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Scripture Interprets Scripture – Cross-Referencing in Preaching

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

You’ve probably heard the oft-used line that “Scripture interprets Scripture.”  This principle of hermeneutics seems to be the only principle for some people, but I would suggest it is one among many helpful principles.  It is right to say that no passage will ultimately contradict the rest of the canon, for there is a divinely inspired unity to the Bible.  However, this does not mean that we should neglect near context interpretation in favor of distant context interpretation.  What a writer means by a word or phrase should be evaluated in light of the sentence, the paragraph, the section, the book, the other books by the same writer, the other books from that time period, the other books in that “Testament” and the other books in the Bible – in that order!  Like concentric circles around the bull’s-eye, the closer the context, the more weight we should give it.  So a term used in a letter by Paul does not automatically mean the same as that term in Matthew or John or Ezekiel. 

One exception to this hierarchy of correlation would be to go to a text evidently in the thoughts of the author prior to others that may technically be “closer contexts” but were unknown to the author.  For example, when an NT writer is obviously leaning on an OT passage, that passage may be technically the most distant context, but it actually may be more helpful than another NT writer.  So I’d look more carefully at the prophet Paul is quoting than Matthew’s use of the same term.  We should correlate carefully.

Having stated that we should select cross-references in light of their actual value in interpreting our target passage, this does not mean that we need to give that information to our listeners.  We do a lot of study that does not need to be flashed from the pulpit.  Generally it is better to explain your target passage, rather than potentially confuse or overwhelm listeners with a series of different passages.  In part 2 I will give some specific guidance on cross-referencing in the pulpit.

A Life of Study – Part 2

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Three more suggestions from Fred Craddock on the life of study, with comments:

3. Develop the ability to use small units of time. When you only have a few minutes, redeem the time with brief journal articles, checking biblical references, assembling resources, sequencing material to be read, etc.

4. Regularly read novels, short stories and poetry. Craddock is right when he notes that as preachers we need the input of well-written and imaginative work. We tend to read heavy material written by experts in their field, but usually not experts in the use of language. Yet in order to communicate with compelling and gripping language, we need to be exposed to it. Avoid the cheap thrill stuff, but read well-written literature alongside everything else.

5. Resist the urge to cease studying once a sermon idea emerges. You may have an idea, but does further study strengthen it or disprove it? Allow an idea to stand the test of context and theological consistency. The goal of study is to get at the main idea, but don’t just accept the first attempt at an idea. Make sure it stands some further testing and refinement.

A Life of Study – Part 1

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Fred Craddock, in chapter 4 of Preaching makes a series of suggestions for cultivating and guarding a life of study. I’ll share five of his ten suggestions in these two posts, with comments added:

1. Inform your congregation of your study schedule, explaining that study time is time spent with the whole congregation. It is better to plan times of study than to try and fit them in around other things. If it is in the schedule, then try to treat those times as you would another appointment – keep it and don’t be interrupted whenever possible.

2. Be realistic in your expectations of your study life. You cannot read every book on every subject relevant to your role. However, hunt out the key landmark books in each field and know them well. Each key book will be followed by dozens of other books that interact with the key book. Try to get at the source of the discussion. This would apply to Biblical studies, counseling, homiletics, pastoral ministries, church growth, cultural analysis, systematic theology and so on. Find the key books and interact with them.

How do you find key books? Ask experts in the field, or well-trained peers. Be aware of helpful tools like John Glynn’s Commentary and Reference Survey (currently on 10th edition). Read introduction’s to journal articles, skim book reviews, etc. The lists of required texts in seminary book stores are also valuable. A little time well spent in hunting will save a lot of time reading secondary texts.

Topical Preaching – Part 2

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More food for thought on the issue of topical preaching.  As I wrote in part 1, it is possible to preach a sermon that is both expository and topical.  Yet generally speaking I urge people to stay in one text.  Why?

There is always more in one passage than you can preach in one sermon.  While it is possible to get the main idea and preach it effectively, that does not mean that you exhaust a passage by doing so.  By staying in one text for the whole message you give yourself a better opportunity to dig deeper in that passage.  We tend to assume people understand something when we should explain it further.  We tend to assume people apply principles when we should apply more explicitly.  Preach in such a way that people see the value of spending some time in a passage, rather than finding a superficial nugget and rushing on to another. 

Most wild safaris in the backseat of a concordance are unhelpful.  It is easy to open a concordance and find several other passages that have at least one word in common with the passage you’re preaching.  It’s common for new preachers to fill time in this way (you can’t be criticized for being unbiblical if the message is full of Bible verses!)  I’ve heard messages where we’ve been taken on a wild Scriptural safari, bouncing along uncomfortable roads to disconnected texts, catching a brief glimpse of something and then revving the engine for another ride.  More often than not these glimpses at other verses add nothing to the message or to our understanding of our “target passage.”  There are occasions when citing or reading other verses is helpful (see future post), but evaluate carefully before stealing this time and energy from your specific text.

It is stretching, refreshing and helpful for you and your listeners to soak in a specific passage rather than skimming over the surface of the old familiar favorites.  Preach your text!

What About Topical Preaching?

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When I’ve taught preaching either in a course or a seminar, I’ve regularly encountered a certain question. “Why do you focus on preaching a single passage so much and not give instruction on preaching topically?”  My response is hopefully balanced but instructive to those that ask.  

There is a place for topical preaching, but not a steady diet of it.  Sometimes a situation calls for a biblical message that encompasses several passages.  But God gave us a collection of books, rather than topical studies, so we do well to usually feed on the Bible book-by-book.  I remember at seminary that the president was working his way through Luke in the family chapel each Thursday morning.  Then there was a mini-crisis on campus caused by some confusion regarding aspects of spiritual warfare.  So for two Thursdays he addressed the issues in a biblical and clear manner using expository-topical messages.  Then he returned to Luke for the rest of the semester.

Topical preaching is much more work.  For many preachers a topical sermon is a short-cut.  Instead of working in a specific text, they are free to speak on what they want using the verses they know to support their thought.  This may be topical preaching, but it is not expository-topical preaching.  Let’s say a message has three points, each with its own text.  To truly preach that message the preacher has to do all the exegetical and homiletical work in each text, while constantly re-evaluating to make sure the overall message idea is fair to the texts.  In simple terms, three passages mean three sets of study.  To preach this way well is much more work.

Since it is harder, I don’t teach it on an introductory course.  If I were to teach a series of three or four homiletics courses, with each a pre-requisite for the next, then topical preaching would be taught in the third or fourth course.  Hence in a first preaching course I would rather have people understand the basics and do them well.  It’s better to learn to ride a bike first, before introducing complicated ramp stunts.

Where to Place “The Reading” – Part 2

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In part 1 we considered the importance of establishing and underlining the biblical authority of a message.  We underlined the importance of a commitment to expository preaching and the need to reinforce that commitment through attitude and action throughout a sermon.  Now some thoughts on reconsidering the traditional placement of the reading before or at the start of the message:

In some sermons the reading “up front” would be ideal.  If you think through the options and conclude that this would be best for audience, for sermon flow, etc., then do not become a rebel against tradition for the sake of rebellion. Reading first is a good option with much in its favor.

If the tension of the sermon is tied to the unfolding of the text, then perhaps reading the passage as you proceed would be better.  It may be helpful for the sake of clarity if the text is read in its entirety first.  However, this does run the risk of dissipating any tension in the sermon.  A sermon without any inbuilt tension can be as dull as a predictable joke (although with more value).  If the text is a narrative, then it is probably better not to read the resolution of the inbuilt tension before telling the story.  If the sermon contains an element of intrigue, then it also may be wise to split the reading throughout the sermon.  If reading the text and then stating the big idea (or even just the “subject” half of the big idea) leaves listeners feeling as if they could leave at that point because they know what is coming, then perhaps the reading should not have been completed at that moment in the sermon.

If tradition requires or expects an earlier reading, perhaps offer a helpful alternative.  If the text for the message would be best, then by all means have it read earlier.  However, if tension would be lost, select an alternative.  (Be careful also not to let worship leaders steal the tension of a sermon by their pre-message comments!)  For example, many New Testament texts rely heavily on one or two Old Testament texts.  So a sermon in 1st Peter could use a reading from the Old Testament such as Psalm 34 (if the passage is focused on the suffering of God’s people in “exile”) or Isaiah 53 (if the passage is focused on Christ’s passion).  Both passages were heavy on the mind of Peter as he wrote his letter.  If a passage is quoted in the preaching text, perhaps reading that passage in its context would be helpful.

Default Mode Preaching

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Earlier this week I posted a couple of times about default preaching.  That is, the way we can easily settle into a routine structure or style of sermon.  For the sake of our listeners, it is good to try adding variation to our sermons.  Yet also for our own sake this is worthwhile.  Not only does pushing beyond default stimulate our growth as preachers, it also rekindles our sense of dependence on God.  How dangerous it is to settle into a pattern and risk preaching in our own strength!  Today and tomorrow I want to share a few more areas in which default can set in, and in which we can consciously stimulate our own “beyond default preaching” . . .

1. The Start – Do you always start with a funny story or interesting statistic?  Do you always begin with the thrilling phrase, “please turn with me . . .”?   What can you do differently to start your next message more effectively?  Remember to let your sermon purpose and the congregational need for the message loom large in your thinking.

2. Use of Voice – Basically the issue is appropriate variation.  Think through the message and recognize where emphasis should come from extra volume or power, and where it could better come from less.  What about rate of speech and tone?  Don’t get stuck in the default middle 20%, but consciously add appropriate variation.

Guarding the Authority of Application

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We may strive for objectivity and authority in our exegetical work (although it is tentative due to our limitations). However we tend to feel very tentative when it comes to application. How do we make sure our contemporary applications of the text are in line with the passage and its theological truth?

Timothy Warren, of Dallas Theological Seminary, suggests two guardrails that will help keep an application on track and protect the authority of the application. The expositional process moves from the text, through exegesis and theological abstraction to application (the exegetical idea, theological idea and homiletical idea, if you like). On each side of this path, Timothy Warren suggests a guardrail to keep the preacher on track:

Guardrail 1 – Audience. By considering the original referent and description of the passage’s intended audience, the preacher can be protected from an inappropriate application to his audience. For example, if the passage was originally written to scold Israel’s errant leadership (such as Ezekiel 34), it would be inconsistent to scold a church full of faithful followers. The audience is different, so the purpose of the sermon will differ from the purpose of the text. We move from original audience, to universal audience, to our contemporary audience.

Guardrail 2 – Purpose. By recognizing the original intention of the author, it is possible to consider whether the purpose will remain the same or differ for the contemporary listeners. So why did the author write it? Why did God make sure it was preserved for all? Why are you preaching this passage to your specific listeners?

Every time we study a passage and develop a sermon we are moving through these steps: contextualized, decontextualized, recontextualised. By keeping aware of the two guardrails – audience and purpose – we can be more certain that our applications of the text are legitimate and carry the necessary divine authority.

Beyond Default Introductions

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“Last week we looked at Exodus 3, please turn with me to Exodus 4.”  Such a statement may be technically accurate, but for listeners it is tedious and irrelevant.  As preachers we need to get the attention of the listeners rather than assuming we have it merely because they are still sitting there.

Yet getting attention is an inexact science.  You could shout, dance, set fire to the floral arrangement or try to tear a phone book.  All would get attention, but most would achieve very little that is good for your sermon.  No matter how effective we are at gaining attention, that only gives us a brief window of opportunity before any gains are lost.  The introduction must go beyond attention.

It seems to me that a decent introduction becomes a great introduction when it truly surfaces genuine need that will then be addressed by the passage.  Most sermons I hear (and preach), would be much stronger if more attention was given to this issue of raising need.  As Haddon Robinson has said, “the true test of an introduction is whether people want to hear the sermon once the introduction is over.”  Simple but true.  Strive to create a real hunger and thirst for what is to come, and then move people effectively into the message and text.

Moving Your Preaching Beyond Default

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

In every area of life we naturally have a default mode. It’s what comes naturally. It’s the way we function without adding thought and effort. This is true in any relationship, any hobby, and also in any preaching. If you are preaching for the first time, you are probably all thought and effort. You’re probably trying to fill the time, survive the experience and not make a fool of yourself. But for those of us who’ve preached a few times, perhaps its time to evaluate ourselves and push beyond default. In this post I will suggest some default modes I’ve observed in myself and others. In part two I will suggest some ways to crank it up a level.

Default Mode – Bible Fact Presenter. It is easy to study a passage at length and then fill the preaching slot with facts you have gleaned in the process. Historical awareness and Bible trivia may impress people to a certain extent, but this approach will usually hide from questions about purpose. What is the sermon supposed to achieve? Just because your information comes from the Bible or is about the Bible, does not make it a truly biblical sermon. The passage has not been inspired, recorded, copied, canonized and translated just to be a source of trivia.

Default Mode – Ethical Exhorter. It is easy to define a purpose, irrespective of the nuances of a passage, and then harangue the listeners. Some preachers never say anything strong, but others can’t seem to say anything but. Again, some people will be impressed by passionate finger pointing. Indeed, some people seem to have a strange theology that affirms the need to receive a verbal thrashing from the pulpit, somehow fulfilling a kind of personal penitence. The Bible does exhort us in many ways, but it does so much more, and listeners are also complex creatures. We must carefully consider our sermon purpose in light of the text’s purpose and the need of our listeners.

Default Mode – Plodding Passage Guide. Given a biblical passage and a piece of time, it is easy to methodically plod through the passage trying to run out of passage and time at the same moment in the meeting. In this approach every phrase or sentence in the passage is considered equal, given equal explanation and roughly equal time. In reality time will often start to slip away and the last part of the passage will often be short-changed. All Scripture is inspired and every word counts, but not every word counts equally in a sentence or a section. Sometimes a significant proportion of a text may require very little explanation or development, while another part may require diligent focus in our presentation.

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