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Judges through Poets 12b- Reasons for Suffering contd, Psalm 1

Continued from last lecture c) God uses suffering on unbelievers to thwart their plans Ultimately God uses suffering for one purpose. John 9:1-3 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. Suffering exists to glorify God. Job 40:1-8 shows us that God is not obligated to give us answers for our sufferings. Suffering comes to believers from a God who is kind and works for our benefit. All thing work for our good (Rom 8:28) Duet 29:29 – the secret things belong to the Lord The sovereignty of God is the basis of our comfort. His sovereignty of God is not just a characteristic but His essence. The greatest event of sorrow (Christ being crucified) turned out to give the greatest joy. The Psalms Psalm 1 Everything is searching for happiness in the wron

Judges through Poets 12a - Job: Satan and the Reasons for Suffering

The term Satan means ‘the adversary’. The word can be used to describe a general enemy of evil. Zechariah 3:1-2 ‘He showed me Joshua the high priest and the Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him’. Here the word Satan stands for a definite article as it does in Job. The devil is satan and satan is the devil. See Rev 20:2 ‘He laid hold of the dragon… who was the devil and Satan’ Job 1:7 Satan has been ‘roaming about on the earth’. This means ‘stirring things up’. The word is similar to that of whipping. Satan’s work is to attack the sons of men. Evil and sin do not only come from inside a man but from the devil as well. Job 1, 2 and 42 are written in prose narrative. The rest is written in poetry. The prose narrative shows us that this was meant to be a historical account. The foundation of scripture is the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. God is all-powerful. There is nothing that he can’t restrain. Daniel 4:34-35 ‘ for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdo

Judges through Poets 11b- Poetry contd and Job

Personification Personification occurs when human characteristics are attributed to anything non-human. Psalm 98:8 ‘let the rivers clap their hands’ Psalm 93:3‘the floods have lifted up their voice’ Anthropomorphism This occurs when a writer attributes human characteristics to God. ‘Incline your ear to me’ These figures of speech help us to understand who God is. Figures of Substitution When word is substituted for another because of some relationship between the two words. Sinectickys/Synecktike?? When the relationship of the two words entails the part of the whole. Eg Do you have any wheels? The part of the car is a figure for the whole car. Psalm 132:15 ‘I will satisfy her needy with bread’ Bread represents needs in general Psalm 44:6 ‘I will not trust in my bow nor will my sword save me.’ Meaning: Human/temporal strength will not save me Metonymy An attributive word is used for what is actually meant. Eg Joe is addicted to the bottle Joe is not addicted to the actual bottle but rat

Judges through Poets- 11a Poetry contd

Strophic Structure (stanza structure) Is a structure where parallel lines can be grouped together in a common way. How do we know there is strophic structure? 1) Look for a refrain. A refrain is a regularly recurring verse that stands at the end of the stanza. The refrain is also known as the chorus. For examples see Psalms 39, 42, 43, 62, 67. See Isaiah 9:8-10:4 See the refrain in verses 9:12b, 9:17b. 9:21b, 10:4b. The division between these chapters is wrong (also the division between Psalm 42 and 43). 2) Look for an alphabetic acrostic This is a poem where each successive line or verse starts with a new letter of the Hebrew alphabet. See Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 135. Alphabetic acrostics were primarily for remembrance. Example: Isaiah 44:24-28 V24 Stanza 1 refers to events of the remote past V25-26 Stanza 2 refers to the present V27-28 Stanza 3 refers to the future The movement of tenses may indicate the change of stanza Figures of speech A figure of speech translate

Judges through Poets- 10b Poetry contd

Hebrew poetry is structure or cause to vibrate by different means. Parallelism The basic unit of a verse consists of two lines called bi-call??? You can get a three-line verse. This is called tri-call??? The different lines in the verse express similar thoughts. They say the same thing with different words. Psalm 19:8 ‘The statues of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;’ The commandments of the Lord are both for the heart and the eyes. Psalm 104:33 ‘I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.’ Types of Parallelism a) Synonymous Parallelism This is when two or more lines of poetry express the same idea in different words b) Complete synonymous Parallelism This is when every member of the first line has a member in the second line. Psalm 142:2 ‘I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble’ A = I pour out my, I declare B = complaint, my trouble C = Before

Judges through Poets- 10a King Josiah contd, Intro to Poetry

Josiah continued Josiah smashes the bones of the priests to demonstrate that there is no future life for them- no resurrection to life. Hebrews 11:17-22- God is able to raise men even from the dead. By faith Joseph gave orders concerning his bones. Joseph like Isaac understood that God could raise the dead. Joseph believed that he would live forever. Psalm 34:15-20. Quoted in John 19:32-36 V20 ‘He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken’ Bones being preserved pointed to the bodily resurrection form the dead. Christ was the first to be raised bodily from the dead. He broke open the gates of heaven. Poetry What is poetry? Words can be used in two ways: 1) Denotative - direct explicit meaning of a word 2) Connotative- an idea suggested by a word in addition to the explicit meaning a) His father stood over him while three problems of subtraction. b) The little cousin is dead by foul subtraction. In b) a mathematical term has tragic overtones. Poetry is taking denotative ideas and v

Judges through Poets- 9b Elisha contd and King Josiah

Elisha Contd Evil Kings during Elisha’s time: Ahab 1 Kings 16:30 Ahaziah 1 Kings 22:52-53 Jehoram 2 Kings 3:2-3 Jehu 2 Kings 10:31 Joash 2 Kings 13:2 Jehoash 2 Kings 13:11 There is a great spiritual famine during the time of Elisha. Elisha was granted the ability to perform miracles to fight the great apostasy. The typology in 2 Kings 4 is predictive. Meaning it points to a greater climax. See Matthew 14:14-21 (John 6) Both stories contain a crowd of hungry people A few loaves are a principle part of both meal. In John 6 John says that the loaves are made of barley same as the loaves in the story of Elisha. Elisha and Jesus the same wording: ‘Give them that they may eat’ John 6:7- in both stories an objection is made. Jesus’ feeding of the multitudes was modelled on Elisha’s miracle. Jesus and Elsiah were both bringing sustenance to a spiritually ravished land. Jesus’ miracle was greater than Elisha’s. Jesus doesn’t say ‘thus say YHWH’ He does it with His own power because He is YWHW.

Judges through Poets- 9a Prophetic Institution contd, Elisha

The Prophetic Institution contd Numbers 23:23 For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’ No need for sorcery as God will reveal His will at His time. People don’t need to search for His voice; God speaks. Deuteronomy 18:12 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. The sin is not separated from the sinner. We are what we do. When people commit abominations they became abominated. The superstitions of Canaan have nothing to do with Israel’s prophetic institutions according to Duet 18. Israel was not permitted to use the methods of the Canaanites. Instead they were to listen to the prophet. 15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, The prophet had to be an Israelite 16 according to all you desired of the LORD y

Judges through Poets- 8b Division between Judah and Israel, Prophecy

Judges 8 = First try at building a monarchy in Israel (tribe of Ephraim) Judges 9 = Second try at monarchy (Abmilech in Ephraim) Psalm 78 describes the rivalry between Judah and Ephraim: 67 Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, 68 But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has established forever. 70 He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; 71 From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. Evidences for the split of Israel and Judah 1 Sam 11:8 (during the reign of Saul) When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 1 Sam 18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. 2 Sam 5:5 In Hebron he reigned over Juda

Judges through Poets- 8a Solomon and the Seperation of Israel and Judah

The Reign of Solomon 2 Sam 12:24-25 David names his son Solomon. Solomon comes from Shalom meaning peace. ‘Now the LORD loved him’ The word love is used three times in the accounts of Samuel: 2 Sam 12:24 (YHWH loved Solomon, 1 Kings 3:3 (Solomon loved YHWH), 1 Kings 11:1 (Solomon loves many foreign women). ‘Jedidiah’ = ‘Beloved of YHWH’ This could have been Solomon’s throne or royal name. 1 Kings 1 Adonijah wants the throne 2 Kings 1:7 A new king was recognised by riding a mule 1 Kings 3:11-13 Solomon primary aim was to make the government strong. He made Israel into 12 districts. He was concerned about the internal aspect of Israel. David was more concerned about the external issues of Israel. The districts are found in 1 Kings 4 Judah is left out of this list Solomon constructed a magnificent temple and built fortresses. The period of Solomon’s reign was a prosperous time for the nation. He organised economic expeditions. Nationally Israel was doing well. What problems did Solomon ha

Judges through Poets- 7b David and Absalom

2 Sam 14:33 Absalom gives the appearance of submission, sorrow and repentance. In chapter 15 Absalom tries to take the throne from his father David. Psalm 3 tells us about David’s understanding about the situation with Absalom. 2 Sam 15:1-6 Absalom wickedly wants to take the Kingdom from his father. It is a plan of deception. 2 Sam 15:30 David weeps in agony. 2 Sam 17:12 Absalom plots to chase David and kill him. Absalom’s desire and passion is to kill his father. Psalm 3 David’s explanation of his circumstances from a human perspective 1 LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Most people in Israel were following Absalom. 1 Sam 15:12 Enmity is not a strange thing. Believers should expect great hostility (1 Peter 4:12) 2 Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah From a human perspective it seems that there is no hope for David. It seems that God has forsaken Him. 3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and

Judges through Poets- 7a The Kingship of David Continued

Structure David’s early successes: 2 Samuel 1-10 (lecture 6b) David’s grievous sins: 11-12 David’s sorrow and repentance: 13- 24 David’s Grievous Sins, Sorrow and Repentance 2 Sam 11:1 David stays in Jerusalem when he should have been going out to battle David commits adultery with Bathsheba then plots to kill Uriah. David’s sin was a planned sin. Even though David sinned. David’s faith in God is testified in his works. David has genuine sorrow in his disobedience. 2 Sam 12- David’s response to Nathan’s confrontation 2 Sam 12:13, David response to sin, “I have sinned against the LORD.” 1 Sam 15:30, Saul’s response to sin: “I have sinned; yet honour me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.” Psalm 51 gives detail to David’s repentance. David understands total depravity. In verses one to six he uses many different words to describe sin. V3 ‘For I know my transgressions’ ‘I know’ here means to have an intima

Judges through Poets- 6b: David and Jesus in Psalm 8, David's Successes

Psalm 8 The Psalm is a hymn demonstrating God’s wonder and power. The Psalm begins with who God is and then goes on to describe the universe and man. The magnificence of the cosmos is found in man’s pre-eminence. Psalm 8 could refer to the story of David and Goliath (1 Sam 17). Psalm 8: To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.[ a ] A Psalm of David. The Psalm was to be played on the Gath/Gittith. This could have been a philistine instrument. O LORD [YHWH], our Lord [Adoni, Master/Ruler], The majesty of His name: How excellent is Your name in all the earth, W ho have set Your glory above the heavens! 2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. God uses the weak to shame the wise. God is establishing a stronghold through the weakness of infants. God loves to conquer evil with what looks fragile. God used an apparently weak and young David to destroy Goliath. 3 When I consid

Judges through Poets- 6a The Kingship of Saul

In both the lives of David and Saul we see: early success followed by grievous sins. Saul’s sins lead to bitterness and hatred. David’s sins lead to genuine sorrow and forgiveness from the Lord. Saul 1 Samuel 13:2-4 – Saul attacked the Philistines. The Israelites became ‘a stench’ to the Philistines. 1 Sam 13:8-14 = The Philistines have gathered to do battle against Israel. Many of the people were hiding in the mountains. Many people followed Saul (v7) The problem in this passage is that Saul performed an act only the Priest should perform. In 10:8 Samuel says that he is the one to perform the sacrifices. V12b ‘I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering’ literarily means ‘I made myself strong to do this’ Saul disobeyed by not trusting in the authority of God’s word. Duet 17 states that trust in God’s word is essential to Kingship. In 1 Samuel 14:24-26 Saul makes a foolish oath cursing everyone who eats food. Jonathon says (v29) ‘my Father has troubled the land’ Why did Saul make

Judges through Poets- 5b- Kingship in Samuel

A common theme in 1 Samuel: the establishment of Kingship under Saul found in 1 Sam 8-12. The idea of kingship Gen 1:26 – Adam is ordained as a ruler Adam was prophet, priest and king in the garden. Prophet = He spoke the word of God Priest = Mediator between God and creation King = He ruled the creation God is King of all and man was created in His image giving rulership over creation. The concept of kingship: Genesis 17:16, 35:11, 49:10 Requirements for kingship from Duet 17:14-20 V15 He must be a Hebrews V16 He must not be greedy God wants Israel to have a theocratic monarchy where God is at the centre of the Kingship. The book of Judges gives a picture for what life is like with a monarchy. Everyman became his own King. The book of Judges prepared the people for a King by showing them their need. 1 Samuel 8 What’s the problem in 1 Samuel 8 when the people want a King? There is nothing intrinsically wrong in the request. The evil was contained in the motives and underlying attitudes

Judges through Poets- 5a- Redemption and the Exodus

Redemption Continued Rom 11:26-27 ‘And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “ The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” Christ is the deliverer that brings redemption to the people of God. Titus 2:13-14 ‘looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.’ Ephesians 1:7 ‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace’ He gave up His blood to make us rightful heirs of His Father. 1 Peter 1:18-19 shows the cost of our redemption: ‘knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Chr

Judges through Poets- 4b- Ruth, Redemption and the Kinsman Redeemer

Matthew 1:3-6 = Genealogy at the end of Ruth The main characters fade from the story (v18-21). The focus of the story is on the seed. The greatest outcome of the book is the preservation of the seed of the woman. The Messiah’s line is upheld during this grim time by God’s sovereignty. Ruth and Boaz’s relationship serves to continue redemptive history. Redemption: Hebrew word ‘gaw-al’ means to redeem, revenge, avenge, ransom and to do the work of a kinsman redeemer. Boaz is the kinsman redeemer of the story Duties of the Kinsman redeemer a) Buy back his kin from bondage or slavery (Lev 25:47-49) b) Buy back land sold by a relative (Ruth 4:1-5) c) Marry a widow (without male airs) for her protection (Ruth 4:1-5) d) Avenge the blood of his relative (Numbers 35:26-21) The idea of the kinsman redeemer was faithful to his family. He was responsible for the good of his kin. Redemption is the process where something alienated is restored by a kinsman. Redemption serves as a

Judges through Poets- 4a: Japhthah, Samson and Ruth

Jephthah’s Daughter Continued 11:1-4 Jephthah was a valiant warrior and the son of a harlot. Jephthah is denied his inheritance and thrown out of the Israel community of Gilead. Jephthah fled to Ammonite teriotry. The god of the Ammonites was Molech Lev 18:21: And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. See also Jeremiah 32:35 Jephthah was greatly influenced by foreign religious beliefs due to his upbringing. Jepthah’s theology was a combination of truth from YHWH and heresy from Molech. This is syncretism. He knew something of YHWH because of his vow to YHWH but he added human sacrifice (influence form Molech). The method of the seed of the serpent is to dilute the truth of YHWH. The devil loves to combine truth with error. Problem: Heb 11:32-34 32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophe

Judges through Poets- 3b: Deborah and Japhthah

The cycle found in Judges reaches its climax with Samson. Deborah- Judges 4:1-5 Deborah is a woman with a specified role of leadership in the OC. V4 tells us that Deborah is a Prophetess. The Hebrew word for Prophetess used here means ‘a woman female prophetess’. By using this word the writer is telling us that this is not a common situation. Deborah is the wife of Lapidoth (v4). The Prophetess is under male authority. Deborah was judging Israel. The word ‘judging’ is used over 200 times in the OT. Judges 4:4 is the only instance where the word is connected to a woman. We can see that Deborah’s position is not normative but special. What was the condition of Israel at this time? Severe oppression (v3). The same word used here for ‘oppression’ is also used in Exodus 22:21 to describe the oppression of the Egyptians to the Israelites. The oppressor was Jabin from Hazor (v2) The Israelites had demolished Hazor in Joshua 11:10-13. The Canaanites re-settled in the land of Hazor with Jaben a

Judges through Poets- 3a: The Cycle of Judges

(Continued from last lecture) Judges 2:11-19 1) V11-13 The pattern of apostasy Baal = storm god, Astoreth = fertility god These gods were brother and sister and husband and wife. The people apostatised with idolatry. 2) V14-15 the pattern of God’s anger and judgement against Israel The anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites. God gives Israel into the hand of her enemy. God disciplines His own people. There is a difference between the chastisement of the devil and the chastisement of God’s children. God’s disciplines His children out of mercy. The devil is chastised as condemnation. In Amos 4:6-10 we see God disciplining His own people. Hebrews 12:4-11 gives a NT account of God’s disciplining. In V14-15 God plunders His people and sends oppressors 3) V16 The Lord raises up a Judge to deliver the people for a season The Judges were military deliverers. 4) V17-19 The repetition of the cycle The people obey the Judge for a while but then revert to their wicked ways becoming more c

Judges through Poets- 2b: The Purposes of the book of Judges

Joshua 1:7-8 ‘Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.’ God with His seed has divided the waters of chaos, so that the people can take the land. The people only have one thing to do: obey His word. Genesis 2:16-17 ‘And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die [in Hebrew die die].’ Psalm 1 was composed on the basis of Joshua 1. The promise of Psalm 1 is the command of Joshua 1: Obedience to the tora

Judges through Poets- 2a: Introduction to Joshua

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 1 Peter 1:3-4 The Greek word for inheritance is used in the Greek OT for Canaan. Canaan is a type of Heaven because Heaven is the heightened version of Canaan. Hebrews 13:14 ‘For here we do not have a lasting city but we are seeking the city which is to come.’ Recommended reading: ‘Kingdom Prologue’ by Kline is a discussion of the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Warren Austin Gage ‘The Gospel of Genesis: Protology and Eschatology’ The Promise through the Patriarchs Joshua describes the Israelites taking of the land promised to the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 1) Abraham Genesis 12:7: ‘Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built

Judges through Poets- 1b: Typology

John 20:25: ‘The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print [too-pos] of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ ‘Too-pos’ can be an impression of a god can be a pattern of lifestyle (Phil 3:17) can be a prefiguring of a pattern that can serve future believers Eg Adam is a type (too-pos) of Christ in Rom 5:14. Eg OT believers are a pattern to us. See 1 Cor 10:6-11 Too-pos points us to: the unchanging covenant of grace the immutability of God the sovereignty of God Typology is prophecy based upon a repetition of patterns. Examples of typology The Israelites complain during the wilderness wanderings. God sends serpents so that the people will feel the consequence of their sin. A bronze serpent is set up for the healing of the people. See Numbers 21:4-9. In John 3:14-15 Jesus states that He is the true bronze serpent so that anyone can have e

Judges through Poets- 1a: The Foundation of Redemptive History

This course will focus on the historical and wisdom literature found in scripture. We will be approaching the literature in a thematic way. The course should enable us to apply scripture to all areas of our lives. Genesis 3:15 ‘And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.’ God is proclaiming a new order for the universe. Because of sin the whole of the universe has been re-ordered. God is formally cursing the serpent in Genesis 3:15. God is did not announce the first prophecy, it is announced by God Himself. The normal Hebrew structure of sentences: verb, subject, direct objects and nouns. God re-organises this. He starts with the object: enmity. This term means ‘to be an enemy’. God is setting up a situation where He will set hostile intent between the serpent and woman. The word enmity is only used 5 times in the OT. On of them is found in Ezekiel 25:15: ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Becau

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Adoring Christ: Communion with God

By Tim Keller As people adore Christ they will apply Christ. The best way to lead people to worship is to worship Christ yourself during the sermon. Whitefield agreed to having his sermons printed but said ‘you’ll never get the thunder’. The sermon is what you write Preaching is the active delivery of the preaching The spiritual quality and character of the person shines through during preaching more than the sermon itself. Keep in your mind the differences between graces and gifts. You can be using gifts without being godly. The fruit of the Spirit is character change. The gifts of the Spirit are skills or abilities. People often assume that skill or gifts indicates Spiritual gifts with spiritual fruit is like a tyre without air. When you’re far from God Traditions: Sacramental: meeting God in the sacraments and traditions Evangelical: meeting God in your quiet times Charismatic: emphasis on meeting God in corporate worship The Puritans were bigger on experiencing God compared with ot

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ:Asking Questions, Discourse Analysis

By Ed Clowney Luke 17 We see in this passage the return of praise, which is the glory of faith showing the glory of grace. The lepers call to Jesus from afar off: ‘Jesus, Master have mercy on us’. Faith hears the word of Jesus. Jesus came to gain the worship of the unclean- He wants the Lepers for Himself. He came to be the servant who would receive the punishment for our sin. He paid the price of our uncleanness so that we would become clean. The disciples ask about receiving faith and Jesus responds by speaking about the obedience of praise. The others lepers didn’t show hear-obedience to the master. They were doing exactly what they were told to do without praise in their hearts. If faith is to be increased it must show the fruit of praise. *** When preaching narratives make sure you weave doctrine around the story. The Wisdom Narratives The meekness of wisdom- ‘learn of me’, ‘let your gentleness be known to all men’. Prov 8- wisdom personified produces joy. The meditation for wisdo

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Adoring Christ: Spiritual Reality

By Tim Keller The goal of the sermon is to get people to worship. A sermon isn’t a sermon until you call people to adore Christ. A sermon is a lecture when Christ is not adored. Willow Creek approach: ‘You can evangelise non-Christians or edify Christians’ Conservative approach: ‘All people need to worship through the same material’ If you preach Christ you’ll e evangelising and edifying at the same time. Post-modern people like to know how Christianity works. PM people try on Christianity as a dress. They’ll try it out to see if it works. You can only change a person’s life by changing what they worship and how they worship. Text, Context and Subtext Be clear about the text, context and subtext 1) The text: know what the text is saying. Be clear on theology 2) The context: know how to present the text to the people 3) The subtext: have the right heart for the text (Christ) and the right heart for the context (people) 4 types of subtext 1) Social Reinforcement The purpo