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In vItatIon to
BIBLICAL
PreAChIng
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Ivitatio to Toloical Studis
1. InvitationtoBiblicalHebrew:ABeginningGrammar RussellT.FullerandKyoungwonChoi
2. Invitation toBiblicalPreaching:ProclaimingruthwithClarityandRelevance
DonaldR.Sunukjian
3. InvitationtoHistoricalTeology:ASurveyofChristianTought(forthcoming)
StevenA.McKinion
4. InvitationtoBiblicalInterpretation(forthcoming) AndreasKstenberger,RichardD.Patterson,andScottSwain
5. InvitationtoChurchHistory(forthcoming) JohnHannah
6. InvitationtoBiblicalGreek(forthcoming)
BuistFanningandJaySmith
7. InvitationtotheOldestament(forthcoming) DavidM.HowardJr.
8. InvitationtotheNewestament(forthcoming) MichaelWilkinsandAlanHultberg
9. InvitationtoWorldMissions (forthcoming)
TimothyC.Tennent
10. InvitationtoEvangelism(forthcoming) TimothyK.Beougher
11. InvitationtoSystematicTeology(forthcoming)
Stimulatingthemindandnourishingthesoul,eachvolumeintheInvitationtoTheologicalStudiesseriesiswrittentoprovideaprimarytextbookforcoregraduate-levelcourses.
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In vItatIon to
BIBLICAL
PreAChIngProclaiming Truth withClarity and Relevance
donald r. sunukjian
I n v I t a t Io n t o t H E oL o G I C a L S t U D I E S S E R I E S
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Invitation to Biblical Preaching: Proclaiming Truth with Clarityand 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 anyform or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy,recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of thepublisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews.
Unlessotherwiseindicated,ScripturequotationsarefromtheHolyBible,NewInternationalVersion.Copyright1973,1978,1984byInternationalBibleSociety.UsedbypermissionofZondervanPublishingHouse.Allrightsreserved.
Scripture quotations marked nasb are from the NEWAMERICANSTANDARDBIBLE.Copyright1960,1962,1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The LockmanFoundation.Usedbypermission.(www.Lockman.org)
Scripturequotationsmarkedkjv
arefromtheKingJamesVersion.
ISBN 978-0-8254-3666-6
Printed in the United States of America
07 08 09 10 11 / 5 4 3 2 1
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To
my wife, Nell,
who somehow has convinced me shed
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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Cotts
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
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AppendixB:TheDangersofAlliteration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
AppendixC:SampleSermons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
1. TheShortestDistanceBetweenTwoPointsIsaZigzag(Exod.13:1722). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
2. ImpartialLove(James2:113). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
ScriptureIndex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Contents
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Introduction
A Ivitatio to
Biblical Paci
afterpreachingone sundaymorning,amanaskedme,Don,how
do you see yourself when youre up there preaching? Whats your self-
image?Doyouseeyourselfasanevangelist?Ateacher?Akerux?(Ithink
heknewalittleGreekandwasshowingoff.)Howdoyouseeyourself?
Idneverconsideredthatquestionbefore,butwithinasplitsecondIinstinctivelyanswered,Iseemyselfstandingwithyou,undertheWord
ofGod,saying,LookatwhatGodissayingtous.
Inmymindseye,Isawmyselfasstanding,notoverthecongregation,
butamongthem,holdingopenaBible,showingitspagestothem,saying,
ThisisGodsWordinspired,inerrant,authoritative.Ittellsuswhatwe
needtoknowwhattothink,howtoact,whatsahead.Itgivesustruth.
Isntitwonderful?ItswhatGodissayingtous!Hesalreadysaidittome;
IvealreadyreceivedthebenetfromitasIvestudiedandprepared.AndnowImsimplysharingitwithyouLookatwhatGodissayingtous!
AsIvereectedovertheyearsonthatspur-of-the-momentanswer,it
hasstruckmethatthisis,atheart,thedenitionofabiblicalpreacher
onewhosays,LookatwhatGodissaying...tous.
TheBibleisGodsvoice,spanningtheages.Theroleofthebiblical
preacheristoechothatvoiceinthisgeneration.Specically,thepreachers
taskistwofold:
topresentthetrueandexactmeaningofthebiblicaltext(Lookat
whatGodissaying...)
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inamannerthatisrelevanttothecontemporarylistener(...tous).
The True and Exact Meaning
Topresentthetrueandexactmeaningofthebiblicaltextmeansthe
sermonmustunfoldaccordingtothenaturalowofthoughtofthebiblical
author.IfIsaiahwerelisteningtoasermonfromhiswritings,heshouldbe
thinkingtohimself,Yes,thatswhatIwassaying,andthatshowittsthis
crowd.ButifIsaiahhearsthesermon,shakeshishead,andsays,What?
No!No!thepreacherisintrouble.Biblicalpreachingtakesgreatpainsto
presenttheideasandsequenceofthoughtoftheinspiredbiblicalauthor.
A true biblical preacher, for example, would not preach the story of
DavidandGoliathasrevealingsixcharacteristicsofafutureleader:
Curiousasking,What will be done for the manwhokillsthis
Philistine?
Consistentaskingothersthesamequestionafterhisbrotherre-
bukeshim. Courageousoffering to Saul, Your servant will go and ght
him.
CarefultakingoffSaulsarmorbecauseheisnotusedtoit.
CondentannouncingtoGoliath,ThisdaytheLordwillhand
youover.
ConclusivecuttingoffGoliathsheadwiththesword.
Surelytheoriginalauthordidnothavesuchalistinmindwhenhesatdowntowritehisaccount!1
Instead,thepreachersstudyof1Samuel17withinthehistoricalowof
theOldTestamentwouldobservethefollowing:
1. Suchpreachingispoorcommunicationandworsetheology.First,askingothersthesame
questionisnotbeingconsistent,itsbeingpersistent.(Butthespeakerisstuckwithhiscs.)
Second,itshighlydebatablewhetherconsistencyisatruecharacteristicofaleader.Abusi-
nessownerintheaudiencemightargue,IfIconsistentlyranmybusinessthesamewayIdidadecadeago,withoutchangingoradapting,Idbebroke.Finally,itsalsotheologically
debatablewhethercondenceisatrueleadershipcharacteristic.CertainleadersinScripture
resolvedtoactacertainwayeventhoughtheyhadnocondenceastowhatGodwoulddo
(e.g.,DanielsthreefriendswhoinformedNebuchadnezzarthat,whetherGodrescuedthem
ornot,theywouldnotbowtohisimageofgold[Dan.3:1618]).Suchasermonsi xalliterated
csofleadershipisnotGodstruthbutratherthespeakersarticialcreation.
10 IntroduCtIon
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DavidcontinuallyreferstoGoliathasthisuncircumcisedPhilis-
tine,emphasizingthefactthatGoliathhasnocovenantrighttothe
land. GoliathisfromthecityofGath,aPhilistinecitythatshouldhave
beendefeatedbythetribeofJudahyearsearlier.InJudges1,God
pickedthetribeofJudahto set theexampleforthe othertribes:
by trustingGods covenant promises they would be ableto con-
quertheirallottedterritories.ButJudah,thechosenleader,faltered
infaith,defeatingonlythreeofthePhilistinecitiesinitsterritory.
Gathwasallowedtoremain.AndnowGath,intheformofGoliath,
hascomebacktotroubleIsrael.
ButnowayoungboyfromthetribeofJudahstepsforwardtodo
whathistribedidnotdo,becausehebelieveswhathistribedidnot
believethatGodwouldbetruetohiscovenantpromiseandthat
thelandwouldbelongtoIsraelalone.Andthusthisboybecomes
the leader his tribe was supposed to be, preguring the coming
LionofJudahwhowillruleGodspeopleforever.
Inthiswaytheexpositor,bybeingtruetothemeaningoftheoriginal
author, isableto preachthe realpointof the passage:Onlythosewho
believeGodsWordarequaliedtoleadGodspeople.
Relevant to the Contemporary Listener
Thistrueandexactmeaningmustthenbepresentedinamannerthat
isrelevanttothecontemporarylistener.Godisrevealingtruth,notsimplytoapreviousgeneration,butalsotous,rightnow,rightwherewelive.God
intendshisScripturestospanthecenturies,addressingeachgenerationin
itsimmediatecontext.
WhenthePhariseeschallengedJesusastowhyhewasallowinghisdisciples
topickgrainontheSabbath(Matt.12:12),hereplied,Haventyouread
whatDaviddidwhen...?(v.3).InJesusmind,Godwasgivingthemthean-
swertotheirquestionthroughanincidentrecordedathousandyearsearlier.
Similarly,Paul,referringtothehistoricaleventsofExodusandNumbers,
says, These things . . . were written down aswarnings for us (1Cor.
10:11).Throughaccountswritten1,500yearsearlier,Godwasspeakingto
GentilesinPaulsdayandtous,now.
IntroduCtIon 11
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Abiblicalmessageisnotsomuch,ThisiswhatGodsaid then,asit
is,ThisiswhatGodissaying now,toyou.Thepurposeofthesermon
isnottoimpartknowledgebuttoinuencebehaviornottoinformbuttotransform.Thegoalisnottomakelistenersmoreeducatedbutmore
Christlike.
Whenyoucome,forexample,toGenesis1112Abrahamsleaving
UroftheChaldeansforCanaanyouwouldnotbecontenttosimply
teachthevariousdetailsofthepassage:
UrasacommercialandreligiouscenteroftheancientSumerian
culture.
AbrahamstripuptheEuphratesRiver.
HisstayinHaranuntilthedeathofhisfather,Terah.
HisresumedjourneytoCanaan.
Histravelsdownthecentralmountainridge,buildingaltarsand
worshipingwhereverhegoes.
Attheendofallthisbiblicalinformation,thelistenerthinkstohimself,Sowhat?Themansbeendeadforfourthousandyears.WhatdoIcare?
Whyareyoutellingmethis?
Ingenuinebiblicalpreaching,youwouldgoontosay,ThereasonIm
tellingyouthisisbecauseGodmaycometosomeofyouandsaythesame
thinghesaidtoAbraham,Leavewhatisknownandfamiliar,andcome
withme.Letgoofwhatiscomfortableandsecure,andfollowmewithout
knowingwhatIwillputinitsplace.
Thenyouwoulddrawpicturesofwhatthiscontemporaryleavingmightlooklikeforyourlisteners:
Leaving the familiarity of American culture for an overseas
ministry.
Leavingthecomfortoffamilyandfriendstogotocollegeinan-
otherstateortotakeajobinanothercity.
Leavingthesecurityofaguaranteedpaycheckandbenetstostart
yourownbusiness.
Leavingacircleofteenagefriendswhoareabadinuenceonyou.
Leaving the familiarity of singleness for the uncertainties of
marriage.
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Topreachinamannerthatisrelevanttothecontemporarylisteneris
toimpressonthelistener,Godissayingsomethingtoday.Hedidntjust
sayitlongago.Hessayingitnow,tous,rightwherewelive.
Textual, Topical, or Expository?
Whentalkingaboutthiskindofbiblicalpreaching,theolddistinctions
oftextual,topical,andexpositoryarenothelpful.Thosedistinctionswere
basedontheamountofbiblicalmaterialbeingused,orwhereitwasbeing
drawnfromasingleverse(textual),passagesfromdifferentbiblicalbooks
(topical),orsequentialparagraphsthroughaparticularbook(expository).
Today,instead,wedenetruebiblicalpreachingby howthebiblical
materialistreatedthatis,faithfultothemeaningandowoftheorigi-
nalauthorandrelevanttothecontemporarylistener.
Anyoftheaboveapproachestextual,topical,expositorycanbea
biblicalmessage.Abiblicaltextualsermon,basedon1Timothy5:1a(Do
notrebukeanoldermanharshly,butexhorthimas ifhewereyourfa-
ther),mightlooklikethis:
I. Wearenottoharshlyrebukeanolderman
A. Harshlyrebukemeans...
B. Inourexperience,aharshrebukemightbesomethinglike:
1. Example
2. Example
3. Example
C. The reason we are not to harshly rebuke older men isbecause...
II. Instead,weshouldappealtohim,orexhorthim,asifhewereour
father
A. Thedifferencebetweenanappealandarebukeis...
B. In the examples above, an appeal might sound something
like:
1. Example
2. Example
3. Example
C. Thesignicanceofviewinghimasourfatheristhat...
IntroduCtIon 13
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Suchpreachingisthehardestandbestthingwewilleverdo.
Itsthehardest,foritwilltakethemostrigorousmentalabilityanddis -
ciplineGodhasgivenus.Wewillndourselvestemptedtodoanythingbutthehardstudyrequiredwellschedulemeetings,arrangecounsel -
ingappointments,tackleadministrativetasks,cleanourngernails,nd
asermonontheInternet,orsettleforsomesupercialapproachtoour
passageanythingtoavoidthesheerlaborrequired.
Foraman,preachingisprobablyascloseashewillevercometogiving
birth.Hellgothroughthesamelabor:Theressomethinggrowingin-
sideofme.Itsgettinglarger.Itwantstocomeout.Oh,itssohardtogetit
out...Aaaugh!...Itsdone;itsover!...Tellmethatstheprettiestbaby
youveeverseen!(Andthenextday,hehasthepostpartumblues!)
Itsthehardestthingwewilleverdo,butitsalsothebest.Itsthebest
thingwecandoforourministries.Goodpreachingdoesthefollowing:
ItenablesustoreachmorepeopleinlesstimewithGodstruth,
sinceitoccursatthelargestgatheringofthechurch.
Itallowsustosaythingshonestly,andsometimesbluntly,know-ingthatsomeone,in theanonymityofa crowd,willponderand
receiveourwords,whereasthatpersonmightangrilyrejectthem
ifsaidface-to-face.
Itbuilds our credibility forour otherpastoral(e.g., counseling)
andleadership(e.g.,churchboard)activities.
Itisusuallytheinitialpointofcontactthatencouragesvisitorsto
return.
Itbringsexcitementandanticipationtothewholechurch.
Biblicalpreachingisthebestthingwecandoforourministries,and
itsthebestthingwecandoforourownpersonallives.Todrinkdeeply
oftheWordofGod,tosaturateourselveswithitstruths,tohaveourlives
changedbyitstransformingpower,andthentostandbeforeGodspeo-
ple,proclaimingwithjoyandcondence,LookatwhatGodissayingto
us!whocouldbecalledtoanythinggreater?
IntroduCtIon 15
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Part One
LookatWhat
GodIssayInG...
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1
1
Study t Passa
thefirststepinpreparingabiblicalmessageistostudythepassage.
Thislargestepbreaksdownintoseveralstages:
Readthesurroundingcontextforanoverview.
Flagthethingsyoudontfullyunderstand.
Useyourskillsandresourcesintheoriginallanguages.
Consultgoodcommentaries.
Read the Surrounding Context for an Overview
First,readyourspecicpassageanditssurroundingcontextinseveral
differenttranslationsinordertogettheauthorsbroadowofthought.
Determinehowyourunittsintohisunfoldingsequenceofideas.
Forexample,supposeyouregoingtopreachonJames1:58:
Ifanyofyoulackswisdom,heshouldaskGod,whogivesgen-
erouslytoallwithoutndingfault,anditwillbegiventohim.
Butwhenheasks,hemustbelieveandnotdoubt,becausehewho
doubtsislikeawaveofthesea,blownandtossedbythewind.
That man should not think he will receive anything from the
Lord;heisadouble-mindedman,unstableinallhedoes.
IfyoufailtonotetheowofthoughtinJames1,youmightbetempted
topreachthingsverydifferentthanwhatJameshadinmind.Youmight
ndyourselfapplyingJames1:58toavarietyofsituations:
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20 InvItatIontoBIBLICaLPreaChInG
Ateenagerwantingtoknowwhatcollegeheshouldattend
Ayoungwomanneedingtodecidewhichsuitortoencourage
Amotherwantingwisdomondealingwithaproblemchild Awidowneedingdirectiononhowtohandlehernances
Ahusbandweighingajobchange
Or,youmightpreachJames1:19Everyoneshouldbequicktolis-
ten,slowtospeakandslowtobecomeangryasAdviceforParentsof
TeenagersorGuidelinesforLayCounselorsorHowtoBeaManof
Discernment.
Butasyoureadtheentirechapterseveraltimesthroughindifferent
translations, you realize that throughout the chapter James is talking
aboutwhatyoushoulddowheneveryoufacetrialsofmanykinds(v.2).
Hisowofthoughtisasfollows:
Youshouldfacetrialswithjoyandperseverethroughthem,know-
ingtheyreproducingmaturityandChristlikecompletenessinyou
(vv.24). Ifyoulackwisdomregardingthepurposeof thetrialorhowto
perseverethroughit,askGod,andhellgiveittoyou.Butyou
mustrmlybelieveinhissovereigntyandloveinordertoreceiveit
(vv.58).
Bothpoorandrichoughttobeabletodiscernthepurposesand
benetsthatcomethroughtheirtrials(vv.911).
If yousuccessfullypersevere through the trial, youll receive the
crownoflife(v.12). Butifyourespondsinfullytothetrial,dontblameGodforpush-
ingyoutoofar.Yoursinfulfailurewasduetosomeevilinyou,not
becauseGodwastemptingyou(vv.1315).
Godneverpushesustowardsin.Onthecontrary,hiseveryaction
isonlyandalwaysforourgoodfromhisinitialchoicetogiveus
birthtohisnalwelcomingofusinheavenasthehighestofallhis
creation(vv.1618).
Therefore,dontbecomeangrywithGodorblamehimifyoure-
spondsinfullyinatrial.Instead,bequicktolistentothewisdom
youaskedforandtothewordoftruthwithinyou.Beslowto
speakdonotaccuseGodorothersofcausingyoutosin.And
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22 InvItatIontoBIBLICaLPreaChInG
Asanotherexample,supposeyourepreparingamessageon1Corinthi-
ans4:15:
Sothen,menoughttoregardusasservantsofChristandasthose
entrustedwiththesecretthingsofGod.Nowitisrequiredthat
thosewhohavebeengivenatrustmustprovefaithful.Icarevery
littleifIamjudgedbyyouorbyanyhumancourt;indeed,Ido
notevenjudgemyself.Myconscienceisclear,butthatdoesnot
makemeinnocent.ItistheLordwhojudgesme.Thereforejudge
nothingbeforetheappointedtime;waittilltheLordcomes.He
willbringtolightwhatishiddenindarknessandwillexposethe
motivesofmenshearts.Atthattimeeachwillreceivehispraise
fromGod.
Fromreadingtheprecedingcontext(chap.3),youobservethatPaulis
rebukingtheCorinthiansfortheirunworthyandunfoundedinfatuations
withcertainministers.Then,inthepassageyouregoingtopreachon
(4:15),hetellsthemhowministersshouldberegardedinstead.Withthissurroundingcontextinmind,younowprobetheverses,not-
ingthingsyoudontfullyunderstand,thingsyouwillneedtogetahandle
onthroughyourstudybeforeyoucanpreachthepassageaccurately.You
mightagthefollowing:
What are the secret things of God? Why would God have se-
crets? Othertranslationstalk about themysteries of God.Has
Godwrittenwhodunits?Whatarethesemysteries,orsecrets,andwhywouldGodhavethem?
The niv describes ministers as ones who are entrusted with
something;thenasbcallsthemstewards.Whatdoesitmeanto
beentrusted?Wehavebeengivenatrust,butwhatisit?What
wasastewardinthatculture?Wasitthesameasinourculture
forexample,anairplanehostessoradispenserofwineonaship?
Orwasitsomethingdifferent?
There seemsto beaslight adversarial relationshipbetweenPaul
andhisreaders.Whyisthat?Whatintheirprevioushistorymight
havecausedthat?
Paulsayshecaresverylittleabouttheiropinionofhim.What
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doesthisdotoourcontemporaryemphasisonsmallgroupac-
countability?ItseemslikePaulconsidershimselfunaccountable.
Paulsayshedoesntevenjudgehimself.Arentwesupposedtoex-amineourlivestoseeifwerelivingworthyoftheLord?Doesnt
Paulhimselfsayafewchapterslaterthatamanoughttoexamine
himselfbeforeheparticipatesintheLordsSupper(1Cor.11:28)?
Ishebeinginconsistent?
If,asPaulsays,myconscienceisclear,butthatdoesnotmakeme
innocent,thenwhathopedoIeverhaveofpleasingtheLord?
Arewereallytojudgenothing?Dontotherversesassumesome
judgmentordiscernmentonourpartthatproperlyleadsustore-
bukeasinningbrother?
Whenistheappointedtime?
When we get to heaven, is God going to display our entire lives
throughsomecosmicvideo,revealingeverysecretsinandhidden
thoughtforall of heavento see?Ifnot(andwehopenot!),then
whatdoesitmeanthathewillbringtolightwhatishiddenin
darknessandwillexposethemotivesofmenshearts?
Thegoalofyoursubsequentstudyistogetclearanswerstotheseques-
tions,sothatwhenyouspeak,yourmessagewillcondentlyandaccu-
ratelypresentwhatGodissaying.
Use Your Skills and Resources in the Original Languages
Once you have the larger ow of thought and have agged specicthingsyoudontfullyunderstand,yourereadytobeginanin-depthstudy
ofyourpassage,hopefullystartingwiththelanguagesinwhichtheorigi-
nalauthorswrote.
Ourabilitiesintheoriginallanguagesdiffer,buttotheextentthatyou
areable,workyourwaythroughthepassageinGreekorHebrew,noting
vocabulary,wordorder,structuralconnectors,andorganizationaldesigns
(e.g.,chiasmus,inclusio,parallelism).1Usewhatevercomputerprograms
orlanguageaidsmighthelpyou.
MovingslowlythroughthematerialinHebreworGreekpaysoffin
1. Seepages70n.5,131n.5,14041,16163,18291,and247forexplanationsandexamplesof
theseorganizationaldesigns.
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24 InvItatIontoBIBLICaLPreaChInG
manyways.First,bygoingslowlyandsaturatingyourselfinthetext,you
buildthereorpassionyouwilleventuallywantwhenyoupreach.You
begintofeelthepoweroftheWord.Itstartstoseepintoyoursoul.2
Second,lookinguptheoriginalvocabulary inthe lexiconsgivesyou
nuancesofmeaningthatcannotbebroughtoutinthesinglewordor
phraseoftheEnglishtranslation.
Third,theoriginallanguagescontainaidstointerpretationthatmay
notbeapparentintheEnglish,suchaswordordertoindicateemphasis,
orsyntacticalobservationstorevealtheorganizationofthought(e.g.,if
participlesaresubordinatetoanimperativeintheGreek,theyindicate
thetime,manner,means,cause,condition,concession,purpose,orresult
thatattachestothecommandbeinggiven).
Fourth,theoriginallanguagessometimesrevealanambiguitythatthe
Englishtranslatorshaveinterpretivelyresolved(e.g.,whetherthegenitive
isobjectiveorsubjective).Whiletheirresolutionmightbehelpfuland
accurate,itmightalsoreectadoctrinalbiasoratleastaninterpretative
viewpointthatshouldbeheldtentativelyuntilfurtherstudyisdone.
Finally,havingtheoriginallanguagesinmindwillprepareyoutoreadthecommentariesmoreintelligentlyandprotably.Yourfamiliaritywith
theoriginalwordsorphraseswillenableyoutoimmediatelyunderstand
thepointsthecommentatorsaremakingandprepareyouforhowthey
playoffeachotherintheirvariousviewpoints.
Thethreestagessofarreadingthesurroundingcontext,aggingwhat
youdontunderstand,andgoingthroughitintheoriginallanguages
mighttakeonetotwohours,dependingonthelengthofyourchosen
passage.Thenextstagewillprobablyaddfourtosixhourstothis.
Consult Good Commentaries
Goodcommentariesgenerallyarefoundamongthoseproducedinthe
lastfewdecades.Olderworks,perhapsinthepublicdomainandtherefore
inexpensively available,have limitedvalue.Thoughperhaps written by
godlymenorwomen,manyaremerelyrandomdevotionalobservations
2. ThatmaybewhyGodcommandedthekingtowriteforhimselfonascrollacopyofthis
law(Deut.17:18).Thekingwasntjusttoreadsomeoneelsescopy;hehadtopersonallyand
slowlywriteoneoutinlonghandforhimselfaprocessthatwoulddeeplyembedthecontent
inhissoul.
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withoutagraspoftheauthorstruemeaningorowofthought.Others,
thoughwrittenbycompetentscholars,aredatedandlackthebenetof
recentcultural,archeological,andgrammaticalstudies.Wereallindebtedtoscholarswhohavespenttheirlivesunderstand-
ingthebiblicallanguagesandcultures.Aswereadandcomparetheirin-
sights,thebiblicalauthorsowofthoughtbeginstotakedeniteshape,
andourownunderstandingofthepassagecrystallizesfurther.
Goodcommentariestendtofallinoneofthreecategories.Therst
categoryiswhatwemightcallanexpositional,orsynthesis,commentary.
Thistypeofcommentary,oftenaninexpensivepaperback,iswrittenfor
theintelligentEnglishreader.Itsgoalistopresenttheowofthoughtof
thebiblicalwriter,withsomeattentiontoindividualwordsandphrases.
Thiskindofcommentaryisoftenagoodplacetostart,sinceitwillquickly
giveyouthelargeunitsofthoughtandthelinesofargumentofthetext.
The second category iswhat we might call an exegetical, or critical,
commentary. Usually in more expensive hardback, this type of com-
mentaryisthemostdetailedandscholarly.Itfocusesonwords,phrases,
andintricateissuesofgrammarandsyntaxandpresentslongdiscussionsofcultureandbackground.Ithasthebestchanceofresolvingthestudy
questionsyouaggedearlier.
Thethirdcategoryisthesermonic,orhomiletic,commentary,which
isusuallyaseriesofsermonsthatwererstpreachedtoalocalcongrega-
tionandthenputintoprintforawideraudience.Thevalueofthistypeof
commentaryisthatitmightsparkapplications,titles,specialphrasings,
orevenacreativeapproachtothemessage.
Studythoroughlyinthersttwocategoriesbeforeyoureadthethird.Ifyoustartwithsermoniccommentaries,youmaybetemptedtopre -
maturelyconclude,Thatllpreach!withoutrstdeterminingwhether
theprintedsermonaccuratelyreectsthemeaningofthebiblicalauthor.
Instead,startwiththecommentariesthathavenohomileticalaxtogrind.
Becomeemotionallyweddedtotheconceptsandowofthebiblicalau-
thor,andthenyoullbemoreproperlyselectiveinhowyoubenetfrom
someoneelsessermon.
Awisepreacherwillbudgetmoneytobuythesebooks.Justastheme-
chanichastoinvestinthelatesttoolstodiagnosecomplexengines,soyou
musthavethebestandlatestbookstokeepupwithadvancesinbiblical
knowledgeandtostimulateyourmind.
Study the Passage 25
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26 InvItatIontoBIBLICaLPreaChInG
Stayabreastwithwhatsbeingpublished.Twoexcellentresourcesare
theJournaloftheEvangelicalTeologicalSociety3andBibliothecaSacra.4
Thesetwojournalsnotonlyhaveconsistentlyhelpfularticlesonbiblicalpassagesandtopics,butalsovaluablebookreviewsofthelatestcommen-
taries.Publishedquarterly,theiryearlycostisaboutthepriceofanice
restaurantmeal.
Otherresourcesforcommentaryrecommendationsmightbeabooklist
putoutbytheprofessorsofaseminary,orapublishedworkbyarespected
scholarevaluatingrecentworks,orabookexclusivelyfocusedonhowto
buildanevangelicaltheologicallibrary. 5
ToreallystayonthecuttingedgeofNewTestamentandOldTestament
studies, subscribe to Old estament Abstracts and New estament
Abstracts.6Modestlypriced,theseabstractssummarizealmosteveryre-
centarticlepertainingtobiblicalstudiesthathaveappearedinhundreds
ofjournalsaroundtheworldandareanexcellentwaytostaycurrentwith
emergingscholarship.
Yourrstandmostessentialstepis tothoroughlystudythepassage.
Spendthehoursreading,takingnotes,andlearningallyoucan,sothatyoucansaysubstantively,accurately,andcondently,LookatwhatGod
issaying.
3. Journal of the EvangelicalTeological Society, 200 Russell Woods Drive, Lynchburg, VA
24502-3574.
4. BibliothecaSacra,3909SwissAvenue,Dallas,TX75204.
5. Forhelpfulguidance,seeJohnGlynn,CommentaryandReferenceSurvey:AComprehensive
GuidetoBiblicalandTeologicalResources(GrandRapids:Kregel,2007).
6. OldestamentAbstractsandNewestamentAbstracts,publishedthreetimesayearbythe
CatholicUniversityofAmerica,433CaldwellHall,Washington,DC20064.
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