In Scott M. Gibson’s and Matthew D. Kim’s Homiletics and Hermeneutics (Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition, 2018) Paul Scott Wilson presents his view of interpreting and preaching called the Law-Gospel view. Wilson’s one text, one theme, one doctrine, one need, one image, and one mission is just another way of saying what many homileticians describe as one preaching unit or the text (one text), one MPS (one theme), Argumentation (one doctrine), Interest Step in the Introduction (one need), Illustration (one image), and Application (one mission).
Read moreGod bore away our sins in the atonement of Christ
R. Kent Hughes has the following story regarding the conversion of the great 19th-century preacher Charles Simeon - Charles Simeon, one of the greatest preachers of the Church of England, explained his coming to Christ like this: "As I was reading Bishop Wilson on the Lord’s supper, I met with an expression to this effect—“That the Jews knew what they did, when they transferred their sin to the head of their offering.” The thought came into my mind, “What, may I transfer all my guilt to another? Has God provided an Offering for me, that I may lay my sins on His head? Then, God willing, I will not bear them on my own soul one moment longer.” Accordingly I sought to lay my sins upon the sacred head of Jesus". (From Hebrews: an anchor for the soul).
Charles Simeon appropriated what took place on the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16.
Atonement” in Leviticus 16:6 meant to cover Israel’s sins from God’s wrath on the Day of Atonement for one year. The context of Leviticus 16 is the wrath of God poured out on Nadab and Abihu in 10:1-2 for their disobedience to God.
This wrath could be avoided through the substitution of two animals on the Day of Atonement (16:5). The first animal’s blood was shed typifying Christ shedding his blood for the sins of the world. The second animal, the scapegoat bore away God’s wrath showing how Christ bore our deserved punishment.
The first animal sacrifice
Atonement took place when the blood of the first goat was sprinkled on the “mercy seat” (Leviticus 16:14-15). The mercy seat is used in Hebrews 9:5 as the place of atonement in the Old Testament tabernacle. This exact word for propitiation (ἱλαστήριον [hilasterion]) is used only one other time in Romans 3:25 and is translated as “propitiation.” Paul gives the theological significance of the sprinkled on the mercy seat in Romans 3:25: “Whom [Christ] God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.” Christ propitiated or satisfied the wrath and justice of God for our sins with his “blood.”. Wayne Grudem wrote: “Propitiation is a sacrifice that bears the wrath of God against sin and thereby turns God’s wrath into favor.”[1]
The second animal sacrifice
The scapegoat in Leviticus 16:22 bore away [נשׂא nasa] the punishment of sins. In Leviticus 7:18, for a guilty Israelite to “bear [נשׂא nasa], his iniquity” meant to be “cut off” or put to death (7:21). But on the Day of Atonement, the scapegoat bore away the wrath of God on the people’s sins for one year. In Isaiah 53:4, 12 Christ bore away [נשׂא nasa], our sins forever in his penal substitutionary death on the cross: “He has poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors: and he bore [נשׂא nasa], the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” The Psalmist rejoiced that our sins have been separated from us as far as the east is from the south (Psalm 103: 12). John the Baptist referred to this great truth when he declared, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). With the songwriter we give praise: “To God be the glory, great things he has done, so loved he the world that he gave us his son, who yielded his life an atonement for sin, and opened the life gate that all may go in.”
[1] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 575.
Overworked and Under Organised
Chuck Swindoll wrote, “Good men die young and most leaders crack up.” One of the reasons for the problem of burnout that Swindoll identified is that leaders try to do too much and delegate too little.
If ever a leader was immersed in ministry and at the same time very skillful at delegating it is Swindoll. He pastors, and produces radio broadcasts, Insight for Living, which is on more than 2000 stations, has served as president of Dallas Theological Seminary and then as chancellor. He is also now the pastor of Stonebriar Community Church, which he started in 1998. He has written 70 books and at age 79 continues to write one book each year. While his candle burns at both ends, he has not burnout.
Read moreTo be a Blessing is Sometimes Difficult
Charles Simeon is an example of a believer who was a blessing even to people rejected him as their beloved pastor. Charles Simeon’s sermons have blessed my life. He produced twenty-one volumes of sermons. Today the Charles Simeon Trust holds workshop on preaching not only in American but around the world. He being dead still influences though his sermons. Simeon was appointed pastor of Trinity Church in 1782 in Cambridge by bishop of the evangelical wing of the Anglican Church. The church wanted the assistant to the pastor who had left. The assistant’s name was Mr. Hammond. Simeon was willing to step aside, but the bishop insisted and Simeon therefore considered this appointment the will of God.
Read moreThe Test of our Love are the Sacrifices Made
Abraham would have agreed with Job in 14:1, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Abraham faced seven major tests and the last was the hardest. Abraham is possibly 137 years old. Sarah in Genesis 23:1 is 127 years old and Abraham is ten years older (Gen. 17:17).
Read moreGod Keeps His Promises (The Abrahamic Covenant)
Someone said, “All the promises of are for us but not all of the promises of God are to us.” Not all of the Abrahamic Covenant is to us but this promise is for us. The Abrahamic Covenant is primarily to Israel. Just like the OT Mosaic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant. In Romans 9:4a, Paul asked “Who are Israelites?” In his answered, “to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants.”
Read moreReview of Kenneth Langley's Theocentric View of Preaching
Kenneth Langley’s Theocentric View of preaching is found in Scott M. Gibson’s and Matthew D. Kim’s Homiletics and Hermeneutics: Four views on Preaching Today.
The Theocentric view is like the Christocentric view in some ways. Some who hold to the Christocentric view advocate preaching Christ from every. The Theocentric view advocates preaching God from every text. Both are not using exclusively the historical/grammatical method of interpretation and preaching or teaching only what is in the text. This was the essence of my post “Text-Driven (Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutic) Preaching.”
Read moreThe "Factual Data" sheet for Narratives (Genesis) Part Two
In Part Two, the content of the story will be examined. After the context (STUDY THE CONTEXT: Macro Hermeneutics, Part One) is thoroughly researched, the interpreter moves inside to the content of the text itself. Macro hermeneutics looks at the trees. Micro hermeneutics focuses on the tree. Part two is: EXAMINE THE DETAILS OF THE PASSAGE SELECTED TO PREACH (Micro Hermeneutics, Part Two).
Read moreExtended sermon outline on Mark
The extended outline shows many of the preaching or teaching units from the book of Mark. Each unit can be a complete sermon, lecture, or Bible study. The extended outline shows the author’s original intent for his original audience. Each point is a summary statement of the unit. The preacher or teacher will need to change the summary statement into a timeless principle for his/her contemporary audience.
Read moreThe “Factual Data” Sheet for Sermon Preparation for Narratives (Genesis) Part One
The idea of the “Factual Data” sheet comes from reading that Warren W. Wiersbe’s homiletic teacher, Lloyd Perry who used a generic “Factual Data” sheet for sermon preparation. I have adapted the “Factual Data” sheet to the different genres (Poetic, narratives of Genesis, Joshua, Nehemiah, Mark, and the Epistles) of Scripture instead of the one-size-fits-all approach. The “Factual Data” sheet helps the expositor to be text-driven in preaching and teaching God’s Word.
Read more“The Factual Data” Sheet for the Gospel of Mark
The idea of “The Factual Data” sheet comes from reading that Warren W. Wiersbe’s homiletic teacher, Lloyd Perry who used a generic “Factual Data” sheet for sermon preparation. I have adapted “The Factual Data” sheet to the different genres (Narratives, Hebrew Poetry, the Epistles, and the Gospels) of Scripture instead of one-size-fits all approach
Read moreThe intermural debate among Christians over creation and evolution and young and old earth!
Today the intermural debate rages between evangelicals over the creation of the earth (did God create the earth in six twenty-four hour days or did God employ evolution and take hundreds of thousands of years). This debate is closely tied to the age of the planet (is the earth young because God created it in six twenty-four days or is the earth old because God utilized evolution). It will be helpful to examine what the early church fathers believed and argued for.
Read moreJustification: Protestant vs. Catholic
I am borrowing my title from Dr. Gavin Ortlund who presents a very informative YouTube video on the differences and similarities between Protestants and Catholics on the doctrine of justification. He notes some important differences such as Protestants hold to imputed righteousness which is forensic. Imputed righteousness transpires at the moment of faith in Christ and is a completed judicial act. Catholics advocate infused righteousness which is based on observing the sacraments throughout his/her life.
Read moreThe Future Coming of Christ will be like the Past Flood`
What do you think is the most important sign that indicates Jesus is coming back? Wars and rumors of wars? Earthquakes? The love of many waxing worse and worse? Jesus in his end time sermon compared his future coming to the past flood. Jesus is referring to his second coming at the end of the Tribulation in Matthew 24:37-39. Jesus prophesied the sinful people before his coming would replicate the sinful people before the coming judgment of the flood who were “marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark.” In Genesis six, the godly were specifically marrying the ungodly before the flood. Being unequally yoked in marriage with unbelievers led to the Genesis flood in Genesis 6-8. Jesus warned his and our generation “to be ready” for the coming of Christ and his judgment just like the generation before the flood needed to be ready. Are you ready for the coming of Christ? Do you know Christ as your Savior? Jesus instructed us to learn from the generation that experienced the flood.
Read moreThe Influence on One Life
The influence of Jonathan Edward’s sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” is legendary. It has been called the most well-known sermon in American history. Edward’s influence, however, was greater with his family. Jonathan and Sarah had eleven children. For one hour before dinner, Edwards would gather his children together and help them with schoolwork and talk about their day. Edwards wrote, “Every house should be a little church.”
Read moreFinding Jesus in the Old Testament
When I took high school biology, my biology teacher whom I considered very intelligent, started teaching us the theory of evolution as fact. This view totally contradicted what my pastor had preached and taught from God’s Word. My biology teacher was very convincing, and I began to doubt if God was who my pastor declared him to be. I was very confused. What I was struggling with was a huge worldview question: Where did I come from?
Read moreThey like Jesus but not the church
I am borrowing this title from Dan Kimball’s book by the same title. Dan Kimball is arguing that especially the younger generation has been turned off by what they call “the organized church.”[1] For example, I know a young Christian adult who reads his Bible each night with his family and prays with them. This he said was better than going and sitting in a building on Sunday morning for an hour. What he does is great and more than some who only go to church.
Read moreThe importance of meditating on God's Word
How can our reading and studying of God’s Word take us by the hand and lead us into the presence of God? How can our study of God’s Word actually be a means of grace as it was in Paul’s life (Acts 20:32)? One answer is the meditation of God’s Word. It is easy for us who are bombarded with information not to meditate or process all the input to which we are exposed. We are inundated with news from our car radios, emails at work, texts and tweets from friends, website surfing, and podcasts and TV in the evenings, and endless cell phone calls.
Read moreDid Rahab have to lie?
Do Christians have to tell the truth in all situations? What about situations where telling a lie may save someone’s life?
Joseph Fletcher had what is described as the “one norm ethic of love” in his controversial “Situation Ethics: The New Morality.” He wrote that the situation trumps Scripture: “Situation ethics ... goes part of the way with Scriptural law by accepting revelation as the source of the norm while rejecting all ‘revealed’ norms or laws but the one command----to love God in the neighbor .... We are only ‘obliged to tell the truth, for example, if the situation calls for it; if a murderer asks us his victim’s whereabouts, our duty might be to lie.”[3]
Read moreAre We Celebrating Independence or Insurrection on July Fourth? (Part 2)
The late Dr. Jack L. Arnold agreed with John MacArthur that the Revolutionary War was a rebellion against God:
“In our own American Revolution, Christians were divided over how to understand their responsibilities to the state and over the right to revolt. Some, especially those of the Church of England, fought on the side of the British in an attempt to be faithful to Romans 13:1. Others fled to Canada. Yet the Reformed Churches, especially the Presbyterians, felt the revolution justifiable. This revolution was somewhat different from others as it did not result in a breakdown of law and order. Political, social, and economic order was maintained. In fact, the Congress of 1774 had no thoughts of revolution and tried for two years to gain equal representation by lawful means. History shows that Britain, not the Colonies, forced the issue. It was in 1776, after much prayer, that the Continental Congress decided to declare its independence. This ultimately led to the formation of our Declaration of Independence, which acknowledges God as the Creator of all men. Our Constitution and form of government were set forth to a nation that was God-fearing, Christ-living, and biblically oriented. However, this does not prove it was biblically correct to revolt …. To resist government is to resist God because the government is merely an instrument of God.
The Founding Fathers had a starkly different view of the American Revolution. The Founding Fathers believed and preached two theological positions to justify their civil disobedience.
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