Preaching Old Testament Narratives (Preaching with Excellence) - Softcover

Walton, Dr Benjamin (University Of Cambridge)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0825442583 ISBN 13: 9780825442582

Verlag: Kregel Publications,U.S., 2016

Inhaltsangabe

There's no question that the Old Testament is foundational for the New Testament church. But foundational or not, it can be difficult for preachers to pin down useful resources for narrative texts within the Old Testament, much less to skillfully preach those passages to their congregations.

Benjamin Walton provides the practical insight pastors need. In one volume, he demonstrates both the interpretive and homiletical skills necessary to preach Old Testament narratives well. Walton guides the preacher through selecting a text which is a complete unit of thought; describing the scene in a coherent way; determining the theological message of the text; and carefully crafting a meaningful take-home truth. He doesn't stop with discovering the core message—the majority of the book focuses on delivering the message drawn from these narrative texts.

Walton's approach is not just theoretical. It has been read and tested anonymously by groups of pastors, and their feedback has been incorporated into the book. This valuable resource will help preachers put all the pieces together, have confidence in what they're imparting, and maximize their preaching potential for Old Testament narratives.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Benjamin H. Walton (D.Min., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is president of PreachingWorks, an organization dedicated to helping pastors maximize their preaching potential. A former pastor, Walton has taught at several schools including Grand Canyon University, Arizona Christian University, and Talbot School of Theology.

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Preaching Old Testament Narratives

By Benjamin H. Walton

Kregel Publications

Copyright © 2016 Benjamin H. Walton
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8254-4258-2

Contents

Foreword, 17, 
Preface, 19, 
Introduction, 21, 
Abbreviations, 25, 
Part I: Discover the Message, 
1. OT Narratives, Hermeneutics, and Biblical Authority, 29, 
2. OT Narratives: From Text Selection to Take-Home Truth, 45, 
3. A Succinct Commentary on 2 Samuel 11–12, 83, 
4. Initial Considerations, 91, 
5. Create the Introduction, 103, 
6. Preach through the CUT (Part 1): Movements, 129, 
7. Preach through the CUT (Part 2): Other Options, 139, 
8. State the Take-Home Truth, 147, 
9. Help Listeners "Buy" the Take-Home Truth, 155, 
10. Develop Picture-Painting Applications, 163, 
11. Move to Christ, 177, 
12. Finishing Well in the Conclusion, 193, 
13. From Good to Excellent, 199, 
Appendix A: Organic Sermon Structure, 215, 
Appendix B: Sermon from 2 Samuel 11–12, 217, 
Appendix C: Sermon from Genesis 11:1–9, 231, 
Appendix D: Storyline of the Old Testament, 241, 
Bibliography, 249, 
About the Author, 255, 

CHAPTER 1

OT Narratives, Hermeneutics, and Biblical Authority

Accuracy in preaching is vital in today's world. In the 800s, it mattered less if preachers thought the Bible taught the earth was the center of the universe. Everyone believed that. In the 1400s, it mattered less if preachers taught a flat earth. People believed the clergy more than university professors.

Today, when we misinterpret Scripture or assert knowledge of God or his will that the Bible doesn't teach, repercussions can be serious. A few years ago, I had a chance at a college graduation party to witness to a young man who had left the faith years earlier. He was a strip-club bouncer. Knowing that I was a pastor, he asked me a number of Bible questions. My answers shocked him because I was able to show him that the Bible didn't teach much of the well-intentioned legalism he grew up with. No fancy interpretations were necessary. No in-depth analysis was needed — only the most well-accepted, but neglected, principles of biblical interpretation.

What Does It Mean to Preach with Biblical Authority?

Preaching with biblical authority means that our sermons accurately proclaim and apply the message of their biblical preaching texts. It has little to do with whether the sermon is verse-by-verse, topical, or otherwise. It's often called "expository preaching" or "biblical preaching." The benefit of preaching with biblical authority is significant: It renders our message God's message.

Preaching with biblical authority is rooted in the historic Christian belief that God is so different than us that the only reliable way to have knowledge of God or his will is through Scripture. Applied to the sermon, it's the idea that unless the messages we preach and the applications we give derive from the message of our preaching texts, there is a good chance we've misrepresented God.

Preaching with biblical authority has one fundamental problem: It requires preachers. That's you and me. Keith Mathison once observed that no one "asserts that a Bible can enter a pulpit and preach itself. No one asserts that a Bible can read itself. Scripture cannot be interpreted or preached apart from the involvement of some human agency." Since preaching with biblical authority is an action more than a belief, it requires more than a theoretical commitment. It must be put into practice. Despite his profound admiration for us preachers, Haddon Robinson admits that preaching with biblical authority "has suffered severely in the pulpits of those claiming to be its friends."

To preach with biblical authority, we must use sound hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the thoughtful process of discovering what a biblical text was designed to teach those it was originally written to, so that we can faithfully apply it to our lives today. It recognizes that careful thought is necessary to interpret and apply the Bible. Hermeneutics is necessary to overcome the temptation to too hastily equate our thoughts with God's thoughts. When we preach without giving much thought to hermeneutics, we relegate the Bible to the status of a tool — a tool for us preachers to carry out our agendas, which always seems noble to us.

Hermeneutics 101: How Words and Genre Work Together to Communicate Messages

Sound hermeneutics requires an understanding of how communication works. The Bible, after all, is God's authoritative communication to us. We need to consider three aspects of communication: words, genre, and message. "Words" refers to what we say; "genre" to the way we say it; and "message" to the reason for saying it. When we decide to communicate, we first determine the point we want to make (message); then the way we want to say it (genre); and then finally, we express ourselves in words.

Of these three, genre is the most neglected by preachers. Genre is an essential clue to understanding the message of biblical texts because it clues us in to the reading strategy — i.e., the hermeneutical principles — that the biblical author expects us to use. We practice genre analysis every day. We've all mastered the reading strategies of dozens of genres, including tax bills, political cartoons, parodies, fairy tales, editorials, and street signs. We don't think we're engaging in genre analysis because these genres are common in our culture.

Words alone cannot communicate a message. Genre is necessary to make sense of words. Take the phrase "I am bad." We're familiar with the wording, but what is the message? If intended ironically, it is, "I think I'm cool." If it's a mocking insult, the message is, "The person I'm speaking about thinks he's cool, but he's not." If it's a heartfelt confession, the message is, "I believe that I am a bad person."

In some genres, the words are similar to the message. In others, they are quite different. Let's say we want others to believe that our kids are great. If we want to be crystal clear but dry, we could use a declarative sentence. If we want to "wow" our listeners, we could use an anecdote. If we want to rouse the emotions, we could write a poem. Notice that even when the message is the same, the genre we couch it in affects our word choice:

Genre: Declarative sentence

Words: My kids are great.

Message: Believe my kids are great.

Genre: Anecdote

Words: I woke up, got coffee, heard laughs outside, and saw my kids washing my car.

Message: Believe my kids are great.

Genre: Poem

Words: Roses are red, violets are blue, my kids' hearts are true.

Message: Believe my kids are great.

The same dynamics are present in biblical communication. In some genres, the words are similar to the message; in others, they are very different.

Genre: Direct command (Eph. 5:18a)

Words: Do not get drunk on wine, which is debauchery.

Message: Do not get drunk on alcoholic beverages, which is a public act of wild living.

Genre: Parable (Matt. 13:44)

Words: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When found, the finder hides it, sells everything, and buys the field.

Message: Join the kingdom of heaven; it's more valuable than anything else.

Genre: Lament (Ps. 10)

Words: God, why do you hide? The wicked are prospering. God, fix the problem. God is great.

Message: When feeling like God is...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Kregel Publications,U.S.
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0825442583
• ISBN 13: 9780825442582
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 256
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar