For many reasons, it is difficult to preach exorcism narratives. If you’re in a conservative Baptist, Presbyterian, or Bible Church-type church, Jesus’ exorcisms might make us a bit uneasy. I won’t try to explain a theology of demons and demonization. But I will offer a Christological reading.

You know the story of Jesus casting out the demon and then His power being attributed to Beelzebul. The fact that Jesus was able to cast out demons points to the power of the kingdom of God. In that power encounter, Jesus was the “strong man.” Verse 22 reads, “but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor…and divides his spoil.” On the cross, however, the tables were turned. Luke 23:34 tells us “…And they cast lots to divide his garments.” Jesus is overpowered. Through that loss, of course, we, by faith, experience eternal gain, including victory over Satan and his minions. We enjoy spiritual protection through answered prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

And then comes the unexpected discipleship challenge in v. 23, “…whoever does not gather with me scatters.” That’s really what Luke is after by recording the exorcism. We can’t get lost in all the details of demonology and forget the call to “gather with” Jesus. Jesus delivers us from darkness so we would join Him in gathering others into His Light. It’s scary to stop and think how many of our congregants confess to believe in Christ, yet are inactive disciple-makers.

This post was originally published on February 10, 2014.

I’ve just completed Lloyd-Jones’ excellent book, Preaching & Preachers (40 anniversary edition).  His final chapter is all about the need for preachers to be endowed with special power from the Spirit.  What great exhortation!  L-J asks, “Do you always look for and seek this unction, this anointing before preaching? Has this been your greatest concern? There is no more thorough and revealing test to apply to a preacher” (p. 322).  I was a bit embarrassed to think that often my greatest concern is not whether I have the Spirit’s unction, but whether I have “got it right,” “it” being the sermon and the truth of Scripture.  L-J challenged me again to keep highlight both, not one or the other.  I don’t want to preach the truth by myself (without the Spirit’s power).  I don’t want to preach something that’s biblical, but not biblical enough, with the Spirit’s power (if that is even possible?!).  God help us be both Spirit-empowered and accurate in our preaching.  Then, we can expect God to do miracles in all our lives.  L-J encourages us preachers: “But go beyond seeking Him; expect Him. Do you expect anything to happen when you get up to preach in a pulpit….Are you expecting it to be the turning point in someone’s life?” (p. 340).

This post was originally published on April 4, 2012.

Recently, I was preaching on Psalm 112 and emphasizing the aspect of fearlessness in verses 7-8, “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid.” In my search for images for that Sunday’s slides, I came across this saying:

“Let your faith be bigger than your fear.”

After thinking about this for a moment or two, I realized that this kind of thinking betrays a lack of understanding of biblical faith. What struck me harder was the fact that the saying seemed to preach so well. I could hear myself saying something like this in an attempt to apply our lives to this Psalm.

At the risk of nit-picking, let me suggest that genuine faith in Christ is, by nature, stronger than fear. To tell someone to let their faith be bigger than their fear is actually telling them to exchange less-than-saving/sanctifying faith for genuine faith. So, it’s actually not about letting faith be bigger; it’s about explaining how faith in Christ conquers fear. That exercise in theological exegesis will help our congregants be the kind of person described in Psalm 112, which is what the Psalm is intended to do.

This post was originally published on July 29, 2013.

One of the benefits of preaching through the book of Judges is that chapter 10 provides a glimpse into the doctrine of repentance. Repentance is not a doctrine that gets much press these days. You probably are aware that it is a critical doctrine that greatly affects one’s justification and sanctification. Judges, however, is not the place you would likely look to find teaching on repentance.

Actually two kinds of repentance are mentioned. The first one is readily acknowledge: the repentance of God’s people. The second one is hotly debated: the repentance of God.

First, after committing more idolatry, God’s people finally say in vv. 15-16 “‘We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.’ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord…” God’s people finally repent of their idolatry.

Notice two parts of their repentance: (1) they stopped worshiping “the foreign gods”; (2) they started (re-started?) serving “the Lord.” They stopped sinning and started serving. It’s a pretty simple definition of repentance.

Second, after severely judging His people, God finally responds to Israel’s repentance. The omniscient narrator tells us: “and [the Lord] became impatient over the misery of Israel” (v. 16). The Lord stopped punishing and started saving even though He said back in v. 13, “Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.”

I don’t claim to understand what was happening in the mind of God. Neither arguments for or against God being able to repent have been completely satisfying.

I am convinced, however, that our congregants need to hear the importance of confessing their sins, turning from their sins, and replacing their sins with righteousness.

Preach repentance and our Lord will continue to receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

This post was originally published on October 31, 2016.

One of the challenges of preaching in the Gospels is trying to apply to Christians what appears to be written/said to non-Christians. For instance, in Luke 4:18-19 Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1-2. Isaiah’s message seems tailor made for an evangelistic sermon or as a call for social justice (i.e., the poor, captives, and oppressed are mentioned). Isaiah and Jesus certainly contain an evangelistic and social thrust. Primarily, however, Luke writes for the Church to bolster their faith (cf. Luke 1:4). If, as Jesus says in Luke 4:21, this Scripture from Isaiah was being fulfilled that day, Jesus’ short message is a time for us to challenge believers to be sure they are experiencing the reversal of fortune described initially by Isaiah. All who profess faith in Christ move from poverty to spiritual wealth/power, from captivity to spiritual freedom/power, from blindness to spiritual perspective/vision, and from oppression to spiritual courage and hope.  According to Luke 4:22-30, the church-going folks in Jesus’ hometown did not believe Him. They did not believe they were needy. Believers, by definition, need to believe that Jesus does what He says He’ll do and receive His gracious gift of salvation/sanctification.

I’m not saying evangelism or social justice have no place. It’s just that Luke intends to say something to the Church about their response to Jesus’ person and work.

For those who are interested in preaching Christ from such a seemingly-already-Christ-centered text, remember, Jesus would later face rejection greater than that recorded in Luke 4:28-29. On the cross He would experience the deepest and darkest forms of human distress described in Luke 4:18. And He would do so so that those of us who believe His Word would never have to experience them.

This post was originally published on April 10, 2013.

In over 20 years of pastoral ministry, no one has ever entered my study to confess their sin of greed or covetousness. They’ve confessed other sins, but not that one. Is that true of your ministry too? If it is true of your ministry context, then preaching Jesus’ teaching in Luke 12:13-21 is extremely important.

In verse 15 Jesus commands, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness…” He follows that up with a frightening parable. I realized that if I was going to be faithful to this Text, I needed to do what God was doing. God was putting the fear of God in us.

Last week I had the privilege of conducting a preaching workshop at Lancaster Bible College. One of the segments included observations about how Jonathan Edwards motivated his listeners to apply the Scriptures by moving back and forth between fear and love (fear of God and love for God). Jesus clearly employs a scare tactic (you might decide that term needs an adjustment) when He says in v. 20, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you…”

I doubt that many, if any, of our parishioners realize the power and presence of this sin. But I know you won’t let them remain in that condition for long. Sooner or later, you’ll preach a Text and/or topic that will provide an opportunity to guard them against this rarely confessed sin.

Preach well for the reputation of Christ in the Church and in the world.

This post was originally published on March 13, 2014.

The title of this sporadic blog series, You Need To Read, is a bit of an overstatement. I do think these books are worth reading, though. So, as I wrote in an earlier post, every once in a while I’ll be telling you about books that are helping me preach. My reviews will be fairly brief compared to some and will focus on how the book/author has helped me. I will not spend hardly any words on my disagreements with the book. I don’t read these books in order to be able to state my disagreements. I read them to profit and realize I won’t agree with everything (we hardly ever read a book like that, right?).

Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense

This post was originally published on November 25th, 2014.

A while ago the following sentence caught my eye. It’s from Pandora’s bio on the singing group, Hot Chocolate:

“An interracial English funk and soul group, Hot Chocolate scored a pair of huge hits in the 70’s but were otherwise more enthusiastic than skilled.”

Ouch!

This immediately made me think of what someone could say about me or any other preaching pastor.

I recognize that skill levels vary with individuals. It’s that way with athletes. There is LeBron James and there are other basketball players (older blog readers insert Michael Jordan). And it’s that way with preachers. I’m no Tony Evans or Tim Keller.

This week I begin teaching Advanced Homiletics to a class at LBC’s northern Virginia campus. I’m also in the middle of working with a Baltimore pastor in an independent study in Communicating Biblical Truth. So, I’m thinking a lot these days about how to teach hermeneutical and homiletical skills. As always, it forces me to think about how I’m doing. How skillful am I at…

• fighting the good fight of faith? At fighting temptation? At displaying the fruit of the Spirit?
• interpreting how Scripture functions for the Church? At theological exegesis? At understanding the human heart?
• communicating God’s Word in church? At speaking, pace, movement, energy, urgency? At relating to the learners?

Take a look at those three broad categories. What does it take to become more skillful in these areas. It takes intentional, intense prayer. It takes purposeful reading. It takes consistent pastoral interaction (loving and listening).

God help us preach better so that He gets glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Preach a good sermon, will ya?!

This post was originally published on September 1st, 2015.

In these posts I am working my way through the book of Judges to provide a strategy for preaching difficult narratives.

Whenever you preach through the book of Judges–a very brave thing to do, by the way–you will discover that there are no judges. But there are lots of people doing what was right in their own eyes. The theological reason is provided in 19:1 “In those days, when there was no king in Israel…” What could a king do?

Well, a certain kind of king could teach and enforce the ways of God among the people of God. That would put a stop to the terrible wickedness that we read about in the city of Gibeah. And, of all things, Gibeah was home of God’s people, not a “city of foreigners” (cf. 19:12). They were “Benjaminites” (v. 16). None of us readers are prepared for how wicked God’s people have become.

The story revolves around a Levite and his concubine. Davis says that “he was heading for Sodom-in-the-land-of-Israel.” The parallels between Judges 19:22-28 and Genesis 19’s famous story are numerous. What starts off with no hospitality (Judges 19:15) ends up in what might be the worst scene in all the Bible (spoiler alert: except for the Cross, of course!).

The Levite gives his concubine to “the men of the city, worthless fellows” and she is raped and killed (v. 22, 25). His insensitivity is unbelievable (v. 28). And then, the Levite follows that up with the unthinkable: “he took a knife…divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel” (v. 29).

The chapter closes with the people’s reaction: “consider it, take counsel, and speak” (v. 30).

If you ever preached this chapter, one challenge is to help a church realize that it could get this bad. This is how bad things can get when God is not worshiped, when American individualism fills the hearts of people in the pews. Bad example? Yes.

A bigger challenge is to see the grace of God-in Christ in this narrative. That happens when we point out that the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ was a worst crime than anything Sodom or Gibeah experienced. And, of course, it is Christ’s broken body that makes it possible for Believers to experience the kingship of God in the power of His Spirit. Preach Christ? Yes.

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

Randal

P.S. I read the post and wanted to draw attention to the preaching strategy, how the narrative conveys theology for the Church.

First, the theological statement that drives the entire book is found in v. 1 (“no king”).

Second, the whole story revolves around God’s people, not pagans.

Third, the varied sins of God’s people are on display, including the most heinous ones.

Fourth, there is a clear reference to redemption in v. 30 (“the people of Israel that came up out of the land of Egypt”).

Finally, if you are inclined as I am to show how such a ghastly narrative points to Christ, look to the parallel between the concubine and the Cross.

Hope that helps.

This was originally posted on December 13th, 2016.

Two events produced this post. The first event happened a few years ago and lasted over a three or four-year time period. The second event happened yesterday. Both events involved atheists attending church and overhearing worship during the teaching time. Both events continue to teach me valuable lessons about preaching.

First, atheists listen more critically to what we say than our faith-family. In this way, in a small way, I feel what Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian feels about preaching in New York City. He said he always has to make sure he has his facts right in NYC because he knew his listeners will verify his words.

My two atheists–one regular attender and one, one-Sunday visitor–listened more closely than most regular attending Christians. It means I have to pay attention to my facts during illustrations (I find that’s the time I’m most apt to misspeak). But actually, having experienced atheists in the house has made me realize how important it is for me to do my homework. I don’t want to take advantage of Christian listeners who are not as critical listeners. I don’t want to lead them astray with false data.

Second, my interaction with the two men helped me realize that our Christianity rests on faith that God’s revelation explains the reality of our world. I’m currently reading, Belief Without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious, by Linda A. Mercadante.

Over and over again I’m reading excerpts of people believing that human beings are basically good and that they will do the right thing given enough education. Very different perspective than the anthropology of Scripture. I was challenged to continue to make it clear that God’s Story is our story. We believe that what God says in His Word is reality. We continually assess whether the lives we’re living match the reality of God’s Word.

Third, my time with the self-proclaimed atheists, both of which left the Christian faith, confirmed for me that no apologetical skill will turn a committed atheist into a committed Christian. I am responsible to preach the Word. Apart from the Spirit of God, I can’t force someone to believe God’s Word is real.

I remember hearing Dr. Norman Geisler, one of my former professors at Dallas Theological Seminary in the ’80’s say, “Apologetics is effective in helping a person who’s on the fence.” These two atheists, one of which is my friend, are not on the fence. And my best attempts at being an apologist will not win the day.

(Some readers might be interested in learning that the well-known Yale Old Testament Biblical Theology professor, Brevard Childs, once wrote me a letter stating that he felt that an emphasis on apologetics was detracting from the preaching of God’s Word.)

Anyway, there you have it: what I’m learning about preaching from atheist attendees.

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

Randal

This post originally appeared on July 20, 2015.