Posted on

Preaching the Hope-filled Conclusion to 2 Chronicles: Preaching Through Chronicles

by

I took this photo shortly after arriving in Mount Joy, PA in 2003. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Here was a corn-stalk growing on (or, in?) a cement bridge! It’s a fitting image of God’s people receiving a major dose of hope at the end of 2 Chronicles 36.

You might make sense of the narrative like this:

First, redemption is reversed in vv. 1-14 and 16-21. All four kings in this section share the same fate: “trouble and exile” says Pratt. Because “All the officers of the priests and the people…were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations” (v. 14) and because their rebellion got worse even after God sent them prophets (v. 16a), “the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until their was no remedy” (v. 16b).

Second, thankfully compassion is extended in v. 15. I found it interesting that the Lord’s compassion matched the persistence of His people’s rebellion. Verse 15 reads, “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them…because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.” There’s tons of theology in both of those phrases.

Finally, we arrive at our hope and mission in vv. 22-23. Verse 22 states, “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” and Cyrus issues an hope-filled invitation for any of God’s people: “Let him go up” and build God’s house in Jerusalem. The odds of that happening are about as good as the odds of a cornstalk growing on a cement bridge.

It can happen. It did happen. It does happen every time God’s people respond to Him in loving obedience.

And, if you’re interested in making a Christological connection, the wish of the last verse in 2 Chronicles, “may the Lord his God be with him,” is very soon, according to one Jewish order of Scripture to be experienced in our Emmanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23).

Preach these OT books so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

N.B. One exegetical, contextual gem in this section is the mention of “the Chaldeans” in 2 Chronicles 36:17. The last time we read about these people was all the way back to Genesis 11:28. At the beginning of the narrative of God’s people, God calls Abram out of this land; at the end of the OT narrative of God’s people, God “brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans….He gave them all into his hand” (2 Chronicles 36:17). The story has come full circle, especially if you follow one Jewish rendering of the order of OT books (Chronicles coming last). Thankfully, the Story didn’t and doesn’t end there!

 

Posted on

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

by

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

Posted on

The Difficulties of Disciple-Making: Preaching Through Chronicles

by

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

Posted on

Limit My Word-Studies: What I’m Learning About Preaching From Jonathan Edwards’s Early Sermons

by

The first thing I noticed is that Edwards spent hardly any sermon time on word studies.

Let me back up. Several months ago I decided to pretend I was in Jonathan Edwards’s 18th century parish. I began reading his sermons in chronological order (The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 10, Sermons and Discourses 1720-1723, edited by Wilson H. Kimnach). It’s been a great addition to my Bible readings and also an excellent homiletical exercise (doing rhetorical analysis on Edwards’s early sermons).

The first thing that struck me was how little Edwards defined key terms. It seemed odd because doing word studies was such an important part of my exegetical training. So, I had to ask myself, “What did Edwards spend all his sermon time doing if he wasn’t doing lots of word studies?”

Edwards’s first sermon was, Christian Happiness, based on Isaiah 3:10 “Say unto the righteous, it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”

My hermeneutical/homiletical instincts would have me begin by explaining who are “the righteous.” Not Edwards.

He began by reasoning with his hearers in the same way Isaiah reasoned with his hearers: “Reasonable beings, while they act as such, naturally choose those things which they are convinced are best for them…” (p. 296). Reading Edwards’s first sermon made me realize how much God reasons with us.

Edwards preached, “…God always deals with men as reasonable creatures, and every [word] in the Scriptures speaks to us as such” (p. 296).

One thing to be gained by letting Edwards preach to you is that you will come away with a greater ability to reason with your congregants. Edwards has taught me so far that although God must act by His Spirit to convert sinners, God also believes that some will be persuaded by reasonable arguments. And, man, does Edwards spend time “arguing” with his congregants.

And, so far, he hasn’t defined one term.

Help your parishioners be reasonable people so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

P.S. If you are interested in homiletics as a discipline, you will benefit from Kimnach’s excellent insights concerning the preaching of Edwards’s day and his own method.

Posted on

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

by

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

Posted on

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

by

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

Posted on

Let Your Folks Know Whose Fight It Is: Preaching Through Chronicles

by

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

Posted on

How The Church Is Not Like Planet Fitness: Preaching Through Chronicles

by

In the U.S. the fitness gym, Planet Fitness, found their niche by advertising themselves as a “no judgment zone.” When you reach 2 Chronicles 19:4-11 you quickly discover that the church does not function like Planet Fitness.

The verses revolve around the need for God’s people to have competent officials contribute to God’s justice in the world. Verses 4-5 teach us that part of bringing God’s people “back to the Lord” is appointing judges “in the land.”

We help our parishioners worship by urging them to place themselves firmly within the kingship of Jehoshaphat described in this section. It’s a kingdom where God is just and we contribute to His justice.

I conveyed the theology this way:

  1. Our need for justice (vv. 5, 8, 10 where judges are appointed and instructed on how to judge in way that keeps them from incurring guilt). It was interesting for me to preach this sermon at the time when the #METOO movement was gaining publicity.
  2. The Source of justice (vv. 4, 7b where all this action of appointing judges is linked to a return to the Lord; it’s a great opportunity to explain this facet of God’s character; I loved Tozer’s take on this: “iniquity is the…opposite; it is in-equity, the absence of equality from human thoughts and acts.” This is important because, “there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes” (v. 7b); if you want to get a look at human nature, ask your folks why bribes work so well in our culture.
  3. The carrying out of justice (vv. 6-7a, 9, 11, especially the phrase, “He is with you…”; you might consider making the link to Matt. 18:18-20 or 1 Cor. 5:4 where the Lord’s presence within the assembly create the authority for church discipline to be carried out.

And, if you want to explain how God’s people are able to desire and carry out God’s justice, look no further than the cross. Romans 3:26 says, “that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ.”

Preach from Chronicles that the Church is a judgment zone so He receives glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

Posted on

Preaching the Bad Examples in 2 Chronicles: Preaching Through Chronicles

by

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

Posted on

What I’m Learning About Preaching From Atheist Attendees

by

df124818-fe65-467d-b488-781445c12ed8_tta-logo-2011

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.