Review: The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus

April 6, 2018April 5, 2018 / rtrube54 / 6 Comments

The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus, D. A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1980, repackaged edition 2018.

Summary: A study of John 14-17, based on expository messages on these texts.

D. A. Carson has had a distinguished career as professor, lecturer, scholar, and Bible teacher, publishing over 50 popular and scholarly books as well as numerous scholarly articles. Several collections of his expository messages were published in the 1980’s and 1990’s and recently have been re-packaged by the publisher and re-released. This work does not appear to be revised in any way, and there are no notes or updated prefaces to that effect.

In the preface to this work, Carson notes that this work reflects a popular rather than scholarly approach to John (Carson also has published a scholarly commentary on the Gospel of John). This work is based on messages given on John 14-17 at various conferences and has been converted to essay form. In this case, listing the chapters may be helpful to see how these essays have been organized:

Prologue — John 13
An Introduction to Triumphant Faith — John 14:1–14
The Coming of the Spirit of Truth — John 14:15–24
Three Clarifications — John 14:25–31
Spiritual Intimacy with Jesus Christ — John 15:1–16
Counting the Cost — John 15:17–16:4
Two Special Ministries of the Spirit — John 16:5–15
But First, the Cross — John 16:16–33
Jesus Prays for Himself and His Followers — John 17:1–19
Jesus Prays for All Believers and for the World — John 17:20–26

Each chapter other than the prologue begins with the biblical text in the New International Version. This is followed by an exposition of the text in plain language that both draws out the theological content of the text and its practical and devotional significance. One of the recurring elements is Carson’s quotation of the texts of hymns that illustrate and underscore his points. This may seem dated to some, but to reflect on the words, whether one knows the music or not, may be helpful.

One of the highlights for me was Carson’s careful and clear discussion of the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit, a great concern of Jesus in this discourse. Here, for example is his discussion of what it means in John 8 for the Spirit to convict the world “…of righteousness.”

“The question is: Whose righteousness? If Jesus’s righteousness is in view, then clearly the Counselor does not convict the world of Jesus’s righteousness in exactly the same way he convicts the world of it’s own sin. One would have to suppose that the Spirit convicts the world of its sin, but convinces the world of Jesus’s righteousness (thus producing an unwarranted change in the verb); or perhaps that the Spirit convicts the world of its sin and also convicts the world of its shortcomings in the light of Jesus’s righteousness (which introduces an unwarranted explanatory note into the text).

Such difficulties are overcome if the Spirit is convicting the world of its sin, and also convicting the world of its righteousness (p. 162).

He goes on to discuss how there can be good and bad righteousness, for example, the righteousness that is as a filthy rag. What I appreciate in this example, and found throughout was that in clear prose, rather than technical commentary, Carson offers clear explanations of things often left in a fuzzy state in our minds, with a finger on the biblical text.

I also deeply appreciated his comments on Jesus prayer for the unity of all believers and his understanding of a biblical ecumenism:

“[T]he things that tie together true believers are far more significant than the things that divide them. The divisive things are not necessarily unimportant: sometimes they are points of faith or practice that have long-range effects on the church for good or ill, reflecting perhaps some major inconsistency or misapprehension concerning the truth. Nevertheless the things that tie us together are of even more fundamental importance. Regardless of denominational affiliation, there ought to be among Christ’s people a sincere kinship, a mutual love, a common commitment, a deep desire to learn from one another and to come, if at all possible, to a shared understanding of truth on any point. Such unity ought to be so transparent and compelling that others are attracted to it. To such biblical ecumenism (if I may so label it) there is no proper objection. Indeed, it is mandated by the Final Prayer of the Lord Jesus himself (p. 233).

This is a rich resource for devotional reflection, and for Bible study leaders and pastors who will preach on these texts. So often, such works go out of print, not to be replaced by an equivalent or better work. The publisher is to be commended to introducing a new generation to this fine work by D. A. Carson on these final teachings and prayer of Jesus on the night before he was crucified.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review: Encountering God through Expository Preaching

November 13, 2017November 11, 2017 / rtrube54 / 2 Comments

Encountering God through Expository Preaching, Jim Scott Orrick, Brian Payne, Ryan Fullerton. Nashville: B & H Academic, 2017.

Summary: An argument for expository preaching as the means by which the people of God encounter the living God through the word of God, and an explication of the practices in preparation that lead to this in experience through the preached word.

The authors of this book both define what preaching is and set out their purpose in an opening statement in answer to the question, “what is preaching.” They respond:

“Preaching occurs when a holy man of God opens the Word of God and says to the people of God, ‘Come and experience God with me in this text.’ Encountering God through Expository Preaching is an explanation of this sentence.”

This book accomplishes what it promises and more. It sets forth the high calling, privilege, and sheer joy of preaching. The writers begin with the “holy man” and assert that godly character, and particularly that one is progressing in one’s own growth is critical to preaching that leads people to experience God. Giftedness is not enough, and often will result both in the cult of the preacher, and disappointment.

Then they turn to the defense of expository preaching, and particularly expository preaching that gives careful attention to the context of the text within the passage, the book, and ultimately the whole Bible. Particular emphasis is given to situating the text within God’s unfolding covenant purposes. This is not mere verse by verse explanation but canonical and biblical theological exposition, where the themes of scripture and the whole of scripture shape the treatment of a particular passage. While preference is given to preaching through books of scripture, they allow that topical preaching is both warranted by scripture itself, and that it may be done expositorily.

The authors conclude the first part with three chapters on the importance of the Holy Spirit in preaching that invites people to experience God. Careful exegesis and good homiletic practice are insufficient to transform our listeners. The Holy Spirit illumines both us and those who hear the Word preached. He emboldens the preacher, particularly in the face of opposing powers, he lights us up, fills us with love and gives us words. Finally, we constantly rely on Him through relying upon His Word, upon the Lord’s gospel, upon God in prayer, and upon the prayers of our people.

They then focus on early preparation. What I found is that this did not concern exegetical practice or turning exegetical outlines into preaching outlines, as so many similar texts do. To some degree they already addressed this in the chapters on context, and will in broad outline in the following chapters. But they begin by focusing on the importance of delivery, and also the reading of the preaching text–itself a form of preaching when done well. One of the most trenchant observations made here is that good teachers are able to anticipate how their words sound in the ears of their hearers.

The next three chapters are built around a little rhyme suggesting four questions each sermon must answer:

How does it fit?

What does it say?

How is it built?

Why does it stay?

“How does it fit?” answers the question of how the text fits into the overall context of the Bible. “What does it say?” focuses on what needs to be said about the message of this particular text to one’s audience. “How is it built?” looks at the way a passage develops its main idea. “Why does it stay?” is about why this passage has lasting relevance and how it may be relevant in the lives of the preacher and the hearers.

The final three chapters weigh the respective advantages and disadvantages of preaching from a manuscript, preaching from an outline, and preaching without notes. While a manuscript provides for precision of utterance, and avoids rabbit trails, and an outline helps with remembering what one wishes to say, the writers come down preferring the practice of preaching without notes. They favor this both in terms of what it requires of the preacher in terms of personal holiness, an outline based on the text, a simple and memorable outline, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. It also allows for better communication with and engagement with one’s audience, including more eye contact, and more natural movement and vocal variety.

What this book does is de-emphasize some of the more technical aspects of sermon preparation to focus on the spirituality of preaching–the character of the preacher, one’s own encounter with God in the text through the ministry of the Spirit, and reliance upon the Spirit in both preparation and proclamation.

While there is much of worth for anyone who aspires to preach, it should be noted that a premise of this book is that the office of preacher is limited to men–evident in references to “a holy man, ” and in the argument for preaching without notes that “it encourages masculinity” and that “for preaching to be effective, the preacher must be a masculine man” (p. 200).

While I do not agree with this premise, I found much of worth in this book, and particularly the strong argument for expository preaching, that this is really to expose God’s word under the power of God’s Spirit, so that the people of God may experience, worship, and obey the living God. It has been my joy to experience the living God under the expository preaching of both holy men and women of God, and I can’t imagine why those charged with preaching the Word of God would want anything less or else.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review: Preaching with Accuracy

June 2, 2015June 20, 2016 / rtrube54 / 1 Comment

Preaching with Accuracy: Finding Christ-Centered Big Ideas for Biblical Preaching by Randal E. Pelton. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2014.

Summary: This book contends that to preach with accuracy, one needs to find the big idea in the text, but not only that, to understand that idea in the context of the book, and ultimately all of scripture, which means connecting it to the person and work of Christ.

Randal Pelton thinks that much of “biblical preaching” isn’t biblical enough because preachers have failed to find the big idea in their chosen text. Often, they are preaching something tangential to the big idea. Furthermore, truly biblical preaching sets the textual big idea (texbi is Pelton’s term) within the contextual big idea (conbi) and ultimately within the canonical big idea (canbi) which will center on the person and work of Christ. Hence, Pelton is contending that it is not enough to turn one’s exegesis of a passage into a sermon. Rather one must place the text in its theological context in God’s redemptive story (Pelton assumes the unity of the canon, while recognizing the diverse literature and settings in which the books of scripture were written).

The book begins with an argument for exposition today from 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, arguing that it is the word of God explained plainly that God uses in the hearts not only of his people but even the outsider. He then contends that many preachers fail to preach accurately because they are preaching small ideas in the text rather than its main or big idea. After showing how to appropriately “cut” the text, that is, choose the textual portion on which to preach so that one isn’t only preaching part of the development of an idea, he provides specific help with “do it yourself” examples for identifying the textual idea in various genres. He then gives similar instruction in finding the contextual big idea, noting things like God or Christ as the key actor in narrative, that epistles are arguments and one must identify the thread of argument, and situate the text within this, and so forth.

Finally, he addresses how to find the canonical big idea. This seemed to me to be the vaguest part of the book. Pelton quotes Sinclair Ferguson, who said that there is no “simple formula, an elixir to be sprinkled on our sermons to transform them into the preaching of Christ” (quoted on p. 138 of Pelton). Ultimately, he would argue that Old Testament texts, indeed all texts, should be read in light of the gospel. He contrasts his approach to that of Sidney Greidanus, but I found Greidanus far more specific in how to go about this (in a much longer text) that Pelton. But both ultimately advocate forms of Christ-centered preaching of all biblical texts. This is an alternative to the “book of stories and rules” or “God’s handbook” approach, or approaches that moralize narratives (this is what Nehemiah did and we should too). In his concluding chapter, he describes how one moves from this textual work to the sermon with the encouragement that the work he describes in the book should come early in the week so that it can be fleshed out in a message.

This strikes me as a very helpful book for someone in the early years of preaching, or someone who preaches who has not yet had the benefit of seminary, who is committed to expository preaching. It helps transform sermons from either running commentaries on the Bible, or when one is preaching through a book, preaching disconnected messages that fail to show how the book coheres. More vitally, it shows the pastor how to provide a theological framework in his messages to hang the big ideas of a text onto the framework of the biggest ideas in the Bible of God’s redemptive story that culminates in Christ. And it has the virtue of being concise and practical while pointing those interested to further resources.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: Excellence in Preaching: Studying the Craft of Leading Preachers

May 13, 2014May 13, 2014 / rtrube54 / 1 Comment

Excellence in Preaching: Studying the Craft of Leading Preachers by Simon Vibert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was attracted by the idea of this book. Study great preachers to look for the qualities that define the greatness of their preaching. Vibert starts with the greatest of all, Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount. He then explores the work of twelve others, ranging from Tim Keller to John Piper to Nicky Gumbel to Mark Dever and even Mark Driscoll (obviously before some of the controversies surrounding his ministry).

The plan of each chapter is a brief personal profile of the person, a digest version of an exemplary sermon with side notes on what makes it exemplary, followed by a summary of the particular qualities of excellence evident in this person. What is striking are both some commonalities and the differences. Common to all seems to be a faithfulness to scripture and a passion for the glory of God as well as an ability to connect personally through story and pastoral awareness of one’s audience. But there are unique lessons to be learned from each as well. For Keller, it is to anticipate objections, to read thoroughly and widely, to create intrigue, and to preach for a verdict. For Vaughn Roberts, it is careful interaction with the biblical text, a clear and memorable sermon structure, an economy of words, and a commitment to mentor the next generation of preachers. For David Cook, it is to be genuinely interested in people, to apply the sermon first to oneself, and to enter the congregation’s world before drawing them into the world of the text.

Vibert’s conclusion summarizes these qualities and then poses a really interesting question, “wherein lies the power of good preaching?” Is it in the Word of God, is it in the Holy Spirit, is it in the person of the preacher submitted to God? In the end, Vibert argues that the answer is “yes”, that it is an “intermarriage” of all three that can be observed in scripture, church history, and in great preaching in our own day.

I both preach on occasion and have been involved in the training of younger ministry colleagues in preaching so I found much of interest that confirmed my own convictions. There was a significant glaring omission that I could not overlook–the absence of women or non-white exemplars such as Isaac Canales or Ajith Fernando or Ken Fong, and many others. It seems that the unspoken assumption is that excellence in preaching can only be attained by Anglo men. The author does not address this omission other than it may reflect the result of a survey among ministry peers. This lack of cross-cultural awareness is disturbing and undermines the otherwise worthy ideal of this book.

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Review: New Testament Exposition

December 26, 2013December 26, 2013 / rtrube54 / Leave a comment

New Testament Exposition by Walter L. Liefeld
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For several years I had the privilege of working with a team that led training workshops for staff in our organization on the practice of expository preaching–that is giving a message that exposes or explains the meaning of a biblical text such that those who listen can understand and apply what they’ve heard to their lives. Several of our team members were Trinity Evangelical Divinity School graduates and reading this book, I understand now where much of the framework we used came from.

This is not a new work, first published in 1984. But it is a helpful guide to the step by step process of preparing biblical expositions. Like any good professor, Liefeld begins by defining what we mean by exposition and gives helpful clarifying examples of what is and is not exposition and what characterizes good expository preaching.

Part II focuses on preparing the text, the work of exegesis, noticing compositional and narrative factors, attending to semantic patterns and even matters of emotional tone in the text.

Part III, titled “Applying the text” focuses on preparing a message based on good exegetical work. Some of his most helpful comments for me were found in chapter 7 on determining the application and the essential and challenging work of discerning the main applicative thrust of the passage in its original setting and then considering the situation of those one is speaking to and addressing the hearts and minds of those who listen. He also provides good instruction on structuring sermons and shows various ways a sermon from the same text can be structured that are faithful to the text. He also addresses how to handle difficult New Testament texts and concludes with a sample of how he would prepare a message based on the text of Romans 6:1-14.

What I missed (and perhaps was assumed) was much discussion of the spirituality of preaching, of what is involved in listening to the text so that one hears and is personally addressed by the word of God. What I also missed was any thoughtful discussion on the role of engaging the imagination in preaching. This all seemed very “workman-like”. It is true that the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:15 encourages Timothy with the words, “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (ESV). Anyone who cares deeply about living up to this exhortation will find Liefeld’s book an indispensible aid. My only encouragement would be to complement these books with ones like John Stott’s Between Two Worlds or D Martyn Lloyd-Jones Preaching and Preachers. Both of these writers were gifted expository preachers and their books fill out the elements of preaching not found in this slim volume.

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