invitation to biblical preaching - · pdf fileinvitation to theological studies 1. invitation...

In vItatIon to

BIBLICALPreAChIng

Invitation to Theological Studies 1. InvitationtoBiblicalHebrew:ABeginningGrammar RussellT.FullerandKyoungwonChoi

2. Invitation to Biblical Preaching: Proclaiming Truth with ClarityandRelevance

DonaldR.Sunukjian

3. InvitationtoHistoricalTheology:ASurveyofChristianThought(forthcoming)

StevenA.McKinion

4. InvitationtoBiblicalInterpretation(forthcoming) AndreasKöstenberger,RichardD.Patterson,andScottSwain

5. InvitationtoChurchHistory(forthcoming) JohnHannah

6. InvitationtoBiblicalGreek(forthcoming) BuistFanningandJaySmith

7. InvitationtotheOldTestament(forthcoming) DavidM.HowardJr.

8. InvitationtotheNewTestament(forthcoming) MichaelWilkinsandAlanHultberg

9. InvitationtoWorldMissions(forthcoming) TimothyC.Tennent

10. InvitationtoEvangelism(forthcoming) TimothyK.Beougher

11. InvitationtoSystematicTheology(forthcoming)

Stimulating the mind and nourishing the soul, each volume in the InvitationtoTheologicalStudiesseriesiswrittentoprovideaprimarytextbookforcoregraduate-levelcourses.

In vItatIon to

BIBLICALPreAChIng

Proclaiming Truth with Clarity and Relevance

donald r. sunukjian

I n v I tat Ion t o t H E oL o G IC a L S t U DI E S SE R I E S

Invitation to Biblical Preaching: Proclaiming Truth with Clarity and Relevance

© 2007 by Donald R. Sunukjian

Published by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel, Inc., P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro-duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews.

Unlessotherwiseindicated,ScripturequotationsarefromtheHolyBible,NewInternationalVersion®.Copyright©1973,1978,1984byInternationalBibleSociety.UsedbypermissionofZondervanPublishingHouse.Allrightsreserved.

Scripture quotations marked nasb are from the NEWAMERICANSTANDARDBIBLE®.Copyright©1960,1962,1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The LockmanFoundation.Usedbypermission.(www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked kjv are from the King JamesVersion.

ISBN 978-0-8254-3666-6

Printed in the United States of America

07 08 09 10 11 / 5 4 3 2 1

Tomy wife, Nell,

who somehow has convinced me she’ d rather hear me preach than anyone else;

my children, Peter, David, Sarah, Mary, and Esther,

any one of whom could delight me after a church service with, “Good sermon, Dad”; and

Haddon Robinson, early mentor and continuing friend.

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Contents

Introduction:AnInvitationtoBiblicalPreaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Part 1: “Look at What God Is Saying . . .” 1. StudythePassage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 2. OutlinetheFlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 3. MovefromHistorytoTimelessTruth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 4. FormtheTake-HomeTruth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Part 2: “Look at What God Is Saying . . . to Us!” 5. AsktheRightQuestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 6. SelectEffectiveAnswers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 7. SharpentheTake-HomeTruth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 8. ShapetheSermon(Part1):StructuralPatterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 9. ShapetheSermon(Part2):RelevancyPatterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 10. ShapetheSermon(Part3):ChiasticPassages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 11. CreatetheIntroduction(Part1):Engage,Focus,

andSettheStage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 12. CreatetheIntroduction(Part2):PreviewtheHunksand

AnnouncethePassage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 13. PreparetheConclusionandTitle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 14. WritefortheEar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 15. PlanforOralClarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 16. DeliverwithFreedom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

AppendixA:OutliningProcedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

AppendixB:TheDangersofAlliteration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 AppendixC:SampleSermons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

1. TheShortestDistanceBetweenTwoPointsIsaZigzag(Exod.13:17–22). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

2. ImpartialLove(James2:1–13). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 ScriptureIndex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

� Contents

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— Introduction —

An Invitation to Biblical Preaching

after preaching one sunday morning,amanaskedme,“Don,howdo you see yourself when you’re up there preaching? What’s your self-image?Doyouseeyourselfasanevangelist?Ateacher?A‘kerux’?(IthinkheknewalittleGreekandwasshowingoff.)Howdoyouseeyourself?”

I’dneverconsideredthatquestionbefore,butwithinasplitsecondIinstinctivelyanswered,“Iseemyselfstandingwithyou,undertheWordofGod,saying,‘LookatwhatGodissayingtous.’”

Inmymind’seye,Isawmyselfasstanding,notoverthecongregation,butamongthem,holdingopenaBible,showingitspagestothem,saying,“ThisisGod’sWord—inspired,inerrant,authoritative.Ittellsuswhatweneedtoknow—whattothink,howtoact,what’sahead.Itgivesustruth.Isn’titwonderful?It’swhatGodissayingtous!He’salreadysaidittome;I’vealreadyreceivedthebenefitfromitasI’vestudiedandprepared.AndnowI’msimplysharingitwithyou—LookatwhatGodissayingtous!”

AsI’vereflectedovertheyearsonthatspur-of-the-momentanswer,ithasstruckmethatthisis,atheart,thedefinitionofa“biblicalpreacher”—onewhosays,“LookatwhatGodissaying...tous.”

The Bible is God’s voice, spanning the ages. The role of the biblicalpreacheristoechothatvoiceinthisgeneration.Specifically,thepreacher’staskistwofold:

• topresentthetrueandexactmeaningofthebiblicaltext(“LookatwhatGodissaying...”)

• inamannerthatisrelevanttothecontemporarylistener(“...tous”).

The True and Exact Meaning

“Topresentthetrueandexactmeaningofthebiblicaltext”meansthesermonmustunfoldaccordingtothenaturalflowofthoughtofthebiblicalauthor.IfIsaiahwerelisteningtoasermonfromhiswritings,heshouldbethinkingtohimself,“Yes,that’swhatIwassaying,andthat’showitfitsthiscrowd.”ButifIsaiahhearsthesermon,shakeshishead,andsays,“What?No!No!”thepreacherisintrouble.Biblicalpreachingtakesgreatpainstopresenttheideasandsequenceofthoughtoftheinspiredbiblicalauthor.

A true biblical preacher, for example, would not preach the story ofDavidandGoliathasrevealing“sixcharacteristicsofafutureleader”:

• Curious—asking,“What will be done for the man who kills thisPhilistine?”

• Consistent—askingothersthesamequestionafterhisbrotherre-bukeshim.

• Courageous—offering to Saul, “Your servant will go and fighthim.”

• Careful—takingoffSaul’sarmorbecauseheisnotusedtoit. • Confident—announcingtoGoliath,“ThisdaytheLordwillhand

youover.” • Conclusive—cuttingoffGoliath’sheadwiththesword.

Surelytheoriginalauthordidnothavesuchalistinmindwhenhesatdowntowritehisaccount!1

Instead,thepreacher’sstudyof1Samuel17withinthehistoricalflowoftheOldTestamentwouldobservethefollowing:

1. Suchpreachingispoorcommunication—andworsetheology.First,“askingothersthesamequestion”isnotbeingconsistent,it’sbeingpersistent.(Butthespeakerisstuckwithhisc’s.)Second,it’shighlydebatablewhetherconsistencyisatruecharacteristicofaleader.Abusi-nessowner in theaudiencemightargue,“If I consistently ranmybusiness the samewayIdidadecadeago,withoutchangingoradapting,I’dbebroke.”Finally,it’salsotheologicallydebatablewhetherconfidenceisatrueleadershipcharacteristic.CertainleadersinScriptureresolvedtoactacertainwayeventhoughtheyhadnoconfidenceastowhatGodwoulddo(e.g.,Daniel’sthreefriendswhoinformedNebuchadnezzarthat,whetherGodrescuedthemornot,theywouldnotbowtohisimageofgold[Dan.3:16–18]).Suchasermon—sixalliteratedc’sofleadership—isnotGod’struthbutratherthespeaker’sartificialcreation.

10 IntroduCtIon

• DavidcontinuallyreferstoGoliathas“thisuncircumcisedPhilis-tine,”emphasizingthefactthatGoliathhasnocovenantrighttotheland.

• GoliathisfromthecityofGath,aPhilistinecitythatshouldhavebeendefeatedbythetribeofJudahyearsearlier.InJudges1,Godpicked the tribeof Judah to set theexample for theother tribes:by trusting God’s covenant promises they would be able to con-quertheirallottedterritories.ButJudah,thechosenleader,falteredinfaith,defeatingonlythreeofthePhilistinecitiesinitsterritory.Gathwasallowedtoremain.AndnowGath,intheformofGoliath,hascomebacktotroubleIsrael.

• ButnowayoungboyfromthetribeofJudahstepsforwardtodowhathistribedidnotdo,becausehebelieveswhathistribedidnotbelieve—thatGodwouldbetruetohiscovenantpromiseandthatthelandwouldbelongtoIsraelalone.Andthusthisboybecomesthe leader his tribe was supposed to be, prefiguring the coming“LionofJudah”whowillruleGod’speopleforever.

Inthiswaytheexpositor,bybeingtruetothemeaningoftheoriginalauthor, is able topreach the realpointof thepassage:“Only thosewhobelieveGod’sWordarequalifiedtoleadGod’speople.”

Relevant to the Contemporary Listener

Thistrueandexactmeaningmustthenbepresentedinamannerthatisrelevanttothecontemporarylistener.Godisrevealingtruth,notsimplytoapreviousgeneration,butalsotous,rightnow,rightwherewelive.GodintendshisScripturestospanthecenturies,addressingeachgenerationinitsimmediatecontext.

WhenthePhariseeschallengedJesusastowhyhewasallowinghisdisciplestopickgrainontheSabbath(Matt.12:1–2),hereplied,“Haven’tyoureadwhatDaviddidwhen...?”(v.3).InJesus’mind,Godwasgivingthemthean-swertotheirquestionthroughanincidentrecordedathousandyearsearlier.

Similarly,Paul,referringtothehistoricaleventsofExodusandNumbers,says, “These things . . . were written down as warnings for us” (1Cor.10:11).Throughaccountswritten1,500yearsearlier,GodwasspeakingtoGentilesinPaul’sday—andtous,now.

IntroduCtIon 11

Abiblicalmessageisnotsomuch,“ThisiswhatGodsaidthen,”asitis,“ThisiswhatGodissayingnow,toyou.”Thepurposeofthesermonisnottoimpartknowledgebuttoinfluencebehavior—nottoinformbuttotransform.ThegoalisnottomakelistenersmoreeducatedbutmoreChristlike.

When you come, for example, to Genesis 11–12—Abraham’s leavingUr of the Chaldeans for Canaan—you would not be content to simply“teach”thevariousdetailsofthepassage:

• UrasacommercialandreligiouscenteroftheancientSumerianculture.

• Abraham’stripuptheEuphratesRiver. • HisstayinHaranuntilthedeathofhisfather,Terah. • HisresumedjourneytoCanaan. • Histravelsdownthecentralmountainridge,buildingaltarsand

worshipingwhereverhegoes.

Attheendofallthisbiblicalinformation,thelistenerthinkstohimself,“Sowhat?Theman’sbeendeadforfourthousandyears.WhatdoIcare?Whyareyoutellingmethis?”

Ingenuinebiblicalpreaching,youwouldgoontosay,“ThereasonI’mtellingyouthisisbecauseGodmaycometosomeofyouandsaythesamethinghesaidtoAbraham,‘Leavewhatisknownandfamiliar,andcomewithme.Letgoofwhatiscomfortableandsecure,andfollowmewithoutknowingwhatIwillputinitsplace.’”

Then you would draw pictures of what this contemporary “leaving”mightlooklikeforyourlisteners:

• Leaving the familiarity of American culture for an overseasministry.

• Leavingthecomfortoffamilyandfriendstogotocollegeinan-otherstateortotakeajobinanothercity.

• Leavingthesecurityofaguaranteedpaycheckandbenefitstostartyourownbusiness.

• Leavingacircleofteenagefriendswhoareabadinfluenceonyou. • Leaving the familiarity of singleness for the uncertainties of

marriage.

12 IntroduCtIon

Topreachinamannerthatisrelevanttothecontemporarylisteneristoimpressonthelistener,“Godissayingsomethingtoday.Hedidn’tjustsayitlongago.He’ssayingitnow,tous,rightwherewelive.”

Textual, Topical, or Expository?

Whentalkingaboutthiskindofbiblicalpreaching,theolddistinctionsoftextual,topical,andexpositoryarenothelpful.Thosedistinctionswerebasedontheamountofbiblicalmaterialbeingused,orwhereitwasbeingdrawnfrom—asingleverse(textual),passagesfromdifferentbiblicalbooks(topical),orsequentialparagraphsthroughaparticularbook(expository).

Today, instead, we define true biblical preaching byhow the biblicalmaterialistreated—thatis,faithfultothemeaningandflowoftheorigi-nalauthorandrelevanttothecontemporarylistener.

Anyof theaboveapproaches—textual, topical,expository—canbeabiblicalmessage.Abiblicaltextualsermon,basedon1Timothy5:1a(“Donotrebukeanoldermanharshly,butexhorthimasifhewereyourfa-ther”),mightlooklikethis:

I. WearenottoharshlyrebukeanoldermanA. “Harshlyrebuke”means...B. Inourexperience,aharshrebukemightbesomethinglike:

1. Example2. Example3. Example

C. The reason we are not to harshly rebuke older men isbecause...

II. Instead,weshouldappealtohim,orexhorthim,asifhewereourfatherA. Thedifferencebetweenanappealandarebukeis...B. In the examples above, an appeal might sound something

like:1. Example2. Example3. Example

C. Thesignificanceofviewinghimasourfatheristhat...

IntroduCtIon 13

Atextualsermonlikethisistruebiblicalpreaching—thespeakerun-folds theauthor’sflowof thought ina short text (here, two-thirdsof averse),makinghisconceptsclear,believable,andrelevanttothecontem-porarylistener.

Similarly, topical preaching can be true biblical preaching. A topicalsermononbeingaChristianhusbandmightlooklikethis:

I. Beconsiderateasyoulivewithyourwife(1Peter3:7).A. In the original language, the words “live with” look at the

mostintimateaspectsoflife,includingsexualintimacy.B. To be “considerate” means to act in an understanding and

knowledgeablewayinthisintimaterelationship.C. “Considerate living” in our marriages might take many

forms.1. Example2. Example3. Example

II. LoveyourwifeasChristlovedthechurch(Eph.5:25).A. Christ’sloveforthechurchwassuchthathegavehimselfup

forher.B. In a husband’s life, such sacrificial love might take many

forms.1. Example2. Example3. Example

Suchatopicalsermonisgenuinebiblicalpreaching—itaccuratelyex-plainseachpassageaccordingtoitsbiblicalcontextandappliesthetruthstoeverydaylife.

The Hardest and Best Thing We Will Ever Do

Thisbookisaninvitationtobiblicalpreaching.We’lltalkabouthowtodeterminethetrueandexactmeaningofthebiblicalauthor.Andwe’lltalkabouthowtopresentthatmeaninginaclear,believable,andrelevantwaytothecontemporarylistener.

14 IntroduCtIon

Suchpreachingisthehardestandbestthingwewilleverdo.It’sthehardest,foritwilltakethemostrigorousmentalabilityanddis-

ciplineGodhasgivenus.Wewillfindourselvestemptedtodoanythingbutthehardstudyrequired—we’llschedulemeetings,arrangecounsel-ingappointments,tackleadministrativetasks,cleanourfingernails,findasermonontheInternet,orsettleforsomesuperficialapproachtoourpassage—anythingtoavoidthesheerlaborrequired.

Foraman,preachingisprobablyascloseashewillevercometogivingbirth.He’llgothroughthesame“labor”:“There’ssomethinggrowingin-sideofme.It’sgettinglarger.Itwantstocomeout.Oh,it’ssohardtogetitout...Aaaugh!...It’sdone;it’sover!...Tellmethat’stheprettiestbabyyou’veeverseen!”(Andthenextday,hehasthe“postpartumblues”!)

It’sthehardestthingwewilleverdo,butit’salsothebest.It’sthebestthingwecandoforourministries.Goodpreachingdoesthefollowing:

• ItenablesustoreachmorepeopleinlesstimewithGod’struth,sinceitoccursatthelargestgatheringofthechurch.

• Itallowsustosaythingshonestly,andsometimesbluntly,know-ingthatsomeone,intheanonymityofacrowd,willponderandreceiveourwords,whereasthatpersonmightangrilyrejectthemifsaidface-to-face.

• It builds our credibility for our other pastoral (e.g., counseling)andleadership(e.g.,churchboard)activities.

• Itisusuallytheinitialpointofcontactthatencouragesvisitorstoreturn.

• Itbringsexcitementandanticipationtothewholechurch.

Biblicalpreachingisthebestthingwecandoforourministries,andit’sthebestthingwecandoforourownpersonallives.TodrinkdeeplyoftheWordofGod,tosaturateourselveswithitstruths,tohaveourliveschangedbyitstransformingpower,andthentostandbeforeGod’speo-ple,proclaimingwithjoyandconfidence,“LookatwhatGodissayingtous!”—whocouldbecalledtoanythinggreater?

IntroduCtIon 15

Part One

“LookatWhatGodIssayInG...”

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— 1 —

Study the Passage

the first step in preparingabiblicalmessageistostudythepassage.Thislargestepbreaksdownintoseveralstages:

• Readthesurroundingcontextforanoverview. • Flagthethingsyoudon’tfullyunderstand. • Useyourskillsandresourcesintheoriginallanguages. • Consultgoodcommentaries.

Read the Surrounding Context for an Overview

First,readyourspecificpassageanditssurroundingcontextinseveraldifferenttranslationsinordertogettheauthor’sbroadflowofthought.Determinehowyourunitfitsintohisunfoldingsequenceofideas.

Forexample,supposeyou’regoingtopreachonJames1:5–8:

Ifanyofyou lackswisdom,heshouldaskGod,whogivesgen-erouslytoallwithoutfindingfault,anditwillbegiventohim.Butwhenheasks,hemustbelieveandnotdoubt,becausehewhodoubts is likeawaveof thesea,blownandtossedby thewind.That man should not think he will receive anything from theLord;heisadouble-mindedman,unstableinallhedoes.

IfyoufailtonotetheflowofthoughtinJames1,youmightbetemptedtopreachthingsverydifferentthanwhatJameshadinmind.YoumightfindyourselfapplyingJames1:5–8toavarietyofsituations:

20 InvItatIontoBIBLICaLPreaChInG

• Ateenagerwantingtoknowwhatcollegeheshouldattend • Ayoungwomanneedingtodecidewhichsuitortoencourage • Amotherwantingwisdomondealingwithaproblemchild • Awidowneedingdirectiononhowtohandleherfinances • Ahusbandweighingajobchange

Or,youmightpreach James1:19—“Everyoneshouldbequick to lis-ten,slowtospeakandslowtobecomeangry”—as“AdviceforParentsofTeenagers”or“GuidelinesforLayCounselors”or“HowtoBeaManofDiscernment.”

Butasyouread theentirechapter several times through indifferenttranslations, you realize that throughout the chapter James is talkingaboutwhatyoushoulddo“wheneveryoufacetrialsofmanykinds”(v.2).Hisflowofthoughtisasfollows:

• Youshouldfacetrialswithjoyandperseverethroughthem,know-ingthey’reproducingmaturityandChristlikecompletenessinyou(vv.2–4).

• Ifyou lackwisdomregarding thepurposeof the trialorhowtopersevere through it, ask God, and he’ll give it to you. But youmustfirmlybelieveinhissovereigntyandloveinordertoreceiveit(vv.5–8).

• Bothpoorandrichoughttobeabletodiscernthepurposesandbenefitsthatcomethroughtheirtrials(vv.9–11).

• If you successfullypersevere through the trial, you’ll receive thecrownoflife(v.12).

• Butifyourespondsinfullytothetrial,don’tblameGodforpush-ingyoutoofar.Yoursinfulfailurewasduetosomeevilinyou,notbecauseGodwastemptingyou(vv.13–15).

• Godneverpushesustowardsin.Onthecontrary,hiseveryactionisonlyandalwaysforourgood—fromhisinitialchoicetogiveusbirthtohisfinalwelcomingofusinheavenasthehighestofallhiscreation(vv.16–18).

• Therefore,don’tbecomeangrywithGodorblamehimifyoure-spondsinfullyinatrial.Instead,“bequicktolisten”tothewisdomyouaskedforandtothe“wordoftruth”withinyou.Be“slowtospeak”—donotaccuseGodorothersofcausingyoutosin.And

finally,be“slowtobecomeangry,forman’sangerdoesnotbringabout the righteous life that God desires.” An angry, accusatoryresponsewillneverbringthematurityorcompletenessorcrownoflifethatGodintendsthroughthetrial(vv.19–20).

• InsteadofbeingangryandblamingGod,getridofwhateverfilthorevilcausedyoutoreactsinfullyinthefirstplace,andthenre-turntotheWordofGod,whichisabletoguideyousafelythroughthetrial(v.21).

• WhenyoureturntotheWord,however,youmustobeyit,andnotsimplylistentoit.Youmustbea“doer”andnotmerelya“hearer”(vv.22–25).

ByrecognizingthisflowofthoughtthroughJames1,youwillthenbeabletopreachtheauthor’strueandexactmeaninginverses5and19.

Flag the Things You Don’t Fully Understand

Onceyouhaveahandleonthelargeflowofthought,youcanthenmorethoroughlyprobeyourspecificpassage,flaggingthingsthatareuncleartoyou:customsyoudon’tunderstand,logicalconnectionsthatdon’tmakesense to you, a choice of wording that seems strange, apparent doctri-naldifficulties,oranythingelseyouneedtopindownmoreprecisely.Inotherwords,you’reaskingthequestionsthatyoursubsequentstudymustanswerbeforeyoucantrulypreachthemeaningoftheoriginalauthor.

Forexample,inJames1:5–8youmightflagthefollowing:

• WhydoesJamesassuremethatGod“won’tfindfault”?Iwouldn’thavethoughtthathewould.IfI’mprayingandaskingGodforwis-dom,Iwouldthinkhe’dbepleased.WhydoesJamesthinkIwouldbeworriedthatGodwillfindfault?

• WhenIaskGodforwisdom,Imust“believe.”Believewhat?ThatGod will give me wisdom? If I didn’t believe he would give mewisdom,Iprobablywouldn’tbeaskinghimforitinthefirstplace,wouldI?WhatmustIbelieve?WhatshouldInotdoubt?

• What does it mean to be “double-minded”? What are the twominds,orcontrastingthoughts,thatcouldbepresent?

Study the Passage 21


Asanotherexample,supposeyou’repreparingamessageon1Corinthi-ans4:1–5:

Sothen,menoughttoregardusasservantsofChristandasthoseentrustedwiththesecretthingsofGod.Nowitisrequiredthatthosewhohavebeengivenatrustmustprovefaithful.IcareverylittleifIamjudgedbyyouorbyanyhumancourt;indeed,Idonotevenjudgemyself.Myconscienceisclear,butthatdoesnotmakemeinnocent.ItistheLordwhojudgesme.Thereforejudgenothingbeforetheappointedtime;waittilltheLordcomes.Hewillbringtolightwhatishiddenindarknessandwillexposethemotivesofmen’shearts.AtthattimeeachwillreceivehispraisefromGod.

Fromreadingtheprecedingcontext(chap.3),youobservethatPaulisrebukingtheCorinthiansfortheirunworthyandunfoundedinfatuationswith certain ministers. Then, in the passage you’re going to preach on(4:1–5),hetellsthemhowministersshouldberegardedinstead.

Withthissurroundingcontextinmind,younowprobetheverses,not-ingthingsyoudon’tfullyunderstand,thingsyouwillneedtogetahandleonthroughyourstudybeforeyoucanpreachthepassageaccurately.Youmightflagthefollowing:

• What are the “secret things of God”? Why would God have se-crets?Other translations talkabout the“mysteriesofGod.”HasGodwrittenwhodunits?Whatarethesemysteries,orsecrets,andwhywouldGodhavethem?

• The niv describes ministers as ones who are “entrusted” withsomething;thenasbcallsthem“stewards.”Whatdoesitmeantobe“entrusted”?Wehavebeengiven“atrust,”butwhatisit?Whatwasastewardinthatculture?Wasitthesameasinourculture—forexample,anairplanehostessoradispenserofwineonaship?Orwasitsomethingdifferent?

• There seems tobea slight adversarial relationshipbetweenPaulandhisreaders.Whyisthat?Whatintheirprevioushistorymighthavecausedthat?

• Paulsayshecares“verylittle”abouttheiropinionofhim.What

does this do to our contemporary emphasis on small group ac-countability?ItseemslikePaulconsidershimselfunaccountable.

• Paulsayshedoesn’tevenjudgehimself.Aren’twesupposedtoex-amineourlivestoseeifwe’relivingworthyoftheLord?Doesn’tPaulhimselfsayafewchapterslaterthat“amanoughttoexaminehimself”beforeheparticipatesintheLord’sSupper(1Cor.11:28)?Ishebeinginconsistent?

• If,asPaulsays,“myconscienceisclear,butthatdoesnotmakemeinnocent,”thenwhathopedoIeverhaveofpleasingtheLord?

• Arewereallyto“judgenothing”?Don’totherversesassumesomejudgmentordiscernmentonourpartthatproperlyleadsustore-bukeasinningbrother?

• Whenisthe“appointedtime”? • When we get to heaven, is God going to display our entire lives

throughsomecosmicvideo,revealingeverysecretsinandhiddenthought forallofheaven to see? Ifnot (andwehopenot!), thenwhatdoes itmean that“hewillbring to lightwhat ishidden indarknessandwillexposethemotivesofmen’shearts”?

Thegoalofyoursubsequentstudyistogetclearanswerstotheseques-tions,sothatwhenyouspeak,yourmessagewillconfidentlyandaccu-ratelypresentwhatGodissaying.

Use Your Skills and Resources in the Original Languages

Once you have the larger flow of thought and have flagged specificthingsyoudon’tfullyunderstand,you’rereadytobeginanin-depthstudyofyourpassage,hopefullystartingwiththelanguagesinwhichtheorigi-nalauthorswrote.

Ourabilitiesintheoriginallanguagesdiffer,buttotheextentthatyouareable,workyourwaythroughthepassageinGreekorHebrew,notingvocabulary,wordorder,structuralconnectors,andorganizationaldesigns(e.g.,chiasmus,inclusio,parallelism).1Usewhatevercomputerprogramsorlanguageaidsmighthelpyou.

Moving slowly through thematerial inHebreworGreekpaysoff in

1. Seepages70n.5,131n.5,140–41,161–63,182–91,and247forexplanationsandexamplesoftheseorganizationaldesigns.



manyways.First,bygoingslowlyandsaturatingyourselfinthetext,youbuildthefireorpassionyouwilleventuallywantwhenyoupreach.YoubegintofeelthepoweroftheWord.Itstartstoseepintoyoursoul.2

Second, lookinguptheoriginalvocabulary in the lexiconsgivesyounuances of meaning that cannot be brought out in the single word orphraseoftheEnglishtranslation.

Third,theoriginal languagescontainaidstointerpretationthatmaynotbeapparentintheEnglish,suchaswordordertoindicateemphasis,orsyntacticalobservationstorevealtheorganizationofthought(e.g.,ifparticiplesare subordinate toan imperative in theGreek, they indicatethetime,manner,means,cause,condition,concession,purpose,orresultthatattachestothecommandbeinggiven).

Fourth,theoriginallanguagessometimesrevealanambiguitythattheEnglishtranslatorshaveinterpretivelyresolved(e.g.,whetherthegenitiveis objective or subjective). While their resolution might be helpful andaccurate,itmightalsoreflectadoctrinalbiasoratleastaninterpretativeviewpointthatshouldbeheldtentativelyuntilfurtherstudyisdone.

Finally,havingtheoriginallanguagesinmindwillprepareyoutoreadthecommentariesmoreintelligentlyandprofitably.Yourfamiliaritywiththeoriginalwordsorphraseswillenableyoutoimmediatelyunderstandthepointsthecommentatorsaremakingandprepareyouforhowtheyplayoffeachotherintheirvariousviewpoints.

Thethreestagessofar—readingthesurroundingcontext,flaggingwhatyoudon’tunderstand,andgoingthroughitintheoriginallanguages—might take one to two hours, depending on the length of your chosenpassage.Thenextstagewillprobablyaddfourtosixhourstothis.

Consult Good Commentaries

Goodcommentariesgenerallyarefoundamongthoseproducedinthelastfewdecades.Olderworks,perhapsinthepublicdomainandthereforeinexpensively available, have limited value. Though perhaps written bygodlymenorwomen,manyaremerelyrandomdevotionalobservations

2. ThatmaybewhyGodcommandedtheking“towriteforhimselfonascrollacopyofthislaw”(Deut.17:18).Thekingwasn’tjusttoreadsomeoneelse’scopy;hehadtopersonallyandslowlywriteoneoutinlonghandforhimself—aprocessthatwoulddeeplyembedthecontentinhissoul.

withoutagraspoftheauthor’struemeaningorflowofthought.Others,thoughwrittenbycompetentscholars,aredatedandlackthebenefitofrecentcultural,archeological,andgrammaticalstudies.

We’reallindebtedtoscholarswhohavespenttheirlivesunderstand-ingthebiblicallanguagesandcultures.Aswereadandcomparetheirin-sights,thebiblicalauthor’sflowofthoughtbeginstotakedefiniteshape,andourownunderstandingofthepassagecrystallizesfurther.

Goodcommentaries tendto fall inoneof threecategories.Thefirstcategoryiswhatwemightcallanexpositional,orsynthesis,commentary.Thistypeofcommentary,oftenaninexpensivepaperback,iswrittenfortheintelligentEnglishreader.Itsgoalistopresenttheflowofthoughtofthebiblicalwriter,withsomeattentiontoindividualwordsandphrases.Thiskindofcommentaryisoftenagoodplacetostart,sinceitwillquicklygiveyouthelargeunitsofthoughtandthelinesofargumentofthetext.

The second category is what we might call an exegetical, or critical,commentary. Usually in more expensive hardback, this type of com-mentaryisthemostdetailedandscholarly.Itfocusesonwords,phrases,andintricateissuesofgrammarandsyntaxandpresentslongdiscussionsofcultureandbackground.Ithasthebestchanceofresolvingthestudyquestionsyouflaggedearlier.

Thethirdcategoryisthesermonic,orhomiletic,commentary,whichisusuallyaseriesofsermonsthatwerefirstpreachedtoalocalcongrega-tionandthenputintoprintforawideraudience.Thevalueofthistypeofcommentaryisthatitmightsparkapplications,titles,specialphrasings,orevenacreativeapproachtothemessage.

Studythoroughlyinthefirsttwocategoriesbeforeyoureadthethird.If you start with sermonic commentaries, you may be tempted to pre-maturelyconclude,“That’llpreach!”withoutfirstdeterminingwhethertheprintedsermonaccuratelyreflectsthemeaningofthebiblicalauthor.Instead,startwiththecommentariesthathavenohomileticalaxtogrind.Becomeemotionallyweddedtotheconceptsandflowofthebiblicalau-thor,andthenyou’llbemoreproperlyselectiveinhowyoubenefitfromsomeoneelse’ssermon.

Awisepreacherwillbudgetmoneytobuythesebooks.Justastheme-chanichastoinvestinthelatesttoolstodiagnosecomplexengines,soyoumusthavethebestandlatestbookstokeepupwithadvancesinbiblicalknowledgeandtostimulateyourmind.



Stayabreastwithwhat’sbeingpublished.TwoexcellentresourcesaretheJournaloftheEvangelicalTheologicalSociety3andBibliothecaSacra.4Thesetwojournalsnotonlyhaveconsistentlyhelpfularticlesonbiblicalpassagesandtopics,butalsovaluablebookreviewsofthelatestcommen-taries.Publishedquarterly, theiryearlycost isabout thepriceofanicerestaurantmeal.

Otherresourcesforcommentaryrecommendationsmightbeabooklistputoutbytheprofessorsofaseminary,orapublishedworkbyarespectedscholarevaluatingrecentworks,orabookexclusivelyfocusedonhowtobuildanevangelicaltheologicallibrary.5

ToreallystayonthecuttingedgeofNewTestamentandOldTestamentstudies, subscribe to Old Testament Abstracts and New TestamentAbstracts.6Modestlypriced,theseabstractssummarizealmosteveryre-centarticlepertainingtobiblicalstudiesthathaveappearedinhundredsofjournalsaroundtheworldandareanexcellentwaytostaycurrentwithemergingscholarship.

Yourfirstandmostessentialstepistothoroughlystudythepassage.Spendthehoursreading,takingnotes,andlearningallyoucan,sothatyoucansaysubstantively,accurately,andconfidently,“LookatwhatGodissaying.”

3. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 200 Russell Woods Drive, Lynchburg, VA24502-3574.

4. BibliothecaSacra,3909SwissAvenue,Dallas,TX75204. 5. Forhelpfulguidance,seeJohnGlynn,CommentaryandReferenceSurvey:AComprehensive

GuidetoBiblicalandTheologicalResources(GrandRapids:Kregel,2007). 6. OldTestamentAbstractsandNewTestamentAbstracts,publishedthreetimesayearbythe

CatholicUniversityofAmerica,433CaldwellHall,Washington,DC20064.

invitation to biblical preaching - · pdf fileinvitation to theological studies 1. invitation...

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