermon: “He will bring us into this land” (remember, that was my unifying idea of the series): And that includes one day avenging His people.

Vengeance on the Midianites points forward to God’s future vengeance on all His enemies.

Everybody knows vengeance is His, not ours. All the worshipers need to come to grips with “the Lord’s vengeance” (v. 3). That’s especially important in a day when the air we breathe is polluted with the thought that the vengeance of God on His enemies is offensive to our post-modern sensibilities.

The only reason given in the chapter for this acts of judgment is in v. 16 “…these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor.” This review of what happened is the only explanation for the violent judgment. Follow the progression:

Step one: God’s people are tempted and fail the test.

Step two: God judges the tempters and His people are involved in the judgment.

You might take a look at the end of the Story when the Lord returns in such places as Revelation 19:11ff. “…in righteousness he judges and makes war….And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine lines, white and pure, were following him…”

Finally, the bulk of the chapter and description highlights God’s people relishing in the victory, counting the plunder, and bringing the Lord’s offering. The chapter closes with: “And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the Lord” (v. 54).

The difficulty is moving from the OT battle against the Midianites to providing comfort and encouragement to God’s people as they await His return.

While we wait, our own fight for loving God supremely rages on. May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we place our hope in His soon return.

Randal

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Avoid the Temptation of Spending Too Much Time on the Seventy Weeks (part 13 of preaching through Daniel’s gospel)

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Final Chart

If you’re preaching on Daniel 9, then you face the infamous 70 weeks. If you’re preaching in a traditional kind of church, you will be tempted to spend time trying to explain the chart you see above or some variation of it.

The problem is that our charts are clearer than Daniel and the rest of Scripture.

That means we’ll spend precious sermon minutes explaining what we’re not sure of. So, in Daniel 9, here are some things we can be sure of:

  • We should follow Daniel’s model prayer, confess our sins, and plead for mercy. That’s always appropriate and necessary.
  • Even though we can’t know exactly how long we have to wait before the consummation of history (the length of time covered by the 62 weeks), we know we’re still in waiting mode. Paul makes it clear that we are saved by hope.
  • We know exactly what God is doing while we wait. Verse 24b says, “to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.” Duguid understands this as, “God’s timescale for the sanctification of His people and the renovation of the world.”
  • We know exactly what we are to be doing while we wait. You may recall an earlier post on Daniel’s unique take on evangelism. Back in Daniel 8:27 “Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.” You might consider understanding the king’s business in two ways. First, your parishioners have work to do in this world. It is important work and ordained by God (providing it is righteous employment). Second, we all have our King’s business to attend to–being disciples and making disciples. We stay busy until He comes.

Whether in Daniel or some other apocalyptic section of Scripture, avoid the temptation of trying to explain the unexplainable. Focus on the speeches and actions of key characters and clear indications of what God will do.

Preach well for the sake of His reputation in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Preaching So Visions of the Future Fuel Faithfulness in the Present (part 11 of preaching through Daniel’s Gospel)

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welapoc

Even if you are not currently preaching through the book of Daniel or not even thinking about it (can’t blame you!), you may encounter apocalyptic literature in the Gospels, Revelation, and other OT prophets. If and when you do, I hope that these limited insights will help you.

Remember that all visions and prophecies of the future are designed to urge the Church to faithful living now. They are not designed to give God’s people insights into what the future will look like in order to satisfy their curiosity. They do give comfort because, as in the case of Daniel 8 below, God’s people get a glimpse of how great, political superpowers are overpowered by our omnipotent Creator in the end. They do spur us on to faithful living by showing how Daniel’s faith allowed him to work hard for an ungodly regime and still remain faithful to God.

So, in Daniel 8 we worship through Daniel’s vision of the supernaturally powered (cf. v. 24 “not by his own power”) kingdoms of the world (the ram, goat, and little horn) raising havoc throughout history. The fearful destruction that’s coming is described in vv. 1-12 and 15-25.

If you are preaching in the U.S. and want to create a stir, let your folks know that the U.S. government somehow fits into this scheme if it’s still around in the end. Or, ask your conservative congregation if they think the anti-Christ will be democrat or republican.

You will be tempted to spend significant time rehearsing the historical details of each kingdom. It’s probably better to summarize the destruction that will occur “at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end” (v. 19) and maybe the methods (especially of the “little horn” in vv. 10-12, 23-25).

Then, you can generate hope by watching powerful earthly kingdoms come and go as history moves toward God’s ultimate judgment. Finally, God’s people will be home! The Kingdom of God will rule in a new heaven and earth.

In the meantime we must be prepared to be faithful in the midst of intense pressure to assimilate to the culture and face persecution if we don’t. Which brings us to Daniel’s reaction to the vision in v. 27 “…Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.” Daniel went back to work for a king ruling an ungodly kingdom. That was God’s will for him.

We do that because we know our Savior “disarmed the rulers and authorities” (Col. 2:13-15) when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. That final kingdom listed in v. 25 “will be broken without human agency.” There is hope for us who by faith remain godly in an ungodly world.

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

Randal

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Isaiah 66’s theology-through-vision of the future

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This is a bitter-sweet ending to our Isaiah study. Actually, Isaiah’s ending, like the ending of the Canon, is also bitter-sweet. It is bitter for all engaged in hypocritical worship (Isaiah 66:3). It is sweet for all true worshippers described in Isaiah 66:2. The rest of the chapter describes what will happen to people in either category. In Isaiah 66:4, 15-16, 22-24 we see visions of complete destruction and complete deliverance. Isaiah ends (Isaiah 66:24) where it began (Isaiah 1:2): the subject of rebels and rebellion. And all this drives us to make sure that we are the worshipers who will inhabit God’s new heavens and new earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to become a child of God. Christ’s sacrifice is seen in His perfect life where He is the contrast to those described in Isaiah 66:4 and also in His substitutionary death for sinners (cf. Isaiah 66:15-16 and Christ suffering under the fiery wrath of God for our sakes). All along, Isaiah has been urging us, like Peter, to be all the more diligent to make our calling and election sure in light of His return. This response will help us slow the tide of the Church becoming more and more like society and less and less like the Savior.

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Isaiah 62:11–63:6 Responding to Prophecy

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One of the ways in which Isaiah 62:11-12 and Isaiah 63:1-6 function for the Church is by urging us to evaluate whether the future name of God’s people (“The Holy People”) is appropriate for us in part now. All along the study of Isaiah, Christians have been challenged to make sure a profession of faith is matched with corresponding holiness and righteousness. In Isaiah 63:1-6 the scene shifts from total deliverance to total destruction. It’s a warning for any of us Christians. Despite our profession of faith, we do not want to be caught on “the day of vengeance” (cf. Isaiah 63:4) on God’s bad side. So, this section provides the best news ever (Isaiah 62:11-12), the worst news ever (Isaiah 63:1-6), and leaves us readers with the decision to embrace the best news and so avoid the worst news. This means embracing the Savior pictured in this section. In Isaiah 63:3 the prophetic vision of our Redeemer shows Him stained with the blood of God’s enemies, including those who were in church. There was a time in history, of course, where our Redeemer was stained with His own blood as He gave His life for us. Faith in Christ is the starting point for a holy life and assures us that on His Day we, too, can be called “The Holy People” (cf. also 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14 to see the necessity of holiness-in-process).